n_TOF Collaboration(Massimi, C. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., & Tain, J. L. (2012). Resonance neutron-capture cross sections of stable magnesium isotopes and their astrophysical implications. Phys. Rev. C, 85(4), 044615–15pp.
Abstract: We have measured the neutron capture cross sections of the stable magnesium isotopes Mg-24,Mg-25,Mg-26 in the energy range of interest to the s process using the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN. Capture events from a natural metal sample and from samples enriched in Mg-25 and Mg-26 were recorded using the total energy method based on (C6H6)-H-2 detectors. Neutron resonance parameters were extracted by a simultaneous resonance shape analysis of the present capture data and existing transmission data on a natural isotopic sample. Maxwellian-averaged capture cross sections for the three isotopes were calculated up to thermal energies of 100 keV and their impact on s-process analyses was investigated. At 30 keV the new values of the stellar cross section for Mg-24, Mg-25, and Mg-26 are 3.8 +/- 0.2 mb, 4.1 +/- 0.6 mb, and 0.14 +/- 0.01 mb, respectively.
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Poltoratska, I. et al, & Rubio, B. (2012). Pygmy dipole resonance in Pb-208. Phys. Rev. C, 85(4), 041304–5pp.
Abstract: Scattering of protons of several hundred MeV is a promising new spectroscopic tool for the study of electric dipole strength in nuclei. A case study of Pb-208 shows that, at very forward angles, J(pi) = 1(-) states are strongly populated via Coulomb excitation. A separation from nuclear excitation of other modes is achieved by a multipole decomposition analysis of the experimental cross sections based on theoretical angular distributions calculated within the quasiparticle-phonon model. The B(E1) transition strength distribution is extracted for excitation energies up to 9MeV; that is, in the region of the so-called pygmy dipole resonance (PDR). The Coulomb-nuclear interference shows sensitivity to the underlying structure of the E1 transitions, which allows for the first time an experimental extraction of the electromagnetic transition strength and the energy centroid of the PDR.
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Harko, T., Koivisto, T. S., Lobo, F. S. N., & Olmo, G. J. (2012). Metric-Palatini gravity unifying local constraints and late-time cosmic acceleration. Phys. Rev. D, 85(8), 084016–5pp.
Abstract: We present a novel approach to modified theories of gravity which consists of adding to the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian an f(R) term constructed a la Palatini. Using the respective dynamically equivalent scalar-tensor representation, we show that the theory can pass the Solar System observational constraints even if the scalar field is very light. This implies the existence of a long-range scalar field, which is able to modify the cosmological and galactic dynamics but leaves the Solar System unaffected. We also verify the absence of instabilities in perturbations and provide explicit models which are consistent with local tests and lead to the late-time cosmic acceleration.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2012). Search for lepton-number violating processes in B+ -> h(-)l(+)l(+) decays. Phys. Rev. D, 85(7), 071103–8pp.
Abstract: We have searched for the lepton-number violating processes B+ -> h(-)l(+)l(+) with h(-) = K-/pi(-) and l(+) = e(+)/mu(+), using a sample of 471 +/- 3 million B (B) over bar events collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e(+)e(-) collider at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We find no evidence for these decays and place 90%-confidence-level upper limits on their branching fractions B(B+ -> pi(-)e(+)e(+)) < 2.3 x 10(-8), B(B+ -> K(-)e(+)e(+)) < 3.0 x 10(-8), B(B+ -> pi(-)mu(+)mu(+)) < 10.7 x 10(-8), and B(B+ -> K-mu(+)mu(+)) < 6.7 x 10(-8).
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., et al. (2012). Search for Scalar Bottom Quark Pair Production with the ATLAS Detector in pp Collisions at root s=7 TeV. Phys. Rev. Lett., 108(18), 181802–18pp.
Abstract: The results of a search for pair production of the scalar partners of bottom quarks in 2: 05 fb(-1) of pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV using the ATLAS experiment are reported. Scalar bottom quarks are searched for in events with large missing transverse momentum and two jets in the final state, where both jets are identified as originating from a bottom quark. In an R-parity conserving minimal supersymmetric scenario, assuming that the scalar bottom quark decays exclusively into a bottom quark and a neutralino, 95% confidence-level upper limits are obtained in the (b) over tilde (1) – (chi) over tilde (0)(1) mass plane such that for neutralino masses below 60 GeV scalar bottom masses up to 390 GeV are excluded.
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