Abstract: In this paper we study the nonperturbative structure of the SU(3) four-gluon vertex in the Landau gauge, concentrating on contributions quadratic in the metric. We employ an approximation scheme where “one-loop” diagrams are computed using fully dressed gluon and ghost propagators, and tree-level vertices. When a suitable kinematical configuration depending on a single momentum scale p is chosen, only two structures emerge: the tree-level four-gluon vertex, and a tensor orthogonal to it. A detailed numerical analysis reveals that the form factor associated with this latter tensor displays a change of sign (zero-crossing) in the deep infrared, and finally diverges logarithmically. The origin of this characteristic behavior is proven to be entirely due to the masslessness of the ghost propagators forming the corresponding ghost-loop diagram, in close analogy to a similar effect established for the three-gluon vertex. However, in the case at hand, and under the approximations employed, this particular divergence does not affect the form factor proportional to the tree-level tensor, which remains finite in the entire range of momenta, and deviates moderately from its naive tree-level value. It turns out that the kinematic configuration chosen is ideal for carrying out lattice simulations, because it eliminates from the connected Green's function all one-particle reducible contributions, projecting out the genuine one-particle irreducible vertex. Motivated by this possibility, we discuss in detail how a hypothetical lattice measurement of this quantity would compare to the results presented here, and the potential interference from an additional tensorial structure, allowed by Bose symmetry, but not encountered within our scheme.

Abstract: We investigate a gauge extension of the Standard Model in light of the observed hints of lepton universality violation in b -> clv and b -> sl(+) l(-) decays at BaBar, Belle and LHCb. The model consists of an extended gauge group SU(2)(1) x SU(2)(2) x U(l)(Y) which breaks spontaneously around the TeV scale to the electroweak gauge group. Fermion mixing effects with vector -like fermions give rise to potentially large new physics contributions in flavour transitions mediated by WI and Z' bosons. This model can ease tensions in B -physics data while satisfying stringent bounds from flavour physics, and electroweak precision data. Possible ways to test the proposed new physics scenario with upcoming experimental measurements are discussed. Among other predictions, the ratios RM =Gamma(B -> M mu(+)mu(-))/Gamma(B -> Me(+)e(-)), with M = K*, phi, are found to be reduced with respect to the Standard Model expectation R-M similar or equal to 1.

Abstract: We report the measurements of the CP-violating parameters in B-s(0) -> (DsK +/-)-K--/+ decays observed in pp collisions, using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1) recorded with the LHCb detector. We measure C-f = 0.73 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.05, A(f)(Delta Gamma) = 0.39 +/- 0.28 +/- 0.15, A(<(f)over) (Delta Gamma)(bar>) = 0.31 +/- 0.28 +/- 0.15, S-f = -0.52 +/- 0.20 +/- 0.07, S-(f) over bar = -0.49 +/- 0.20 +/- 0.07, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These parameters are used together with the world-average value of the B-s(0) mixing phase, -2 beta(s), to obtain a measurement of the CKM angle gamma from B-s(0) -> (DsK +/-)-K--/+ decays, yielding gamma – (128 (+17)(-22))degrees modulo 180 degrees, where the uncertainty contains both statistical and systematic contributions. This corresponds to 3.8 sigma evidence for CP violation in the interference between decay and decay after mixing.

Abstract: We present a strategy how to match the full set of components of the heavy-light axial and vector currents in Heavy Quark Effective Theory (HQET), up to and including 1/m (h) -corrections, to QCD. While the ultimate goal is to apply these matching conditions non-perturbatively, in this study we first have implemented them at tree-level, in order to find good choices of the matching observables with small contributions. They can later be employed in the non-perturbative matching procedure which is a crucial part of precision HQET computations of semileptonic decay form factors in lattice QCD.

Abstract: In this article we consider the presence of neutrino non-standard interactions (NSI) in the production and detection processes of reactor antineutrinos at the Daya Bay experiment. We report for the first time, the new constraints on the flavor non-universal and flavor universal charged-current NSI parameters, estimated using the currently released 621 days of Daya Bay data. New limits are placed assuming that the new physics effects are just inverse of each other in the production and detection processes. With this special choice of the NSI parameters, we observe a shift in the oscillation amplitude without distorting the L/E pattern of the oscillation probability. This shift in the depth of the oscillation dip can be caused by the NSI parameters as well as by theta(13), making it quite difficult to disentangle the NSI effects from the standard oscillations. We explore the correlations between the NSI parameters and theta(13) that may lead to significant deviations in the reported value of the reactor mixing angle with the help of iso-probability surface plots. Finally, we present the limits on electron, muon/tau, and flavor universal (FU) NSI couplings with and without considering the uncertainty in the normalization of the total event rates. Assuming a perfect knowledge of the event rates normalization, we find strong upper bounds similar to 0.1% for the electron and FU cases improving the present limits by one order of magnitude. However, for a conservative error of 5% in the total normalization, these constraints are relaxed by almost one order of magnitude.