Abstract: Measurements of the branching fractions of B-s(0) -> K*K-+/-(-/+) and B-s(0) -> K*(+/-) pi(-/+) decays are performed using a data sample corresponding to 1.0 fb(-1) of protonproton collision data collected with the LHCb detector at a centre-of- mass energy of 7 TeV, where the K*(+/-) mesons are reconstructed in the K-s(0) pi(+/-) final state. The first observation of the B-s(0) -> K*(+/-) K--/+ decay and the first evidence for the B-s(0) -> K*(-) pi(+) decay are reported with branching fractions B(B-s(0) -> K*K-+/-(-/+)) = (12.7 +/- 1.9 +/- 1.9) x 10(-6) , B(B-s(0) -> K*(-) pi(+)) = (3.3 +/- 1.1 +/- 0.5) x 10(-6) , where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. In addition, an upper limit of B(B-0 -> K*K-+/-(-/+)) < 0.4 (0.5) x 10(-6) is set at 90% (95%) confidence level.

Abstract: Symmetries in the Physical Laws of Nature lead to observable effects. Beyond the regularities and conserved magnitudes, the last few decades in particle physics have seen the identification of symmetries, and their well-defined breaking, as the guiding principle for the elementary constituents of matter and their interactions. Flavour SU(3) symmetry of hadrons led to the Quark Model and the antisymmetric requirement under exchange of identical fermions led to the colour degree of freedom. Colour became the generating charge for flavour-independent strong interactions of quarks and gluons in the exact colour SU(3) local gauge symmetry. Parity Violation in weak interactions led us to consider the chiral fields of fermions as the objects with definite transformation properties under the weak isospin SU(2) gauge group of the Unifying Electro-Weak SU(2) x U(1) symmetry, which predicted novel weak neutral current interactions. CP-Violation led to three families of quarks opening the field of Flavour Physics. Time-reversal violation has recently been observed with entangled neutral mesons, compatible with CPT-invariance. The cancellation of gauge anomalies, which would invalidate the gauge symmetry of the quantum field theory, led to Quark-Lepton Symmetry. Neutrinos were postulated in order to save the conservation laws of energy and angular momentum in nuclear beta decay. After the ups and downs of their mass, neutrino oscillations were discovered in 1998, opening a new era about their origin of mass, mixing, discrete symmetries and the possibility of global lepton-number violation through Majorana mass terms and Leptogenesis as the source of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. The experimental discovery of quarks and leptons and the mediators of their interactions, with physical observables in spectacular agreement with this Standard Theory, is the triumph of Symmetries. The gauge symmetry is exact only when the particles are massless. One needs a subtle breaking of the symmetry, providing the origin of mass without affecting the excellent description of the interactions. This is the Brout-Englert-Higgs Mechanism, which produces the Higgs Boson as a remnant, discovered at CERN in 2012. Open present problems are addressed with by searching the New Physics Beyond-the-Standard-Model.

Abstract: In this work, an Effective Field Theory (EFT) incorporating light SU(3)-flavour and heavy quark spin symmetries is used to describe charmed meson-antimeson bound states. At Lowest Order (LO), this means that only contact range interactions among the heavy meson and antimeson fields are involved. Besides, the isospin violating decays of the X(3872) will be used to constrain the interaction between the D and a (D) over bar* mesons in the isovector channel. Finally, assuming that the X(3915) and Y(4140) resonances are D* (D) over bar* and D-s* (D) over bar (s)* molecular states, we can determine the four Low Energy Constants (LECs) of the EFT that appear at LO and, therefore, the full spectrum of molecular states with isospin I = 0, 1/2 and 1.

Abstract: Over the last ten years tri-bimaximal mixing has played an important role in modeling the flavour problem. We give a short review of the status of flavour symmetry models of neutrino mixing. We concentrate on non-Abelian discrete symmetries, which provide a simple way to account for the TBM pattern. We discuss phenomenological implications such as neutrinoless double beta decay, lepton flavour violation as well as theoretical aspects such as the possibility to explain quarks and leptons within a common framework, such as grand unified models.

Abstract: This Letter presents measurements of the differential cross-sections for inclusive electron and muon production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 7 TeV, using data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The muon cross-section is measured as a function of p(T) in the range 4 < p(T) < 100 GeV and within pseudorapidity vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.5. In addition the electron and muon cross-sections are measured in the range 7 < p(T) < 26 GeV and within vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.0, excluding 1.37 < vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1.52. Integrated luminosities of 1.3 pb(-1) and 1.4 pb(-1) are used for the electron and muon measurements, respectively. After subtraction of the W/Z/gamma* contribution, the differential cross-sections are found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions for heavy-flavour production obtained from Fixed Order NLO calculations with NLL high-p(T) resummation, and to be sensitive to the effects of NLL resummation.