Di Valentino, E., Mena, O., Pan, S., Visinelli, L., Yang, W. Q., Melchiorri, A., et al. (2021). In the realm of the Hubble tension – a review of solutions. Class. Quantum Gravity, 38(15), 153001–110pp.
Abstract: The simplest ΛCDM model provides a good fit to a large span of cosmological data but harbors large areas of phenomenology and ignorance. With the improvement of the number and the accuracy of observations, discrepancies among key cosmological parameters of the model have emerged. The most statistically significant tension is the 4 sigma to 6 sigma disagreement between predictions of the Hubble constant, H (0), made by the early time probes in concert with the 'vanilla' ΛCDM cosmological model, and a number of late time, model-independent determinations of H (0) from local measurements of distances and redshifts. The high precision and consistency of the data at both ends present strong challenges to the possible solution space and demands a hypothesis with enough rigor to explain multiple observations-whether these invoke new physics, unexpected large-scale structures or multiple, unrelated errors. A thorough review of the problem including a discussion of recent Hubble constant estimates and a summary of the proposed theoretical solutions is presented here. We include more than 1000 references, indicating that the interest in this area has grown considerably just during the last few years. We classify the many proposals to resolve the tension in these categories: early dark energy, late dark energy, dark energy models with 6 degrees of freedom and their extensions, models with extra relativistic degrees of freedom, models with extra interactions, unified cosmologies, modified gravity, inflationary models, modified recombination history, physics of the critical phenomena, and alternative proposals. Some are formally successful, improving the fit to the data in light of their additional degrees of freedom, restoring agreement within 1-2 sigma between Planck 2018, using the cosmic microwave background power spectra data, baryon acoustic oscillations, Pantheon SN data, and R20, the latest SH0ES Team Riess, et al (2021 Astrophys. J. 908 L6) measurement of the Hubble constant (H (0) = 73.2 +/- 1.3 km s(-1) Mpc(-1) at 68% confidence level). However, there are many more unsuccessful models which leave the discrepancy well above the 3 sigma disagreement level. In many cases, reduced tension comes not simply from a change in the value of H (0) but also due to an increase in its uncertainty due to degeneracy with additional physics, complicating the picture and pointing to the need for additional probes. While no specific proposal makes a strong case for being highly likely or far better than all others, solutions involving early or dynamical dark energy, neutrino interactions, interacting cosmologies, primordial magnetic fields, and modified gravity provide the best options until a better alternative comes along.
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n_TOF Collaboration(Barbagallo, M. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., Tain, J. L., & Tarifeño-Saldivia, A. (2016). Be-7(n,alpha)He-4 Reaction and the Cosmological Lithium Problem: Measurement of the Cross Section in a Wide Energy Range at n_TOF at CERN. Phys. Rev. Lett., 117(15), 152701–7pp.
Abstract: The energy-dependent cross section of the (7)Bed(n,alpha)He-4 reaction, of interest for the so-called cosmological lithium problem in big bang nucleosynthesis, has been measured for the first time from 10 meV to 10 keV neutron energy. The challenges posed by the short half-life of Be-7 and by the low reaction cross section have been overcome at nTOF thanks to an unprecedented combination of the extremely high luminosity and good resolution of the neutron beam in the new experimental area (EAR2) of the nTOF facility at CERN, the availability of a sufficient amount of chemically pure Be-7, and a specifically designed experimental setup. Coincidences between the two alpha particles have been recorded in two Si-Be-7-Si arrays placed directly in the neutron beam. The present results are consistent, at thermal neutron energy, with the only previous measurement performed in the 1960s at a nuclear reactor. The energy dependence reported here clearly indicates the inadequacy of the cross section estimates currently used in BBN calculations. Although new measurements at higher neutron energy may still be needed, the n_TOF results hint at a minor role of this reaction in BBN, leaving the long-standing cosmological lithium problem unsolved.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2019). Model-Independent Observation of Exotic Contributions to B degrees -> J/psi K+pi(-) Decays. Phys. Rev. Lett., 122(15), 152002–10pp.
Abstract: An angular analysis of B degrees -> J/psi K+pi(-) decays is performed, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected with the LHCb detector. The m(K+pi(-) ) spectrum is divided into fine bins. In each m(K+pi(-)) bin, the hypothesis that the three-dimensional angular distribution can be described by structures induced only by K* resonances is examined, making minimal assumptions about the K+pi(-) system. The data reject the K*-only hypothesis with a large significance, implying the observation of exotic contributions in a model-independent fashion. Inspection of the m(J/psi pi(-)) vs m(K+pi(-)) plane suggests structures near m(J/psi pi(-)) = 4200 and 4600 MeV.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2019). Observation of New Resonances in the Lambda(0)(b)pi(+)pi(-) System. Phys. Rev. Lett., 123(15), 152001–11pp.
Abstract: We report the observation of a new structure in the Lambda(0)(b)pi(+)pi(- )spectrum using the full LHCb data set of pp collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1), collected at root s = 7, 8, and 13 TeV. A study of the structure suggests its interpretation as a superposition of two almost degenerate narrow states. The masses and widths of these states are measured to be m(Lambda b(6146)0) = 6146.17 +/- 0.33 +/- 0.22 +/- 0.16 MeV, m(Lambda b(6152)0) = 6152.51 +/- 0.26 +/- 0.22 +/- 0.16 MeV, Gamma(Lambda b(6146)0) = 2.9 +/- 1.3 +/- 0.3 MeV, Gamma(Lambda b(6152)0) = 2.1 +/- 0.8 +/- 0.3 MeV,with a mass splitting of Delta m = 6.34 +/- 0.32 +/- 0.02 MeV, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic. The third uncertainty for the mass measurements derives from the knowledge of the mass of the Lambda(0)(b) baryon. The measured masses and widths of these new excited states suggest their possible interpretation as a doublet of Lambda(b)(1D)(0) states.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2020). Measurements of the Absolute Branching Fractions of B-+/- -> K(+/-)Xc(c)over-bar. Phys. Rev. Lett., 124(15), 152001–8pp.
Abstract: A study of the two-body decays B-+/- -> Xc (c) over barK +/-, where X-c (c) over bar refers to one charmonium state, is reported by the BABAR Collaboration using a data sample of 424 fb(-1). The absolute determination of branching fractions for these decays are significantly improved compared to previous BABAR measurements. Evidence is found for the decay B-+/- -> X(3872)K+ at the 3 sigma level. The absolute branching fraction B[B+ -> X(3872)K+] = [2.1 +/- 0.6(stat) +/- 0.3(syst)] x 10(-4) is measured for the first time. It follows that B[X(3872) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-)] = (4.1 +/- 1.3)%, supporting the hypothesis of a molecular component for this resonance.
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