Abstract: A search for long-lived particles is performed using a data sample of 4.7 fb(-1) from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy. root s = 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. No excess is observed above the estimated background and lower limits, at 95% confidence level, are set on the mass of the long-lived particles in different scenarios, based on their possible interactions in the inner detector, the calorimeters and the muon spectrometer. Long-lived staus in gauge-mediated SUSY-breaking models are excluded up to a mass of 300 GeV for tan beta = 5-20. Directly produced long-lived sleptons are excluded up to a mass of 278 GeV. R-hadrons, composites of gluino (stop, sbottom) and light quarks, are excluded up to a mass of 985 GeV (683 GeV, 612 GeV) when using a generic interaction model. Additionally two sets of limits on R-hadrons are obtained that are less sensitive to the interaction model for R-hadrons. One set of limits is obtained using only the inner detector and calorimeter observables, and a second set of limits is obtained based on the inner detector alone.

Abstract: We explore the upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r in supersymmetric (F-term) hybrid inflation models with the gauge symmetry breaking scale set equal to the value 2.86 . 10(16) GeV, as dictated by the unification of the MSSM gauge couplings. We employ a unique renormalizable superpotential and a quasi-canonical Kahler potential, and the scalar spectral index n(s) is required to lie within the two-sigma interval from the central value found by the Planck satellite. In a sizable region of the parameter space the potential along the inflationary trajectory is a monotonically increasing function of the inflaton, and for this case, r less than or similar to 2.9.10(-4), while the spectral index running, vertical bar dn(s)/d ln k vertical bar, can be as large as 0.01. Ignoring higher order terms which ensure the boundedness of the potential for large values of the inflaton, the upper bound on r is significantly larger, of order 0.01, for subplanckian values of the inflaton, and vertical bar dn(s)/dlnk vertical bar similar or equal to 0.006.

Abstract: The neutral Kaon system has both CF violation in the mass matrix and a non-vanishing lifetime difference in the width matrix. This leads to an effective Hamiltonian which is not a normal operator, with incompatible (non-commuting) masses and widths. In the Weisskopf-Wigner Approach (WWA), by diagonalizing the entire Hamiltonian, the unphysical non-orthogonal “stationary” states K-L,K-S are obtained. These states have complex eigenvalues whose real (imaginary) part does not coincide with the eigenvalues of the mass (width). matrix. In this work we describe the system as an open Lindblad-type quantum mechanical system due to Kaon decays. This approach, in terms of density matrices for initial and final states, provides a consistent probabilistic description, avoiding the standard problems because the width matrix becomes a composite operator not included in the Hamiltonian. We consider the dominant decay channel to two pions, so that one of the Kaon states with definite lifetime becomes stable. This new approach provides results for the time dependent decay rates in agreement with those of the WWA.

Abstract: We present a search for neutrino induced events containing a single, exclusive photon using data from the NOMAD experiment at the CERN SPS where the average energy of the neutrino flux is similar or equal to 25 GeV. The search is motivated by an excess of electron-like events in the 200-475 MeV energy region as reported by the MiniBooNE experiment. In NOMAD, photons are identified via their conversion to e(+)e(-) in an active target embedded in a magnetic field. The background to the single photon signal is dominated by the asymmetric decay of neutral pions produced either in a coherent neutrino-nucleus interaction, or in a neutrino-nucleon neutral current deep inelastic scattering, or in an interaction occurring outside the fiducial volume. All three backgrounds are determined in situ using control data samples prior to opening the 'signal-box'. In the signal region, we observe 155 events with a predicted background of 129.2 +/- 8.5 +/- 3.3. We interpret this as null evidence for excess of single photon events, and set a limit. Assuming that the hypothetical single photon has a momentum distribution similar to that of a photon from the coherent pi(0) decay, the measurement yields an upper limit on single photon events, < 4.0 x 10(-4) per nu(mu) charged current event. Narrowing the search to events where the photon is approximately collinear with the incident neutrino, we observe 78 events with a predicted background of 76.6 +/- 4.9 +/- 1.9 yielding a more stringent upper limit, < 1.6 x 10(-4) per nu(mu) charged current event.

Abstract: We investigate the role of hyperfine mixing in the electromagnetic decay of ground state doubly heavy bc baryons. As in the case of a previous calculation on b -> c semileptonic decays of doubly heavy baryons, we find large corrections to the electromagnetic decay widths due to this mixing. Contrary to the weak case just mentioned, we find here that one cannot use electromagnetic width relations obtained in the infinite heavy quark mass limit to experimentally extract information on the admixtures in a model independent way.