Abstract: We study the possibility of extracting the neutrino mass ordering at the future Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment using atmospheric neutrinos, which will be available before the muon neutrino beam starts being operational. The large statistics of the atmospheric muon neutrino and antineutrino samples at the far detector, together with the baselines of thousands of kilometers that these atmospheric (anti) neutrinos travel, provide ideal ingredients to extract the neutrino mass ordering via matter effects in the neutrino propagation through Earth. Crucially, muon capture by argon provides excellent charge tagging, allowing us to disentangle the neutrino and antineutrino signature. This is an important extra benefit of having a liquid argon time projection chamber as a far detector, that could render an similar to 3.5 sigma extraction of the mass ordering after approximately 7 yr of exposure.

Abstract: The first search for the doubly heavy Omega(0)(bc) baryon and a search for the Xi(0)(bc) baryon are performed using collision data collected via the experiment from 2016 to 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.2 fb(-1). The baryons are reconstructed via their decays to Lambda(+)(-)(c)(pi) and Xi(+)(c)pi(-). No significant excess is found for invariant masses between 6700 and 7300 MeV/c(2), in a rapidity range from 2.0 to 4.5 and a transverse momentum range from 2 to 20 MeV/c. Upper limits are set on the ratio of the Omega(0)(bc) and Xi(0)(bc) production cross-section times the branching fraction to Lambda(+)(c)pi(-)(Xi(+)(c)pi(-)) relative to that of the Lambda(0)(b)(Xi(0)(b)) baryon, for different lifetime hypotheses, at 95% confidence level. The upper limits range from 0.5x10(-4) to 2.5x10(-4) for the Omega(0)(bc) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-) (Xi(0)(bc) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-)) decay, pending on the considered mass and lifetime of the Omega(0)(bc) (Xi(0)(bc)) baryon.

Abstract: The neutron time-of-flight (n_TOF) facility at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) is a pulsed white-spectrum neutron spallation source producing neutrons for two experimental areas: the Experimental Area 1 (EAR1), located 185 m horizontally from the target, and the Experimental Area 2 (EAR2), located 20 m above the target. The target, based on pure lead, is impacted by a high-intensity 20-GeV/c pulsed proton beam. The facility was conceived to study neutron-nucleus interactions for neutron kinetic energies between a few meV to several GeV, with applications of interest for nuclear astrophysics, nuclear technology, and medical research. After the second-generation target reached the end of its lifetime, the facility underwent a major upgrade during CERN's Long Shutdown 2 (LS2, 2019-2021), which included the installation of the new third-generation neutron target. The first- and second-generation targets were based on water-cooled massive lead blocks and were designed focusing on EAR1, since EAR2 was built later. The new target is cooled by nitrogen gas to avoid erosion-corrosion and contamination of cooling water with radioactive lead spallation products. Moreover, the new design is optimized also for the vertical flight path and EAR2. This paper presents an overview of the target design focused on both physics and thermomechanical performance, and includes a description of the nitrogen cooling circuit and radiation protection studies.

Abstract: A measurement of the ratios of the effective decay widths of D-0 -> pi(-)pi(+) and D-0 -> K- K+ decays over that of D-0 -> K-pi(+) decays is performed with the LHCb experiment using proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb(-1). These observables give access to the charm mixing parameters y(CP)(pi pi) – y(CP)(K pi )and y(CP)(KK) -y(CP)(K pi), and are measured as y(CP)(pi pi) – y(CP)(K pi) = (6.57 +/- 0.53 +/- 0.16) x 10(-3), y(CP)(KK) – y(CP)(K pi) = (7.08 +/- 0.30 +/- 0.14) x 10(-3), where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The combination of the two measurements is Y-CP – y(CP)(K pi) = (6.96 +/- 0.26 +/- 0.13) x 10(-3), which is four times more precise than the previous world average.

Abstract: Measurements of electrons from ?e interactions are crucial for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) neutrino oscillation program, as well as searches for physics beyond the standard model, supernova neutrino detection, and solar neutrino measurements. This article describes the selection and reconstruction of low-energy (Michel) electrons in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector. ProtoDUNE-SP is one of the prototypes for the DUNE far detector, built and operated at CERN as a charged particle test beam experiment. A sample of low-energy electrons produced by the decay of cosmic muons is selected with a purity of 95%. This sample is used to calibrate the low-energy electron energy scale with two techniques. An electron energy calibration based on a cosmic ray muon sample uses calibration constants derived from measured and simulated cosmic ray muon events. Another calibration technique makes use of the theoretically well-understood Michel electron energy spectrum to convert reconstructed charge to electron energy. In addition, the effects of detector response to low-energy electron energy scale and its resolution including readout electronics threshold effects are quantified. Finally, the relation between the theoretical and reconstructed low-energy electron energy spectra is derived, and the energy resolution is characterized. The low-energy electron selection presented here accounts for about 75% of the total electron deposited energy. After the addition of lost energy using a Monte Carlo simulation, the energy resolution improves from about 40% to 25% at 50 MeV. These results are used to validate the expected capabilities of the DUNE far detector to reconstruct low-energy electrons.