Abstract: We analyze a displaced dilepton signal expected at the LHC for a tau left sneutrino as the lightest supersymmetric particle with a mass in the range 45-100 GeV. The sneutrinos are pair produced via a virtual W, Z or gamma in the s channel and, given the large value of the tau Yukawa coupling, their decays into two dileptons or a dilepton plus missing transverse energy from neutrinos can be significant. The discussion is carried out in the framework of the μnu SSM, where the presence of R-parity violating couplings involving right-handed neutrinos solves the μproblem and can reproduce the neutrino data. To probe the tau left sneutrinos we compare the predictions of this scenario with the ATLAS search for long-lived particles using displaced lepton pairs in pp collisions at root s = 8 TeV, allowing us to constrain the parameter space of the model. We also consider an optimization of the trigger requirements used in existing displaced-vertex searches by means of a high level trigger that exploits tracker information. This optimization is generically useful for a light metastable particle decaying into soft charged leptons. The constraints on the sneutrino turn out to be more stringent. We finally discuss the prospects for the 13 TeV LHC searches as well as further potential optimizations.

Abstract: Xe-136 is used as the target medium for many experiments searching for 0 nu beta beta. Despite underground operation, cosmic muons that reach the laboratory can produce spallation neutrons causing activation of detector materials. A potential background that is difficult to veto using muon tagging comes in the form of Xe-137 created by the capture of neutrons on Xe-136. This isotope decays via beta decay with a half-life of 3.8 min and a Q(beta) of similar to 4.16 MeV. This work proposes and explores the concept of adding a small percentage of He-3 to xenon as a means to capture thermal neutrons and reduce the number of activations in the detector volume. When using this technique we find the contamination from Xe-137 activation can be reduced to negligible levels in tonne and multi-tonne scale high pressure gas xenon neutrinoless double beta decay experiments running at any depth in an underground laboratory.

Abstract: We perform a theoretical study of the D-s(+) ->pi(+)pi(+)pi(-)eta decay. We look first at the basic D-s(+) decay at the quark level from external and internal emission. Then we hadronize a pair or two pairs of q (q) over bar states to have mesons at the end. Posteriorly the pairs of mesons are allowed to undergo final state interaction, by means of which the a(0)(980), f(0)(980), a(1)(1260), and b(1)(1235) resonances are dynamically generated. The G parity is used as a filter of the possible channels, and from those with negative G parity only the ones that can lead to pi(+)pi(+)pi(-)eta at the final state are kept. Using transition amplitudes from the chiral unitary approach that generates these resonances and a few free parameters, we obtain a fair reproduction of the six mass distributions reported in the BESIII experiment.

Abstract: We apply the diabatic framework, a QCD-based formalism for the unified study of quarkoniumlike systems in terms of heavy quark-antiquark and open-flavor meson-meson components, to the description of coupled-channel meson-meson scattering. For this purpose, we first introduce a numerical scheme to find the solutions of the diabatic Schrodinger equation for energies in the continuum, then we derive a general formula for calculating the meson-meson scattering amplitudes from these solutions. We thus obtain a completely nonperturbative procedure for the calculation of open-flavor meson-meson scattering cross sections from the diabatic potential, which is directly connected to lattice QCD calculations. A comprehensive analysis of various elastic cross sections for open-charm and open-bottom meson-meson pairs is performed in a wide range of the center-of-mass energies. The relevant structures are identified, showing a spectrum of quasiconventional and unconventional quarkoniumlike states. In addition to the customary Breit-Wigner peaks, we obtain nontrivial structures such as threshold cusps and minimums. Finally, our results are compared with existing data and with results from our previous bound-state-based analysis, finding full compatibility with both.

Abstract: We have performed a combined analysis of the BESIII data for both the Z(c)(3900) and Z(cs)(3985) structures, assuming that the latter is an SU(3) flavor partner of the former one. We have improved on the previous analysis of Albaladejo et al. [Phys. Lett. B 755, 337 (2016)] by computing the amplitude for the D-1(D) over barD* triangle diagram considering both D- and S-wave D1D*x couplings. We have also investigated effects from SU(3) light-flavor violations, which are found to be moderate and of the order of 20%. The successful reproduction of the BESIII spectra, in both the hidden-charm and hidden-charm strange sectors, strongly supports that the Z(cs)(3985) and Z(c)(3900) are SU(3) flavor partners placed in the same octet multiplet. The best results are obtained when an energy-dependent term in the diagonal D(*) (D) over bar ((s))((*)) interaction is included, leading to resonances (poles above the thresholds) to describe these exotic states. We have also made predictions for the isovector Z*c and isodoublet Z*(cs), D*(D) over bar*, and D*??D*s molecules, with J(PC) = 1(+-) and J(P) = 1(+), respectively. These states would be heavy-quark spin symmetry (HQSS) partners of the Z(c) and Z(cs). Besides the determination of the masses and widths of the Z(c)(3900) and Z(cs)(3985), we also predict those of the Z*(c) and Z*(cs) resonances.