Abstract: Background: Neutron-rich nuclei with protons in the fp shell show an onset of collectivity around N=40. Spectroscopic information is required to understand the underlying mechanism and to determine the relevant terms of the nucleon-nucleon interaction that are responsible for the evolution of the shell structure in this mass region. Methods: We report on the lifetime measurement of the first 2+ and 4+ states in 70,72,74Zn and the first 6+ state in 72Zn using the recoil distance Doppler shift method. The experiment was carried out at the INFN Laboratory of Legnaro with the AGATA demonstrator, first phase of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array of highly segmented, high-purity germanium detectors coupled to the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer. The excited states of the nuclei of interest were populated in the deep inelastic scattering of a 76Ge beam impinging on a 238U target. Results: The maximum of collectivity along the chain of Zn isotopes is observed for 72Zn at N=42. An unexpectedly long lifetime of 20−5.2+1.8 ps was measured for the 4+ state in 74Zn. Conclusions: Our results lead to small values of the B(E2;41+→21+)/B(E2;21+→01+) ratio for 72,74Zn, suggesting a significant noncollective contribution to these excitations. These experimental results are not reproduced by state-of-the-art microscopic models and call for lifetime measurements beyond the first 2+ state in heavy zinc and nickel isotopes.

Abstract: We explore the consequences of heavy flavor, heavy quark spin, and heavy antiquark-diquark symmetries for hadronic molecules within an effective field theory framework. Owing to heavy antiquark-diquark symmetry, the doubly heavy baryons have approximately the same light-quark structure as the heavy antimesons. As a consequence, the existence of a heavy meson-antimeson molecule implies the possibility of a partner composed of a heavy meson and a doubly heavy baryon. In this regard, the D (D) over bar* molecular nature of the X(3872) will hint at the existence of several baryonic partners with isospin I = 0 and J(P) = 5(-)/2 or 3(-)/2. Moreover, if the Z(b)(10650) turns out to be a B*(B) over bar* bound state, we can be confident of the existence of Xi(bb)*(B) over bar* hadronic molecules with quantum numbers I(J(P)) = 1(1(-)/2) and I(J(P)) = 1(3/2(-)). These states are of special interest since they can be considered to be triply heavy pentaquarks.

Abstract: Among the newly observed structures in the heavy-quarkonium mass region, some have been proposed to be hadronic molecules. We investigate the consequences of heavy- quark flavor symmetry on these heavy meson hadronic molecules. The symmetry allows us to predict new hadronic molecules on one hand, and test the hadronic molecular assumption of the observed structures on the other hand. We explore the consequences of the flavor symmetry assuming the X(3872) and Z(b)(10 610) as an isoscalar D (D) over bar* and isovector B (B) over bar* hadronic molecule, respectively. A series of hadronic molecules composed of heavy mesons are predicted. In particular, there is an isoscalar 1(++) B (B) over bar* bound state with a mass about 10 580 MeV which may be searched for in the Y(1S, 2S)pi(+) pi(-) pi(0) mass distribution; the isovector charmonium partners of the Z(b)(10 610) and the Z(b)(10 650) are also predicted, which probably corresponds to the very recently observed Z(c)(3900) and Z(c)(4025) resonances by the BESIII Collaboration.

Abstract: We explore two bilarge neutrino mixing Anzatze within the context of Abelian flavor symmetry theories: (BL1) sin theta(12) similar to lambda, sin theta(13) similar to lambda, sin theta(23) similar to lambda, and (BL2) sin theta(12) similar to lambda, sin theta(13) similar to lambda, sin theta(23) similar to 1 – lambda. The first pattern is proposed by two of us and is favored if the atmospheric mixing angle theta(23) lies in the first octant, while the second one is preferred for the second octant of theta(23). In order to reproduce the second texture, we find that the flavor symmetry should be U(1) x Z(m), while for the first pattern the flavor symmetry should be extended to U(1) x Z(m) x Z(n) with m and n of different parity. Explicit models for both mixing patterns are constructed based on the flavor symmetries U(1) x Z(3) x Z(4) and U(1) x Z(2). The models are extended to the quark sector within the framework of SU(5) grand unified theory in order to give a successful description of quark and lepton masses and mixing simultaneously. Phenomenological implications are discussed.

Abstract: We report the determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa CP-violating angle gamma through the combination of various measurements involving B-+/- -> DK +/-, B-+/- -> D*K-+/-, and B-+/- -> DK*(+/-) decays performed by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Using up to 474 million B (B) over bar pairs, we obtain gamma = (69(-16)(+17))degrees modulo 180 degrees. The total uncertainty is dominated by the statistical component, with the experimental and amplitude-model systematic uncertainties amounting to +/- 4 degrees. The corresponding two-standard-deviation region is 41 degrees < gamma < 102 degrees. This result is inconsistent with gamma = 0 with a significance of 5.9 standard deviations.