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Xiao, C. W., & Oset, E. (2013). Three methods to detect the predicted D(D)over-bar scalar meson X(3700). Eur. Phys. J. A, 49(4), 52–6pp.
Abstract: In analogy to the f(0)(500), which appears as a pi pi resonance in chiral unitary theory, and the f(0)(980), which appears as a quasibound K (K) over bar state, the extension of this approach to the charm sector also predicts a quasibound D (D) over bar state with mass around 3720 MeV, named as X(3700), for which some experimental support is seen in the e(+)e(-) -> J/psi D (D) over bar reaction close to the D (D) over bar threshold. In the present work we propose three different experiments to observe it as a clear peak. The first one is the radiative decay of the psi(3770), psi(3770) -> gamma X(3700) -> gamma eta eta'. The second one proposes the analogous reaction psi(4040) -> gamma X(3700) -> gamma eta eta' and the third reaction is the e(+)e(-) -> J/psi X(3700) -> J/psi eta eta'. Neat peaks are predicted for all the reactions and the calculated rates are found within measurable range in present facilities.
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Sanjuan, R., Nebot, M., Peris, J. B., & Alcami, J. (2013). Immune Activation Promotes Evolutionary Conservation of T-Cell Epitopes in HIV-1. PLoS. Biol., 11(4), e1001523–10pp.
Abstract: The immune system should constitute a strong selective pressure promoting viral genetic diversity and evolution. However, HIV shows lower sequence variability at T-cell epitopes than elsewhere in the genome, in contrast with other human RNA viruses. Here, we propose that epitope conservation is a consequence of the particular interactions established between HIV and the immune system. On one hand, epitope recognition triggers an anti-HIV response mediated by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), but on the other hand, activation of CD4(+) helper T lymphocytes (T-H cells) promotes HIV replication. Mathematical modeling of these opposite selective forces revealed that selection at the intrapatient level can promote either T-cell epitope conservation or escape. We predict greater conservation for epitopes contributing significantly to total immune activation levels (immunodominance), and when T-H cell infection is concomitant to epitope recognition (transinfection). We suggest that HIV-driven immune activation in the lymph nodes during the chronic stage of the disease may offer a favorable scenario for epitope conservation. Our results also support the view that some pathogens draw benefits from the immune response and suggest that vaccination strategies based on conserved T-H epitopes may be counterproductive.
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Franca, U., Lineros, R. A., Palacio, J., & Pastor, S. (2013). Probing interactions within the dark matter sector via extra radiation contributions. Phys. Rev. D, 87(12), 123521–6pp.
Abstract: The nature of dark matter is one of the most thrilling riddles for both cosmology and particle physics nowadays. While in the typical models the dark sector is composed only by weakly interacting massive particles, an arguably more natural scenario would include a whole set of gauge interactions which are invisible for the standard model but that are in contact with the dark matter. We present a method to constrain the number of massless gauge bosons and other relativistic particles that might be present in the dark sector using current and future cosmic microwave background data, and provide upper bounds on the size of the dark sector. We use the fact that the dark matter abundance depends on the strength of the interactions with both sectors, which allows one to relate the freeze-out temperature of the dark matter with the temperature of this cosmic background of dark gauge bosons. This relation can then be used to calculate how sizable is the impact of the relativistic dark sector in the number of degrees of freedom of the early Universe, providing an interesting and testable connection between cosmological data and direct/indirect detection experiments. The recent Planck data, in combination with other cosmic microwave background experiments and baryonic acoustic oscillations data, constrains the number of relativistic dark gauge bosons, when the freeze-out temperature of the dark matter is larger than the top mass, to be N less than or similar to 14 for the simplest scenarios, while those limits are slightly relaxed for the combination with the Hubble constant measurements to N less than or similar to 20. Future releases of Planck data are expected to reduce the uncertainty by approximately a factor of 3, which will reduce significantly the parameter space of allowed models.
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Albaladejo, M., Hidalgo-Duque, C., Nieves, J., & Oset, E. (2013). Hidden charm molecules in finite volume. Phys. Rev. D, 88(1), 014510–18pp.
Abstract: In the present paper we address the interaction of pairs of charmed mesons with hidden charm in a finite box. We use the interaction from a recent model based on heavy-quark spin symmetry that predicts molecules of hidden charm in the infinite volume. The energy levels in the box are generated within this model, and from them some synthetic data are generated. These data are then employed to study the inverse problem of getting the energies of the bound states and phase shifts for D (D) over bar or D*(D) over bar*. Different strategies are investigated using the lowest two levels for different values of the box size, and the errors produced are studied. Starting from the upper level, fits to the synthetic data are carried out to determine the scattering length and effective range plus the binding energy of the ground state. A similar strategy using the effective range formula is considered with a simultaneous fit to the two levels-one above and the other one below the threshold. This method turns out to be more efficient than the previous one. Finally, a method based on the fit to the data by means of a potential and a conveniently regularized loop function, turns out to be very efficient and allows us to produce accurate results in the infinite volume starting from levels of the box with errors far larger than the uncertainties obtained in the final results. A regularization method based on Gaussian wave functions turns out to be rather efficient in the analysis and as a byproduct a practical and fast method to calculate the Luscher function with high precision is presented.
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Vento, V. (2013). Confinement, the gluon propagator and the interquark potential for heavy mesons. Eur. Phys. J. A, 49(6), 71–7pp.
Abstract: The interquark static potential for heavy mesons described by a massive one-gluon exchange interaction obtained from the propagator of the truncated Dyson-Schwinger equations does not reproduced the expected Cornell potential. I show that no formulation based on a finite propagator will lead to confinement of quenched QCD. I propose a mechanism based on a singular nonperturbative coupling constant which has the virtue of giving rise to a finite gluon propagator and (almost) linear confinement. The mechanism can be slightly modified to produce the screened potentials of unquenched QCD.
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