Abstract: A method to improve light collection efficiency of gamma-ray imaging detectors by using retroreflector arrays has been tested, simulations of the behaviour of the scintillation light illuminating the retroreflector surface have been made. Measurements including retroreflector arrays in the setup have also been taken. For the measurements, positron emission tomography (PET) detectors with continuous scintillation crystals have been used. Each detector module consists of a continuous LSO-scintillator of dimensions 49x49x10 mm(3) and a H8500 position-sensitive photo-multiplier (PSPMT) from Hamamatsu. By using a continuous scintillation crystal, the scintillation light distribution has not been destroyed and the energy, the centroids along the x- and y-direction and the depth of interaction (DOI) can be estimated. Simulations have also been run taking into account the use of continuous scintillation crystals. Due to the geometry of the continuous scintillation crystals in comparison with pixelated crystals, a good light collection efficiency is necessary to correctly reconstruct the impact point of the gamma-ray. The aim of this study is to investigate whether micro-machine retro-reflectors improve light yield without misestimation of the impact point. The results shows an improvement on the energy and centroid resolutions without worsening the depth of interaction resolution. Therefore it can be concluded that using retroreflector arrays at the entrance side of the scintillation crystal improves light collection efficiency without worsening the impact point estimation.

Abstract: In this work, we use the results from Higgs searches in the gamma gamma and tau tau decay channels at LHC and indirect bounds as BR (B -> X-s gamma) to constrain the parameter space of a generic minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) Higgs sector. In particular, we include the latest CMS results that look for additional Higgs states with masses up to 1 TeV. We show that the tau tau channel is the best and most accurate tool in the hunt for new Higgs states beyond the standard model. We obtain that present experimental results rule out additional neutral Higgs bosons in a generic MSSM below 300 GeV for any value of tan beta and, for instance, values of tan beta above 30 are only possible for Higgs masses above 600 GeV. ATLAS stored data have the potential to render this bound obsolete in the near future.

Abstract: We reevaluate the B -> rho l(+) nu(l) decay width as a full B. pi pi iota(+)nu iota four-particle decay, in which the two final pions are produced via an intermediate. meson. The decay width can be written as a convolution of the B -> rho l(+) nu(l) decay width, for an off-shell., with the.. pp line shape. This allows us to fully incorporate the effects of the finite. meson width and a better comparison with actual experiments. We use an Omn s representation to provide the dependence of the B.. semileptonic form factors on q2. The Omn s subtraction constants and the overall normalization parameter jVubj are fitted to light cone sum rules and lattice QCD theoretical form-factor calculations, in the low and high q2 regions, respectively, together to the CLEO, BABAR, and Belle experimental partial branching fraction distributions. The extracted value from this global fit is jVubj d3.40 +/- 0.15_ x 10-3, in agreement with jVubj extracted using all other inputs in Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa fits and the exclusive semileptonic B. p channel, but showing a clear disagreement with jVubj extracted from inclusive semileptonic b. u decays. As estimated by [U.-G. Mei beta ner andW. Wang, J. High Energy Phys. 01 (2014) 107], taking into account the. meson width effects and the actual acceptance of the experiments is essential to render the jVubj determinations from exclusive B. p and B.. decays totally compatible.