Abstract: We present results for a time-dependent Dalitz plot measurement of CP-violating asymmetries in the mode B-0 -> pi(+)pi(-)pi(0). The data set is derived from the complete sample of 471 x 10(6) B (B) over bar meson pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operating on the Upsilon(4S) resonance. We extract parameters describing the time-dependent B-0 -> rho pi decay probabilities and CP asymmetries, including C = 0.016 +/- 0.059 +/- 0.036, Delta C = 0.234 +/- 0.061 +/- 0.048, S = 0.053 +/- 0.081 +/- 0.034, and Delta S = 0.054 +/- 0.082 +/- 0.039, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. We perform a two-dimensional likelihood scan of the direct CP-violation asymmetry parameters for B-0 -> rho(+/-)pi(-/+) decays, finding the change in chi(2) between the minimum and the origin (corresponding to no direct CP violation) to be Delta chi(2) = 6.42. We present information on the CP-violating parameter alpha in a likelihood scan that incorporates B-+/- -> rho pi measurements. To aid in the interpretation of our results, statistical robustness studies are performed to assess the reliability with which the true values of the physics parameters can be extracted. Significantly, these studies indicate that alpha cannot be reliably extracted with our current sample size, though the other physics parameters are robustly extracted.

Abstract: We study neutrino masses and mixing in the context of flavor models with A(4) symmetry, three scalar doublets in the triplet representation, and three lepton families. We show that there is no representation assignment that yields a dimension-5 mass operator consistent with experiment. We then consider a type-I seesaw with three heavy right-handed neutrinos, explaining in detail why it fails, and allowing us to show that agreement with the present neutrino oscillation data can be recovered with the inclusion of dimension-3 heavy neutrino mass terms that break softly the A(4) symmetry.

Abstract: We study an approximate version of the Schwinger-Dyson equation that controls the nonperturbative behavior of the ghost-gluon vertex in the Landau gauge. In particular, we focus on the form factor that enters in the dynamical equation for the ghost dressing function, in the same gauge, and derive its integral equation, in the “one-loop dressed” approximation. We consider two special kinematic configurations, which simplify the momentum dependence of the unknown quantity; in particular, we study the soft gluon case and the well-known Taylor limit. When coupled with the Schwinger-Dyson equation of the ghost dressing function, the contribution of this form factor provides considerable support to the relevant integral kernel. As a consequence, the solution of this coupled system of integral equations furnishes a ghost dressing function that reproduces the standard lattice results rather accurately, without the need to artificially increase the value of the gauge coupling.

Abstract: An interesting mass relation between down-type quarks and charged leptons has been recently predicted within a supersymmetric SU(3)(c) circle times SU(2)(L) circle times U(1)(Y) model based on the A(4) flavor symmetry. Here we propose a simple extension which provides an adequate full description of the quark sector. By adding a pair of vectorlike up quarks, we show how the CKM entries V-ub, V-cb, V-td and V-ts arise from deviations of the unitarity. We perform an analysis including the most relevant observables in the quark sector, such as oscillations and rare decays of kaons, B-d and B-s mesons. In the lepton sector, the model predicts an inverted hierarchy for the neutrino masses, leading to a potentially observable rate of neutrinoless double beta decay.

Abstract: We present new constraints on coupled dark energy from the recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies from the Planck satellite mission. We found that a coupled dark energy model is fully compatible with the Planck measurements, deriving a weak bound on the dark matter-dark energy coupling parameter xi = -0.49(-0.31)(+0.19) at 68% C.L. Moreover if Planck data are fitted to a coupled dark energy scenario, the constraint on the Hubble constant is relaxed to H-0 = 72.1(-2.3)(+3.2) km/s/Mpc, solving the tension with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) value. We show that a combined PLANCK + HST analysis provides significant evidence for coupled dark energy finding a nonzero value for the coupling parameter xi, with -0.90 < xi < -0.22 at 95% C.L. We also consider the combined constraints from the Planck data plus the baryon acoustic oscillation measurements of the 6dF Galaxy Survey, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Baron Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey.