Abstract: We evaluate the width of the omega meson in nuclear matter. We consider the free decay mode of the omega into three pions, which is dominated by rho IEuro decay, and replace the rho and pi propagators by their medium-modified ones. We also take into account the quasielastic and inelastic processes induced by a vector-baryon interaction dominated by vector meson exchange, as well as the contributions coming from the mechanism with medium-modified K , propagators. We obtain a substantial increase of the omega width in the medium, reaching a value of 121 +/- 10 MeV at normal nuclear matter density for an omega at rest, which comes mainly from omega N -> pi pi N, omega NN -> pi NN processes associated to the dominant omega -> rho IEuro decay mode. The value of the width increases moderately with momentum, reaching values of around 200MeV at 600MeV/c.

Abstract: New measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by the Planck mission have greatly increased our knowledge about the universe. Dark radiation, a weakly interacting component of radiation, is one of the important ingredients in our cosmological model which is testable by Planck and other observational probes. At the moment, the possible existence of dark radiation is an unsolved question. For instance, the discrepancy between the value of the Hubble constant, H-0, inferred from the Planck data and local measurements of H-0 can to some extent be alleviated by enlarging the minimal ACDM model to include additional relativistic degrees of freedom. From a fundamental physics point of view, dark radiation is no less interesting. Indeed, it could well be one of the most accessible windows to physics beyond the standard model, for example, sterile neutrinos. Here, we review the most recent cosmological results including a complete investigation of the dark radiation sector in order to provide an overview of models that are still compatible with new cosmological observations. Furthermore, we update the cosmological constraints on neutrino physics and dark radiation properties focusing on tensions between data sets and degeneracies among parameters that can degrade our information or mimic the existence of extra species.

Abstract: The neutron flux of the nTOF facility at CERN was measured, after installation of the new spallation target, with four different systems based on three neutron-converting reactions, which represent accepted cross sections standards in different energy regions. A careful comparison and combination of the different measurements allowed us to reach an unprecedented accuracy on the energy dependence of the neutron flux in the very wide range (thermal to 1 GeV) that characterizes the nTOF neutron beam. This is a pre-requisite for the high accuracy of cross section measurements at n_TOF. An unexpected anomaly in the neutron-induced fission cross section of U-235 is observed in the energy region between 10 and 30keV, hinting at a possible overestimation of this important cross section, well above currently assigned uncertainties.

Abstract: We study in detail the conditions to generate the baryon asymmetry of the universe from the annihilation of dark matter. This scenario requires a low energy mechanism for thermal baryogenesis, hence we first discuss some of these mechanisms together with the specific constraints due to the connection with the dark matter sector. Then we show that, contrary to what stated in previous studies, it is possible to generate the cosmological asymmetry without adding a light sterile dark sector, both in models with violation and with conservation of B – L. In addition, one of the models we propose yields some connection to neutrino masses.

Abstract: We extend to 10 GeV results from a microscopic calculation of charged-current neutrino-nucleus reactions that do not produce a pion in the final state. For the class of events coming from neutrino interactions with two nucleons producing two holes (2p2h), limiting the calculation to three-momentum transfers less than 1.2 GeV produces a two-dimensional distribution in momentum and energy transfer that is roughly constant as a function of energy. The cross section for 2p2h interactions approximately scales with the number of nucleons for isoscalar nuclei, similar to the quasi-elastic cross section. When limited to momentum transfers below 1.2 GeV, the cross section is 26% of the quasi-elastic cross section at 3 GeV, but 14% if we neglect a Delta(1232) resonance absorption component. The same quantities are 33% and 17% for antineutrinos. For the quasi-elastic interactions, the full nuclear model with long range correlations produces an even larger, but approximately constant distortion of the shape of the four-momentum transfer at all energies above 2 GeV. The 2p2h enhancement and long-range correlation distortions to the cross section for these interactions are significant enough they should be observable in precision experiments to measure neutrino oscillations and neutrino interactions at these energies, but also balance out and produce less total distortion than each effect does individually.