Nygren, D. R., Jones, B. J. P., Lopez-March, N., Mei, Y., Psihas, F., & Renner, J. (2018). Neutrinoless double beta decay with 82SeF6 and direct ion imaging. J. Instrum., 13, P03015–23pp.
Abstract: We present a new neutrinoless double beta decay concept: the high pressure selenium hexafluoride gas time projection chamber. A promising new detection technique is outlined which combines techniques pioneered in high pressure xenon gas, such as topological discrimination, with the high Q-value afforded by the double beta decay isotope Se-82. The lack of free electrons in SeF6 mandates the use of an ion TPC. The microphysics of ion production and drift, which have many nuances, are explored. Background estimates are presented, suggesting that such a detector may achieve background indices of better than 1 count per ton per year in the region of interest at the 100 kg scale, and still better at the ton-scale.
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Richard, J. M., Valcarce, A., & Vijande, J. (2018). Few-body quark dynamics for doubly heavy baryons and tetraquarks. Phys. Rev. C, 97(3), 035211–10pp.
Abstract: We discuss the adequate treatment of the three- and four-body dynamics for the quark model picture of double-charm baryons and tetraquarks. We stress that the variational and Born-Oppenheimer approximations give energies very close to the exact ones, while the diquark approximation might be somewhat misleading. The Hall-Post inequalities also provide very useful lower bounds that exclude the possibility of stable tetraquarks for some mass ratios and some color wave functions.
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Sobczyk, J. E., Rocco, N., Lovato, A., & Nieves, J. (2018). Scaling within the spectral function approach. Phys. Rev. C, 97(3), 035506–15pp.
Abstract: Scaling features of the nuclear electromagnetic response functions unveil aspects of nuclear dynamics that are crucial for interpreting neutrino-and electron-scattering data. In the large momentum-transfer regime, the nucleon-density response function defines a universal scaling function, which is independent of the nature of the probe. In this work, we analyze the nucleon-density response function of C-12, neglecting collective excitations. We employ particle and hole spectral functions obtained within two distinct many-body methods, both widely used to describe electroweak reactions in nuclei. We show that the two approaches provide compatible nucleon-density scaling functions that for large momentum transfers satisfy first-kind scaling. Both methods yield scaling functions characterized by an asymmetric shape, although less pronounced than that of experimental scaling functions. This asymmetry, only mildly affected by final state interactions, is mostly due to nucleon-nucleon correlations, encoded in the continuum component of the hole spectral function.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2018). Search for doubly charged Higgs boson production in multi-lepton final states with the ATLAS detector using proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV. Eur. Phys. J. C, 78(3), 199–34pp.
Abstract: A search for doubly charged Higgs bosons with pairs of prompt, isolated, highly energetic leptons with the same electric charge is presented. The search uses a proton-proton collision data sample at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to 36.1 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity recorded in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This analysis focuses on the decays H-+/-+/- -> e(+/-)e(+/-), H-+/-+/- -> e(+/-)mu(+/-) and H-+/-+/- -> mu(+/-)mu(+/-), fitting the dilepton mass spectra in several exclusive signal regions. No significant evidence of a signal is observed and corresponding limits on the production cross-section and consequently a lower limit on m(H-+/-+/-) are derived at 95% confidence level. With l(+/-)l(+/-) = e(+/-)e(+/-)/mu(+/-)mu(+/-)/e(+/-)mu(+/-), the observed lower limit on the mass of a doubly charged Higgs boson only coupling to left-handed leptons varies from 770 to 870GeV (850GeV expected) for B(H-+/-+/- -> l(+/-)l(+/-)) = 100% and both the expected and observed mass limits are above 450GeV for B(H-+/-+/- -> l(+/-)l(+/-)) = 10% and any combination of partial branching ratios.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). Measurement of the Ratio of Branching Fractions B(B-c(+) -> J/psi tau(+)nu(tau))/B(B-c(+) -> J/psi mu(+)nu(mu)). Phys. Rev. Lett., 120(12), 121801–10pp.
Abstract: A measurement is reported of the ratio of branching fractions R(J/psi) = B(B-c(+) -> J/psi tau(+)nu(tau))/B(B-c(+) -> J/psi mu(+)nu(mu)), where the tau(+) lepton is identified in the decay mode tthorn tau(+) -> mu(+)nu(mu)(nu) over bar (tau). This analysis uses a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity recorded with the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. A signal is found for the decay B-c(+) -> J/psi tau(+)nu(tau) at a significance of 3 standard deviations corrected for systematic uncertainty, and the ratio of the branching fractions is measured to be R(J/psi) = 0.71 +/- 0.17(stat) +/- 0.18(syst). This result lies within 2 standard deviations above the range of central values currently predicted by the standard model.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). Measurement of branching fractions of charmless four-body Lambda(0)(b) and Xi(0)(b) decays. J. High Energy Phys., 02(2), 098–25pp.
Abstract: A search for charmless four-body decays of Lambda(0)(b) and Xi(0)(b) baryons with a proton and three charged mesons (either kaons or pions) in the final state is performed. The data sample used was recorded in 2011 and 2012 with the LHCb experiment and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1). Six decay modes are observed, among which Lambda(0)(b) -> pK(-) pi(+)pi(-), Lambda(0)(b) -> pK(-)K(+)K(-), Xi(0)(b) pK(-) pi(+)pi(-) and Xi(0)(b) pK(-)pi K-+(-) are established for the first time. Their branching fractions (including the ratio of hadronisation fractions in the case of the Xi(0)(b) baryon) are determined relative to the Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-) decay.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2018). Measurement of the Higgs boson coupling properties in the H -> ZZ* -> 4l decay channel at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 095–60pp.
Abstract: The coupling properties of the Higgs boson are studied in the four-lepton (e, mu) decay channel using 36.1 fb(-1) of pp collision data from the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are measured for the main production modes in several exclusive regions of the Higgs boson production phase space and are interpreted in terms of coupling modifiers. The inclusive cross section times branching ratio for H -> ZZ* decay and for a Higgs boson absolute rapidity below 2.5 is measured to be 1.73(-0.23)(+0.24)(stat.)(-0.08)(+0.10)(exp.)+/- 0.04(th.) pb compared to the Standard Model prediction of 1.34 +/- 0.09 pb. In addition, the tensor structure. of the Higgs boson couplings is studied using an effective Lagrangian approach for the description of interactions beyond the Standard Model. Constraints are placed on the non-Standard-Model CP-even and CP-odd couplings to Z bosons and on the CP-odd coupling to gluons.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). Search for the lepton-flavour violating decays B-(s)(0) -> e(+/-) mu(-/+). J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 078–20pp.
Abstract: A search for the lepton-flavour violating decays B-(s)(0) -> e(+/-)mu(-/+) and B-(s)(0) -> e(+/-)mu(-/+) performed based on a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), collected with the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8TeV. The observed yields are consistent with the background-only hypothesis. Upper limits on the branching fraction of the B-(s)(0) -> e(+/-)mu(-/+) decays are evaluated both in the hypotheses of an amplitude completely dominated by the heavy eigenstate and by the light eigenstate. The results are B(B-s(0) -> e(+/-)mu(-/+)) < 6.3 (5.4) x 10(-9) and B(B-s(0) -> e(+/-)mu(-/+)) < 7.2(6.0) x 10(-9) at 95% (90%) confidence level, respectively. The upper limit on the branching fraction of the B-0 -> e(+/-)mu(-/+) decay is also evaluated, obtaining B(B-0 -> e(+/-)mu(-/+)) < 1.3 (1.0) x 10(-9) at 95% (90%) confidence level. These are the strongest limits on these decays to date.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). First measurement of the CP-violating phase phi(dd)(s) in B-s(0) -> (K+pi(-))(K-pi(+)) decays. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 140–32pp.
Abstract: A flavour-tagged decay-time-dependent amplitude analysis of B-s(0) -> (K+pi(-))(K-pi(+)) decays is presented in the K-+/-pi(-/+) mass range from 750 to 1600 MeV/c(2). The analysis uses pp collision data collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1). Several quasi-two-body decay modes are considered, corresponding to K-+/-pi(-/+) combinations with spin 0, 1 and 2, which are dominated by the K-0(*)(800)(0) and K-0(*)(1430)(0), the K*(892)(0) and the K-2(*)(1430)(0) resonances, respectively. The longitudinal polarisation fraction for the B-s(0) -> K-*(892)(0) (K*) over bar (892)(0) decay is measured as f(L) = 0.208 +/- 0.032 +/- 0.046, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The first measurement of the mixing-induced CP-violating phase in phi(d (d) over bar)(s), in b -> d (s) over bars transitions is performed, yielding a value of phi(d (d) over bar)(s)= -0.10 +/- 0.13 (stat) +/- 0.14 (syst) rad.
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de Salas, P. F., Gariazzo, S., Laveder, M., Pastor, S., Pisanti, O., & Truong, N. (2018). Cosmological bounds on neutrino statistics. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 03(3), 050–18pp.
Abstract: We consider the phenomenological implications of the violation of the Pauli exclusion principle for neutrinos, focusing on cosmological observables such as the spectrum of Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and the primordial abundances of light elements. Neutrinos that behave (at least partly) as bosonic particles have a modified equilibrium distribution function that implies a different influence on the evolution of the Universe that, in the case of massive neutrinos, can not be simply parametrized by a change in the effective number of neutrinos. Our results show that, despite the precision of the available cosmological data, only very weak bounds can be obtained on neutrino statistics, disfavouring a more bosonic behaviour at less than 2 sigma.
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