Beltran Jimenez, J., & Delhom, A. (2020). Instabilities in metric-affine theories of gravity with higher order curvature terms. Eur. Phys. J. C, 80(6), 585–27pp.
Abstract: We discuss the presence of ghostly instabilities for metric-affine theories constructed with higher order curvature terms. We mainly focus on theories containing only the Ricci tensor and show the crucial role played by the projective symmetry. The pathological modes arise from the absence of a pure kinetic term for the projective mode and the non-minimal coupling of a 2-form field contained in the connection, and which can be related to the antisymmetric part of the metric in non-symmetric gravity theories. The couplings to matter are considered at length and cannot be used to render the theories stable. We discuss different procedures to avoid the ghosts by adding additional constraints. We finally argue how these pathologies are expected to be present in general metric-affine theories unless much care is taken in their construction.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo, F. L., et al. (2020). Search for squarks and gluinos in final states with same-sign leptons and jets using 139 fb(-1) of data collected with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 06(6), 046–44pp.
Abstract: A search for supersymmetric partners of gluons and quarks is presented, involving signatures with jets and either two isolated leptons (electrons or muons) with the same electric charge, or at least three isolated leptons. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1), is used for the search. No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed. The results are interpreted in simplified supersymmetric models featuring both R-parity conservation and R-parity violation, raising the exclusion limits beyond those of previous ATLAS searches to 1600 GeV for gluino masses and 750 GeV for bottom and top squark masses in these scenarios.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo, F. L., et al. (2020). Measurement of the ttbar production cross-section and lepton differential distributions in e mu dilepton events from pp collisions at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 80(6), 528–70pp.
Abstract: The inclusive top quark pair (tt<overbar></mml:mover>) production cross-section sigma tt<overbar></mml:mover> has been measured in proton-proton collisions at <mml:msqrt>s</mml:msqrt>=13<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>TeV, using 36.1 fb-1 of data collected in 2015-2016 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Using events with an opposite-charge e μpair and b-tagged jets, the cross-section is measured to be: <disp-formula id=“Equ10”><mml:mtable><mml:mtr><mml:mtd columnalign=“right”>sigma tt<overbar></mml:mover>=826.4 +/- 3.6<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>(stat)<mml:mspace width=“4pt”></mml:mspace>+/- 11.5<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>(syst)<mml:mspace width=“4pt”></mml:mspace>+/- 15.7<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>(lumi)<mml:mspace width=“4pt”></mml:mspace>+/- 1.9<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>(beam)<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>pb,</mml:mtd></mml:mtr></mml:mtable><graphic xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“1005220207907ArticleEqu10.gif” position=“anchor”></graphic></disp-formula>where the uncertainties reflect the limited size of the data sample, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, the integrated luminosity, and the LHC beam energy, giving a total uncertainty of 2.4%. The result is consistent with theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. It is used to determine the top quark pole mass via the dependence of the predicted cross-section on mtpole, giving mtpole=173.1-2.1+2.0<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>GeV. It is also combined with measurements at <mml:msqrt>s</mml:msqrt><mml:mo>=7<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>TeV and <mml:msqrt>s</mml:msqrt><mml:mo>=8<mml:mspace width=“0.166667em”></mml:mspace>TeV to derive ratios and double ratios of t<mml:mover accent=“true”>t<mml:mo stretchy=“false”><overbar></mml:mover> and Z cross-sections at different energies. The same event sample is used to measure absolute and normalised differential cross-sections as functions of single-lepton and dilepton kinematic variables, and the results are compared with predictions from various Monte Carlo event generators.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo, F. L., et al. (2020). Search for light long-lived neutral particles produced in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV and decaying into collimated leptons or light hadrons with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 80(5), 450–29pp.
Abstract: Several models of physics beyond the Standard Model predict the existence of dark photons, light neutral particles decaying into collimated leptons or light hadrons. This paper presents a search for long-lived dark photons produced from the decay of a Higgs boson or a heavy scalar boson and decaying into displaced collimated Standard Model fermions. The search uses data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb-1 collected in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV recorded in 2015-2016 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The observed number of events is consistent with the expected background, and limits on the production cross section times branching fraction as a function of the proper decay length of the dark photon are reported. A cross section times branching fraction above 4 pb is excluded for a Higgs boson decaying into two dark photons for dark-photon decay lengths between 1.5 mm and 307 mm.
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Molina, R., & Oset, E. (2020). Triangle singularity in B- ->K- X(3872); X ->pi 0 pi+ pi- and the X(3872) mass. Eur. Phys. J. C, 80(5), 451–9pp.
Abstract: We evaluate the contribution to the X(3872) width from a triangle mechanism in which the X decays into D0D<overbar></mml:mover>0-cc, then the D0(D<overbar></mml:mover>0) decays into D0 pi 0 (D<overbar></mml:mover>0 pi 0) and the D0D<overbar></mml:mover>0 fuse to produce pi+pi-. This mechanism produces an asymmetric peak from a triangle singularity in the pi+pi- invariant mass with a shape very sensitive to the X mass. We evaluate the branching ratios for a reaction where this effect can be seen in the B--> K-pi 0 pi+pi- reaction and show that the determination of the peak in the invariant mass distribution of pi <mml:mo>+pi <mml:mo>- is all that is needed to determine the X mass. Given the present uncertainties in the X mass, which do not allow to know whether the D<mml:mo>0<mml:mover accent=“true”>D<mml:mo stretchy=“false”><overbar></mml:mover>0 state is bound or not, measurements like the one suggested here should be most welcome to clarify this issue.
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Barducci, D., Bertuzzo, E., Caputo, A., & Hernandez, P. (2020). Minimal flavor violation in the see-saw portal. J. High Energy Phys., 06(6), 185–28pp.
Abstract: We consider an extension of the Standard Model with two singlet leptons, with masses in the electroweak range, that induce neutrino masses via the see-saw mechanism, plus a generic new physics sector at a higher scale, A. We apply the minimal flavor violation (MFV) principle to the corresponding Effective Field Theory (nu SMEFT) valid at energy scales E << A. We identify the irreducible sources of lepton flavor and lepton number violation at the renormalizable level, and apply the MFV ansatz to derive the scaling of the Wilson coefficients of the nu SMEFT operators up to dimension six. We highlight the most important phenomenological consequences of this hypothesis in the rates for exotic Higgs decays, the decay length of the heavy neutrinos, and their production modes at present and future colliders. We also comment on possible astrophysical implications.
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Boronat, M., Fullana, E., Fuster, J., Gomis, P., Hoang, A. H., Widl, A., et al. (2020). Top quark mass measurement in radiative events at electron-positron colliders. Phys. Lett. B, 804, 135353–9pp.
Abstract: In this letter, we evaluate the potential of linear e(+)e(-) colliders to measure the top quark mass in radiative events and in a suitable short-distance scheme. We present a calculation of the differential cross section for production of a top quark pair in association with an energetic photon from initial state radiation, as a function of the invariant mass of the t (t) over bar. This matchedcalculation includes the QCD enhancement of the cross section around the t (t) over bar production threshold and remains valid in the continuum well above the threshold. The uncertainty in the top mass determination is evaluated in realistic operating scenarios for the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) and the International Linear Collider (ILC), including the statistical uncertainty and the theoretical and experimental systematic uncertainties. With this method, the top quark mass can be determined with a precision of 110 MeV in the initial stage of CLIC, with 1 ab(-1) at root s = 380 GeV, and with a precision of approximately 150 MeV at the ILC, with L = 4 ab(-1) at root s = 500GeV. Radiative events allow measurements of the top quark mass at different renormalization scales, and we demonstrate that such a measurement can yield a statistically significant test of the evolution of the MSR mass m(t)(MSR)(R) for scales R < m(t).
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n_TOF Collaboration(Mazzone, A. et al), Babiano-Suarez, V., Caballero, L., Domingo-Pardo, C., Ladarescu, I., & Tain, J. L. (2020). Measurement of the Gd-154(n, gamma) cross section and its astrophysical implications. Phys. Lett. B, 804, 135405–6pp.
Abstract: The neutron capture cross section of Gd-154 was measured from 1 eV to 300 keV in the experimental area located 185 m from the CERN n_TOF neutron spallation source, using a metallic sample of gadolinium, enriched to 67% in Gd-154. The capture measurement, performed with four C6D6 scintillation detectors, has been complemented by a transmission measurement performed at the GELINA time-of-flight facility (JRC-Geel), thus minimising the uncertainty related to sample composition. An accurate Maxwellian averaged capture cross section (MACS) was deduced over the temperature range of interest for s process nucleosynthesis modelling. We report a value of 880(50) mb for the MACS at kT = 30 keV, significantly lower compared to values available in literature. The new adopted Gd-154(n, gamma) cross section reduces the discrepancy between observed and calculated solar s-only isotopic abundances predicted by s-process nucleosynthesis models.
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T2K Collaboration(Abe, K. et al), Antonova, M., Cervera-Villanueva, A., Fernandez, P., Izmaylov, A., & Novella, P. (2020). First measurement of the charged current (nu)over-bar(mu) double differential cross section on a water target without( )pions in the final state. Phys. Rev. D, 102(1), 012007–16pp.
Abstract: This paper reports the first differential measurement of the charged-current (nu) over bar (mu) interaction cross section on water with no pions in the final state. The unfolded flux-averaged measurement using the T2K off-axis near detector is given in double-differential bins of mu(+) momentum and angle. The integrated cross section in a restricted phase space is sigma = (1.11 +/- 0.18) x 10(-38) cm(2) per water molecule. Comparisons with several nuclear models are also presented.
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n_TOF Collaboration(Stamatopoulos, A. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., Tain, J. L., & Tarifeño-Saldivia, A. (2020). Investigation of the Pu-240(n, f) reaction at the n_TOF/EAR2 facility in the 9 meV-6 MeV range. Phys. Rev. C, 102(1), 014616–23pp.
Abstract: Background: Nuclear waste management is considered amongst the major challenges in the field of nuclear energy. A possible means of addressing this issue is waste transmutation in advanced nuclear systems, whose operation requires a fast neutron spectrum. In this regard, the accurate knowledge of neutron-induced reaction cross sections of several (minor) actinide isotopes is essential for design optimization and improvement of safety margins of such systems. One such case is Pu-240, due to its accumulation in spent nuclear fuel of thermal reactors and its usage in fast reactor fuel. The measurement of the Pu-240(n, f) cross section was previously attempted at the CERN nTOF facility EAR1 measuring station using the time-of-flight technique. Due to the low amount of available material and the given flux at EAR1, the measurement had to last several months to achieve a sufficient statistical accuracy. This long duration led to detector deterioration due to the prolonged exposure to the high alpha activity of the fission foils, therefore the measurement could not be successfully completed. Purpose: It is aimed to determine whether it is feasible to study neutron-induced fission at nTOF/EAR2 and provide data on the Pu-240(n, f) reaction in energy regions requested for applications. Methods: The study of the Pu-240(n, f) reaction was made at a new experimental area (EAR2) with a shorter flight path which delivered on average 30 times higher flux at fast neutron energies. This enabled the measurement to be performed much faster, thus limiting the exposure of the detectors to the intrinsic activity of the fission foils. The experimental setup was based on microbulk Micromegas detectors and the time-of-flight data were analyzed with an optimized pulse-shape analysis algorithm. Special attention was dedicated to the estimation of the non-negligible counting loss corrections with the development of a new methodology, and other corrections were estimated via Monte Carlo simulations of the experimental setup. Results: This new measurement of the Pu-240(n, f) cross section yielded data from 9 meV up to 6 MeV incident neutron energy and fission resonance kernels were extracted up to 10 keV. Conclusions: Neutron-induced fission of high activity samples can be successfully studied at the n_TOF/EAR2 facility at CERN covering a wide range of neutron energies, from thermal to a few MeV.
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