Abstract: We report the measurements of the single and double differential cross section of muon neutrino charged-current interactions on carbon with a single positively charged pion in the final state at the T2K off-axis near detector using 5.56 x 10(20) protons on target. The analysis uses data control samples for the background subtraction and the cross section signal, defined as a single negatively charged muon and a single positively charged pion exiting from the target nucleus, is extracted using an unfolding method. The model-dependent cross section, integrated over the T2K off-axis neutrino beam spectrum peaking at 0.6 GeV, is measured to be sigma = (11.76 +/- 0.44(stat) +/- 2.39(syst)) x 10(-40) cm(2) nucleon(-1). Various differential cross sections are measured, including the first measurement of the Adler angles for single charged pion production in neutrino interactions with heavy nuclei target.

Abstract: We study the structure of the Lambda(c) (2595) and Lambda(c) (2625) resonances in the framework of an effective field theory consistent with heavy quark spin and chiral symmetries, which incorporates the interplay between Sigma(()(c)*() )pi – ND(*()) baryon-meson degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) and bare P-wave c (u) over bard quark-model states. We show that these two resonances are not heavy quark spin symmetry partners. The J(P) = 3/2(-) Lambda(c) (2625) should be viewed mostly as a dressed three-quark state, whose origin is determined by a bare state, predicted to lie very close to the mass of the resonance. The J(P) = 1/2(-) Lambda(c) (2595) seems to have, however, a predominant molecular structure. This is because it is either the result of the chiral Sigma(c)pi interaction, whose threshold is located much closer than the mass of the bare three-quark state, or because the light d.o.f. in its inner structure are coupled to the unnatural 0(-) quantum numbers. We show that both situations can occur depending on the renormalization procedure used. We find some additional states, but the classification of the spectrum in terms of heavy quark spin symmetry is difficult, despite having used interactions that respect this symmetry. This is because the bare quark-model state and the Sigma(c)pi threshold are located extraordinarily close to the Lambda(c) (2625) and Lambda(c) (2595), respectively, and hence they play totally different roles in each sector.

Abstract: A new model-independent parametrization is proposed for the hadronic form factors in the semileptonic (B) over bar -> Dl (nu) over bar (l) decay. By a combined consideration of the recent experimental and lattice QCD data, we determine precisely the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element vertical bar V-cb vertical bar = 41.01(75) x 10(-3) and the ratio R-D = BR((B) over bar -> D tau(nu) over bar (tau))/BR((B) over bar -> Dl (nu) over bar (l)) = 0.301(5). The coefficients in this parametrization, related to phase shifts by sumrulelike dispersion relations and hence called phase moments, encode important scattering information of the (B) over bar (D) over bar interactions which are poorly known so far. Thus, we give strong hints about the existence of at least one bound and one virtual (B) over bar (D) over bar S-wave 0(+) states, subject to uncertainties produced by potentially sizable inelastic effects. This formalism is also applicable for any other semileptonic processes induced by the weak b -> c transition.

Abstract: The next Galactic core-collapse supernova (SN) is a highly anticipated observational target for neutrino telescopes. However, even prior to collapse, massive dying stars shine copiously in “pre-supernova” (pre-SN) neutrinos, which can potentially act as efficient SN warning alarms and provide novel information about the very last stages of stellar evolution. We explore the sensitivity to pre-SN neutrinos of large-scale direct dark matter detection experiments, which, unlike dedicated neutrino telescopes, take full advantage of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering. We find that argon-based detectors with target masses of O(100)tons (i.e., comparable in size to the proposed ARGO experiment) operating at sub-keV thresholds can detect O(10-100) pre-SN neutrinos coming from a source at a characteristic distance of similar to 200 pc, such as Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis). Large-scale xenon-based experiments with similarly low thresholds could also be sensitive to pre-SN neutrinos. For a Betelgeuse-type source, large-scale dark matter experiments could provide a SN warning siren similar to 10 hours prior to the explosion. We also comment on the complementarity of large-scale direct dark matter detection experiments and neutrino telescopes in the understanding of core-collapse SN.

Abstract: Two-Higgs-doublet models usually consider an ad-hoc Z(2) discrete symmetry to avoid flavor changing neutral currents. We consider a new class of two-Higgs-doublet models where Z(2) is enlarged to the symmetry group F(sic)Z(2), i.e., an inner semidirect product of a discrete symmetry group F and Z(2). In such a scenario, the symmetry constrains the Yukawa interactions but goes unnoticed by the scalar sector. In the most minimal scenario, Z(3)(sic)Z(2) = D-3, flavor changing neutral currents mediated by scalars are absent at tree and one-loop level, while at the same time predictions to quark and lepton mixing are obtained, namely a trivial Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix and a Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix (upon introduction of three heavy right-handed neutrinos) containing maximal atmospheric mixing. Small extensions allow to fully reproduce mixing parameters, including cobimaximal mixing in the lepton sector (maximal atmospheric mixing and a maximal charge-parity violating phase).