Pena-Garay, C., Verde, L., & Jimenez, R. (2017). Neutrino footprint in large scale structure. Phys. Dark Universe, 15, 31–34.
Abstract: Recent constrains on the sum of neutrino masses inferred by analyzing cosmological data, show that detecting a non-zero neutrino mass is within reach of forthcoming cosmological surveys. Such a measurement will imply a direct determination of the absolute neutrino mass scale. Physically, the measurement relies on constraining the shape of the matter power spectrum below the neutrino free streaming scale: massive neutrinos erase power at these scales. However, detection of a lack of small-scale power from cosmological data could also be due to a host of other effects. It is therefore of paramount importance to validate neutrinos as the source of power suppression at small scales. We show that, independent on hierarchy, neutrinos always show a footprint on large, linear scales; the exact location and properties are fully specified by the measured power suppression (an astrophysical measurement) and atmospheric neutrinos mass splitting (a neutrino oscillation experiment measurement). This feature cannot be easily mimicked by systematic uncertainties in the cosmological data analysis or modifications in the cosmological model. Therefore the measurement of such a feature, up to 1% relative change in the power spectrum for extreme differences in the mass eigenstates mass ratios, is a smoking gun for confirming the determination of the absolute neutrino mass scale from cosmological observations. It also demonstrates the synergy between astrophysics and particle physics experiments.
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ANTARES Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., Lotze, M., Tönnis, C., et al. (2017). Search for dark matter annihilation in the earth using the ANTARES neutrino telescope. Phys. Dark Universe, 16, 41–48.
Abstract: A search for a neutrino signal from WIMP pair annihilations in the centre of the Earth has been performed with the data collected with the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2012. The event selection criteria have been developed and tuned to maximise the sensitivity of the experiment to such a neutrino signal. No significant excess of neutrinos over the expected background has been observed. Upper limits at 90% C.L. on the WIMP annihilation rate in the Earth and the spin independent scattering cross-section of WIMPs to nucleons sigma(SI)(p) were calculated for WIMP pair annihilations into either iota(+) iota(-), W+W-, b (b) over bar or the non-SUSY v mu(v) over bar as a function of the WIMP mass (between 25 GeV/c(2) and 1000 GeV/c(2)) and as a function of the thermally averaged annihilation cross section times velocity <sigma A(v)>(Earth) of the WIMPs in the centre of the Earth. For masses of the WIMP close to the mass of iron nuclei (50 GeV/c(2)), the obtained limits on sigma(SI)(p) are more stringent than those obtained by other indirect searches.
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Gariazzo, S., Mena, O., Ramirez, H., & Boubekeur, L. (2017). Primordial power spectrum features in phenomenological descriptions of inflation. Phys. Dark Universe, 17, 38–45.
Abstract: We extend an alternative, phenomenological approach to inflation by means of an equation of state and a sound speed, both of them functions of the number of e-folds and four phenomenological parameters. This approach captures a number of possible inflationary models, including those with non-canonical kinetic terms or scale-dependent non-gaussianities. We perform Markov Chain Monte Carlo analyses using the latest cosmological publicly available measurements, which include Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data from the Planck satellite. Within this parameterization, we discard scale invariance with a significance of about 10 sigma, and the running of the spectral index is constrained as alpha(s) = -0.60(-0.10)(+0.08) x 10(-3) (68% CL errors). The limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio is r < 0.005 at 95% CL from CMB data alone. We find no significant evidence for this alternative parameterization with present cosmological observations. The maximum amplitude of the equilateral non-gaussianity that we obtain, vertical bar f(NL)(equil)vertical bar < 1, is much smaller than the current Planck mission errors, strengthening the case for future high-redshift, all-sky surveys, which could reach the required accuracy on equilateral non-gaussianities.
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Cai, Y., Herrero-Garcia, J., Schmidt, M. A., Vicente, A., & Volkas, R. R. (2017). From the Trees to the Forest: A Review of Radiative Neutrino Mass Models. Front. Physics, 5, 63–56pp.
Abstract: A plausible explanation for the lightness of neutrino masses is that neutrinos are massless at tree level, with their mass (typically Majorana) being generated radiatively at one or more loops. The new couplings, together with the suppression coming from the loop factors, imply that the new degrees of freedom cannot be too heavy (they are typically at the TeV scale). Therefore, in these models there are no large mass hierarchies and they can be tested using different searches, making their detailed phenomenological study very appealing. In particular, the new particles can be searched for at colliders and generically induce signals in lepton-flavor and lepton-number violating processes (in the case of Majorana neutrinos), which are not independent from reproducing correctly the neutrino masses and mixings. The main focus of the review is on Majorana neutrinos. We order the allowed theory space from three different perspectives: (i) using an effective operator approach to lepton number violation, (ii) by the number of loops at which the Weinberg operator is generated, (iii) within a given loop order, by the possible irreducible topologies. We also discuss in more detail some popular radiative models which involve qualitatively different features, revisiting their most important phenomenological implications. Finally, we list some promising avenues to pursue.
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Wuensch, W., Degiovanni, A., Calatroni, S., Korsback, A., Djurabekova, F., Rajamaki, R., et al. (2017). Statistics of vacuum breakdown in the high-gradient and low-rate regime. Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams, 20(1), 011007–11pp.
Abstract: In an increasing number of high-gradient linear accelerator applications, accelerating structures must operate with both high surface electric fields and low breakdown rates. Understanding the statistical properties of breakdown occurrence in such a regime is of practical importance for optimizing accelerator conditioning and operation algorithms, as well as of interest for efforts to understand the physical processes which underlie the breakdown phenomenon. Experimental data of breakdown has been collected in two distinct high-gradient experimental set-ups: A prototype linear accelerating structure operated in the Compact Linear Collider Xbox 12GHz test stands, and a parallel plate electrode system operated with pulsed DC in the kV range. Collected data is presented, analyzed and compared. The two systems show similar, distinctive, two-part distributions of number of pulses between breakdowns, with each part corresponding to a specific, constant event rate. The correlation between distance and number of pulses between breakdown indicates that the two parts of the distribution, and their corresponding event rates, represent independent primary and induced follow-up breakdowns. The similarity of results from pulsed DCto 12GHz rf indicates a similar vacuum arc triggering mechanism over the range of conditions covered by the experiments.
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Marquez-Martin, I., Di Molfetta, G., & Perez, A. (2017). Fermion confinement via quantum walks in (2+1)-dimensional and (3+1)-dimensional space-time. Phys. Rev. A, 95(4), 042112–5pp.
Abstract: We analyze the properties of a two-and three-dimensional quantum walk that are inspired by the idea of a brane-world model put forward by Rubakov and Shaposhnikov [Phys. Lett. B 125, 136 (1983)]. In that model, particles are dynamically confined on the brane due to the interaction with a scalar field. We translated this model into an alternate quantum walk with a coin that depends on the external field, with a dependence which mimics a domain wall solution. As in the original model, fermions (in our case, the walker) become localized in one of the dimensions, not from the action of a random noise on the lattice (as in the case of Anderson localization) but from a regular dependence in space. On the other hand, the resulting quantum walk can move freely along the “ordinary” dimensions.
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Wang, E., Xie, J. J., Liang, W. H., Guo, F. K., & Oset, E. (2017). Role of a triangle singularity in the gamma p -> K+Lambda (1405) reaction. Phys. Rev. C, 95(1), 015205–9pp.
Abstract: We show the effects of a triangle singularity mechanism for the gamma p -> K+Lambda(1405) reaction. The mechanism has a N-* resonance around 2030 MeV, which decays into K*Sigma. The K-* decays to K+ pi, and the pi Sigma merge to form the Lambda (1405). This mechanism produces a peak around root s = 2110 MeV, and has its largest contribution around cos theta= 0. The addition of this mechanism to other conventional ones leads to a good reproduction of d sigma/dcos theta and the integrated cross section around this energy, providing a solution to a problem encountered in previous theoretical models.
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Ilner, A., Cabrera, D., Markert, C., & Bratkovskaya, E. (2017). K* vector meson resonance dynamics in heavy-ion collisions. Phys. Rev. C, 95(1), 014903–15pp.
Abstract: We study the strange vector meson (K*, (K) over bar*) dynamics in relativistic heavy-ion collisions based on the microscopic parton-hadron-string dynamics (PHSD) transport approach which incorporates partonic and hadronic degrees of freedom, a phase transition from hadronic to partonic matter-quark-gluon-plasma (QGP)-and a dynamical hadronization of quarks and antiquarks as well as final hadronic interactions. We investigate the role of in-medium effects on the K*, (K) over bar* meson dynamics by employing Breit-Wigner spectral functions for the K* with self-energies obtained from a self-consistent coupled-channelG-matrix approach. Furthermore, we confront the PHSD calculations with experimental data for p + p, Cu + Cu, and Au + Au collisions at energies up to root s(NN) = 200 GeV. Our analysis shows that, at relativistic energies, most of the final K* (observed experimentally) are produced during the late hadronic phase, dominantly by the K + pi -> K* channel, such that the fraction of the K* from the QGP is small and can hardly be reconstructed from the final observables. The influence of the in-medium effects on the K* dynamics at energies typical of the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider is rather modest due to their dominant production at low baryon densities (but high meson densities); however, it increases with decreasing beam energy. Moreover, we find that the additional cut on the invariant-mass region of the K* further influences the shape and the height of the final spectra. This imposes severe constraints on the interpretation of the experimental results.
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Xie, J. J., Liang, W. H., Oset, E., Moskal, P., Skurzok, M., & Wilkin, C. (2017). Determination of the eta He-3 threshold structure from the low energy pd -> eta He-3 reaction. Phys. Rev. C, 95(1), 015202–9pp.
Abstract: We analyze the data on cross sections and asymmetries for the pd -> eta He-3 reaction close to threshold and look for bound states of the eta He-3 system. Rather than parameterizing the scattering matrix, as is usually done, we develop a framework in which the eta He-3 optical potential is the key ingredient, and its strength, together with some production parameters, are fitted to the available experimental data. The relationship of the scattering matrix to the optical potential is established using the Bethe-Salpeter equation and the eta He-3 loop function incorporates the range of the interaction given by the empirical He-3 density. We find a local Breit-Wigner form of the eta He-3 amplitude T below threshold with a clear peak in vertical bar T vertical bar(2), which corresponds to an eta He-3 binding of about 0.3 MeV and a width of about 3 MeV. By fitting the potential we can also evaluate the eta He-3 scattering length, including its sign, thus resolving the ambiguity in the former analyses.
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Cabrera, D., Hiller Blin, A. N., & Vicente Vacas, M. J. (2017). phi meson self-energy in nuclear matter from phi N resonant interactions. Phys. Rev. C, 95(1), 015201–9pp.
Abstract: The phi-meson properties in cold nuclear matter are investigated by implementing resonant phi N interactions as described in effective approaches including the unitarization of scattering amplitudes. Several N*-like states are dynamically generated in these models around 2 GeV, in the vicinity of the phi N threshold. We find that both these states and the non-resonant part of the amplitude contribute sizably to the phi collisional self-energy at finite nuclear density. These contributions are of a similar strength as the widely studied medium effects from the KK cloud. Depending on model details (position of the resonances and strength of the coupling to phi N) we report a phi broadening up to about 40-50 MeV, to be added to the phi -> KK in-medium decay width, and an attractive optical potential at threshold up to about 35 MeV at normal matter density. The phi spectral function develops a double peak structure as a consequence of the mixing of resonance-hole modes with the phi quasiparticle peak. The former results point in the direction of making up for missing absorption as reported in phi nuclear production experiments.
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