Abstract: We present a one per cent measurement of the cosmic distance scale from the detections of the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the clustering of galaxies from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, which is part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III. Our results come from the Data Release 11 (DR11) sample, containing nearly one million galaxies and covering approximately 8500 square degrees and the redshift range 0.2 < z < 0.7. We also compare these results with those from the publicly released DR9 and DR10 samples. Assuming a concordance A cold dark matter (ACDM) cosmological model, the DR11 sample covers a volume of 13 Gpc(3) and is the largest region of the Universe ever surveyed at this density. We measure the correlation function and power spectrum, including density- field reconstruction of the BAO feature. The acoustic features are detected at a significance of over 7s in both the correlation function and power spectrum. Fitting for the position of the acoustic features measures the distance relative to the sound horizon at the drag epoch, r(d), which has a value of r(d,fid) = 149.28 Mpc in our fiducial cosmology. We find D-V = (1264 +/- 25 Mpc)(r(d)/r(d,fid)) at z = 0.32 and D-V = (2056 +/- 20 Mpc)(r(d)/r(d,fid)) at z = 0.57. At 1.0 per cent, this latter measure is the most precise distance constraint ever obtained from a galaxy survey. Separating the clustering along and transverse to the line of sight yields measurements at z = 0.57 of D-A = (1421 +/- 20 Mpc)(r(d)/r(d,fid)) and H = (96.8 +/- 3.4 kms(-1) Mpc(-1))(r(d),(fid)/r(d)). Our measurements of the distance scale are in good agreement with previous BAO measurements and with the predictions from cosmic microwave background data for a spatially flat CDM model with a cosmological constant.

Abstract: We present the first unquenched lattice QCD results for the bag parameters controlling the short distance contribution to D meson oscillations in the standard model and beyond. We have used the gauge configurations produced by the European Twisted Mass collaboration with N-f = 2 dynamical quarks, at four lattice spacings and light meson masses in the range 280-500 MeV. Renormalization is carried out nonperturbatively with the regularization-independent momentum subtraction method. The bag-parameter results have been used to constrain new physics effects in D-0 – (D) over bar (0) mixing, to put a lower bound to the generic new physics scale and to constrain off-diagonal squark mass terms for TeV-scale supersymmetry.

Abstract: The resonant structure of the reaction (B) over bar (0) --> J/psi pi(+)pi(-) is studied using data from 3 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the LHCb experiment, one third at 7 TeV center-of-mass energy and the remainder at 8 TeV. The invariant mass of the pi(+)pi(-) pair and three decay angular distributions are used to determine the fractions of the resonant and nonresonant components. Six interfering pi(+)pi(-) states, rho(770), f(0)(500), f(2)(1270), rho(1450), omega(782) and rho(1700), are required to give a good description of invariant mass spectra and decay angular distributions. The positive and negative charge parity fractions of each of the resonant final states are determined. The f(0)(980) meson is not seen and the upper limit on its presence, compared with the observed f(0)(500) rate, is inconsistent with a model where these scalar mesons are formed from two quarks and two antiquarks (tetraquarks) at the eight standard deviation level. In the q (q) over bar model, the absolute value of the mixing angle between the f(0)(980) and the f(0)(500) scalar mesons is limited to be less than 17 degrees at 90% confidence level.

Abstract: We study here the interaction of D (D) over bar* in the isospin I = 1 channel in light of recent theoretical advances that allow us to combine elements of the local hidden gauge approach with heavy quark spin symmetry. We find that the exchange of light q (q) over bar is Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka (OZI) suppressed and thus we concentrate on the exchange of heavy vectors and of two pion exchange. The latter is found to be small compared to the exchange of heavy vectors, which then determines the strength of the interaction. A barely D (D) over bar* bound state decaying into eta(c)rho and pi J/psi is found. At the same time we reanalyze the data of the BESIII experiment on e(+)e(-) -> pi(+/-)(D (D) over bar*)(-/+), from where a Z(c)(3885) state was claimed, associated to a peak in the (D (D) over bar*)(-/+) invariant mass distribution close to threshold, and we find the data compatible with a resonance with mass around 3875 MeV and width around 30 MeV. We discuss the possibility that this and the Z(c)(3900) state found at BESIII, reconfirmed at 3894 MeV at Belle, or 3885 MeV at CLEO, could all be the same state and correspond to the one that we find theoretically.

Abstract: We reevaluate the B -> rho l(+) nu(l) decay width as a full B. pi pi iota(+)nu iota four-particle decay, in which the two final pions are produced via an intermediate. meson. The decay width can be written as a convolution of the B -> rho l(+) nu(l) decay width, for an off-shell., with the.. pp line shape. This allows us to fully incorporate the effects of the finite. meson width and a better comparison with actual experiments. We use an Omn s representation to provide the dependence of the B.. semileptonic form factors on q2. The Omn s subtraction constants and the overall normalization parameter jVubj are fitted to light cone sum rules and lattice QCD theoretical form-factor calculations, in the low and high q2 regions, respectively, together to the CLEO, BABAR, and Belle experimental partial branching fraction distributions. The extracted value from this global fit is jVubj d3.40 +/- 0.15_ x 10-3, in agreement with jVubj extracted using all other inputs in Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa fits and the exclusive semileptonic B. p channel, but showing a clear disagreement with jVubj extracted from inclusive semileptonic b. u decays. As estimated by [U.-G. Mei beta ner andW. Wang, J. High Energy Phys. 01 (2014) 107], taking into account the. meson width effects and the actual acceptance of the experiments is essential to render the jVubj determinations from exclusive B. p and B.. decays totally compatible.