Barenboim, G., & Park, W. I. (2017). Lepton number asymmetries and the lower bound on the reheating temperature. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 12(12), 037–13pp.
Abstract: We show that the reheating temperature of a matter-domination era in the early universe can be pushed down to the neutrino decoupling temperature at around 2 MeV if the reheating takes place through non-hadronic decays of the dominant matter and neutrino-antineutrino asymmetries are still large enough, vertical bar L vertical bar greater than or similar to O(10(-2)) (depending on the neutrino flavor) at the end of reheating.
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Llanes Jurado, J., Rodrigo, G., & Torres Bobadilla, W. J. (2017). From Jacobi off-shell currents to integral relations. J. High Energy Phys., 12(12), 122–22pp.
Abstract: In this paper, we study off-shell currents built from the Jacobi identity of the kinematic numerators of gg -> X with X = ss, q (q) over bar, gg. We find that these currents can be schematically written in terms of three-point interaction Feynman rules. This representation allows for a straightforward understanding of the Colour-Kinematics duality as well as for the construction of the building blocks for the generation of higher-multiplicity tree-level and multi-loop numerators. We also provide one-loop integral relations through the Loop-Tree duality formalism with potential applications and advantages for the computation of relevant physical processes at the Large Hadron Collider. We illustrate these integral relations with the explicit examples of QCD one-loop numerators of gg -> ss.
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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. (2017). Search for a scalar partner of the top quark in the jets plus missing transverse momentum final state at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 12(12), 085–56pp.
Abstract: A search for pair production of a scalar partner of the top quark in events with four or more jets plus missing transverse momentum is presented. An analysis of 36.1 fb(-1) of root s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions collected using the ATLAS detector at the LHC yields no significant excess over the expected Standard Model background. To interpret the results a simplified supersymmetric model is used where the top squark is assumed to decay via (t) over tilde (1) -> t((*)) (chi) over tilde (0)(1) and (t) over tilde (1) -> b (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) -> bW((*)) (chi) over tilde (0)(1), where (chi) over tilde (0)(1) ((chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino). Exclusion limits are placed in terms of the top-squark and neutralino masses. Assuming a branching ratio of 100% to t (chi) over tilde (0)(1), top-squark masses in the range 450-1000 GeV are excluded for (chi) over tilde (0)(1) masses below 160 GeV. In the case where m((t) over tilde1) similar to m(t) + m((chi) over tilde 10), top-squark masses in the range 235-590 GeV are excluded.
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Achterberg, A., van Beekveld, M., Caron, S., Gomez-Vargas, G. A., Hendriks, L., & Ruiz de Austri, R. (2017). Implications of the Fermi-LAT Pass 8 Galactic Center excess on supersymmetric dark matter. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 12(12), 040–23pp.
Abstract: The Fermi Collaboration has recently updated their analysis of gamma rays from the center of the Galaxy. They reconfirm the presence of an unexplained emission feature which is most prominent in the region of 1-10 GeV, known as the Galactic Center GeV excess (GCE). Although the GCE is now fi rmly detected, an interpretation of this emission as a signal of self-annihilating dark matter (DM) particles is not unambiguously possible due to systematic effects in the gamma-ray modeling estimated in the Galactic Plane. In this paper we build a covariance matrix, collecting different systematic uncertainties investigated in the Fermi Collaboration's paper that affect the GCE spectrum. We show that models where part of the GCE is due to annihilating DM is still consistent with the new data. We also re-evaluate the parameter space regions of the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) that can contribute dominantly to the GCE via neutralino DM annihilation. All recent constraints from DM direct detection experiments such as PICO, LUX, PandaX and Xenon1T, limits on the annihilation cross section from dwarf spheroidal galaxies and the Large Hadron Collider limits are considered in this analysis. Due to a slight shift in the energy spectrum of the GC excess with respect to the previous Fermi analysis, and the recent limits from direct detection experiments, we find a slightly shifted parameter region of the MSSM, compared to our previous analysis, that is consistent with the GCE. Neutralinos with a mass between 85-220 GeV can describe the excess via annihilation into a pair of W-bosons or top quarks. Remarkably, there are models with low fine-tuning among the regions that we have found. The complete set of solutions will be probed by upcoming direct detection experiments and with dedicated searches in the upcoming data of the Large Hadron Collider.
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Gelmini, G. B., Huh, J. H., & Witte, S. J. (2017). Unified halo-independent formalism from convex hulls for direct dark matter searches. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 12(12), 039–33pp.
Abstract: Using the Fenchel-Eggleston theorem for convex hulls (an extension of the Caratheodory theorem), we prove that any likelihood can be maximized by either a dark matter 1-speed distribution F(v) in Earth's frame or 2-Galactic velocity distribution f(gal) ((u) over right arrow), consisting of a sum of delta functions. The former case applies only to time-averaged rate measurements and the maximum number of delta functions is (N-1), where N is the total number of data entries. The second case applies to any harmonic expansion coefficient of the time-dependent rate and the maximum number of terms is N. Using time-averaged rates, the aforementioned form of F(v) results in a piecewise constant unmodulated halo function (eta) over tilde (BF)-B-0 (v(min)) (which is an integral of the speed distribution) with at most (N-1) downward steps. The authors had previously proven this result for likelihoods comprised of at least one extended likelihood, and found the best-fit halo function to be unique. This uniqueness, however, cannot be guaranteed in the more general analysis applied to arbitrary likelihoods. Thus we introduce a method for determining whether there exists a unique best-fit halo function, and provide a procedure for constructing either a pointwise con fi dence band, if the best-fit halo function is unique, or a degeneracy band, if it is not. Using measurements of modulation amplitudes, the aforementioned form of f(gal) ((u) over right arrow), which is a sum of Galactic streams, yields a periodic time-dependent halo function (eta) over right arrow BF (v(min); t) which at any fixed time is a piecewise constant function of v(min) with at most N downward steps. In this case, we explain how to construct pointwise confidence and degeneracy bands from the time-averaged halo function. Finally, we show that requiring an isotropic Galactic velocity distribution leads to a Galactic speed distribution F(u)that is once again a sum of delta functions, and produces a time-dependent (eta) over tilde BF (v(min); t) function (and a time-averaged (eta) over tilde (0) BF (v(min))) that is piecewise linear, di ff ering significantly from best-fit halo functions obtained without the assumption of isotropy.
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ANTARES Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Coleiro, A., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., Lotze, M., et al. (2017). All-sky search for high-energy neutrinos from gravitational wave event GW170104 with the ANTARES neutrino telescope. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(12), 911–7pp.
Abstract: Advanced LIGO detected a significant gravitational wave signal (GW170104) originating from the coalescence of two black holes during the second observation run on January 4th, 2017. Anall-sky high-energy neutrino follow-up search has been made using data from the Antares neutrino telescope, including both upgoing and downgoing events in two separate analyses. No neutrino candidates were found within +/- 500 s around the GW event time nor any time clustering of events over an extended time window of +/- 3 months. The non-detection is used to constrain isotropic-equivalent high-energy neutrino emission from GW170104 to less than similar to 1.2 x 10(55) erg for a E-2 spectrum. This constraint is valid in the energy range corresponding to the 5-95% quantiles of the neutrino flux [3.2 TeV; 3.6 PeV], if the GW emitter was below the Antares horizon at the alert time.
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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. (2017). Search for direct top squark pair production in final states with two leptons in root s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(12), 898–41pp.
Abstract: The results of a search for direct pair production of top squarks in events with two opposite-charge leptons (electrons or muons) are reported, using 36.1 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity from proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. To cover a range of mass differences between the top squark (t) over tilde and lighter supersymmetric particles, four possible decay modes of the top squark are targeted with dedicated selections: the decay (t) over tilde -> b (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) into a b-quark and the lightest chargino with (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) W (chi) over tilde (0)(1),the decay (t) over tilde -> t (chi) over tilde (0)(1) into an on-shell top quark and the lightest neutralino, the three-body decay (t) over tilde -> bW (chi) over tilde (0)(1) and the four-body decay (t) over tilde -> bl nu(chi) over tilde (0)(1). No significant excess of events is observed above the Standard Model background for any selection, and limits on top squarks are set as a function of the (t) over tilde and (chi) over tilde (0)(1) masses. The results exclude at 95% confidence level (t) over tilde masses up to about 720 GeV, extending the exclusion region of supersymmetric parameter space covered by previous searches.
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Heavy Flavor Averaging Group(Amhis, Y. et al), & Oyanguren, A. (2017). Averages of b-hadron, c-hadron, and tau-lepton properties as of summer 2016. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(12), 895–335pp.
Abstract: This article reports world averages of measurements of b-hadron, c-hadron, and tau-lepton properties obtained by the Heavy Flavor Averaging Group using results available through summer 2016. For the averaging, common input parameters used in the various analyses are adjusted (rescaled) to common values, and known correlations are taken into account. The averages include branching fractions, lifetimes, neutral meson mixing parameters, CP violation parameters, parameters of semileptonic decays, and Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements.
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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. (2017). Determination of the strong coupling constant alpha(s) from transverse energy-energy correlations in multijet events at root s=8 TeV using the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(12), 872–34pp.
Abstract: Measurements of transverse energy-energy correlations and their associated asymmetries in multi-jet events using the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. The data used correspond to vs = 8 TeV proton-proton collisions with an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb(-1). The results are presented in bins of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of the two leading jets, unfolded to the particle level and compared to the predictions from Monte Carlo simulations. A comparison with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD is also performed, showing excellent agreement within the uncertainties. From this comparison, the value of the strong coupling constant is extracted for different energy regimes, thus testing the running of alpha(s)(mu) predicted in QCD up to scales over 1 TeV. A global fit to the transverse energy-energy correlation distributions yields alpha(s)(m(Z)) = 0.1162 +/- 0.0011 (exp.)(-0.0070)(+0.0084) (theo.), while a global fit to the asymmetry distributions yields a value of alpha(s)(m(Z)) = 0.1196 +/- 0.0013 (exp.)(-0.0045)(+0.0075) (theo.).
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Casals, M., Fabbri, A., Martinez, C., & Zanelli, J. (2017). Quantum Backreaction on Three-Dimensional Black Holes and Naked Singularities. Phys. Rev. Lett., 118(13), 131102–6pp.
Abstract: We analytically investigate backreaction by a quantum scalar field on two rotating Bañados-Teitelboim-Zanelli (BTZ) geometries: that of a black hole and that of a naked singularity. In the former case, we explore the quantum effects on various regions of relevance for a rotating black hole space-time. We find that the quantum effects lead to a growth of both the event horizon and the radius of the ergosphere, and to a reduction of the angular velocity, compared to the unperturbed values. Furthermore, they give rise to the formation of a curvature singularity at the Cauchy horizon and show no evidence of the appearance of a superradiant instability. In the case of a naked singularity, we find that quantum effects lead to the formation of a horizon that shields it, thus supporting evidence for the role of quantum mechanics as a cosmic censor in nature.
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