Abstract: A search for charge-parity (CP) violation in D-0 -> K-K+ and D-0 -> pi(-)pi(+) decays is reported, using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.9 fb(-1) collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. The flavor of the charm meson is inferred from the charge of the pion in D* (2010)(+) -> D-0 pi(+) decays or from the charge of the muon in (B) over bar -> D-0 mu(-)(nu) over bar X-mu decays. The difference between the CP asymmetries in D-0 -> K-K+ and D-0 -> pi(-)pi(+) decays is measured to be Delta A(CP) = [-18.2 +/- 3.2(stat) +/- 0.9(syst)] x 10(-4) for pi-tagged and Delta A(CP) = [-9 +/- 8(stat) +/- 5(syst)] x 10(-4) for mu-tagged D-0 mesons. Combining these with previous LHCb results leads to Delta A(CP) = (-15.4 +/- 2.9) x 10(-4), where the uncertainty includes both statistical and systematic contributions. The measured value differs from zero by more than 5 standard deviations. This is the first observation of CP violation in the decay of charm hadrons.

Abstract: Multiloop scattering amplitudes describing the quantum fluctuations at high-energy scattering processes are the main bottleneck in perturbative quantum field theory. The loop-tree duality is a novel method aimed at overcoming this bottleneck by opening the loop amplitudes into trees and combining them at integrand level with the real-emission matrix elements. In this Letter, we generalize the loop-tree duality to all orders in the perturbative expansion by using the complex Lorentz-covariant prescription of the original one-loop formulation. We introduce a series of mutiloop topologies with arbitrary internal configurations and derive very compact and factorizable expressions of their open-to-trees representation in the loop-tree duality formalism. Furthermore, these expressions are entirely independent at integrand level of the initial assignments of momentum flows in the Feynman representation and remarkably free of noncausal singularities. These properties, that we conjecture to hold to other topologies at all orders, provide integrand representations of scattering amplitudes that exhibit manifest causal singular structures and better numerical stability than in other representations.

Abstract: This work establishes a relation between chiral anomalies in curved spacetimes and the radiative content of the gravitational field. In particular, we show that a flux of circularly polarized gravitational waves triggers the spontaneous creation of photons with net circular polarization from the quantum vacuum. Using waveform catalogs, we identify precessing binary black holes as astrophysical configurations that emit such gravitational radiation and then solve the fully nonlinear Einstein's equations with numerical relativity to evaluate the net effect. The quantum amplitude for a merger is comparable to the Hawking emission rate of the final black hole and small to be directly observed. However, the implications for the inspiral of binary neutron stars could be more prominent, as argued on symmetry grounds.

Abstract: A study of prompt charm-hadron pair production in proton-lead collisions at root s(NN) = 8.16 TeV is performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 30 nb(-1), collected with the LHCb experiment. Production cross sections for different pairs of charm hadrons are measured and kinematic correlations between the two charm hadrons are investigated. This is the first measurement of associated production of two charm hadrons in proton-lead collisions. The results confirm the predicted enhancement of double parton scattering production in proton-lead collisions compared to the single parton scattering production.

Abstract: We report the first search for dark sectors performed at the NA64 experiment employing a high energy muon beam and a missing energy-momentum technique. Muons from the M2 beamline at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron with a momentum of 160 GeV/c are directed to an active target. The signal signature consists of a single scattered muon with momentum < 80 GeV/c in the final state, accompanied by missing energy, i.e., no detectable activity in the downstream calorimeters. For a total dataset of (1.98 +/- 0.02) x 10(10) muons on target, no event is observed in the expected signal region. This allows us to set new limits on the remaining (m(Z)'; g(Z)') parameter space of a new Z' (L-mu – L-tau) vector boson which could explain the muon (g – 2)(mu) anomaly. Additionally, our study excludes part of the parameter space suggested by the thermal dark matter relic abundance. Our results pave the way to explore dark sectors and light dark matter with muon beams in a unique and complementary way to other experiments.