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Mertsch, P., Parimbelli, G., de Salas, P. F., Gariazzo, S., Lesgourgues, J., & Pastor, S. (2020). Neutrino clustering in the Milky Way and beyond. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 01(1), 015–23pp.
Abstract: The standard cosmological model predicts the existence of a Cosmic Neutrino Background, which has not yet been observed directly. Some experiments aiming at its detection are currently under development, despite the tiny kinetic energy of the cosmological relic neutrinos, which makes this task incredibly challenging. Since massive neutrinos are attracted by the gravitational potential of our Galaxy, they can cluster locally. Neutrinos should be more abundant at the Earth position than at an average point in the Universe. This fact may enhance the expected event rate in any future experiment. Past calculations of the local neutrino clustering factor only considered a spherical distribution of matter in the Milky Way and neglected the influence of other nearby objects like the Virgo cluster, although recent N-body simulations suggest that the latter may actually be important. In this paper, we adopt a back-tracking technique, well established in the calculation of cosmic rays fluxes, to perform the first three-dimensional calculation of the number density of relic neutrinos at the Solar System, taking into account not only the matter composition of the Milky Way, but also the contribution of the Andromeda galaxy and the Virgo cluster. The effect of Virgo is indeed found to be relevant and to depend non-trivially on the value of the neutrino mass. Our results show that the local neutrino density is enhanced by 0.53% for a neutrino mass of 10 meV, 12% for 50 meV, 50% for 100 meV or 500% for 300 meV.
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Stadler, J., Boehm, C., & Mena, O. (2020). Is it mixed dark matter or neutrino masses? J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 01(1), 039–18pp.
Abstract: In this paper, we explore a scenario where the dark matter is a mixture of interacting and non interacting species. Assuming dark matter-photon interactions for the interacting species, we find that the suppression of the matter power spectrum in this scenario can mimic that expected in the case of massive neutrinos. Our numerical studies include present limits from Planck Cosmic Microwave Background data, which render the strength of the dark matter photon interaction unconstrained when the fraction of interacting dark matter is small. Despite the large entangling between mixed dark matter and neutrino masses, we show that future measurements from the Dark Energy Instrument (DESI) could help in establishing the dark matter and the neutrino properties simultaneously, provided that the interaction rate is very close to its current limits and the fraction of interacting dark matter is at least of O (10%). However, for that region of parameter space where a small fraction of interacting DM coincides with a comparatively large interaction rate, our analysis highlights a considerable degeneracy between the mixed dark matter parameters and the neutrino mass scale.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2020). Measurement of CP-Averaged Observables in the B-0 -> K-star 0 mu(+)mu(-) Decay. Phys. Rev. Lett., 125(1), 011802–13pp.
Abstract: An angular analysis of the B-0 -> K-0 (-> K+pi(-))mu(+)mu(-) decay is presented using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1) of pp collision data collected with the LHCb experiment. The full set of CP-averaged observables are determined in bins of the invariant mass squared of the dimuon system. Contamination from decays with the K+ pi(-) system in an S-wave configuration is taken into account. The tension seen between the previous LHCb results and the standard model predictions persists with the new data. The precise value of the significance of this tension depends on the choice of theory nuisance parameters.
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T2K Collaboration(Abe, K. et al), Antonova, M., Cervera-Villanueva, A., Fernandez, P., Izmaylov, A., & Novella, P. (2020). First measurement of the charged current (nu)over-bar(mu) double differential cross section on a water target without( )pions in the final state. Phys. Rev. D, 102(1), 012007–16pp.
Abstract: This paper reports the first differential measurement of the charged-current (nu) over bar (mu) interaction cross section on water with no pions in the final state. The unfolded flux-averaged measurement using the T2K off-axis near detector is given in double-differential bins of mu(+) momentum and angle. The integrated cross section in a restricted phase space is sigma = (1.11 +/- 0.18) x 10(-38) cm(2) per water molecule. Comparisons with several nuclear models are also presented.
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n_TOF Collaboration(Stamatopoulos, A. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., Tain, J. L., & Tarifeño-Saldivia, A. (2020). Investigation of the Pu-240(n, f) reaction at the n_TOF/EAR2 facility in the 9 meV-6 MeV range. Phys. Rev. C, 102(1), 014616–23pp.
Abstract: Background: Nuclear waste management is considered amongst the major challenges in the field of nuclear energy. A possible means of addressing this issue is waste transmutation in advanced nuclear systems, whose operation requires a fast neutron spectrum. In this regard, the accurate knowledge of neutron-induced reaction cross sections of several (minor) actinide isotopes is essential for design optimization and improvement of safety margins of such systems. One such case is Pu-240, due to its accumulation in spent nuclear fuel of thermal reactors and its usage in fast reactor fuel. The measurement of the Pu-240(n, f) cross section was previously attempted at the CERN nTOF facility EAR1 measuring station using the time-of-flight technique. Due to the low amount of available material and the given flux at EAR1, the measurement had to last several months to achieve a sufficient statistical accuracy. This long duration led to detector deterioration due to the prolonged exposure to the high alpha activity of the fission foils, therefore the measurement could not be successfully completed. Purpose: It is aimed to determine whether it is feasible to study neutron-induced fission at nTOF/EAR2 and provide data on the Pu-240(n, f) reaction in energy regions requested for applications. Methods: The study of the Pu-240(n, f) reaction was made at a new experimental area (EAR2) with a shorter flight path which delivered on average 30 times higher flux at fast neutron energies. This enabled the measurement to be performed much faster, thus limiting the exposure of the detectors to the intrinsic activity of the fission foils. The experimental setup was based on microbulk Micromegas detectors and the time-of-flight data were analyzed with an optimized pulse-shape analysis algorithm. Special attention was dedicated to the estimation of the non-negligible counting loss corrections with the development of a new methodology, and other corrections were estimated via Monte Carlo simulations of the experimental setup. Results: This new measurement of the Pu-240(n, f) cross section yielded data from 9 meV up to 6 MeV incident neutron energy and fission resonance kernels were extracted up to 10 keV. Conclusions: Neutron-induced fission of high activity samples can be successfully studied at the n_TOF/EAR2 facility at CERN covering a wide range of neutron energies, from thermal to a few MeV.
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Dias, A. G., Leite, J., Sanchez-Vega, B. L., & Vieira, W. C. (2020). Dynamical symmetry breaking and fermion mass hierarchy in the scale-invariant 3-3-1 model. Phys. Rev. D, 102(1), 015021–18pp.
Abstract: We propose an extension of the Standard Model (SM) based on the SU(3)(C) circle times SU(3)(L) circle times U(1)(X) (3-3-1) gauge symmetry and scale invariance. Maintaining the main features of the so-called 3-3-1 models, such as the cancellation of gauge anomalies related to the number of chiral fermion generations, this model exhibits a very compact scalar sector. Only two scalar triplets and one singlet are necessary and sufficient to break the symmetries dynamically via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism. With the introduction of an Abelian discrete symmetry and assuming a natural hierarchy among the vacuum expectation values of the neutral scalar fields, we show that all particles in the model can get phenomenologically consistent masses. In particular, most of the standard fermion masses are generated via a seesaw mechanism involving some extra heavy fermions introduced for consistency. This mechanism provides a partial solution for the fermion mass hierarchy problem in the SM. Furthermore, the simplicity of the scalar sector allows us to analytically find the conditions for the potential stability up to one-loop level and show how they can be easily satisfied. Some of the new particles, such as the scalars H, H-+/- and all the non-SMvector bosons, are predicted to get masses around the TeV scale and, therefore, could be produced at the high-luminosity LHC. Finally, we show that the model features a residual symmetry, which leads to the stability of a heavy neutral particle; the latter is expected to show up in experiments as missing energy.
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Leite, J., Morales, A., Valle, J. W. F., & Vaquera-Araujo, C. A. (2020). Dark matter stability from Dirac neutrinos in scotogenic 3-3-1-1 theory. Phys. Rev. D, 102(1), 015022–11pp.
Abstract: We propose the simplest TeV-scale scotogenic extension of the original 3-3-1 theory, where dark matter stability is linked to the Dirac nature of neutrinos, which results from an unbroken B – L gauge symmetry. The new gauge bosons get masses through the interplay of spontaneous symmetry breaking a la Higgs and the Stueckelberg mechanism.
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Siciliano, M. et al, & Gadea, A. (2020). Shape coexistence in neutron-deficient Hg-188 investigated via lifetime measurements. Phys. Rev. C, 102(1), 014318–16pp.
Abstract: Background: Shape coexistence in the Z approximate to 82 region has been established in mercury, lead, and polonium isotopes. For even-even mercury isotopes with 100 <= N <= 106 multiple fingerprints of this phenomenon are observed, which seems to be no longer present for N >= 110. According to a number of theoretical calculations, shape coexistence is predicted in the Hg-188 isotope. Purpose: The aim of this work was to measure lifetimes of excited states in Hg-188 to infer their collective properties, such as the deformation. Extending the investigation to higher-spin states, which are expected to be less affected by band-mixing effects, can provide additional information on the coexisting structures. Methods: The Hg-188 nucleus was populated using two different fusion-evaporation reactions with two targets, Gd-158 and Gd-160, and a beam of S-34 provided by the Tandem-ALPI accelerator complex at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. The channels of interest were selected using the information from the Neutron Wall array, while the gamma rays were detected using the GALILEO gamma-ray spectrometer. Lifetimes of excited states were determined using the recoil-distance Doppler-shift method, employing the dedicated GALILEO plunger device. Results: Lifetimes of the states up to spin 16 (h) over bar were measured and the corresponding reduced transition probabilities were calculated. Assuming two-band mixing and adopting, as done commonly, the rotational model, the mixing strengths and the deformation parameters of the unperturbed structures were obtained from the experimental results. In order to shed light on the nature of the observed configurations in the Hg-188 nucleus, the extracted transition strengths were compared with those resulting from state-of-the-art beyond-mean-field calculations using the symmetry-conserving configuration-mixing approach, limited to axial shapes, and the five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian, including the triaxial degree of freedom. Conclusions: The first lifetime measurement for states with spin >= 6 suggested the presence of an almost spherical structure above the 12(1)(+) isomer and allowed elucidating the structure of the intruder band. The comparison of the extracted B(E2) strengths with the two-band mixing model allowed the determination of the ground-state band deformation. Both beyond-mean-field calculations predict coexistence of a weakly deformed band with a strongly prolate-deformed one, characterized by elongation parameters similar to those obtained experimentally, but the calculated relative position of the bands and their mixing strongly differ.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2020). Measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B-s(0) -> (KSKS0)-K-0. Phys. Rev. D, 102(1), 012011–15pp.
Abstract: A measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B-s(0) -> (KSKS0)-K-0 is performed using proton- proton – collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 fb(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment between 2011 and 2016. The branching fraction is determined to be B(B-s(0) -> (KSKS0)-K-0) = [8.3 +/- 1.6(stat) +/- 0.9(syst) +/- 0.8(norm) +/- 0.3(f(s)/f(d))] x 10(-6), where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third and fourth are due to uncertainties on the branching fraction of the normalization mode B-0 -> phi K(S)(0 )and the ratio of hadronization fractions f(s)/f(d). This is the most precise measurement of this branching fraction to date. Furthermore, a measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B-s(0) -> (KSKS0)-K-0 is performed relative to that of the B-s(0) -> (KSKS0)-K-0 channel, and is found to be B(B-s(0) -> (KSKS0)-K-0)/B(B-s(0) -> (KSKS0)-K-0) = [7.5 +/- 3.1(stat) 0.5(syst) +/- 0.3(f(s)/f(d))1 x 10(-2).
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IDS Collaboration(Benito, J. et al), & Nacher, E. (2020). Detailed spectroscopy of doubly magic Sn-132. Phys. Rev. C, 102(1), 014328–18pp.
Abstract: The structure of the doubly magic Sn-132(50)82 has been investigated at the ISOLDE facility at CERN, populated both by the beta(-) decay of In-132 and beta(-)-delayed neutron emission of In-133. The level scheme of Sn-13(2) is greatly expanded with the addition of 68 gamma transitions and 17 levels observed for the first time in the beta decay. The information on the excited structure is completed by new gamma transitions and states populated in the beta-n decay of In-133. Improved delayed neutron emission probabilities are obtained both for In-132 and In-133. Level lifetimes are measured via the advanced time-delayed beta gamma gamma(t) fast-timing method. An interpretation of the level structure is given based on the experimental findings and the particle-hole configurations arising from core excitations both from the N = 82 and Z = 50 shells, leading to positive- and negative-parity particle-hole multiplets. The experimental information provides new data to challenge the theoretical description of Sn-132.
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