Abstract: Searches for CP violation in the two-body decays D-(s)(+) -> h(+)pi(0) and D-(s)(+) -> h(+)eta (where h(+) denotes a pi(+) or K+ meson) are performed using pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment corresponding to either 9 fb(-1) or 6 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity. The pi(0) and eta mesons are reconstructed using the e(+) e(-)gamma final state, which can proceed as three-body decays pi(0) -> e(+) e(-) gamma and eta -> e(+) e(-)gamma, or via the two-body decays pi(0) -> gamma gamma and eta -> gamma gamma followed by a photon conversion. The measurements are made relative to the control modes D-(s)(+) K(S)(0)h(+) to cancel the production and detection asymmetries. The CP asymmetries are measured to be A(CP)(D+ -> pi(+)pi(0)) = (-1.3 +/- 0.9 +/- 0.6)%, A(CP)(D+ -> K+pi(0)) = (- 3.2 +/- 4.7 +/- 2.1)%, A(CP)(D+ -> pi(+)eta) = (-0.2 +/- 0.8 +/- 0.4)%, A(CP)(D+ -> K+eta) = (-6 +/- 10 +/- 4 )%, A(CP)(D-s(+) -> K+pi(0)) = (-0.8 +/- 3.9 +/- 1.2)%, A(CP)(D-s(+) -> pi(+)eta) = ( 0.8 +/- 0.7 +/- 0.5)%, A(CP)(D-s(+) -> K+eta) = ( 0.9 +/- 3.7 +/- 1.1)%, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. These results are consistent with no CP violation and mostly constitute the most precise measurements of A(CP) in these decay modes to date.

Abstract: We study the capabilities of a muon collider experiment to detect disappearing tracks originating when a heavy and electrically charged long-lived particle decays via X+-> Y(+)Z(0), where X+ and Z(0) are two almost mass degenerate new states and Y+ is a charged Standard Model particle. The backgrounds induced by the in-flight decays of the muon beams (BIB) can create detector hit combinations that mimic long-lived particle signatures, making the search a daunting task. We design a simple strategy to tame the BIB, based on a detector-hit-level selection exploiting timing information and hit-to-hit correlations, followed by simple requirements on the quality of reconstructed tracks. Our strategy allows us to reduce the number of tracks from BIB to an average of 0.08 per event, hence being able to design a cut-and-count analysis that shows that it is possible to cover weak doublets and triplets with masses close to root s/2 in the 0.1-10 ns range. In particular, this implies that a 10 TeV muon collider is able to probe thermal MSSM higgsinos and thermal MSSM winos, thus rivaling the FCC-hh in that respect, and further enlarging the physics program of the muon collider into the territory of WIMP dark matter and long-lived signatures. We also provide parton-to-reconstructed level efficiency maps, allowing an estimation of the coverage of disappearing tracks at muon colliders for arbitrary models.

Abstract: i-TED is an innovative detection system which exploits Compton imaging techniques to achieve a superior signal-to-background ratio in (n, gamma) cross-section measurements using time-of-flight technique. This work presents the first experimental validation of the i-TED apparatus for high-resolution time-of-flight experiments and demonstrates for the first time the concept proposed for background rejection. To this aim, the Au-197(n, gamma) and Fe-56(n, gamma) reactions were studied at CERN n_TOF using an i-TED demonstrator based on three position-sensitive detectors. Two C6D6 detectors were also used to benchmark the performance of i-TED. The i-TED prototype built for this study shows a factor of similar to 3 higher detection sensitivity than state-of-the-art C6D6 detectors in the 10 keV neutron-energy region of astrophysical interest. This paper explores also the perspectives of further enhancement in performance attainable with the final i-TED array consisting of twenty position-sensitive detectors and newanalysis methodologies based on Machine-Learning techniques.

Abstract: An accurate measurement of the Ce-140(n,gamma) energy-dependent cross-section was performed at the n_TOF facility at CERN. This cross-section is of great importance because it represents a bottleneck for the s-process nucleosynthesis and determines to a large extent the cerium abundance in stars. The measurement was motivated by the significant difference between the cerium abundance measured in globular clusters and the value predicted by theoretical stellar models. This discrepancy can be ascribed to an overestimation of the Ce-140 capture cross-section due to a lack of accurate nuclear data. For this measurement, we used a sample of cerium oxide enriched in Ce-140 to 99.4%. The experimental apparatus consisted of four deuterated benzene liquid scintillator detectors, which allowed us to overcome the difficulties present in the previous measurements, thanks to their very low neutron sensitivity. The accurate analysis of the p-wave resonances and the calculation of their average parameters are fundamental to improve the evaluation of the Ce-140 Maxwellian-averaged cross-section.

Abstract: For a general H-b -> Hc tau nu <overbar></mml:mover>tau decay we analyze the role of the tau polarization vector P μin the context of lepton flavor universality violation studies. We use a general phenomenological approach that includes, in addition to the Standard Model (SM) contribution, vector, axial, scalar, pseudoscalar and tensor new physics (NP) terms which strength is governed by, complex in general, Wilson coefficients. We show that both in the laboratory frame, where the initial hadron is at rest, and in the center of mass of the two final leptons, a P -></mml:mover> component perpendicular to the plane defined by the three-momenta of the final hadron and the tau lepton is only possible for complex Wilson coefficients, being a clear signal for physics beyond the SM as well as time reversal (or CP-symmetry) violation. We make specific evaluations of the different polarization vector components for the Lambda (b) -> Lambda (c), <mml:mover accent=“true”>B<mml:mo stretchy=“true”><overbar></mml:mover>c -> eta (c), J/psi and <mml:mover accent=“true”>B<mml:mo stretchy=“true”><overbar></mml:mover> -> D-(*) semileptonic decays, and describe NP effects in the complete two-dimensional space associated with the independent kinematic variables on which the polarization vector depends. We find that the detailed study of P μhas great potential to discriminate between different NP scenarios for 0(-) -> 0(-) decays, but also for Lambda (b) -> Lambda (c) transitions. For this latter reaction, we pay special attention to corrections to the SM predictions derived from complex Wilson coefficients contributions.