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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2021). Search for the doubly heavy baryons Omega(0)(bc) and Xi(0)(bc) decaying to Lambda(+)(c)pi(-) and Xi(+)(c)pi-. Chin. Phys. C, 45(9), 093002–12pp.
Abstract: The first search for the doubly heavy Omega(0)(bc) baryon and a search for the Xi(0)(bc) baryon are performed using collision data collected via the experiment from 2016 to 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.2 fb(-1). The baryons are reconstructed via their decays to Lambda(+)(-)(c)(pi) and Xi(+)(c)pi(-). No significant excess is found for invariant masses between 6700 and 7300 MeV/c(2), in a rapidity range from 2.0 to 4.5 and a transverse momentum range from 2 to 20 MeV/c. Upper limits are set on the ratio of the Omega(0)(bc) and Xi(0)(bc) production cross-section times the branching fraction to Lambda(+)(c)pi(-)(Xi(+)(c)pi(-)) relative to that of the Lambda(0)(b)(Xi(0)(b)) baryon, for different lifetime hypotheses, at 95% confidence level. The upper limits range from 0.5x10(-4) to 2.5x10(-4) for the Omega(0)(bc) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-) (Xi(0)(bc) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-)) decay, pending on the considered mass and lifetime of the Omega(0)(bc) (Xi(0)(bc)) baryon.
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Reig, M. (2021). The stochastic axiverse. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 207–40pp.
Abstract: In addition to spectacular signatures such as black hole superradiance and the rotation of CMB polarization, the plenitude of axions appearing in the string axiverse may have potentially dangerous implications. An example is the cosmological overproduction of relic axions and moduli by the misalignment mechanism, more pronounced in regions where the signals mentioned above may be observable, that is for large axion decay constant. In this work, we study the minimal requirements to soften this problem and show that the fundamental requirement is a long period of low-scale inflation. However, in this case, if the inflationary Hubble scale is lower than around O(100) eV, no relic DM axion is produced in the early Universe. Cosmological production of some axions may be activated, via the misalignment mechanism, if their potential minimum changes between inflation and today. As a particular example, we study in detail how the maximal-misalignment mechanism dilutes the effect of dangerous axions and allows the production of axion DM in a controlled way. In this case, the potential of the axion that realises the mechanism shifts by a factor increment theta = pi between the inflationary epoch and today, and the axion starts to oscillate from the top of its potential. We also show that axions with masses m(a) similar to O(1 – 100) H-0 realising the maximal-misalignment mechanism generically behave as dark energy with a decay constant that can take values well below the Planck scale, avoiding problems associated to super-Planckian scales. Finally, we briefly study the basic phenomenological implications of the mechanism and comment on the compatibility of this type of maximally-misaligned quintessence with the swampland criteria.
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Godbole, R. M., Maharathy, S. P., Mandal, S., Mitra, M., & Sinha, N. (2021). Interference effect in lepton number violating and conserving meson decays for a left-right symmetric model. Phys. Rev. D, 104(9), 095009–22pp.
Abstract: We study the effect of interference on the lepton number violating (LNV) and lepton number conserving (LNC) three-bodymeson decaysM(1)(+)-> l(i) (+) l(j)(+)pi(+/-) that arise in a TeV-scale left-right symmetric model (LRSM) with degenerate or nearly degenerate right-handed (RH) neutrinos. The LRSM contains three RH neutrinos and a RH gauge boson. The RH neutrinos with masses in the range of M-N similar to (MeV-few GeV) can give resonant enhancement in the semileptonic LNV and LNC meson decays. In the case where only one RH neutrino contributes to these decays, the predicted new physics branching ratios of semileptonic LNV and LNC meson decaysM(1)(+)-> l(i)(+) l(j)(+) pi(-) andM(+) 1 -> l(i)(+)l(j)(-) pi(+) are equal. We find that with at least two RH neutrinos contributing to the process, the LNV and LNC decay rates can differ. Depending on the neutrino mixing angles and CP-violating phases, the branching ratios of LNVand LNC decay channelsmediated by the heavy neutrinos can be either enhanced or suppressed, and the ratio of these two rates can differ from unity.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., & Ruiz Vidal, J. (2021). Observation of excited Omega(0)(c) baryons in Omega(-)(b) -> Xi(+)(c) K-pi(-) decays. Phys. Rev. D, 104(9), L091102–14pp.
Abstract: The first observation of the Omega(-)(b) -> Xi(+)(c) K-pi(-) decay is reported using p p collision data at center of mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1). Four excited Omega(0)(c) baryons are observed in the Xi K-+(c)- mass projection of the Omega(-)(b) -> Xi K-+(c)-pi(-) decays with the significance of each exceeding five standard deviations. They coincide with the states previously observed in prompt pp and e(+)e(-) production. Relative production rates, masses, and natural widths of the states are measured, and a test of spin hypotheses is performed. Moreover, the branching ratio of Omega(-)(b) -> Xi K-+(c)-pi(-) is measured relative to the Omega(-)(b) -> Omega(0)(c)pi(-) decay mode and a precise measurement of the Omega(-)(b) mass of 6044.3 +/- 1.2 +/- 1.1(-0.22)(+0.19) MeV is obtained.
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NA64 Collaboration(Andreev, Y. M. et al), & Molina Bueno, L. (2021). Improved exclusion limit for light dark matter from e(+) e(-) annihilation in NA64. Phys. Rev. D, 104(9), L091701–7pp.
Abstract: The current most stringent constraints for the existence of sub-GeV dark matter coupling to Standard Model via a massive vector boson A' were set by the NA64 experiment for the mass region m(A') less than or similar to 250 MeV, by analyzing data from the interaction of 2.84 x 10(11) 100-GeV electrons with an active thick target and searching for missing-energy events. In this work, by including A' production via secondary positron annihilation with atomic electrons, we extend these limits in the 200-300 MeV region by almost an order of magnitude, touching for the first time the dark matter relic density constrained parameter combinations. Our new results demonstrate the power of the resonant annihilation process in missing energy dark-matter searches, paving the road to future dedicated e(+) beam efforts.
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