Abstract: Light neutralinos could be copiously produced from the decays of mesons generated in cosmic-ray air showers. These neutralinos can be long-lived particles in the context of R-parity violating (RPV) supersymmetric models, implying that they could be capable of reaching the surface of the earth and decay within the instrumental volume of large neutrino detectors. In this article, we use atmospheric neutrino data from the Super-Kamiokande experiment to derive novel constraints for the RPV couplings involved in the production of long-lived light neutralinos from the decays of charged D-mesons and kaons. Our results highlight the potential of neutrino detectors to search for long-lived particles, by demonstrating that it is possible to explore regions of parameter space that are not yet constrained by any fixed-target nor collider experiments.

Abstract: A search for CP violation in charmless three-body Xi(-)(b) -> pK(-)K(-) decays is performed using pp collision data recorded with the LHCb detector, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1 fb(-1) at a center-of-mass energy root S = 7 TeV, 2 fb(-1) at root S = 8 TeV and 2 fb(-1) at = 13 TeV. A good description of the phase-space distribution is obtained with an amplitude model containing contributions from Sigma(1385), Lambda(1405), Lambda(1520), Lambda(1670), Sigma(1775) and Sigma(1915) resonances. The model allows for CP violation effects, which are found to be consistent with zero. The branching fractions of Xi(-)(b) -> Sigma(1385)K-, Xi(-)(b) -> Lambda(1405)K-, Xi(-)(b) -> Lambda(1520)K-, Xi(-)(b) -> Lambda(1670)K-, Xi(-)(b) -> Sigma(1775)K- and Xi(-)(b) -> Sigma(1915)K- decays arc also reported. In addition, an upper limit is placed on the product of ratios of Omega(-)(b) and Xi(-)(b) fragmentation fractions and the Omega(-)(b) -> pK(-)K(-) and Xi(-)(b) -> pK(-)K(-) branching fractions.

Abstract: A gamma-ray spectroscopic study of Po-212 was performed at the Grand Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds, using the inverse kinematics alpha-transfer reaction C-12(Pb-208, Po-212) Be-8 and the AGATA spectrometer. A careful analysis based on gamma gamma coincidence relations allowed us to establish 14 new excited states in the energy range between 1.9 and 3.3 MeV. None of these states, however, can be considered as candidates for the levels with spins and parities of 1(-) and 2(-) and excitation energies below 2.1 MeV, which have been predicted by recent alpha-cluster model calculations. A systematic comparison of the experimentally established excitation scheme of Po-212 with shell-model calculations was performed. This comparison suggests that the six states with excitation energies (spins and parities) of 1744 (4(-)), 1751 (8(-)), 1787 (6(-)), 1946 (4(-)), 1986 (8(-)), and 2016 (6(-)) keV, which previously were interpreted as alpha-cluster states, may in fact be of positive parity and belong to low-lying shell-model multiplets. This reinterpretation of the structure of Po-212 is supported by experimental information with respect to the linear polarization of gamma rays, which suggests a magnetic character of the 432-keV gamma ray decaying from the state at an excitation energy of 1787 keV to the 6(1)(+) yrast state, and exclusive reaction cross sections.