LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2021). Observation of new excited Bs0 states. Eur. Phys. J. C, 81(7), 601–11pp.
Abstract: A structure is observed in the B +/- K -/+ mass spectrum in a sample of proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb-1. The structure is interpreted as the result of overlapping excited Bs0</mml:msubsup> states. With high significance, a two-peak hypothesis provides a better description of the data than a single resonance. Under this hypothesis the masses and widths of the two states, assuming they decay directly to B +/- K -/+, are determined to be m1 = 6063.5 +/- 1.2 (stat) +/- 0.8 (syst) MeV
Gamma 1 = 26 +/- 4 (stat) +/- 4 (syst) MeV
m2 = 6114 +/- 3 (stat) +/- 5 (syst) MeV
Gamma 2 = 66 +/- 18 (stat) +/- 21 (syst) MeV
Alternative values assuming a decay through B +/- K -/+, with a missing photon from the B +/- -> B +/- gamma decay, which are shifted by approximately 45 MeV, are also determined. The possibility of a single state decaying in both channels is also considered. The ratio of the total production cross-section times branching fraction of the new states relative to the previously observed Bs20 state is determined to be 0.87 +/- 0.15 (stat)+/- 0.19 (syst).
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Ma, E., & De Romeri, V. (2021). Radiative seesaw dark matter. Phys. Rev. D, 104(5), 055004–5pp.
Abstract: The singlet Majoron model of seesaw neutrino mass is appended by one dark Majorana fermion singlet chi with L = 2 and one dark complex scalar singlet zeta with L = 1. This simple setup allows chi to obtain a small radiative mass anchored by the same heavy right-handed neutrinos, whereas the one-loop decay of the standard model Higgs boson to chi chi + (chi) over bar(chi) over bar provides the freeze-in mechanism for chi to be the light dark matter of the Universe.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cardillo, F., Castillo, F. L., et al. (2021). Search for bottom-squark pair production in pp collision events at root s=13 TeV with hadronically decaying tau-leptons, b-jets, and missing transverse momentum using the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 104(3), 032014–31pp.
Abstract: A search for pair production of bottom squarks in events with hadronically decaying t-leptons, b-tagged jets, and large missing transverse momentum is presented. The analyzed dataset is based on proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1). The observed data are compatible with the expected Standard Model background. Results are interpreted in a simplified model where each bottom squark is assumed to decay into the second-lightest neutralino (chi) over tilde (0)(2) and a bottom quark, with (chi) over tilde (0)(2) decaying into a Higgs boson and the lightest neutralino (chi) over tilde1(0). The search focuses on final states where at least one Higgs boson decays into a pair of hadronically decaying t-leptons. This allows the acceptance and thus the sensitivity to be significantly improved relative to the previous results at low masses of the (chi) over tilde (0)(2), where bottom-squark masses up to 850 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, assuming a mass difference of 130 GeV between (chi) over tilde (0)(2) and (chi) over tilde (0)(1). Model-independent upper limits are also set on the cross section of processes beyond the Standard Model.
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Molina, R., Doring, M., Liang, W. H., & Oset, E. (2021). The pi f(0)(500) decay of the a(1)(1260). Eur. Phys. J. C, 81(9), 782–9pp.
Abstract: We evaluate the a(1)(1260) -> pi sigma(f(0)(500)) decay width from the perspective that the a(1)(1260) resonance is dynamically generated from the pseudoscalar-vector interaction and the sigma arises from the pseudoscalar-pseudoscalar interaction. A triangle mechanism with a(1)(1260) -> p pi followed by rho -> pi pi and a fusion of two pions within the loop to produce the sigma provides the mechanism for this decay under these assumptions for the nature of the two resonances. We obtain widths of the order of 13-22 MeV. Present experimental results differ substantially from each other, suggesting that extra efforts should be devoted to the precise extraction of this important partial decay width, which should provide valuable information on the nature of the axial vector and scalar meson resonances and help clarify the role of the ps channel in recent lattice QCD calculations of the a(1).
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Esposito, R. et al, & Domingo-Pardo, C. (2021). Design of the third-generation lead-based neutron spallation target for the neutron time-of-flight facility at CERN. Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams, 24(9), 093001–17pp.
Abstract: The neutron time-of-flight (n_TOF) facility at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) is a pulsed white-spectrum neutron spallation source producing neutrons for two experimental areas: the Experimental Area 1 (EAR1), located 185 m horizontally from the target, and the Experimental Area 2 (EAR2), located 20 m above the target. The target, based on pure lead, is impacted by a high-intensity 20-GeV/c pulsed proton beam. The facility was conceived to study neutron-nucleus interactions for neutron kinetic energies between a few meV to several GeV, with applications of interest for nuclear astrophysics, nuclear technology, and medical research. After the second-generation target reached the end of its lifetime, the facility underwent a major upgrade during CERN's Long Shutdown 2 (LS2, 2019-2021), which included the installation of the new third-generation neutron target. The first- and second-generation targets were based on water-cooled massive lead blocks and were designed focusing on EAR1, since EAR2 was built later. The new target is cooled by nitrogen gas to avoid erosion-corrosion and contamination of cooling water with radioactive lead spallation products. Moreover, the new design is optimized also for the vertical flight path and EAR2. This paper presents an overview of the target design focused on both physics and thermomechanical performance, and includes a description of the nitrogen cooling circuit and radiation protection studies.
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