ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., Fiorini, L., et al. (2014). Search for pair-produced third-generation squarks decaying via charm quarks or in compressed supersymmetric scenarios in pp collisions at root s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 90(5), 052008–36pp.
Abstract: Results of a search for supersymmetry via direct production of third-generation squarks are reported, using 20.3 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2012. Two different analysis strategies based on monojetlike and c-tagged event selections are carried out to optimize the sensitivity for direct top squark-pair production in the decay channel to a charm quark and the lightest neutralino ((t) over tilde (1) -> c + (chi) over tilde (0)(1)) across the top squark-neutralino mass parameter space. No excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed. The results are interpreted in the context of direct pair production of top squarks and presented in terms of exclusion limits in the (m((t) over tilde1), m((chi) over tilde 10)) parameter space. A top squark of mass up to about 240 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level for arbitrary neutralino masses, within the kinematic boundaries. Top squark masses up to 270 GeV are excluded for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV. In a scenario where the top squark and the lightest neutralino are nearly degenerate in mass, top squark masses up to 260 GeV are excluded. The results from the monojetlike analysis are also interpreted in terms of compressed scenarios for top squark-pair production in the decay channel (t) over tilde (1) -> b + ff' + (chi) over tilde (0)(1) and sbottom pair production with (b) over tilde -> b + (chi) over tilde (0)(1), leading to a similar exclusion for nearly mass-degenerate third-generation squarks and the lightest neutralino. The results in this paper significantly extend previous results at colliders.
|
Boucenna, M. S., Morisi, S., Shafi, Q., & Valle, J. W. F. (2014). Inflation and majoron dark matter in the neutrino seesaw mechanism. Phys. Rev. D, 90(5), 055023–6pp.
Abstract: We propose that inflation and dark matter have a common origin, connected to the neutrino mass generation scheme. As a model we consider spontaneous breaking of global lepton number within the seesaw mechanism. We show that it provides an acceptable inflationary scenario consistent with the recent cosmic microwave background B-mode observation by the BICEP2 experiment. The scheme may also account for the baryon asymmetry of the Universe through leptogenesis for reasonable parameter choices.
|
ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fassi, F., Ferrer, A., et al. (2014). Search for high-mass dilepton resonances in pp collisions at root s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 90(5), 052005–30pp.
Abstract: The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is used to search for high-mass resonances decaying to dielectron or dimuon final states. Results are presented from an analysis of proton-proton (pp) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1) in the dimuon channel. A narrow resonance with Standard Model Z couplings to fermions is excluded at 95% confidence level for masses less than 2.79 TeV in the dielectron channel, 2.53 TeV in the dimuon channel, and 2.90 TeV in the two channels combined. Limits on other model interpretations are also presented, including a grand-unification model based on the E-6 gauge group, Z* bosons, minimal Z' models, a spin-2 graviton excitation from Randall-Sundrum models, quantum black holes, and a minimal walking technicolor model with a composite Higgs boson.
|
Ruiz-Femenia, P. (2014). First estimate of the NNLO nonresonant corrections to top-antitop threshold production at lepton colliders. Phys. Rev. D, 89(9), 097501–4pp.
Abstract: We compute the dominant term in the expansion in rho = 1 – M-w/m(t) of the unknown next-to-next-to-leading order nonresonant contributions to the e+ e(-) -> W+ W- b (b) over bar total cross section at energies close to the top-antitop threshold. Our analytic result disagrees with a previous calculation by other authors [A. A. Penin and J. H. Piclum, J. High Energy Phys. 01 (2012) 034]. We show that our determination has the correct infrared structure needed to cancel the divergences proportional to the top width arising in the resonant production of the same final state, and we point to a missing contribution in the computation of Penin and Piclum to explain the discrepancy.
|
Simpson, G. S. et al, & Montaner-Piza, A. (2014). Yrast 6(+) Seniority Isomers of Sn-136,Sn-138. Phys. Rev. Lett., 113(13), 132502–6pp.
Abstract: Delayed gamma-ray cascades, originating from the decay of (6(+)) isomeric states, in the very neutron-rich, semimagic isotopes Sn-136,Sn-138 have been observed following the projectile fission of a U-238 beam at RIBF, RIKEN. The wave functions of these isomeric states are proposed to be predominantly a fully aligned pair of f(7/2) neutrons. Shell-model calculations, performed using a realistic effective interaction, reproduce well the energies of the excited states of these nuclei and the measured transition rates, with the exception of the B(E2; 6(+) -> 4(+)) rate of Sn-136, which deviates from a simple seniority scheme. Empirically reducing the nu f(7/2)(2) orbit matrix elements produces a 4(1)(+) state with almost equal seniority 2 and 4 components, correctly reproducing the experimental B(E2; 6(+) -> 4(+)) rate of Sn-136. These data provide a key benchmark for shell-model interactions far from stability.
|