Abstract: The product of the A(b)(0) ((B) over bar (0)) differential production cross-section and the branching fraction of the decay A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-) ((B) over bar (0)-> J/psi p (K) over bar*(892)(0)) is measured as a function of the beauty hadron transverse momentum, p(T), and rapidity, y. The kinematic region of the measurements is p(T) <20 GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. The measurements use a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3fb(-1) collected by the LHCb detector in pp collisions at centre-of-mass energies root s=7 TeV in 2011 and root s=8 TeV in 2012. Based on previous LHCb results of the fragmentation fraction ratio, f(Ab0)/f(d), the branching fraction of the decay A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-) is measured to be B(A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-))=(3.17 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.34(-0.28)(+0.45))x10(-4) where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, the third is due to the uncertainty on the branching fraction of the decay (B) over bar (0)-> J/psi p (K) over bar*(892)(0), and the fourth is due to the knowledge of f(Ab0)/f(d). The sum of the asymmetries in the production and decay between A(b)(0) and (A) over bar (0)(b) is also measured as a function of p(T) and y. The previously published branching fraction of A(b)(0)-> J/psi p pi(-), relative to that of A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-), is updated. The branching fractions of A(b)(0)-> P-c(+)(-> J/psi p)K- are determined.

Abstract: We describe a new positron emission time-of-flight apparatus using liquid xenon. The detector is based in a liquid xenon scintillating cell. The cell shape and dimensions can be optimized depending on the intended application. In its simplest form, the liquid xenon scintillating cell is a box in which two faces are covered by silicon photomultipliers and the others by a reflecting material such as Teflon. It is a compact, homogenous and highly efficient detector which shares many of the desirable properties of monolithic crystals, with the added advantage of high yield and fast scintillation offered by liquid xenon. Our initial studies suggest that good energy and spatial resolution comparable with that achieved by lutetium oxyorthosilicate crystals can be obtained with a detector based in liquid xenon scintillating cells. In addition, the system can potentially achieve an excellent coincidence resolving time of better than 100 ps.

Abstract: We present a calculation of the effective cross section sigma(eff), an important ingredient in the description of double parton scattering in proton-proton collisions. Our theoretical approach makes use of a Light-Front quark model as a framework to calculate the double parton distribution functions at low-resolution scale. QCD evolution is implemented to reach the experimental scale. The obtained values of sigma(eff) in the valence region are consistent with the present experimental scenario, in particular with the sets of data which include the same kinematical range. However the result of the complete calculation shows a dependence of sigma(eff) on x(i), a feature not easily seen in the available data, probably because of their low accuracy. Measurements of sigma(eff) in restricted x(i) regions are addressed to obtain indications on double parton correlations, a novel and interesting aspect of the three dimensional structure of the nucleon.