Mangano, G., Miele, G., Pastor, S., Pisanti, O., & Sarikas, S. (2011). Constraining the cosmic radiation density due to lepton number with Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 03(3), 035–18pp.
Abstract: The cosmic energy density in the form of radiation before and during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) is typically parameterized in terms of the effective number of neutrinos N-eff. This quantity, in case of no extra degrees of freedom, depends upon the chemical potential and the temperature characterizing the three active neutrino distributions, as well as by their possible non-thermal features. In the present analysis we determine the upper bounds that BBN places on N-eff from primordial neutrino-antineutrino asymmetries, with a careful treatment of the dynamics of neutrino oscillations. We consider quite a wide range for the total lepton number in the neutrino sector, eta(nu) = eta(nu e) + eta(nu mu) + eta(nu tau) and the initial electron neutrino asymmetry eta(in)(nu e), solving the corresponding kinetic equations which rule the dynamics of neutrino (antineutrino) distributions in phase space due to collisions, pair processes and flavor oscillations. New bounds on both the total lepton number in the neutrino sector and the nu(e)-(nu) over bar (e) asymmetry at the onset of BBN are obtained fully exploiting the time evolution of neutrino distributions, as well as the most recent determinations of primordial H-2/H density ratio and He-4 mass fraction. Note that taking the baryon fraction as measured by WMAP, the H-2/H abundance plays a relevant role in constraining the allowed regions in the eta(nu)-eta(in)(nu e) plane. These bounds fix the maximum contribution of neutrinos with primordial asymmetries to N-eff as a function of the mixing parameter theta(13), and point out the upper bound N-eff less than or similar to 3.4. Comparing these results with the forthcoming measurement of N-eff by the Planck satellite will likely provide insight on the nature of the radiation content of the universe.
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Beltran Jimenez, J., Heisenberg, L., Olmo, G. J., & Rubiera-Garcia, D. (2018). Born-Infeld inspired modifications of gravity. Phys. Rep., 727, 1–129.
Abstract: General Relativity has shown an outstanding observational success in the scales where it has been directly tested. However, modifications have been intensively explored in the regimes where it seems either incomplete or signals its own limit of validity. In particular, the breakdown of unitarity near the Planck scale strongly suggests that General Relativity needs to be modified at high energies and quantum gravity effects are expected to be important. This is related to the existence of spacetime singularities when the solutions of General Relativity are extrapolated to regimes where curvatures are large. In this sense, Born-Infeld inspired modifications of gravity have shown an extraordinary ability to regularise the gravitational dynamics, leading to non-singular cosmologies and regular black hole spacetimes in a very robust manner and without resorting to quantum gravity effects. This has boosted the interest in these theories in applications to stellar structure, compact objects, inflationary scenarios, cosmological singularities, and black hole and wormhole physics, among others. We review the motivations, various formulations, and main results achieved within these theories, including their observational viability, and provide an overview of current open problems and future research opportunities.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2015). First observation and measurement of the branching fraction for the decay B-s(0) -> D-s*K-/+(+/-). J. High Energy Phys., 06(6), 130–16pp.
Abstract: The first observation of the B-s(0) -> D-s*(-/+) K-+/- decay is reported using 3.0 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment. The D-s*(-/+) mesons are reconstructed through the decay chain D-s*(-/+) -> gamma D-s(-/+) ((KK +/-)-K--/+pi(-/+)). The branching fraction relative to that for B-s(0) -> D-s*(-)pi(+) decays is measured to be B (B-s(0) -> D-s*K--/+(+/-))/B(B-s(0) -> D-s*(-)pi(+)) = 0.068 +/- 0.005(-0.002)(+0.003), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. Using a recent measurement of B(B-s(0) -> D-s*(-)pi(+)), the absolute branching fraction of B-s(0) -> Ds*K--/+(+/-) is measured as B(B-s(0) -> D*K--/+(+/-)) = (16.3 +/- 1.2(stat)(-0.5)(+0.7)(syst) +/- 4.8(norm)) x 10(-5), where the third uncertainty is due to the uncertainty on the branching fraction of the normalisation channel.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2019). Measurement of the branching fractions of the decays D+ -> K-K+K+, D+ -> pi-pi(+) K+ and D-s(+) -> pi-K+K+. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 176–24pp.
Abstract: The branching fractions of the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decays D+ ! K, D+ ! and D+ s ! are measured using the decays D+ ! K and D+ s ! K as normalisation channels. The measurements are performed using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 8TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0 fb. The results are B (D+ ! K) B (D+ ! K) = (6 : 541 0 : 025 0 : 042) 10 B (D+ ! ) B (D+ ! K) = (5 : 231 0 : 009 0 : 023) 10 B (D+ s ! ) B (D+ s ! K) = (2 : 372 0 : 024 0 : 025) 10 where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These are the most precise measurements up to date.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). Measurements of the branching fractions of Lambda(+)(c) -> p pi(-)pi(+), Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)K(+), and Lambda(+)(c) -> p pi K-(+). J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 043–23pp.
Abstract: The ratios of the branching fractions of the decays do Lambda(+)(c) -> , p pi(-)pi(+), Lambda(+->)(c) pK(-)K(+), and Lambda(+)(c) -> p pi K--(+) with respect to the Cabibbo-favoured Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+) decay are measured using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb experiment at a 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1): B(Lambda(+)(c) -> p pi(-)pi(+))/B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+)) = (7.44 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.18)%. B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)K(+))/B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+) = (1.70 +/- 0.03 +/- 0.03)%, B(Lambda(+)(c) -> p pi(-)pi K-+(+))/B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+) = (0.165 +/- 0.015 +/- 0.005)%, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These results are the most precise measurements of these quantities to date. When multiplied by the world average value for B(Lambda(+)(c) -> p pi(-)pi(+)), the corresponding branching fractions are B(Lambda(+)(c) -> p pi(-)pi(+) = (4.72 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.11 +/- 0.25) x 10(-3), B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)K(+)) = (1.08 +/- 0.02 +/- 0.02 +/- 0.06) x 10(-3), B(Lambda(+)(c) -> , p pi K--(+)) = (1.04 +/- 0.09 +/- 0.03 +/- 0.05) x 10(-4), where the final uncertainty is due to B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+)).
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