Abstract: KM3NeT is a research infrastructure located in the Mediterranean Sea, that will consist of two deep-sea Cherenkov neutrino detectors. With one detector (ARCA), the KM3NeT Collaboration aims at identifying and studying TeV-PeV astrophysical neutrino sources. With the other detector (ORCA), the neutrino mass ordering will be determined by studying GeV-scale atmospheric neutrino oscillations. The first KM3NeT detection units were deployed at the Italian and French sites between 2015 and 2017. In this paper, a description of the detector is presented, together with a summary of the procedures used to calibrate the detector in-situ. Finally, the measurement of the atmospheric muon flux between 2232-3386 m seawater depth is obtained.

Abstract: We perform a calculation of the strong interaction effects between the B and D mesons in the B -> D nu l reaction, as a crossing process of reactions with BD in the final state, where the strong interaction between the mesons leads to a bound BD state. We find corrections to the tree level amplitude of the order of 15-25%. We further see the effect of the corrections studied in the R-D ratio for the rates of B -> D nu and B. D decays and find corrections of the order of 10%. Given the claims of 1.5% precision in this ratio from fits to data within the standardmodel, any theoretical model aiming at describing this ratio within the same precision must take into account the corrections described in the present work.

Abstract: We explore whether nonstandard dark sector physics might be required to solve the existing cosmological tensions. The properties we consider in combination are (a) an interaction between the dark matter and dark energy components and (b) a dark energy equation of state w different from that of the canonical cosmological constant w = -1. In principle, these two parameters are independent. In practice, to avoid early-time, superhorizon instabilities, their allowed parameter spaces are correlated. Moreover, a clear degeneracy exists between these two parameters in the case of cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. We analyze three classes of extended interacting dark energy models in light of the 2019 Planck CMB results and Cepheid-calibrated local distance ladder H-0 measurements of Riess et al. (R19), as well as recent baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) and type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) distance data. We find that in quintessence coupled dark energy models, where w > -1, the evidence for a nonzero coupling between the two dark sectors can surpass the 5 sigma significance. Moreover, for both Planck + BAO or Planck + SNeIa, we find a preference for w > -1 at about three standard deviations. Quintessence models are, therefore, in excellent agreement with current data when an interaction is considered. On the other hand, in phantom coupled dark energy models, there is no such preference for a nonzero dark sector coupling. All the models we consider significantly raise the value of the Hubble constant, easing the H-0 tension. In the interacting scenario, the disagreement between Planck thorn BAO and R19 is considerably reduced from 4.3 sigma in the case of the Lambda cold dark matter (Lambda CDM) model to about 2.5 sigma. The addition of low-redshift BAO and SNeIa measurements leaves, therefore, some residual tension with R19 but at a level that could be justified by a statistical fluctuation. Bayesian evidence considerations mildly disfavor both the coupled quintessence and phantom models, while mildly favoring a coupled vacuum scenario, even when late-time datasets are considered. We conclude that nonminimal dark energy cosmologies, such as coupled quintessence, phantom, or vacuum models, are still an interesting route toward softening existing cosmological tensions, even when low-redshift datasets and Bayesian evidence considerations are taken into account.

Abstract: To test the predictive power of ab initio nuclear structure theory, the lifetime of the second 2(+) state in neutron-rich O-20, tau(2(2)(+)) = 150(-30)(+80) fs, and an estimate for the lifetime of the second 2(+) state in C-16 have been obtained for the first time. The results were achieved via a novel Monte Carlo technique that allowed us to measure nuclear state lifetimes in the tens-to-hundreds of femtoseconds range by analyzing the Doppler-shifted gamma-transition line shapes of products of low-energy transfer and deep-inelastic processes in the reaction O-18 (7.0 MeV/u) + Ta-181. The requested sensitivity could only be reached owing to the excellent performances of the Advanced gamma-Tracking Array AGATA, coupled to the PARIS scintillator array and to the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer. The experimental lifetimes agree with predictions of ab initio calculations using two- and three-nucleon interactions, obtained with the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group for O-20 and with the no-core shell model for C-16. The present measurement shows the power of electromagnetic observables, determined with high-precision gamma spectroscopy, to assess the quality of first-principles nuclear structure calculations, complementing common benchmarks based on nuclear energies. The proposed experimental approach will be essential for short lifetime measurements in unexplored regions of the nuclear chart, including r-process nuclei, when intense beams, produced by Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) techniques, become available.

Abstract: We report four narrow peaks in the Xi K-0(b)- mass spectrum obtained using pp collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1) recorded by the LHCb experiment. Referring to these states by their mass, the mass values are m[Omega(b)(6316)(-)] = 6315.64 +/- 0.31 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.50 MeV, m[Omega(b)(6330)(-)] = 6330.30 +/- 0.28 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.50 MeV, m[Omega(b)(6340)(-)] = 6339.71 +/- 0.26 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.50 MeV, m[Omega(b)(6350)(-)] = 6349.88 +/- 0.35 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.50 MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and the last is due to the knowledge of the Xi(0)(b) mass. The natural widths of the three lower mass states are consistent with zero, and the 90% confidence-level upper limits are determined to be Gamma[Omega(b)(6316)(-)] < 2.8 MeV, Gamma[Omega(b)(6330)(-)] < 3.1 MeV and Gamma[Omega(b)(6340)-] < 1.5 MeV. The natural width of the Omega(b)(6350)(-) peak is 1.4(-0.8)(+1.0) +/- 0.1 MeV, which is 2.5 sigma from zero and corresponds to an upper limit of 2.8 MeV. The peaks have local significances ranging from 3.6 sigma to 7.2 sigma. After accounting for the look-elsewhere effect, the significances of the Omega(b)(6316)(-) and Omega(b)(6330)(-) peaks are reduced to 2.1 sigma and 2.6 sigma, respectively, while the two higher mass peaks exceed 5 sigma. The observed peaks are consistent with expectations for excited Omega(-)(b) resonances.