Abstract: Using PREM as a reference model for the Earth density distribution we investigate the sensitivity of ORCA detector to deviations of the Earth (i) outer core (OC) density, (ii) inner core (IC) density, (iii) total core density, and (iv) mantle density, from their respective PREM densities. The analysis is performed by studying the effects of the Earth matter on the oscillations of atmospheric nu(mu), nu(e), (nu) over bar (mu) and (nu) over bar (e). We present results which illustrate the dependence of the ORCA sensitivity to the OC, IC, core and mantle densities on the type of systematic uncertainties used in the analysis, on the value of the atmospheric neutrino mixing angle theta(23), on whether the Earth mass constraint is implemented or not, and on the way it is implemented, and on the type – with normal ordering (NO) or inverted ordering (IO) – of the light neutrino mass spectrum. We show, in particular, that in the “most favorable” NO case of implemented Earth mass constraint, “minimal” systematic errors and sin(2) theta(23) = 0.58, ORCA can determine, e.g., the OC (mantle) density at 3 sigma C.L. after 10 years of operation with an uncertainty of (- 18%)/+ 15% (of (- 6%)/+ 8%). In the “most disfavorable” NO case of “conservative” systematic errors and sin(2) theta(23) = 0.42, the uncertainty on OC (mantle) density reads (- 43%)/+ 39% ((- 17%/+ 20%), while for for sin(2) theta(23) = 0.50 and 0.58 it is noticeably smaller: (- 37)%/+ 30% and (- 30%)/+ 24% ((- 13%)/+ 16% and (- 11%/+ 14%)). We find also that the sensitivity of ORCA to the OC, core and mantle densities is significantly worse for IO neutrino mass spectrum.

Abstract: We present a new numerical program, HTurbo, which provides fast and numerically precise predictions for Higgs boson production cross sections. The present version of the code implements the perturbative QCD expansion up to the next-to-next-to-leading order also combined with the resummation of the large logarithmic corrections at small transverse momenta up to next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy and it includes the Higgs boson production through gluon fusion and decay in two photons with the full dependence on the final-state kinematics. Arbitrary kinematical cuts can be applied to the final states in order to obtain fiducial cross sections and associated kinematical distributions. We present a benchmark comparison with the predictions obtained with the numerical programs HRes and HNNLO programs for which HTurbo represents an improved reimplementation.

Abstract: High-energy muon and electron neutrinos yield a non-negligible flux of tau neutrinos as they propagate through Earth. In this Letter, we address the impact of this additional component in the PeV and EeV energy regimes for the first time. Above 300 TeV, this contribution is predicted to be significantly larger than the atmospheric background, and it alters current and future neutrino telescopes' capabilities to discover a cosmic tau-neutrino flux. Further, we demonstrate that Earth-skimming neutrino experiments, designed to observe tau neutrinos, will be sensitive to cosmogenic neutrinos even in extreme scenarios without a primary tau-neutrino component.