LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2017). Measurement of the B-s(0)-> mu(+) mu(-) Branching Fraction and Effective Lifetime and Search for B-0 ->mu(+) mu(-) Decays. Phys. Rev. Lett., 118(19), 191801–11pp.
Abstract: A search for the rare decays B-s(0)->mu(+)mu(-) and B-0 -> mu(+)mu(-) is performed at the LHCb experiment using data collected in pp collisions corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb(-1). An excess of B-s(0) -> mu(+)mu- decays is observed with a significance of 7.8 standard deviations, representing the first observation of this decay in a single experiment. The branching fraction is measured to be B(B-s(0) -> mu(+)mu(-)) = (3.0 +/- 0.6(-0.2)(+)(0.3)) x 10(-9), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The first measurement of the B-s(0) -> mu(+)mu(-) effective lifetime, tau(B-s(0)-> mu(+) mu(-)) = 2.04 +/- 0.44 +/- 0.05 ps, is reported. No significant excess of B-0 -> mu(+)mu(-) decays is found, and a 95% confidence level upper limit, B(B-0 -> mu(+)mu(-) ) < 3.4 x 10(-10), is determined. All results are in agreement with the standard model expectations.
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Guerrero, C., Domingo-Pardo, C., Kappeler, F., Lerendegui-Marco, J., Palomo, F. R., Quesada, J. M., et al. (2017). Prospects for direct neutron capture measurements on s-process branching point isotopes. Eur. Phys. J. A, 53(5), 87–5pp.
Abstract: The neutron capture cross sections of several unstable key isotopes acting as branching points in the s-process are crucial for stellar nucleosynthesis studies, but they are very challenging to measure directly due to the difficult production of sufficient sample material, the high activity of the resulting samples, and the actual (n, gamma) measurement, where high neutron fluxes and effective background rejection capabilities are required. At present there are about 21 relevant s-process branching point isotopes whose cross section could not be measured yet over the neutron energy range of interest for astrophysics. However, the situation is changing with some very recent developments and upcoming technologies. This work introduces three techniques that will change the current paradigm in the field: the use of gamma-ray imaging techniques in (n,gamma) experiments, the production of moderated neutron beams using high-power lasers, and double capture experiments in Maxwellian neutron beams.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Adrian-Martinez, S. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Calvo, D., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., Lotze, M., et al. (2017). Intrinsic limits on resolutions in muon- and electron-neutrino charged-current events in the KM3NeT/ORCA detector. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 008–39pp.
Abstract: Studying atmospheric neutrino oscillations in the few-GeV range with a multimegaton detector promises to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy. This is the main science goal pursued by the future KM3NeT/ORCA water Cherenkov detector in the Mediterranean Sea. In this paper, the processes that limit the obtainable resolution in both energy and direction in charged-current neutrino events in the ORCA detector are investigated. These processes include the composition of the hadronic fragmentation products, the subsequent particle propagation and the photon-sampling fraction of the detector. GEANT simulations of neutrino interactions in seawater produced by GENIE are used to study the effects in the 1-20 GeV range. It is found that fluctuations in the hadronic cascade in conjunction with the variation of the inelasticity y are most detrimental to the resolutions. The effect of limited photon sampling in the detector is of significantly less importance. These results will therefore also be applicable to similar detectors/media, such as those in ice.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., Ruiz Valls, P., et al. (2017). Evidence for the two-body charmless baryonic decay B+ -> p(Lambda)over-bar. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 162–18pp.
Abstract: A search for the rare two-body charmless baryonic decay B+ -> p (Lambda) over bar is performed with pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. An excess of B+ -> p (Lambda) over bar candidates with respect to background expectations is seen with a statistical significance of 4.1 standard deviations, and constitutes the first evidence for this decay. The branching fraction, measured using the B+ -> K-S(0)pi(+) decay for normalisation, is B(B+ -> p (Lambda) over bar) = (2.4(-0.8)(+)(+1.0) +/- 0.3) x 10(-7), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2017). Probing the W tb vertex structure in t-channel single-top-quark production and decay in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 124–50pp.
Abstract: To probe the Wtb vertex structure, top-quark and W-boson polarisation observables are measured from t-channel single-top-quark events produced in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb(-1), recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Selected events contain one isolated electron or muon, large missing transverse momentum and exactly two jets, with one of them identified as likely to contain a b-hadron. Stringent selection requirements are applied to discriminate t-channel single-top-quark events from background. The polarisation observables are extracted from asymmetries in angular distributions measured with respect to spin quantisation axes appropriately chosen for the top quark and the W boson. The asymmetry measurements are performed at parton level by correcting the observed angular distributions for detector effects and hadronisation after subtracting the background contributions. The measured top-quark and W-boson polarisation values are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions. Limits on the imaginary part of the anomalous coupling gR are also set from model-independent measurements.
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