Abstract: The dynamical generation of wormholes within an extension of General Relativity (GR) containing (Planck's scale-suppressed) Ricci-squared terms is considered. The theory is formulated assuming the metric and connection to be independent (Palatini formalism) and is probed using a charged null fluid as a matter source. This has the following effect: starting from Minkowski space, when the flux is active the metric becomes a charged Vaidya-type one, and once the flux is switched off the metric settles down into a static configuration such that far from the Planck scale the geometry is virtually indistinguishable from that of the standard Reissner-Nordstrom solution of GR. However, the innermost region undergoes significant changes, as the GR singularity is generically replaced by a wormhole structure. Such a structure becomes completely regular for a certain charge-to-mass ratio. Moreover, the nontrivial topology of the wormhole allows us to define a charge in terms of lines of force trapped in the topology such that the density of lines flowing across the wormhole throat becomes a universal constant. In light of our results, we comment on the physical significance of curvature divergences in this theory and the topology change issue, which support the view that space-time could have a foamlike microstructure pervaded by wormholes generated by quantum gravitational effects.

Abstract: A binned Dalitz plot analysis of B-+/- -> DK +/- decays, with D -> K-S(0) pi(+)pi(-) and D -> K0 S K + K -, is performed to measure the C P -violating observables x(+/-) and y(+/-), which are sensitive to the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle gamma. The analysis exploits a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment. Measurements from CLEO-c of the variation of the strong-interaction phase of the D decay over the Dalitz plot are used as inputs. The values of the parameters are found to be x(+) = (-7.7 +/- 2.4 +/- 1.0 +/- 0.4) x 10(-2), x(-) = (2.5 +/- 2.5 +/- 1.0 +/- 0.5) x 10(-2), y(+) = (-2.2 +/- 2.5 +/- 0.4 +/- 1.0) x 10-2, and y(-) = (7.5 +/- 2.9 +/- 0.5 +/- 1.4) x 10(-2). The first, second, and third uncertainties are the statistical, the experimental systematic, and that associated with the precision of the strong-phase parameters. These are the most precise measurements of these observables and correspond to +/- = (62(-14)(+15))degrees, with a second solution at gamma -> gamma + 180 degrees, and r(B) = 0.080(-0.021)(+0.019), where r(B) is the ratio between the suppressed and favoured B decay amplitudes.

Abstract: Measurements of normalized differential cross sections for top-quark pair production are presented as a function of the top-quark transverse momentum, and of the mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity of the t (t) over bar system, in proton proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 7 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb(-1), recorded in 2011 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in the lepton jets channel, requiring exactly one lepton and at least four jets with at least one of the jets tagged as originating from a b-quark. The measured spectra are corrected for detector efficiency and resolution effects and are compared to several Monte Carlo simulations and theory calculations. The results are in fair agreement with the predictions in a wide kinematic range. Nevertheless, data distributions are softer than predicted for higher values of the mass of the t (t) over bar system and of the top-quark transverse momentum. The measurements can also discriminate among different sets of parton distribution functions.