Taoso, M., Iocco, F., Meynet, G., Bertone, G., & Eggenberger, P. (2010). Effect of low mass dark matter particles on the Sun. Phys. Rev. D, 82(8), 083509–14pp.
Abstract: We study the effect of dark matter (DM) particles in the Sun, focusing, in particular, on the possible reduction of the solar neutrinos flux due to the energy carried away by DM particles from the innermost regions of the Sun, and to the consequent reduction of the temperature of the solar core. We find that in the very low-mass range between 4 and 10 GeV, recently advocated to explain the findings of the DAMA and CoGent experiments, the effects on neutrino fluxes are detectable only for DM models with a very small, or vanishing, self-annihilation cross section, such as the so-called asymmetric DM models, and we study the combination of DM masses and spin-dependent cross sections which can be excluded with current solar neutrino data. Finally, we revisit the recent claim that DM models with large self-interacting cross sections can lead to a modification of the position of the convective zone, alleviating or solving the solar composition problem. We show that when the "geometric'' upper limit on the capture rate is correctly taken into account, the effects of DM are reduced by orders of magnitude, and the position of the convective zone remains unchanged.
|
BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Search for b -> u transitions in B- -> DK- and D*K- decays. Phys. Rev. D, 82(7), 072006–18pp.
Abstract: We report results from an updated study of the suppressed decays We report results from an updated study of the suppressed decays B- -> DK- and B- -> D*K- followed by D -> K+ pi(-), where D-(*()0) indicates a D-(*()0)or a (D) over bar (()*()0) meson, and D* -> D pi(0) or D* -> D gamma. These decays are sensitive to the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity triangle angle gamma due to interference between the b -> c transition B- -> D-(*K-)0(-) followed by the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decay D-0 -> K+ pi(-), and the b -> u transition B- -> (D) over bar (()*()0) K- followed by the Cabibbo-favored decay (D) over bar (0) -> K+ pi(-). We also report an analysis of the decay B- -> D-(*())pi(-) with the D decaying into the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed mode D -> K+ pi(-). Our results are based on 467 x 10(6) Gamma(4S) -> BB- decays collected with the BABAR detector at SLAC. We measure the ratios R-(*()) of the suppressed ([K+ pi(-)](D)K- / pi(-)) to favored ([K+ pi(-)](D)K- / pi(-)) branching fractions as well as the CP asymmetries A(()*()) of those modes. We see indications of signals for the B- -> DK- and B- -> D-D pi 0(()*()) K- suppressed modes, with statistical significances of 2.1 and 2.2 sigma, respectively, and we measure: R-DK = (1.1 +/- 0: 6 +/- 0.2) x 10(-2); A(DK) = -0.86 +/- 0: 47(-0.16)(+0.12), R-(D pi 0)K* = (1.8 +/- 0: 9 +/- 0: 4) x 10(-2); A ((D pi 0)K)* = +0.77 +/- 0: 35 +/- 0.12; R-(D gamma)K* = (1.3 +/- 1.4 +/- 0.8) x 10(-2); A((D gamma)K)* = +0.36 +/- 0: 94(-0.41)(+0.25), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. We use a frequentist approach to obtain the magnitude of the ratio r(B) equivalent to vertical bar A(B- -> (D) over bar 0K(-))/A(B- -> (DK-)-K-0)vertical bar = (9.5(-4.1)(+5.1))%, with r(B) < 16: 7% at 90% confidence level. In the case of B- -> D*K- we find r(B) equivalent to vertical bar A(B- -> <(D)over bar>0K(-))/A(B- -> (DK-)-K-0)vertical bar = (9.6(-5.1)(+3.5))%, with r(B)* < 15.0% at 90% confidence level.
|
Barragan, C., & Olmo, G. J. (2010). Isotropic and anisotropic bouncing cosmologies in Palatini gravity. Phys. Rev. D, 82(8), 084015–15pp.
Abstract: We study isotropic and anisotropic (Bianchi I) cosmologies in Palatini f(R) and f(R, R μnu R μnu) theories of gravity with a perfect fluid and consider the existence of nonsingular bouncing solutions in the early universe. We find that all f(R) models with isotropic bouncing solutions develop shear singularities in the anisotropic case. On the contrary, the simple quadratic model R + aR(2)/R-P + R μnu R μnu/R-P exhibits regular bouncing solutions in both isotropic and anisotropic cases for a wide range of equations of state, including dust (for a<0) and radiation (for arbitrary a). It thus represents a purely gravitational solution to the big bang singularity and anisotropy problems of general relativity without the need for exotic (w>1) sources of matter/energy or extra degrees of freedom.
|
ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Escobar, C., et al. (2010). Search for New Particles in Two-Jet Final States in 7 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector at the LHC. Phys. Rev. Lett., 105(16), 161801–19pp.
Abstract: A search for new heavy particles manifested as resonances in two-jet final states is presented. The data were produced in 7 TeV proton-proton collisions by the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 315 nb(-1) collected by the ATLAS detector. No resonances were observed. Upper limits were set on the product of cross section and signal acceptance for excited-quark (q*) production as a function of q* mass. These exclude at the 95% C. L. the q* mass interval 0: 30< m(q)*< 1:26 TeV, extending the reach of previous experiments.
|
Esteves, J. N., Joaquim, F. R., Joshipura, A. S., Romao, J. C., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2010). A(4)-based neutrino masses with Majoron decaying dark matter. Phys. Rev. D, 82(7), 073008–8pp.
Abstract: We propose an A(4) flavor-symmetric SU(3) circle times SU(2) circle times U(1) seesaw model where lepton number is broken spontaneously. A consistent two-zero texture pattern of neutrino masses and mixing emerges from the interplay of type-I and type-II seesaw contributions, with important phenomenological predictions. We show that, if the Majoron becomes massive, such seesaw scenario provides a viable candidate for decaying dark matter, consistent with cosmic microwave background lifetime constraints that follow from current WMAP observations. We also calculate the subleading one-loop-induced decay into photons which leads to a monoenergetic emission line that may be observed in future x-ray missions such as Xenia.
|
