Abstract: We present a method to evaluate the (K) over bar absorption width in the bound (K) over bar N N system. Most calculations of this system ignore this channel and only consider the (K) over bar N -> pi Sigma conversion. Other works make a qualitative calculation using perturbative methods. Since the (1405) resonance is playing a role in the process, the same resonance is changed by the presence of the absorption channels andwe find that a full nonperturbative calculation is called for, which we present here. We employ the fixed center approximation to Faddeev equations to account for (K) over bar rescattering on the (NN) cluster and we find that the width of the states found previously for S = 0 and S = 1 increases by about 30 MeV due to the (K) over bar N N absorption, to a total width of about 80 MeV.

Abstract: We study the field equations of extensions of general relativity formulated within a metric-affine formalism setting torsion to zero (Palatini approach). We find that different (second-order) dynamical equations arise depending on whether torsion is set to zero (i) a priori or (ii) a posteriori, i.e., before or after considering variations of the action. Considering a generic family of Ricci-squared theories, we show that in both cases the connection can be decomposed as the sum of a Levi-Civita connection and terms depending on a vector field. However, while in case (i) this vector field is related to the symmetric part of the connection, in (ii) it comes from the torsion part and, therefore, it vanishes once torsion is completely removed. Moreover, the vanishing of this torsion-related vector field immediately implies the vanishing of the antisymmetric part of the Ricci tensor, which therefore plays no role in the dynamics. Related to this, we find that the Levi-Civita part of the connection is due to the existence of an invariant volume associated with an auxiliary metric h(mu v), which is algebraically related with the physical metric g(mu v).

Abstract: Lepton number violation (LNV) mediated by short- range operators can manifest itself in both neutrinoless double beta decay (0 nu beta beta) and in processes with same- sign dilepton final states at the LHC. We derive limits from existing LHC data at root s = 8 TeV and compare the discovery potential of the forthcoming root s = 14 TeV phase of the LHC with the sensitivity of current and future 0 nu beta beta decay experiments, assuming the short-range part of the 0 nu beta beta decay amplitude dominates. We focus on the first of two possible topologies triggered by one fermion and two bosons in the intermediate state. In all cases, except for the pure leptoquark mechanism, the LHC will be more sensitive than 0 nu beta beta decay in the future. In addition, we propose to search for a charge asymmetry in the final state leptons and to use different invariant mass peaks as a possible tool to discriminate the various possible mechanisms for LNV signals at the LHC.

Abstract: We present a study of the D* rho system made by using the method of QCD sum rules to determine the mass of possible resonances generated in the same system. Using isospin and spin projectors, we investigate the different configurations and obtain evidences for three D* mesons with isospin I = 1/2, spin S = 0, 1, 2 and with masses 2500 +/- 67, 2523 +/- 60, and 2439 +/- 119 MeV, respectively. The last state can be associated with D-2*(2460) ( spin 2) listed by the Particle Data Group, while one of the first two might be related to D* (2640), with unknown spin parity. In the case of I = 3/2 we also find evidences of three states with spin 0, 1, and 2, respectively, with masses 2467 +/- 82, 2420 +/- 128, and 2550 +/- 56 MeV. The results for the sector I = 1/2 and S 0, 1, 2, are intriguingly similar to a previous study of the D* rho system based on effective field theories, supporting in this way a molecular picture for the resonances D* (2640) and D-2* (2460), while the results for I = 3/2 hint towards the existence of exotic mesons since a multiquark configuration is required to get the quantum numbers of the states found.

Abstract: The results of a search for pair production of supersymmetric partners of the Standard Model third-generation quarks are reported. This search uses 20.1 fb(-1) of pp collisions at root s = 8 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The lightest bottom and top squarks ((b) over tilde (1) and (t) over tilde (1) respectively) are searched for in a final state with large missing transverse momentum and two jets identified as originating from b-quarks. No excess of events above the expected level of Standard Model background is found. The results are used to set upper limits on the visible cross section for processes beyond the Standard Model. Exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on the masses of the third-generation squarks are derived in phenomenological supersymmetric R-parity-conserving models in which either the bottom or the top squark is the lightest squark. The (b) over tilde (1) is assumed to decay via (b) over tilde (1) -> b (chi) over tilde (0)(1) and the (t) over tilde (1) via (t) over tilde (1) b (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1), with undetectable products of the subsequent decay of the (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) due to the small mass splitting between the (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) and the (chi) over tilde (0)(1)