ANTARES Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Coleiro, A., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., Lotze, M., et al. (2017). Search for relativistic magnetic monopoles with five years of the ANTARES detector data. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 054–19pp.
Abstract: A search for magnetic monopoles using five years of data recorded with the ANTARES neutrino telescope from January 2008 to December 2012 with a total live time of 1121 days is presented. The analysis is carried out in the range beta > 0.6 of magnetic monopole velocities using a strategy based on run-by-run Monte Carlo simulations. No signal above the background expectation from atmospheric muons and atmospheric neutrinos is observed, and upper limits are set on the magnetic monopole flux ranging from 5.7 x 10(-16) to 1.5 x 10(-18) cm(-2).s(-1).sr(-1).
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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). Studies of Z gamma production in association with a high-mass dijet system in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 107–47pp.
Abstract: The production of a Z boson and a photon in association with a high-mass dijet system is studied using 20.2 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider. Final states with a photon and a Z boson decaying into a pair of either electrons, muons, or neutrinos are analysed. Electroweak and total pp -> Z gamma jj cross-sections are extracted in two fiducial regions with different sensitivities to electroweak production processes. Quartic couplings of vector bosons are studied in regions of phase space with an enhanced contribution from pure electroweak production, sensitive to vector-boson scattering processes VV -> Z gamma. No deviations from Standard Model predictions are observed and constraints are placed on anomalous couplings parameterized by higher-dimensional operators using effective field theory.
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Gariazzo, S., Mena, O., Ramirez, H., & Boubekeur, L. (2017). Primordial power spectrum features in phenomenological descriptions of inflation. Phys. Dark Universe, 17, 38–45.
Abstract: We extend an alternative, phenomenological approach to inflation by means of an equation of state and a sound speed, both of them functions of the number of e-folds and four phenomenological parameters. This approach captures a number of possible inflationary models, including those with non-canonical kinetic terms or scale-dependent non-gaussianities. We perform Markov Chain Monte Carlo analyses using the latest cosmological publicly available measurements, which include Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data from the Planck satellite. Within this parameterization, we discard scale invariance with a significance of about 10 sigma, and the running of the spectral index is constrained as alpha(s) = -0.60(-0.10)(+0.08) x 10(-3) (68% CL errors). The limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio is r < 0.005 at 95% CL from CMB data alone. We find no significant evidence for this alternative parameterization with present cosmological observations. The maximum amplitude of the equilateral non-gaussianity that we obtain, vertical bar f(NL)(equil)vertical bar < 1, is much smaller than the current Planck mission errors, strengthening the case for future high-redshift, all-sky surveys, which could reach the required accuracy on equilateral non-gaussianities.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2017). Observation of charmless baryonic decays B-(s)(0) -> p(p)over-barh plus h '(-). Phys. Rev. D, 96(5), 051103–10pp.
Abstract: Decays of B-0 and B-s(0) mesons to the charmless baryonic final states p (p) over barh(+)h'(-), where h and h' each denote a kaon or a pion, are searched for using the LHCb detector. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1). Four-body charmless baryonic B-s(0) decays are observed for the first time. The decays B-s(0) -> p (p) over barK(+) K-, B-s(0) -> p (p) over barK(+/-) pi(inverted perpendicular), B-0 -> p (p) over barK(+) pi(inverted perpendicular) and B-0 -> p (p) over bar pi(+) pi(-) are observed with a significance greater than 5 standard deviations; evidence at 4.1 standard deviations is found for the B-0 -> p (p) over barK(+) K- decay and an upper limit is set on the branching fraction for B-s(0) -> p (p) over bar pi(+) pi(-). Branching fractions in the kinematic region m(p (p) over bar) < 2850 MeV/c(2) are measured relative to the B-0 -> J/psi(-> p<(p)over bar>) K* (892)(0) channel.
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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). Search for new phenomena in dijet events using 37 fb(-1) of pp collision data collected at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 96(5), 052004–26pp.
Abstract: Dijet events are studied in the proton-proton collision dataset recorded at root s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 3.5 fb(-1) and 33.5 fb(-1) respectively. Invariant mass and angular distributions are compared to background predictions and no significant deviation is observed. For resonance searches, a new method for fitting the background component of the invariant mass distribution is employed. The dataset is then used to set upper limits at a 95% confidence level on a range of new physics scenarios. Excited quarks with masses below 6.0 TeV are excluded, and limits are set on quantum black holes, heavy W' bosons, W* bosons, and a range of masses and couplings in a Z' dark matter mediator model. Model-independent limits on signals with a Gaussian shape are also set, using a new approach allowing factorization of physics and detector effects. From the angular distributions, a scale of new physics in contact interaction models is excluded for scenarios with either constructive or destructive interference. These results represent a substantial improvement over those obtained previously with lower integrated luminosity.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2017). Search for Invisible Decays of a Dark Photon Produced in e(+)e(-) Collisions at BABAR. Phys. Rev. Lett., 119(13), 131804–7pp.
Abstract: We search for single-photon events in 53 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) collision data collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B-Factory. We look for events with a single high-energy photon and a large missing momentum and energy, consistent with production of a spin-1 particle A' through the process e(+)e(-) -> gamma A'; A' -> invisible. Such particles, referred to as “dark photons,” are motivated by theories applying a U(1) gauge symmetry to dark matter. We find no evidence for such processes and set 90% confidence level upper limits on the coupling strength of A' to e(+)e(-) in the mass range m(A') <= 8 GeV. In particular, our limits exclude the values of the A' coupling suggested by the dark-photon interpretation of the muon (g – 2)(mu) anomaly, as well as a broad range of parameters for the dark-sector models.
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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). Top-quark mass measurement in the all-hadronic t(t)over-bar decay channel at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 118–41pp.
Abstract: The top-quark mass is measured in the all-hadronic top-antitop quark decay channel using proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The data set used in the analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb(-1). The large multi-jet background is modelled using a data-driven method. The top-quark mass is obtained from template fits to the ratio of the three-jet to the dijet mass. The three-jet mass is obtained from the three jets assigned to the top quark decay. From these three jets the dijet mass is obtained using the two jets assigned to the W boson decay. The top-quark mass is measured to be 173.72 +/- 0.55 (stat.) +/- 1.01 (syst.) GeV.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., & Villanueva-Perez, P. (2017). Evidence for CP violation in B+ -> K*(892)(+)pi(0) from a Dalitz plot analysis of B+ -> K-S(0) pi(+)pi(0) decays. Phys. Rev. D, 96(7), 072001–21pp.
Abstract: We report a Dalitz plot analysis of charmless hadronic decays of charged B mesons to the final state K-S(0)pi(1) pi(0) using the full BABAR data set of 470.9 +/- 2.8 million B (B) over bar events collected at the gamma (4S) resonance. We measure the overall branching fraction and CP asymmetry to be B(B+ -> K-0 pi(+)pi(0)) = (31.8 +/- 1.8 +/- 2.1(-0.0)(+6.0)) x 10(-6) and A(CP)(B+ -> K-0 pi(+)pi(0)) = 0.07 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.03(-0.03)(+0.02), where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the signal model, respectively. This is the first measurement of the branching fraction for B+ -> K-0 pi(+)pi(0). We find first evidence of a CP asymmetry in B+ -> K*(892)(+) pi(0) decays: A(CP)(B+ -> K*(892)(+)pi(0)) = -0.52 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.04(-0.02)(+0.04). The significance of this asymmetry, including systematic and model uncertainties, is 3.4 standard deviations. We also measure the branching fractions and CP asymmetries for three other intermediate decay modes.
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ANTARES Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Coleiro, A., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., Lotze, M., et al. (2017). First all-flavor neutrino pointlike source search with the ANTARES neutrino telescope. Phys. Rev. D, 96(8), 082001–15pp.
Abstract: A search for cosmic neutrino sources using the data collected with the ANTARES neutrino telescope between early 2007 and the end of 2015 is performed. For the first time, all neutrino interactions-charged and neutral-current interactions of all flavors-are considered in a search for point-like sources with the ANTARES detector. In previous analyses, only muon neutrino charged-current interactions were used. This is achieved by using a novel reconstruction algorithm for shower-like events in addition to the standard muon track reconstruction. The shower channel contributes about 23% of all signal events for an E-2 energy spectrum. No significant excess over background is found. The most signal-like cluster of events is located at (alpha, delta) = (343.8 degrees, 23.5 degrees) with a significance of 1.9 sigma. The neutrino flux sensitivity of the search is about E(2)d Phi/dE = 6 x 10(-9) GeV cm(-2) s(-1) for declinations from -90 degrees up to -42 degrees, and below 10(-8) GeV cm(-2) s(-1) for declinations up to 5 degrees. The directions of 106 source candidates and 13 muon track events from the IceCube high-energy sample events are investigated for a possible neutrino signal and upper limits on the signal flux are determined.
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Aitken, K., McKeen, D., Neder, T., & Nelson, A. E. (2017). Baryogenesis from oscillations of charmed or beautiful baryons. Phys. Rev. D, 96(7), 075009–15pp.
Abstract: We propose a model for CP-violating oscillations of neutral, heavy-flavor baryons into antibaryons at rates which are within a few orders of magnitude of their lifetimes. The flavor structure of the baryon violation suppresses neutron oscillations and baryon-number-violating nuclear decays to experimentally allowed rates. We also propose a scenario for producing such baryons in the early Universe via the out-of-equilibrium decays of a neutral particle, after hadronization but before nucleosynthesis. We find parameters where CP-violating baryon oscillations at a temperature of a few MeV could result in the observed asymmetry between baryons and antibaryons. Furthermore, part of the relevant parameter space for baryogenesis is potentially testable at Belle II via decays of heavy-flavor baryons into an exotic neutral fermion. The model introduces four new particles: three light Majorana fermions and a colored scalar. The lightest of these fermions is typically long lived on collider time scales and may be produced in decays of bottom and possibly charmed hadrons.
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