Abstract: A search for the rare decays W+ -> D-s(+)gamma and Z -> D-0 gamma and is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0fb(-1). No significant signal is observed for either decay mode and upper limits on their branching fractions are set using W+ -> mu(+)nu and Z ->mu(+)mu(-)decays as normalization channels. The upper limits are and at 95% confidence level for W+ -> D-s(+)gamma and Z -> D-0 gamma the and decay modes, respectively. This is the first reported search for Z -> D-0 gamma the decay, while the upper limit on the Z -> D-0 gamma branching fraction improves upon the previous best limit.

Abstract: We study the correlation functions of the (BD+)-D-0, (B+D0) system, which develops a bound state of approximately 40MeV, using inputs consistent with the T-cc(3875) state. Then, we address the inverse problem starting from these correlation functions to determine the scattering observables related to the system, including the existence of the bound state and its molecular nature. The important output of the approach is the uncertainty with which these observables can be obtained, considering errors in the (BD+)-D-0, (B+D0) correlation functions typical of current values in correlation functions. We find that it is possible to obtain scattering lengths and effective ranges with relatively high precision and the existence of a bound state. Although the pole position is obtained with errors of the order of 50% of the binding energy, the molecular probability of the state is obtained with a very small error of the order of 6%. All these findings serve as motivation to perform such measurements in future runs of high energy hadron collisions.

Abstract: We study a large family of metric-affine theories with a projective symmetry, including non-minimally coupled matter fields which respect this invariance. The symmetry is straightforwardly realised by imposing that the connection only enters through the symmetric part of the Ricci tensor, even in the matter sector. We leave the connection completely free (including torsion), and obtain its general solution as the Levi-Civita connection of an auxiliary metric, showing that the torsion only appears as a projective mode. This result justifies the widely used condition of setting vanishing torsion in these theories as a simple gauge choice. We apply our results to some particular cases considered in the literature, including the so-called Eddington-inspired-Born-Infeld theories among others. We finally discuss the possibility of imposing a gauge fixing where the connection is metric compatible, and comment on the genuine character of the non-metricity in theories where the two metrics are not conformally related.

Abstract: We work out the junction conditions for f(R) gravity formulated in metric-affine (Palatini) spaces using a tensor distributional approach. These conditions are needed for building consistent models of gravitating bodies with an interior and exterior regions matched at some hypersurface. Some of these conditions depart from the standard Darmois-Israel ones of general relativity and from their metric f(R) counterparts. In particular, we find that the trace of the stress-energy momentum tensor in the bulk must be continuous across the matching hypersurface, though its normal derivative need not to. We illustrate the relevance of these conditions by considering the properties of stellar surfaces in polytropic models, showing that the range of equations of state with potentially pathological effects is shifted beyond the domain of physical interest. This confirms, in particular, that neutron stars and white dwarfs can be safely modelled within the Palatini f(R) framework.

Abstract: The simplest ΛCDM model provides a good fit to a large span of cosmological data but harbors large areas of phenomenology and ignorance. With the improvement of the number and the accuracy of observations, discrepancies among key cosmological parameters of the model have emerged. The most statistically significant tension is the 4 sigma to 6 sigma disagreement between predictions of the Hubble constant, H (0), made by the early time probes in concert with the 'vanilla' ΛCDM cosmological model, and a number of late time, model-independent determinations of H (0) from local measurements of distances and redshifts. The high precision and consistency of the data at both ends present strong challenges to the possible solution space and demands a hypothesis with enough rigor to explain multiple observations-whether these invoke new physics, unexpected large-scale structures or multiple, unrelated errors. A thorough review of the problem including a discussion of recent Hubble constant estimates and a summary of the proposed theoretical solutions is presented here. We include more than 1000 references, indicating that the interest in this area has grown considerably just during the last few years. We classify the many proposals to resolve the tension in these categories: early dark energy, late dark energy, dark energy models with 6 degrees of freedom and their extensions, models with extra relativistic degrees of freedom, models with extra interactions, unified cosmologies, modified gravity, inflationary models, modified recombination history, physics of the critical phenomena, and alternative proposals. Some are formally successful, improving the fit to the data in light of their additional degrees of freedom, restoring agreement within 1-2 sigma between Planck 2018, using the cosmic microwave background power spectra data, baryon acoustic oscillations, Pantheon SN data, and R20, the latest SH0ES Team Riess, et al (2021 Astrophys. J. 908 L6) measurement of the Hubble constant (H (0) = 73.2 +/- 1.3 km s(-1) Mpc(-1) at 68% confidence level). However, there are many more unsuccessful models which leave the discrepancy well above the 3 sigma disagreement level. In many cases, reduced tension comes not simply from a change in the value of H (0) but also due to an increase in its uncertainty due to degeneracy with additional physics, complicating the picture and pointing to the need for additional probes. While no specific proposal makes a strong case for being highly likely or far better than all others, solutions involving early or dynamical dark energy, neutrino interactions, interacting cosmologies, primordial magnetic fields, and modified gravity provide the best options until a better alternative comes along.