Tain, J. L. et al, Valencia, E., Algora, A., Agramunt, J., Rubio, B., Estevez, E., et al. (2015). Enhanced gamma-Ray Emission from Neutron Unbound States Populated in beta Decay. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(6), 062502–5pp.
Abstract: Total absorption spectroscopy is used to investigate the beta-decay intensity to states above the neutron separation energy followed by gamma-ray emission in Br-87,Br-88 and Rb-94. Accurate results are obtained thanks to a careful control of systematic errors. An unexpectedly large. intensity is observed in all three cases extending well beyond the excitation energy region where neutron penetration is hindered by low neutron energy. The gamma branching as a function of excitation energy is compared to Hauser-Feshbach model calculations. For Br-87 and Br-88 the gamma branching reaches 57% and 20%, respectively, and could be explained as a nuclear structure effect. Some of the states populated in the daughter can only decay through the emission of a large orbital angular momentum neutron with a strongly reduced barrier penetrability. In the case of neutron-rich Rb-94 the observed 4.5% branching is much larger than the calculations performed with standard nuclear statistical model parameters, even after proper correction for fluctuation effects on individual transition widths. The difference can be reconciled by introducing an enhancement of 1 order of magnitude in the photon strength to neutron strength ratio. An increase in the photon strength function of such magnitude for very neutron-rich nuclei, if it proves to be correct, leads to a similar increase in the (n, gamma) cross section that would have an impact on r process abundance calculations.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2015). Observation of the B-s(0) -> eta 'eta ' Decay. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(5), 051801–9pp.
Abstract: The first observation of the B-s(0) -> eta'eta' decay is reported. The study is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to 3.0 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb detector. The significance of the signal is 6.4 standard deviations. The branching fraction is measured to be [3.31 +/- 0.64(stat) +/- 0.28(syst) +/- 0.12(norm)] x 10(-5), where the third uncertainty comes from the B-+/- -> eta'K-+/- branching fraction that is used as a normalization. In addition, the charge asymmetries of B-+/- -> eta'K-+/- and B-+/- -> phi K-+/-, which are control channels, are measured to be (-0.2 +/- 1.3)% and (+1.7 +/- 1.3)%, respectively. All results are consistent with theoretical expectations.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fernandez Martinez, P., et al. (2015). Measurements of the Total and Differential Higgs Boson Production Cross Sections Combining the H -> gamma gamma and H -> ZZ* -> 4l Decay Channels at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS Detector. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(9), 091801–19pp.
Abstract: Measurements of the total and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production are performed using 20.3 fb(-1) of pp collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are obtained from measured H -> gamma gamma and H -> ZZ*. 4l event yields, which are combined accounting for detector efficiencies, fiducial acceptances, and branching fractions. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of Higgs boson transverse momentum, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets in the event, and transverse momentum of the leading jet. The total production cross section is determined to be sigma(pp -> H) = 33.0 +/- 5.3 (stat) +/- 1.6 (syst) pb. The measurements are compared to state-of-the-art predictions.
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IGISOL Collaboration(Zakari-Issoufou, A. A. et al), Algora, A., Tain, J. L., Valencia, E., Agramunt, J., Estevez, E., et al. (2015). Total Absorption Spectroscopy Study of Rb-92 Decay: A Major Contributor to Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum Shape. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(10), 102503–6pp.
Abstract: The antineutrino spectra measured in recent experiments at reactors are inconsistent with calculations based on the conversion of integral beta spectra recorded at the ILL reactor. Rb-92 makes the dominant contribution to the reactor antineutrino spectrum in the 5-8 MeV range but its decay properties are in question. We have studied Rb-92 decay with total absorption spectroscopy. Previously unobserved beta feeding was seen in the 4.5-5.5 region and the GS to GS feeding was found to be 87.5(25)%. The impact on the reactor antineutrino spectra calculated with the summation method is shown and discussed.
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Matsubara, H. et al, & Rubio, B. (2015). Nonquenched Isoscalar Spin-M1 Excitations in sd-Shell Nuclei. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(10), 102501–6pp.
Abstract: Differential cross sections of isoscalar and isovector spin-M1 (0(+) -> 1(+)) transitions are measured using high-energy-resolution proton inelastic scattering at E-p = 295 MeV on Mg-24, Si-28, S-32, and Ar-36 at 0 degrees-14 degrees. The squared spin-M1 nuclear transition matrix elements are deduced from the measured differential cross sections by applying empirically determined unit cross sections based on the assumption of isospin symmetry. The ratios of the squared nuclear matrix elements accumulated up to E-x = 16 MeV compared to a shell-model prediction are 1.01(9) for isoscalar and 0.61(6) for isovector spin-M1 transitions, respectively. Thus, no quenching is observed for isoscalar spin-M1 transitions, while the matrix elements for isovector spin-M1 transitions are quenched by an amount comparable with the analogous Gamow-Teller transitions on those target nuclei.
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Maiezza, A., Nemevsek, M., & Nesti, F. (2015). Lepton Number Violation in Higgs Decay at LHC. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(8), 081802–7pp.
Abstract: We show that within the left-right symmetric model, lepton number violating decays of the Higgs boson can be discovered at the LHC. The process is due to the mixing of the Higgs boson with the triplet that breaks parity. As a result, the Higgs boson can act as a gateway to the origin of the heavy Majorana neutrino mass. To assess the LHC reach, a detailed collider study of the same-sign dileptons plus jets channel is provided. This process is complementary to the existing nuclear and collider searches for lepton number violation and can probe the scale of parity restoration even beyond other direct searches.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2015). Observation of J/psi p Resonances Consistent with Pentaquark States in Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi K(-)p Decays. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(7), 072001–15pp.
Abstract: Observations of exotic structures in the J/psi p channel, which we refer to as charmonium-pentaquark states, in Lambda(0)(b) --> J/psi K(-)p decays are presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) acquired with the LHCb detector from 7 and 8 TeV pp collisions. An amplitude analysis of the three-body final state reproduces the two-body mass and angular distributions. To obtain a satisfactory fit of the structures seen in the J/psi p mass spectrum, it is necessary to include two Breit-Wigner amplitudes that each describe a resonant state. The significance of each of these resonances is more than 9 standard deviations. One has a mass of 4380 +/- 8 +/- 29 MeV and a width of 205 +/- 18 +/- 86 MeV, while the second is narrower, with a mass of 4449.8 +/- 1.7 +/- 2.5 MeV and a width of 39 +/- 5 +/- 19 MeV. The preferred J(P) assignments are of opposite parity, with one state having spin 3/2 and the other 5/2.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2015). Measurement of the Ratio of Branching Fractions B((B)over-bar(0) -> D-*(+)tau(-)(nu)over-bar(tau))/B((B)over-bar(0) -> D-*(+)mu(-)(nu)over-bar(mu)). Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(11), 111803–10pp.
Abstract: The branching fraction ratio R(D-*) = B((B) over bar (0) -> D-*(+)tau(-)(nu) over bar (tau))/B((B) over bar (0) -> D-*(+)mu(-)(nu) over bar (mu)) is measured using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode tau(-) -> mu(-)(nu) over bar (mu)nu(tau). The semitauonic decay is sensitive to contributions from non-standard-model particles that preferentially couple to the third generation of fermions, in particular, Higgs-like charged scalars. A multidimensional fit to kinematic distributions of the candidate (B) over bar (0) decays gives R(D-*) = 0.336 +/- 0.027(stat) +/- 0.030(syst). This result, which is the first measurement of this quantity at a hadron collider, is 2.1 standard deviations larger than the value expected from lepton universality in the standard model.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2015). First Observation of Top Quark Production in the Forward Region. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(11), 112001–10pp.
Abstract: Top quark production in the forward region in proton-proton collisions is observed for the first time. The W + b final state with W -> μnu is reconstructed using muons with a transverse momentum, p(T), larger than 25 GeV in the pseudorapidity range 2.0 < eta < 4.5. The b jets are required to have 50 < p(T) < 100 GeV and 2.2 < eta < 4.2, while the transverse component of the sum of the muon and b-jet momenta must satisfy p(T) > 20 GeV. The results are based on data corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.0 and 2.0 fb(-1) collected at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV by LHCb. The inclusive top quark production cross sections in the fiducial region are sigma(top)[7 TeV] = 239 +/- 53(stat) +/- 33(syst) +/- 24(theory) fb; sigma(top)[8 TeV ] = 289 +/- 43(stat) +/- 40(syst) +/- 29(theory) fb: These results, along with the observed differential yields and charge asymmetries, are in agreement with next-to-leading order standard model predictions.
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BABAR and Belle Collaborations(Abdesselam, A. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2015). First Observation of CP Violation in (B)over-bar(0) -> D(CP)((*))h(0) Decays by a Combined Time-Dependent Analysis of BABAR and Belle Data. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(12), 121604–10pp.
Abstract: We report a measurement of the time-dependent CP asymmetry of (B) over bar (0) -> D(CP)((*))h(0) decays, where the light neutral hadron h(0) is a pi(0), eta , or omega meson, and the neutral D meson is reconstructed in the CP eigenstates K+K-, K-S(0)pi(0) or K-S(0)omega. The measurement is performed combining the final data samples collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance by the BABAR and Belle experiments at the asymmetric-energy B factories PEP-II at SLAC and KEKB at KEK, respectively. The data samples contain (471 +/- 3) x 10(6) B (B) over bar pairs recorded by the BABAR detector and (772 +/- 11) x 10(6) B (B) over bar pairs recorded by the Belle detector. We measure the CP asymmetry parameters -eta S-f = +0.66 +/- 0.10(stat) +/- 0.06(syst) and C = -0.02 +/- 0.07(stat) +/- 0.03(syst). These results correspond to the first observation of CP violation in (B) over bar (0) -> D(CP)((*))h(0) decays. The hypothesis of no mixing-induced CP violation is excluded in these decays at the level of 5.4 standard deviations.
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