Abstract: Results from a search for supersymmetry in events with four or more leptons including electrons, muons and taus are presented. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to 20.3 fb(-1) of proton proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at root s = 8 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Signal regions are designed to target supersymmetric scenarios that can be either enriched in or depleted of events involving the production of a Z boson. No significant deviations are observed in data from standard model predictions and results are used to set upper limits on the event yields from processes beyond the standard model. Exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on the masses of relevant supersymmetric particles are obtained. In R-parity-violating simplified models with decays of the lightest supersymmetric particle to electrons and muons, limits of 1350 and 750 GeV are placed on gluino and chargino masses, respectively. In R-parity-conserving simplified models with heavy neutralinos decaying to a massless lightest supersymmetric particle, heavy neutralino masses up to 620 GeV are excluded. Limits are also placed on other supersymmetric scenarios.

Abstract: Motivated by the properties of matter quantum fields in curved space-times, we work out a gravity theory that combines the Born-Infeld gravity Lagrangian with an f(R) piece. To avoid ghostlike instabilities, the theory is formulated within the Palatini approach. This construction provides more freedom to address a number of important questions, such as the dynamics of the early Universe and the cosmic accelerated expansion, among others. In particular, we consider the effect that adding an f(R) = aR(2) term has on the early-time cosmology. We find that bouncing solutions are robust against these modifications of the Lagrangian whereas the solutions with loitering behavior of the original Born-Infeld theory are very sensitive to the R-2 term. In fact, these solutions are modified in such a way that a plateau in the H-2 function may arise, yielding a period of (approximately) de Sitter inflationary expansion. This inflationary behavior may be found even in a radiation-dominated universe.

Abstract: A measurement of the B-s(0) -> J/psi phi decay parameters, updated to include flavor tagging is reported using 4.9 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS detector from root s = 7 TeV pp collisions recorded in 2011 at the LHC. The values measured for the physical parameters are phi(s) = 0.12 +/- 0.25(stat) +/- 0.05(syst) rad Delta Gamma(s) = 0.053 +/- 0.021(stat) +/- 0.010(syst) ps(-1) Gamma(s) = 0.677 +/- 0.007(stat) +/- 0.004(syst) ps(-1) vertical bar A(parallel to)(0)vertical bar(2) = 0.220 +/- 0.008(stat) +/- 0.009(syst) vertical bar A(0)(0)vertical bar(2) = 0.529 +/- 0.006(stat) +/- 0.012(syst) delta(perpendicular to) = 3.89 +/- 0.47(stat) +/- 0.11(syst) rad where the parameter Delta Gamma(s) is constrained to be positive. The S-wave contribution was measured and found to be compatible with zero. Results for phi(s) and Delta Gamma(s) are also presented as 68% and 95% likelihood contours, which show agreement with the Standard Model expectations.

Abstract: Inflation is the leading theory to describe elegantly the initial conditions that led to structure formation in our Universe. In this paper, we present a novel phenomenological fit to the Planck, WMAP polarization (WP) and the BICEP2 data sets using an alternative parametrization. Instead of starting from inflationary potentials and computing the inflationary observables, we use a phenomenological parametrization due to Mukhanov, describing inflation by an effective equation of state, in terms of the number of e-folds and two phenomenological parameters alpha and beta. Within such a parametrization, which captures the different inflationary models in a model-independent way, the values of the scalar spectral index n(s), its running and the tensor-to-scalar ratio r are predicted, given a set of parameters (alpha, beta). We perform a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis of these parameters, and we show that the combined analysis of Planck and WP data favors the Starobinsky and Higgs inflation scenarios. Assuming that the BICEP2 signal is not entirely due to foregrounds, the addition of this last data set prefers instead the phi(2) chaotic models. The constraint we get from Planck and WP data alone on the derived tensor-to-scalar ratio is r < 0.18 at 95% C.L., value which is consistent with the one quoted from the BICEP2 Collaboration analysis, r = 0.16(-0.05)(+0-06), after foreground subtraction. This is not necessarily at odds with the 2 sigma tension found between Planck and BICEP2 measurements when analyzing data in terms of the usual n(s) and r parameters, given that the parametrization used here, for the preferred value n(s) similar or equal to 0.96, allows only for a restricted parameter space in the usual (n(s), r) plane.

Abstract: We propose that inflation and dark matter have a common origin, connected to the neutrino mass generation scheme. As a model we consider spontaneous breaking of global lepton number within the seesaw mechanism. We show that it provides an acceptable inflationary scenario consistent with the recent cosmic microwave background B-mode observation by the BICEP2 experiment. The scheme may also account for the baryon asymmetry of the Universe through leptogenesis for reasonable parameter choices.