Fonseca, R. M., Hirsch, M., & Srivastava, R. (2018). Delta L=3 processes: Proton decay and the LHC. Phys. Rev. D, 97(7), 075026–7pp.
Abstract: We discuss lepton number violation in three units. From an effective field theory point of view, Delta L = 3 processes can only arise from dimension 9 or higher operators. These operators also violate baryon number, hence many of them will induce proton decay. Given the high dimensionality of these operators, in order to have a proton half-life in the observable range, the new physics associated to Delta L = 3 processes should be at a scale as low as 1 TeV. This opens up the possibility of searching for such processes not only in proton decay experiments but also at the LHC. In this work we analyze the relevant d = 9, 11, 13 operators which violate lepton number in three units. We then construct one simple concrete model with interesting low- and high-energy phenomenology.
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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. (2018). Test of lepton flavor universality by the measurement of the B-0 -> D*(-) tau(+) nu(tau) branching fraction using three-prong tau decays. Phys. Rev. D, 97(7), 072013–26pp.
Abstract: The ratio of branching fractions R(D*(-)) = B(B-0 -> D*(-) tau(+)nu(tau))/(B-0 -> D*(-) mu(+)nu(mu)) is measured using a data sample of proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1). The tau lepton is reconstructed with three charged pions in the final state. A novel method is used that exploits the different vertex topologies of signal and backgrounds to isolate samples of semitauonic decays of b hadrons with high purity. Using the B-0 -> D*(-) pi(+)pi(-)pi(+) decay as the normalization channel, the ratio B(B-0 -> D*(-) tau(+)nu(tau))/B(B-0 -> D* pi(+)pi(-)pi(+)) is measured to be 1.97 +/- 0.13 +/- 0.18, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. An average of branching fraction measurements for the normalization channel is used to derive B(B-0 -> D*(-) tau(+)nu(tau))(_)= (1.42 +/- 0.094 +/- 0.129 +/- 0.054)%, where the third uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of B(B-0 -> D*(-) pi(+)pi(-)pi(+)). A test of lepton flavor universality is performed using the well- measured branching fraction B(B-0 -> D*(-) mu(+)nu(mu)) to compute R(D*(-))0 = 0.291 +/- 0.019 +/- 0.026 +/- 0.013, where the third uncertainty originates from the uncertainties on B(B-0 -> D*(-) pi(+)pi(-)pi(+)) and B(B-0 -> D*(-) mu(+)nu(mu)) This measurement is in agreement with the Standard Model prediction and with previous measurements.
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Rinaldi, M., & Ceccopieri, F. A. (2018). Hadronic structure from double parton scattering. Phys. Rev. D, 97(7), 071501–6pp.
Abstract: In the present paper we consider the so-called effective cross section, a quantity which encodes the experimental knowledge on double parton scattering in hadronic collisions that has been accumulated so far. We show that the effective cross section, under some assumptions close to those adopted in its experimental extractions, can be used to obtain a range of mean transverse distance between an interacting parton pair in double Noon scattering. Therefore, we have proved that the effective cross section offers a way to access information on the hadronic structure.
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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. (2018). Search for photonic signatures of gauge-mediated supersymmetry in 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 97(9), 092006–32pp.
Abstract: A search is presented for photonic signatures, motivated by generalized models of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking. This search makes use of proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC, and it explores models dominated by both strong and electroweak production of supersymmetric partner states. Experimental signatures incorporating an isolated photon and significant missing transverse momentum are explored. These signatures include events with an additional photon or additional jet activity not associated with any specific underlying quark flavor. No significant excess of events is observed above the Standard Model prediction, and 95% confidence-level upper limits of between 0.083 and 0.32 fb are set on the visible cross section of contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model. These results are interpreted in terms of lower limits on the masses of gluinos, squarks, and gauginos in the context of generalized models of gauge-mediated supersymmetry, which reach as high as 2.3 TeV for strongly produced and 1.3 TeV for weakly produced supersymmetric partner pairs.
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Srivastava, R., Ternes, C. A., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2018). Zooming in on neutrino oscillations with DUNE. Phys. Rev. D, 97(9), 095025–11pp.
Abstract: We examine the capabilities of the DUNE experiment as a probe of the neutrino mixing paradigm. Taking the current status of neutrino oscillations and the design specifications of DUNE, we determine the experiment's potential to probe the structure of neutrino mixing and CP violation. We focus on the poorly determined parameters theta(23) and delta(cp) and consider both two and seven years of run. We take various benchmarks as our true values, such as the current preferred values of theta(23) and delta(cp), as well as several theory-motivated choices. We determine quantitatively DUNE's potential to perform a precision measurement of theta(23), as well as to test the CP violation hypothesis in a model-independent way. We find that, after running for seven years, DUNE will make a substantial step in the precise determination of these parameters, bringing to quantitative test the predictions of various theories of neutrino mixing.
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