Abstract: Background: In the neutron-rich A approximate to 100 mass region, rapid shape changes as a function of nucleon number as well as coexistence of prolate, oblate, and triaxial shapes are predicted by various theoretical models. Lifetime measurements of excited levels in the molybdenum isotopes allow the determination of transitional quadrupole moments, which in turn provides structural information regarding the predicted shape change. Purpose: The present paper reports on the experimental setup, the method that allowed one to measure the lifetimes of excited states in even-even molybdenum isotopes from mass A = 100 up to mass A = 108, and the results that were obtained. Method: The isotopes of interest were populated by secondary knock-out reaction of neutron-rich nuclei separated and identified by the GSI fragment separator at relativistic beam energies and detected by the sensitive PreSPEC-AGATA experimental setup. The latter included the Lund-York-Cologne calorimeter for identification, tracking, and velocity measurement of ejectiles, and AGATA, an array of position sensitive segmented HPGe detectors, used to determine the interaction positions of the gamma ray enabling a precise Doppler correction. The lifetimes were determined with a relativistic version of the Doppler-shift-attenuation method using the systematic shift of the energy after Doppler correction of a gamma-ray transition with a known energy. This relativistic Doppler-shift-attenuation method allowed the determination of mean lifetimes from 2 to 250 ps. Results: Even-even molybdenum isotopes from mass A = 100 to A = 108 were studied. The decays of the low-lying states in the ground-state band were observed. In particular, two mean lifetimes were measured for the first time: tau = 29.7(-9.1)(+11.3) ps for the 4(+) state of Mo-108 and tau = 3.2(-0.7)(+ 0.7) ps for the 6(+) state of Mo-102. Conclusions: The reduced transition strengths B(E2), calculated from lifetimes measured in this experiment, compared to beyond-mean-field calculations, indicate a gradual shape transition in the chain of molybdenum isotopes when going from A = 100 to A = 108 with a maximum reached at N = 64. The transition probabilities decrease for Mo-108 which may be related to its well-pronounced triaxial shape indicated by the calculations.

Abstract: Multiquark states have been advocated to explain recent experimental data in the heavy-light sector, and there are already speculations about multiquarks containing only heavy quarks and antiquarks. With a rigorous treatment of the four-body problem in current quark models, full-charm (cc (c) over bar(c) over bar) and full-beauty(bb (b) over bar(b) over bar) tetraquarks are found to be unbound. Thus their stability should rely on more subtle effects that are not included in the simple picture of constituent quarks. The case of (bc (b) over bar(c) over bar) might be more favorable if the naive color-additive model of confinement is replaced by a string-inspired interaction.

Abstract: Understanding single pion production reactions on free nucleons is the first step towards a correct description of these processes in nuclei, which are important for signal and background contributions in current and near future accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments. In this work, we reanalyze our previous studies of neutrino-induced one-pion production on nucleons for outgoing pi N invariant masses below 1.4 GeV. Our motivation is to get a better description of the nu(mu)n -> mu(-)n pi(+) cross section, for which current theoretical models give values significantly below data. This channel is very sensitive to the crossed Delta(1232) contribution and thus, to spin 1/2 components in the Rarita-Schwinger Delta propagator. We show how these spin 1/2 components are nonpropagating and give rise to contact interactions. In this context, we point out that the discrepancy with experiment might be corrected by the addition of appropriate extra contact terms and argue that this procedure will provide a natural solution to the nu(mu)n -> mu(-)n pi(+) puzzle. To keep our model simple, in this work, we propose to change the strength of the spin 1/2 components in the. propagator and use the nu(mu)n -> mu(-)n pi(+) data to constraint its value. With this modification, we now find a good reproduction of the nu(mu)n -> mu(-)n pi(+) cross section without affecting the good results previously obtained for the other channels. We also explore how this change in the. propagator affects our predictions for pion photoproduction and find also a better agreement with experiment than with the previous model.

Abstract: The B-+/- meson production asymmetry in pp collisions is measured using B-+/- -> (D) over bar (0)pi(+) decays. The data were recorded by the LHCb experiment during Run 1 of the LHC at center- of- mass energies of ffiffiffi root s = 7 and 8 TeV. The production asymmetries, integrated over transverse momenta in the range 2 < p(T) < 30 GeV/c, and rapidities in the range 2.1 < y < 4.5 are measured to be A(prod)(B+, root s = 7 TeV) = (-0.41 +/- 0.49 +/- 0.10) x 10(- 2), A(prod)(B+, root s = 8 TeV = (- 0.53 +/- 0.31 +/- 0.10) x 10(-2), where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. These production asymmetries are used to correct the raw asymmetries of (B+ -> J/psi K+) decays, thus allowing a measurement of the CP asymmetry, A(CP)(B+-> J/psi K+) = (0.09 +/- 0.27 +/- 0.07) x 10(-2)

Abstract: We investigate the predictions for lepton flavor number violating processes in the context of a simple left-right symmetric theory. In this context neutrinos are Majorana fermions and their masses are generated at the quantum level through the Zee mechanism using the simplest Higgs sector. We show that the right-handed neutrinos are generically light and can give rise to large lepton flavor violating contributions to rare processes. We discuss the correlation between the collider constraints and the predictions for lepton flavor violating processes. We find that using the predictions for μ-> e gamma and μ-> e conversion together with the collider signatures one could test this theory in the near future.