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Colovic, P. et al, & Jurado-Gomez, M. L. (2020). Population of lead isotopes in binary reactions using a Rb-94 radioactive beam. Phys. Rev. C, 102(5), 054609–8pp.
Abstract: We measured absolute cross sections for neutron transfer channels populated in the Rb-94 + Pb-208 binary reaction. Cross sections have been extracted identifying directly the lead isotopes with the high efficiency MINIBALL gamma-ray array coupled to a particle detector combined with a radioactive Rb-94 beam delivered at E-lab = 6.2 MeV/nucleon by the HIE-ISOLDE facility. We observed sizable cross sections in the neutron-rich mass region, where the heavy partner acquires neutrons. A fair agreement between the measured cross sections with those from GRAZING calculations gives confidence in the cross-section predictions of more neutron-rich nuclei produced via a larger number of transferred nucleons.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2020). Observation of Enhanced Double Parton Scattering in Proton-Lead Collisions at root s(NN)=8.16 TeV. Phys. Rev. Lett., 125(21), 212001–13pp.
Abstract: A study of prompt charm-hadron pair production in proton-lead collisions at root s(NN) = 8.16 TeV is performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 30 nb(-1), collected with the LHCb experiment. Production cross sections for different pairs of charm hadrons are measured and kinematic correlations between the two charm hadrons are investigated. This is the first measurement of associated production of two charm hadrons in proton-lead collisions. The results confirm the predicted enhancement of double parton scattering production in proton-lead collisions compared to the single parton scattering production.
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Figueroa, D. G., Hindmarsh, M., Lizarraga, J., & Urrestilla, J. (2020). Irreducible background of gravitational waves from a cosmic defect network: Update and comparison of numerical techniques. Phys. Rev. D, 102(10), 103516–25pp.
Abstract: Cosmological phase transitions in the early Universe may produce relics in the form of a network of cosmic defects. Independently of the order of a phase transition, topology of the defects, and their global or gauge nature, the defects are expected to emit gravitational waves (GWs) as the network energy-momentum tensor adapts itself to maintaining scaling. We show that the evolution of any defect network (and for that matter any scaling source) emits a GW background with spectrum Omega(GW) proportional to f(3) for f << f(0), Omega(GW) proportional to 1/f(2) for f(0) less than or similar to f less than or similar to feq, and Omega(GW) proportional to const (i.e., exactly scale invariant) for f >> f(eq), where f(0) and f(eq) denote respectively the frequencies corresponding to the present and matter-radiation equality horizons. This background represents an irreducible emission of GWs from any scaling network of cosmic defects, with its amplitude characterized only by the symmetry-breaking scale and the nature of the defects. Using classical lattice simulations we calculate the GW signal emitted by defects created after the breaking of a global symmetry O(N) -> O(N – 1). We obtain the GW spectrum for N between 2 and 20 with two different techniques: integrating over unequal-time correlators of the energy-momentum tensor, updating our previous work on smaller lattices, and for the first time, comparing the result with the real-time evolution of the tensor perturbations sourced by the same defects. Our results validate the equivalence of the two techniques. Using cosmic microwave background upper bounds on the defects' energy scale, we discuss the difficulty of detecting this GW background in the case of global defects.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo, F. L., Castillo Gimenez, V., et al. (2020). Search for Higgs Boson Decays into a Z Boson and a Light Hadronically Decaying Resonance Using 13 TeV pp Collision Data from the ATLAS Detector. Phys. Rev. Lett., 125(22), 221802–22pp.
Abstract: A search for Higgs boson decays into a Z boson and a light resonance in two-lepton plus jet events is performed, using a pp collision dataset with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) collected at root s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN LHC. The resonance considered is a light boson with a mass below 4 GeV from a possible extended scalar sector or a charmonium state. Multivariate discriminants are used for the event selection and for evaluating the mass of the light resonance. No excess of events above the expected background is found. Observed (expected) 95% confidence-level upper limits are set on the Riggs boson production cross section times branching fraction to a Z boson and the signal resonance, with values in the range 17-340 pb (16(-5)(+6)-320(-90)(+130) pb) for the different light spin-0 boson mass and branching fraction hypotheses, and with values of 110 and 100 pb (100(-30)(+40) and 100(-30)(+40) pb) for the eta(c) and J/psi hypotheses, respectively.
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Caputo, A., Liu, H. W., Mishra-Sharma, S., & Ruderman, J. T. (2020). Modeling dark photon oscillations in our inhomogeneous Universe. Phys. Rev. D, 102(10), 103533–26pp.
Abstract: A dark photon may kinetically mix with the Standard Model photon, leading to observable cosmological signatures. The mixing is resonantly enhanced when the dark photon mass matches the primordial plasma frequency, which depends sensitively on the underlying spatial distribution of electrons. Crucially, inhomogeneities in this distribution can have a significant impact on the nature of resonant conversions. We develop and describe, for the first time, a general analytic formalism to treat resonant oscillations in the presence of inhomogeneities. Our formalism follows from the theory of level crossings of random fields and only requires knowledge of the one-point probability density function (PDF) of the underlying electron number density fluctuations. We validate our formalism using simulations and illustrate the photon-to-dark photon conversion probability for several different choices of PDFs that are used to characterize the low-redshift Universe.
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Guadilla, V. et al, Tain, J. L., Algora, A., Agramunt, J., Jordan, D., Monserrate, M., et al. (2020). Determination of beta-decay ground state feeding of nuclei of importance for reactor applications. Phys. Rev. C, 102(6), 064304–12pp.
Abstract: In beta-decay studies the determination of the decay probability to the ground state (g.s.) of the daughter nucleus often suffers from large systematic errors. The difficulty of the measurement is related to the absence of associated delayed gamma-ray emission. In this work we revisit the 4 pi gamma – beta method proposed by Greenwood and collaborators in the 1990s, which has the potential to overcome some of the experimental difficulties. Our interest is driven by the need to determine accurately the beta-intensity distributions of fission products that contribute significantly to the reactor decay heat and to the antineutrinos emitted by reactors. A number of such decays have large g.s. branches. The method is relevant for nuclear structure studies as well. Pertinent formulas are revised and extended to the special case of beta-delayed neutron emitters, and the robustness of the method is demonstrated with synthetic data. We apply it to a number of measured decays that serve as test cases and discuss the features of the method. Finally, we obtain g.s. feeding intensities with reduced uncertainty for four relevant decays that will allow future improvements in antineutrino spectrum and decay heat calculations using the summation method.
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Nebot, M. (2020). Bounded masses in two Higgs doublets models, spontaneous CP violation and Z(2) symmetry. Phys. Rev. D, 102(11), 115002–16pp.
Abstract: In two Higgs doublet models (2HDMs) shaped by some unbroken symmetry, imposing perturbativity requirements on the quartic couplings can imply that the allowed masses of all the fundamental scalars are bounded from above. This important property is analyzed in detail for the only two realistic 2HDMs with an exact symmetry, the case with Z(2) symmetry and the case with CP symmetry. It is also noticeable that one exception arises in each case: when the vacuum is assumed to respect the imposed symmetry, a decoupling regime can nevertheless appear without violating perturbativity requirements. In both models with an exact symmetry and no decoupling regime, soft symmetry breaking terms can however lead to a decoupling regime: the possibility that this regime might be unnatural, since it requires some fine-tuning, is also analyzed.
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Goldkuhle, A. et al, & Perez-Vidal, R. M. (2020). Lifetime measurements of excited states in neutron-rich Ti-53: Benchmarking effective shell-model interactions. Phys. Rev. C, 102(5), 054334–10pp.
Abstract: Level lifetimes of the yrast (5/2(-)) to 13/2(-) states in the neutron-rich nucleus Ti-53, produced in a multinucleon-transfer reaction, have been measured for the first time. The recoil distance Doppler-shift method was employed and lifetimes of the excited states were extracted by a lineshape analysis aided by GEANT4-based Monte-Carlo simulations. The experiment was performed at the Grand Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds facility in Caen, France, by using the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array for the gamma-ray detection coupled to the large-acceptance variable mode spectrometer for an event-by-event particle identification and the Cologne plunger for deep-inelastic reactions. Reduced transition probabilities, deduced from the lifetimes, give new information on the nuclear structure of Ti-53, and are used to benchmark different shell-model calculations using established interactions in the f p shell.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2020). Constraints on the K-S(0) -> mu(+) mu(-) Branching Fraction. Phys. Rev. Lett., 125(23), 231801–10pp.
Abstract: A search for the decay K-S(0) -> mu(+) mu(-) is performed using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.6 fb(-1) and collected with the LHCb experiment during 2016, 2017, and 2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The observed signal yield is consistent with zero, yielding an upper limit of B(K-S(0) -> mu(+) mu(-)) < 2.2 x 10(-10) at 90% C.L.. The limit reduces to B(K-S(0) -> mu(+) mu(-)) < 2.1 x 10(-10) at 90% C.L. once combined with the result from data taken in 2011 and 2012.
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Caputo, A., Liu, H. W., Mishra-Sharma, S., & Ruderman, J. T. (2020). Dark Photon Oscillations in Our Inhomogeneous Universe. Phys. Rev. Lett., 125(22), 221303–8pp.
Abstract: A dark photon kinetically mixing with the ordinary photon represents one of the simplest viable extensions to the standard model, and would induce oscillations with observable imprints on cosmology. Oscillations are resonantly enhanced if the dark photon mass equals the ordinary photon plasma mass, which tracks the free electron number density. Previous studies have assumed a homogeneous Universe; in this Letter, we introduce for the first time an analytic formalism for treating resonant oscillations in the presence of inhomogeneities of the photon plasma mass. We apply our formalism to determine constraints from cosmic microwave background photons oscillating into dark photons, and from heating of the primordial plasma due to dark photon dark matter converting into low-energy photons. Including the effect of inhomogeneities demonstrates that prior homogeneous constraints are not conservative, and simultaneously extends current experimental limits into a vast new parameter space.
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