Abstract: We explore the constraints and phenomenology of possibly the simplest scenario that could account at the same time for the active neutrino masses and the dark matter in the Universe within a gauged U(1)(B-L) symmetry, namely right-handed neutrino dark matter. We find that null searches from lepton and hadron colliders require dark matter with a mass below 900 GeV to annihilate through a resonance. Additionally, the very strong constraints from high-energy dilepton searches fully exclude the model for 150 GeV < m(z') < 3 TeV. We further explore the phenomenology in the high mass region (i.e. masses greater than or similar to O(1) TeV) and highlight theoretical arguments, related to the appearance of a Landau pole or an instability of the scalar potential, disfavoring large portions of this parameter space. Collectively, these considerations illustrate that a minimal extension of the Standard Model via a local U(1)(B-L) symmetry with a viable thermal dark matter candidate is difficult to achieve without fine-tuning. We conclude by discussing possible extensions of the model that relieve tension with collider constraints by reducing the gauge coupling required to produce the correct relic abundance.

Abstract: The masses of the D*(s0) (2317) and D-s1(2460) resonances lie below the DK and D* K thresholds respectively, which contradicts the predictions of naive quark models and points out to non-negligible effects of the D(*) K loops in the dynamics of the even-parity scalar (J(pi) = 0(+)) and axial-vector (J(pi) = 1(+)) c (s) over bar systems. Recent lattice QCD studies, incorporating the effects of the D(*) K channels, analyzed these spin-parity sectors and correctly described the D*(s0)(2317) – D-s1(2460) mass splitting. Motivated by such works, we study the structure of the D*(s0)(2317) and D-s1(2460) resonances in the framework of an effective field theory consistent with heavy quark spin symmetry, and that incorporates the interplay between D(*) K meson-meson degrees of freedom and bare P-wave c (s) over bar states predicted by constituent quark models. We extend the scheme to finite volumes and fit the strength of the coupling between both types of degrees of freedom to the available lattice levels, which we successfully describe. We finally estimate the size of the D(*) K two-meson components in the D*(s0)(2317) and D-s1(2460) resonances, and we conclude that these states have a predominantly hadronic-molecular structure, and that it should not be tried to accommodate these mesons within c (s) over bar constituent quark model patterns.

Abstract: A binned Dalitz plot analysis of B-+/- -> DK +/- decays, with D -> K-S(0)pi(+)pi(-) and D -> (KSK+K-)-K-0, is used to perform a measurement of the CP-violating observables x(+/-) and y(+/-), which are sensitive to the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle gamma. The analysis is performed without assuming any D decay model, through the use of information on the strong-phase variation over the Dalitz plot from the CLEO collaboration. Using a sample of proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb experiment in 2015 and 2016, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0 fb(-1), the values of the CP violation parameters are found to be x = (9.0 +/- 1.7 +/- 0.7 +/- 0.4) x 10(-2), y = (2.1 +/- 2.2 +/- 0.5 +/- 1.1) x 10(-2), x(+) = (-7.7 +/- 1.9 +/- 0.7 +/- 0.4) x 10(-2), and y(+) = (-1.0 +/- 1.9 +/- 0.4 +/- 0.9) x10(-2). The first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third is due to the uncertainty on the strong-phase measurements. These values are used to obtain gamma = (87(+)(12)(+11))degrees, r(B) = 0.086(-)(0.1)(43)(+0.013), and delta(B) = (101 +/- 11), where r(B) is the ratio between the suppressed and favoured B-decay amplitudes and delta(B) is the corresponding strong-interaction phase difference. This measurement is combined with the result obtained using 2011 and 2012 data collected with the LHCb experiment, to give gamma = (80(-9)(+10))degrees, r(B) = 0.080 +/- 0.011, and delta(B) = (110 +/- 10)degrees.

Abstract: The efficiency to identify jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) is measured using a high purity sample of dileptonic top quark-antiquark pairs (t (t) over bar) selected from the 36.1 fb(-1) of data collected by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016 from proton-proton collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy root s = 13 TeV. Two methods are used to extract the efficiency from t (t) over bar events, a combinatorial likelihood approach and a tag-and-probe method. A boosted decision tree, not using b-tagging information, is used to select events in which two b-jets are present, which reduces the dominant uncertainty in the modelling of the flavour of the jets. The efficiency is extracted for jets in a transverse momentum range from 20 to 300 GeV, with data-to-simulation scale factors calculated by comparing the efficiency measured using collision data to that predicted by the simulation. The two methods give compatible results, and achieve a similar level of precision, measuring data-to-simulation scale factors close to unity with uncertainties ranging from 2% to 12% depending on the jet transverse momentum.

Abstract: A search for flavour-changing neutral-current processes in top-quark decays is presented. Data collected with the ATLAS detector from proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1), are analysed. The search is performed using top-quark pair events, with one top quark decaying through the t -> qZ (q = u, c) flavour-changing neutral-current channel, and the other through the dominant Standard Model mode t -> bW. Only Z boson decays into charged leptons and leptonic W boson decays are considered as signal. Consequently, the final-state topology is characterized by the presence of three isolated charged leptons (electrons or muons), at least two jets, one of the jets originating from a b-quark, and missing transverse momentum from the undetected neutrino. The data are consistent with Standard Model background contributions, and at 95% confidence level the search sets observed (expected) upper limits of 1.7 x 10(-4) (2.4 x 10(-4)) on the t -> uZ branching ratio and 2.4 x 10(-4) (3.2 x 10(-4)) on the t -> cZ branching ratio, constituting the most stringent limits to date.