ANTARES Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Coleiro, A., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., Lotze, M., et al. (2017). Search for relativistic magnetic monopoles with five years of the ANTARES detector data. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 054–19pp.
Abstract: A search for magnetic monopoles using five years of data recorded with the ANTARES neutrino telescope from January 2008 to December 2012 with a total live time of 1121 days is presented. The analysis is carried out in the range beta > 0.6 of magnetic monopole velocities using a strategy based on run-by-run Monte Carlo simulations. No signal above the background expectation from atmospheric muons and atmospheric neutrinos is observed, and upper limits are set on the magnetic monopole flux ranging from 5.7 x 10(-16) to 1.5 x 10(-18) cm(-2).s(-1).sr(-1).
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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. (2017). Observation of charmless baryonic decays B-(s)(0) -> p(p)over-barh plus h '(-). Phys. Rev. D, 96(5), 051103–10pp.
Abstract: Decays of B-0 and B-s(0) mesons to the charmless baryonic final states p (p) over barh(+)h'(-), where h and h' each denote a kaon or a pion, are searched for using the LHCb detector. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1). Four-body charmless baryonic B-s(0) decays are observed for the first time. The decays B-s(0) -> p (p) over barK(+) K-, B-s(0) -> p (p) over barK(+/-) pi(inverted perpendicular), B-0 -> p (p) over barK(+) pi(inverted perpendicular) and B-0 -> p (p) over bar pi(+) pi(-) are observed with a significance greater than 5 standard deviations; evidence at 4.1 standard deviations is found for the B-0 -> p (p) over barK(+) K- decay and an upper limit is set on the branching fraction for B-s(0) -> p (p) over bar pi(+) pi(-). Branching fractions in the kinematic region m(p (p) over bar) < 2850 MeV/c(2) are measured relative to the B-0 -> J/psi(-> p<(p)over bar>) K* (892)(0) channel.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., & Villanueva-Perez, P. (2017). Evidence for CP violation in B+ -> K*(892)(+)pi(0) from a Dalitz plot analysis of B+ -> K-S(0) pi(+)pi(0) decays. Phys. Rev. D, 96(7), 072001–21pp.
Abstract: We report a Dalitz plot analysis of charmless hadronic decays of charged B mesons to the final state K-S(0)pi(1) pi(0) using the full BABAR data set of 470.9 +/- 2.8 million B (B) over bar events collected at the gamma (4S) resonance. We measure the overall branching fraction and CP asymmetry to be B(B+ -> K-0 pi(+)pi(0)) = (31.8 +/- 1.8 +/- 2.1(-0.0)(+6.0)) x 10(-6) and A(CP)(B+ -> K-0 pi(+)pi(0)) = 0.07 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.03(-0.03)(+0.02), where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the signal model, respectively. This is the first measurement of the branching fraction for B+ -> K-0 pi(+)pi(0). We find first evidence of a CP asymmetry in B+ -> K*(892)(+) pi(0) decays: A(CP)(B+ -> K*(892)(+)pi(0)) = -0.52 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.04(-0.02)(+0.04). The significance of this asymmetry, including systematic and model uncertainties, is 3.4 standard deviations. We also measure the branching fractions and CP asymmetries for three other intermediate decay modes.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2017). Search for Invisible Decays of a Dark Photon Produced in e(+)e(-) Collisions at BABAR. Phys. Rev. Lett., 119(13), 131804–7pp.
Abstract: We search for single-photon events in 53 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) collision data collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B-Factory. We look for events with a single high-energy photon and a large missing momentum and energy, consistent with production of a spin-1 particle A' through the process e(+)e(-) -> gamma A'; A' -> invisible. Such particles, referred to as “dark photons,” are motivated by theories applying a U(1) gauge symmetry to dark matter. We find no evidence for such processes and set 90% confidence level upper limits on the coupling strength of A' to e(+)e(-) in the mass range m(A') <= 8 GeV. In particular, our limits exclude the values of the A' coupling suggested by the dark-photon interpretation of the muon (g – 2)(mu) anomaly, as well as a broad range of parameters for the dark-sector models.
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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. (2017). Study of WW gamma and WZ gamma production in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV and search for anomalous quartic gauge couplings with the ATLAS experiment. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(9), 646–30pp.
Abstract: This paper presents a study of WW gamma and WZ gamma triboson production using events from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb(-1). The WW gamma production cross-section is determined using a final state containing an electron, a muon, a photon, and neutrinos (e upsilon μupsilon gamma). Upper limits on the production cross-section of the e upsilon μupsilon gamma final state and theWW gamma and WZ gamma final states containing an electron or a muon, two jets, a photon, and a neutrino (e upsilon j j gamma or μupsilon j j gamma) are also derived. The results are compared to the cross-sections predicted by the Standard Model at next-to-leading order in the strong-coupling constant. In addition, upper limits on the production cross-sections are derived in a fiducial region optimised for a search for newphysics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of anomalous quartic gauge couplings using an effective field theory. Confidence intervals at 95% confidence level are derived for the 14 coupling coefficients to which WW gamma and WZ gamma production are sensitive.
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Binosi, D., Mezrag, C., Papavassiliou, J., Roberts, C. D., & Rodriguez-Quintero, J. (2017). Process-independent strong running coupling. Phys. Rev. D, 96(5), 054026–7pp.
Abstract: We unify two widely different approaches to understanding the infrared behavior of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), one essentially phenomenological, based on data, and the other computational, realized via quantum field equations in the continuum theory. Using the latter, we explain and calculate a process-independent running coupling for QCD, a new type of effective charge that is an analogue of the Gell-Mann-Low effective coupling in quantum electrodynamics. The result is almost identical to the process-dependent effective charge defined via the Bjorken sum rule, which provides one of the most basic constraints on our knowledge of nucleon spin structure. This reveals the Bjorken sum to be a near direct means by which to gain empirical insight into QCD's Gell-Mann-Low effective charge.
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Sakai, S., Roca, L., & Oset, E. (2017). Charm-beauty meson bound states from B (B*)D(D*) and interaction B (B*)(D)over-bar((D)over-bar*). Phys. Rev. D, 96(5), 054023–9pp.
Abstract: We evaluate the s-wave interaction of pseudoscalar and vector mesons with both charm and beauty to investigate the possible existence of molecular BD, B* D, BD*, B* D*, B (D) over bar, B* (D) over bar, B (D) over bar*, or B* (D) over bar* meson states. The scattering amplitude is obtained implementing unitarity starting from a tree level potential accounting for the dominant vector meson exchange. The diagrams are evaluated using suitable extensions to the heavy flavor sector of the hidden gauge symmetry Lagrangians involving vector and pseudoscalar mesons, respecting heavy quark spin symmetry. We obtain bound states at energies above 7 GeV for BD (J(P) = 0(+)), B* D (1(+)), BD* (1(+)), and B* D* (0(+), 1(+,) 2(+)), all in isospin 0. For B (D) over bar (0(+)), B* (D) over bar (1(+)), B (D) over bar* (1(+)), and B* (D) over bar* (0(+), 1(+), 2(+)) we also find similar bound states in I = 0, but much less bound, which would correspond to exotic meson states with _ (b) over bar and (c) over bar quarks, and for the I = 1 we find a repulsive interaction. We also evaluate the scattering lengths in all cases, which can be tested in current investigations of lattice QCD.
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Gariazzo, S., Mena, O., Ramirez, H., & Boubekeur, L. (2017). Primordial power spectrum features in phenomenological descriptions of inflation. Phys. Dark Universe, 17, 38–45.
Abstract: We extend an alternative, phenomenological approach to inflation by means of an equation of state and a sound speed, both of them functions of the number of e-folds and four phenomenological parameters. This approach captures a number of possible inflationary models, including those with non-canonical kinetic terms or scale-dependent non-gaussianities. We perform Markov Chain Monte Carlo analyses using the latest cosmological publicly available measurements, which include Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data from the Planck satellite. Within this parameterization, we discard scale invariance with a significance of about 10 sigma, and the running of the spectral index is constrained as alpha(s) = -0.60(-0.10)(+0.08) x 10(-3) (68% CL errors). The limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio is r < 0.005 at 95% CL from CMB data alone. We find no significant evidence for this alternative parameterization with present cosmological observations. The maximum amplitude of the equilateral non-gaussianity that we obtain, vertical bar f(NL)(equil)vertical bar < 1, is much smaller than the current Planck mission errors, strengthening the case for future high-redshift, all-sky surveys, which could reach the required accuracy on equilateral non-gaussianities.
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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. (2017). Studies of Z gamma production in association with a high-mass dijet system in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 107–47pp.
Abstract: The production of a Z boson and a photon in association with a high-mass dijet system is studied using 20.2 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider. Final states with a photon and a Z boson decaying into a pair of either electrons, muons, or neutrinos are analysed. Electroweak and total pp -> Z gamma jj cross-sections are extracted in two fiducial regions with different sensitivities to electroweak production processes. Quartic couplings of vector bosons are studied in regions of phase space with an enhanced contribution from pure electroweak production, sensitive to vector-boson scattering processes VV -> Z gamma. No deviations from Standard Model predictions are observed and constraints are placed on anomalous couplings parameterized by higher-dimensional operators using effective field theory.
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Aitken, K., McKeen, D., Neder, T., & Nelson, A. E. (2017). Baryogenesis from oscillations of charmed or beautiful baryons. Phys. Rev. D, 96(7), 075009–15pp.
Abstract: We propose a model for CP-violating oscillations of neutral, heavy-flavor baryons into antibaryons at rates which are within a few orders of magnitude of their lifetimes. The flavor structure of the baryon violation suppresses neutron oscillations and baryon-number-violating nuclear decays to experimentally allowed rates. We also propose a scenario for producing such baryons in the early Universe via the out-of-equilibrium decays of a neutral particle, after hadronization but before nucleosynthesis. We find parameters where CP-violating baryon oscillations at a temperature of a few MeV could result in the observed asymmetry between baryons and antibaryons. Furthermore, part of the relevant parameter space for baryogenesis is potentially testable at Belle II via decays of heavy-flavor baryons into an exotic neutral fermion. The model introduces four new particles: three light Majorana fermions and a colored scalar. The lightest of these fermions is typically long lived on collider time scales and may be produced in decays of bottom and possibly charmed hadrons.
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