LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2019). Search for Lepton-Universality Violation in B+ -> K(+)l(+)l(-) Decays. Phys. Rev. Lett., 122(19), 191801–13pp.
Abstract: A measurement of the ratio of branching fractions of the decays B+ -> K+mu(+)mu(-) and B+ -> K(+)e(+)e(-) is presented. The proton-proton collision data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb(-1) recorded with the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. For the dilepton mass-squared range 1.1 < q(2) < 6.0 GeV2/c(4) the ratio of branching fractions is measured to be R-K = 0.846(-0.054-0.014)(+0.060+0.016), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This is the most precise measurement of R-K to date and is compatible with the standard model at the level of 2.5 standard deviations.
|
Cepedello, R., Deppisch, F. F., Gonzalez, L., Hati, C., & Hirsch, M. (2019). Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with Nonstandard Majoron Emission. Phys. Rev. Lett., 122(18), 181801–6pp.
Abstract: We present a novel mode of neutrinoless double-beta decay with emission of a light Majoron-like scalar particle phi. We assume it couples via an effective seven-dimensional operator with a (V + A) lepton current and (V +/- A) quark currents leading to a long-range contribution that is unsuppressed by the light neutrino mass. We calculate the total double-beta decay rate and determine the fully differential shape for this mode. We find that future double-beta decay searches are sensitive to scales of the order Lambda(NP) approximate to 1 TeV for the effective operator and a light scalar m(phi) < 0.2 MeV, based on ordinary double-beta decay Majoron searches. The angular and energy distributions can deviate considerably from that of two-neutrino double-beta decay, which is the main background. We point out possible ultraviolet completions where such an effective operator can emerge.
|
LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2019). Model-Independent Observation of Exotic Contributions to B degrees -> J/psi K+pi(-) Decays. Phys. Rev. Lett., 122(15), 152002–10pp.
Abstract: An angular analysis of B degrees -> J/psi K+pi(-) decays is performed, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected with the LHCb detector. The m(K+pi(-) ) spectrum is divided into fine bins. In each m(K+pi(-)) bin, the hypothesis that the three-dimensional angular distribution can be described by structures induced only by K* resonances is examined, making minimal assumptions about the K+pi(-) system. The data reject the K*-only hypothesis with a large significance, implying the observation of exotic contributions in a model-independent fashion. Inspection of the m(J/psi pi(-)) vs m(K+pi(-)) plane suggests structures near m(J/psi pi(-)) = 4200 and 4600 MeV.
|
Lazarides, G., Reig, M., Shafi, Q., Srivastava, R., & Valle, J. W. F. (2019). Spontaneous Breaking of Lepton Number and the Cosmological Domain Wall Problem. Phys. Rev. Lett., 122(15), 151301–5pp.
Abstract: We show that if global lepton number symmetry is spontaneously broken in a postinflation epoch, then it can lead to the formation of cosmological domain walls. This happens in the well-known “Majoron paradigm” for neutrino mass generation. We propose some realistic examples that allow spontaneous lepton number breaking to be safe from such domain walls.
|
ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., et al. (2019). Search for the Production of a Long-Lived Neutral Particle Decaying within the ATLAS Hadronic Calorimeter in Association with a Z Boson from pp Collisions at root s=13 TeV. Phys. Rev. Lett., 122(15), 151801–19pp.
Abstract: This Letter presents a search for the production of a long-lived neutral particle (Z(d)) decaying within the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter, in association with a standard model (SM) Z boson produced via an intermediate scalar boson, where Z -> l(+) l(-) (l = e, mu). The data used were collected by the ATLAS detector during 2015 and 2016 pp collisions with a center-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 +/- 0.8 fb(-1). No significant excess of events is observed above the expected background. Limits on the production cross section of the scalar boson times its decay branching fraction into the long-lived neutral particle are derived as a function of the mass of the intermediate scalar boson, the mass of the long-lived neutral particle, and its c tau from a few centimeters to one hundred meters. In the case that the intermediate scalar boson is the SM Higgs boson, its decay branching fraction to a long-lived neutral particle with a c tau approximately between 0.1 and 7 m is excluded with a 95% confidence level up to 10% for m(zd) between 5 and 15 GeV.
|