Abstract: Next-generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiments aim for half-life sensitivities of similar to 10(27) yr, requiring suppressing backgrounds to < 1 count/tonne/yr. For this, any extra background rejection handle, beyond excellent energy resolution and the use of extremely radiopure materials, is of utmost importance. The NEXT experiment exploits differences in the spatial ionization patterns of double beta decay and single-electron events to discriminate signal from background. While the former display two Bragg peak dense ionization regions at the opposite ends of the track, the latter typically have only one such feature. Thus, comparing the energies at the track extremes provides an additional rejection tool. The unique combination of the topology-based background discrimination and excellent energy resolution (1% FWHM at the Q-value of the decay) is the distinguishing feature of NEXT. Previous studies demonstrated a topological background rejection factor of <similar to> 5 when reconstructing electron-positron pairs in the Tl-208 1.6 MeV double escape peak (with Compton events as background), recorded in the NEXT-White demonstrator at the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc, with 72% signal efficiency. This was recently improved through the use of a deep convolutional neural network to yield a background rejection factor of similar to 10 with 65% signal efficiency. Here, we present a new reconstruction method, based on the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm, which allows reversing the blurring induced by electron diffusion and electroluminescence light production in the NEXT TPC. The new method yields highly refined 3D images of reconstructed events, and, as a result, significantly improves the topological background discrimination. When applied to real-data 1.6 MeV e(-)e(+) pairs, it leads to a background rejection factor of 27 at 57% signal efficiency.

Abstract: A search for long-lived particles, which have come to rest within the ATLAS detector, is presented. The subsequent decays of these particles can produce high-momentum jets, resulting in large out-of-time energy deposits in the ATLAS calorimeters. These decays are detected using data collected during periods in the LHC bunch structure when collisions are absent. The analysed dataset is composed of events from proton-proton collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13TeV and recorded by the ATLAS experiment during 2017 and 2018. The dataset used for this search corresponds to a total live time of 579 hours. The results of this search are used to derive lower limits on the mass of gluino R-hadrons, assuming a branching fraction B((g) over tilde -> q (q) over bar(chi) over tilde (0)(1)) = 100%, with masses of up to 1.4TeV excluded for gluino lifetimes of 10(-5) to 10(3) s.

Abstract: A search for pair production of third-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying into a top quark and a tau-lepton is presented. The search is based on a dataset of pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1). Events are selected if they have one light lepton (electron or muon) and at least one hadronically decaying tau-lepton, or at least two light leptons. In addition, two or more jets, at least one of which must be identified as containing b-hadrons, are required. Six final states, defined by the multiplicity and flavour of lepton candidates, are considered in the analysis. Each of them is split into multiple event categories to simultaneously search for the signal and constrain several leading backgrounds. The signal-rich event categories require at least one hadronically decaying tau-lepton candidate and exploit the presence of energetic final-state objects, which is characteristic of signal events. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed in any of the considered event categories, and 95% CL upper limits are set on the production cross section as a function of the leptoquark mass, for different assumptions about the branching fractions into t tau and b nu. Scalar leptoquarks decaying exclusively into t tau are excluded up to masses of 1.43 TeV while, for a branching fraction of 50% into t tau, the lower mass limit is 1.22 TeV.

Abstract: The first full angular analysis of the B0 -> D-Ds+ decay is performed using 6 fb(-1) of pp collision data collected with the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The Ds+-> Ds+gamma and D*- -> D<overbar></mml:mover>0- vector meson decays are used with the subsequent Ds+ -> K+K-pi (+) and D<overbar></mml:mover>0 -> K+pi (-) decays. All helicity amplitudes and phases are measured, and the longitudinal polarisation fraction is determined to be f(L) = 0.578 +/- 0.010 +/- 0.011 with world-best precision, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The pattern of helicity amplitude magnitudes is found to align with expectations from quark-helicity conservation in B decays. The ratio of branching fractions [B(B0 -> D-Ds+) x B(Ds+-> Ds+gamma)]/B(B-0 -> D(*-)Ds+) is measured to be 2.045 +/- 0.022 +/- 0.071 with world-best precision. In addition, the first observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed B-s -> D(*-)Ds+ decay is made with a significance of seven standard deviations. The branching fraction ratio B(B-s -> D(*-)Ds<mml:mo>+)/B(B-0 -> D(*-)Ds<mml:mo>+) is measured to be 0.049 +/- 0.006 +/- 0.003 +/- 0.002, where the third uncertainty is due to limited knowledge of the ratio of fragmentation fractions.<fig id=“Figa” position=“anchor”><graphic position=“anchor” specific-use=“HTML” mime-subtype=“JPEG” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“MediaObjects/13130202116089FigaHTML.jpg” id=“MO1”></graphic

Abstract: For a general H-b -> Hc tau nu <overbar></mml:mover>tau decay we analyze the role of the tau polarization vector P μin the context of lepton flavor universality violation studies. We use a general phenomenological approach that includes, in addition to the Standard Model (SM) contribution, vector, axial, scalar, pseudoscalar and tensor new physics (NP) terms which strength is governed by, complex in general, Wilson coefficients. We show that both in the laboratory frame, where the initial hadron is at rest, and in the center of mass of the two final leptons, a P -></mml:mover> component perpendicular to the plane defined by the three-momenta of the final hadron and the tau lepton is only possible for complex Wilson coefficients, being a clear signal for physics beyond the SM as well as time reversal (or CP-symmetry) violation. We make specific evaluations of the different polarization vector components for the Lambda (b) -> Lambda (c), <mml:mover accent=“true”>B<mml:mo stretchy=“true”><overbar></mml:mover>c -> eta (c), J/psi and <mml:mover accent=“true”>B<mml:mo stretchy=“true”><overbar></mml:mover> -> D-(*) semileptonic decays, and describe NP effects in the complete two-dimensional space associated with the independent kinematic variables on which the polarization vector depends. We find that the detailed study of P μhas great potential to discriminate between different NP scenarios for 0(-) -> 0(-) decays, but also for Lambda (b) -> Lambda (c) transitions. For this latter reaction, we pay special attention to corrections to the SM predictions derived from complex Wilson coefficients contributions.