Abstract: Projective invariance is a symmetry of the Palatini version of General Relativity which is not present in the metric formulation. The fact that the Riemann tensor changes nontrivially under projective transformations implies that, unlike in the usual metric approach, in the Palatini formulation this tensor is subject to a gauge freedom, which allows some ambiguities even in its scalar contractions. In this sense, we show that for the Schwarzschild solution there exists a projective gauge in which the (affine) Kretschmann scalar, K (R beta μnu R alpha beta μnu)-R-alpha, can be set to vanish everywhere. This puts forward that the divergence of curvature scalars may, in some cases, be avoided by a gauge transformation of the connection.

Abstract: Non-unitarity of the neutrino mixing matrix is expected in many scenarios with physics beyond the Standard Model. Motivated by the search for deviations from unitary, we study two neutrino counting observables: the neutrino-antineutrino gamma process and the invisible Z boson decay into neutrinos. We report on new constraints for non-unitarity coming from the first of these observables. We study the potential constraints that future collider experiments will give from the invisible decay of the Z boson, that will be measured with improved precision.

Abstract: The ratio of the B-s(0) and B+ fragmentation fractions f(s) and f(u) is studied with B-s(0) -> J/psi phi and B+ -> J/psi K+ decays using data collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at 7, 8, and 13 TeV center-of-mass energies. The analysis is performed in bins of B-meson momentum, longitudinal momentum, transverse momentum, pseudorapidity, and rapidity. The fragmentation-fraction ratio f(s)/f(u) is observed to depend on the B-meson transverse momentum with a significance of 6.0 sigma. This dependency is driven by the 13 TeV sample (8.7 sigma), while the results for the other collision energies are not significant when considered separately. Furthermore, the results show a 4.8 sigma evidence for an increase of f(s)/f(u) as a function of collision energy.

Abstract: Evidence for electroweak production of two jets in association with a Z gamma pair in root s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. The analysis uses data collected by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016 that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). Events that contain a Z boson candidate decaying leptonically into either e(+)e(-) or mu(+)mu(-), a photon, and two jets are selected. The electroweak component is measured with observed and expected significances of 4.1 standard deviations. The fiducial cross-section for electroweak production is measured to be sigma(Z gamma jj-Ew) = 7.8 +/- 2.0 fb, in good agreement with the Standard Model prediction.

Abstract: In a recent paper [I], the BESIII Collaboration reported the so-called first observation of pure W-annihi- lation decays D-s(+) -> a(0)(+) (980)pi(0) and D-s(+) -> a(0)(0)(980)pi(+). The measured absolute branching fractions are, however, puzzlingly larger than those of other measured pure W-annihilation decays by at least one order of magnitude. In addition, the relative phase between the two decay modes is found to be about 0 degrees. In this letter, we show that all these can be easily understood if the a(0)(980) is a dynamically generated state from (K) over barK and pi eta interactions in coupled channels. In such a scenario, the D-s(+) decay proceeds via internal W emission instead of W-annihilation, which has a larger decay rate than W-annihilation. The proposed decay mechanism and the molecular nature of the a(0)(980) also provide a natural explanation to the measured negative interference between the two decay modes.