Abstract: The associated production of prompt J/psi and Υ mesons in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13T eV is studied using LHCb data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4 fb(-1). The measurement is performed for J/psi (Υ) mesons with a transverse momentum pT < 10 (30) GeV/ c in the rapidity range 2.0 < y < 4.5. In this kinematic range, the cross-section of the associated production of prompt J/psi and Υ(1S) mesons is measured to be 133 +/- 22 +/- 7 +/- 3 pb, with a significance of 7.9 s, and that of prompt J/psi and Υ(2S) mesons to be 76 +/- 21 +/- 4 +/- 7 pb, with a significance of 4.9 sigma. The first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third due to uncertainties on the used branching fractions. This is the first observation of the associated production of J/psi and Υ(1S) in proton-proton collisions. Differential cross-sections are measured as functions of variables that are sensitive to kinematic correlations between the J/psi and Υ(1S) mesons. The effective cross-sections of the associated production of prompt J/psi and Υ mesons are obtained and found to be compatible with measurements using other particle productions.

Abstract: Asymmetric tri-bi-maximal mixing is a recently proposed, grand unified theory (GUT) based, flavor mixing scheme. In it, the charged lepton mixing is fixed by the GUT connection to down-type quarks and a T-13 flavor symmetry, while neutrino mixing is assumed to be tri-bi-maximal (TBM) with one additional free phase. Here we show that this additional free phase can be fixed by the residual flavor and CP symmetries of the effective neutrino mass matrix. We discuss how those residual symmetries can be unified with T-13 and identify the smallest possible unified flavor symmetries, namely (Z(13)xZ(13))(sic)D-12 and (Z(13)xZ(13))(sic)S-4. Sharp predictions are obtained for lepton mixing angles, CP violating phases and neutrinoless double beta decay.

Abstract: Whole-body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners are required in order to span large Fields of View (FOV). Therefore, reaching the sensitivity and spatial resolution required for early stage breast tumor detection is not straightforward. MAMMI is a dedicated breast PET scanner with a ring geometry designed to provide PET images with a spatial resolution as high as 1.5 mm, being able to detect small breast tumors ( < 1 cm). The patient lays down in prone position during the scan, thus making possible to image the whole breast, up to regions close to the base of the pectoral without the requirement of breast compression. Attenuation correction (AC) for PET data improves the image quality and the quantitative accuracy of radioactivity distribution determination. In dedicated, high resolution breast cancer scanners, this correction would enhance the proper diagnosis in early disease stages. In whole-body PET scanners, AC is usually taken into account with the use of transmission scans, either by external radioactive rod sources or by Computed Tomography (CT). This considerably increases the radiation dose administered to the patient and time needed for the exploration. In this work we propose a method for breast shape identification by means of PET image segmentation. The breast shape identification will be used for the determination of the AC. For the case of a specific breast PET scanner the procedure we propose should provide AC similar to that obtained by transmission scans as we take advantage of the breast anatomical simplicity. Experimental validation of the proposed approach with a dedicated breast PET prototype is also presented. The main advantage of this method is an important dose reduction since the transmission scan is not required.