Abstract: The LHCb Collaboration has recently observed two narrow baryon resonances with beauty. Their masses and decay modes look consistent with the quark model orbitally excited states Lambda(b)(5912) and Lambda(b)*(5920), with quantum numbers J(P) = 1/2(-) and 3/2(-), respectively. We predict the existence of these states within a unitarized meson-baryon coupled-channel dynamical model, which implements heavy-quark spin symmetry. Masses, quantum numbers and couplings of these resonances to the different meson-baryon channels are obtained. We find that the resonances Lambda(0)(b)(5912) and Lambda(0)(b)(5920) are heavy-quark spin symmetry partners, which naturally explains their approximate mass degeneracy. Corresponding bottom-strange baryon resonances are predicted at Xi(b)(6035.4) (J(P) = 1/2(-)) and Xi(b)(6043.3) (J(P) = 3/2(-)). The two Lambda(b) and two Xi(b) resonances complete a multiplet of the combined symmetry SU(3)-flavor times heavy-quark spin.

Abstract: We study in detail the conditions to generate the baryon asymmetry of the universe from the annihilation of dark matter. This scenario requires a low energy mechanism for thermal baryogenesis, hence we first discuss some of these mechanisms together with the specific constraints due to the connection with the dark matter sector. Then we show that, contrary to what stated in previous studies, it is possible to generate the cosmological asymmetry without adding a light sterile dark sector, both in models with violation and with conservation of B – L. In addition, one of the models we propose yields some connection to neutrino masses.

Abstract: Recent experiments show that the top-right corner element (U-e3) of the PMNS matrix is small but nonzero, and suggest further via unitarity that it is smaller than the bottom-left corner element (U-tau 1). Here, it is shown that if to the assumption of a universal rank-one mass matrix, long favoured by phenomenologists, one adds that this matrix rotates with scale, then it follows that A) by inputting the mass ratios m(c)/m(t), m(s)/m(b), m(mu)/m(tau), and m(2)/m(3), i) the corner elements are small but nonzero, ii) V-ub < V-td, U-e3 < U-tau 1, iii) estimates result for the ratios V-ub/V-td and U-e3/U-tau 1, and B) by inputting further the experimental values of V-us, V-tb and U-e2, U-mu 3, iv) estimates result for the values of the corner elements themselves. All the inequalities and estimates obtained are consistent with present data within expectation for the approximations made.

Abstract: NEXT-DEMO is a high-pressure xenon gas TPC which acts as a technological test-bed and demonstrator for the NEXT-100 neutrinoless double beta decay experiment. In its current configuration the apparatus fully implements the NEXT-100 design concept. This is an asymmetric TPC, with an energy plane made of photomultipliers and a tracking plane made of silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) coated with TPB. The detector in this new configuration has been used to reconstruct the characteristic signature of electrons in dense gas, demonstrating the ability to identify the MIP and “blob” regions. Moreover, the SiPM tracking plane allows for the definition of a large fiducial region in which an excellent energy resolution of 1.82% FWHM at 511 keV has been measured (a value which extrapolates to 0.83% at the xenon Q(beta beta)).

Abstract: We analyze oriented event-shapes in the context of Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) and in fixed-order perturbation theory. Oriented event-shapes are distributions of event-shape variables which are differential on the angle theta(T) that the thrust axis forms with the electron-positron beam. We show that at any order in perturbation theory and for any event shape, only two angular structures can appear: F-0 = 3/8 (1+cos(2) theta(T)) and F-1 = (1 – 3 cos(2) theta(T)). When integrating over theta(T) to recover the more familiar event-shape distributions, only F-0 survives. The validity of our proof goes beyond perturbation theory, and hence only these two structures are present at the hadron level. The proof also carries over massive particles. Using SCET techniques we show that singular terms can only arise in the F-0 term. Since only the hard function is sensitive to the orientation of the thrust axis, this statement applies also for recoil-sensitive variables such as Jet Broadening. We show how to carry out resummation of the singular terms at (NLL)-L-3 for Thrust, Heavy-Jet Mass, the sum of the Hemisphere Masses and C-parameter by using existing computations in SCET. We also compute the fixed-order distributions for these event-shapes at O(alpha(S)) analytically and at O(alpha(2)(S)) with the program Event2.