Abstract: Background: Identification of proton-neutron mixed-symmetric one-quadrupole phonon excitations (the 2(ms)(+) states) of atomic nuclei provides information on the isovector part of the residual nucleon-nucleon interaction. It was predicted that the 2(ms)(+) state of particular nuclei close to the U(5) limit of the interacting boson model, in particular Ba-140, should be considerably populated by alpha-transfer reactions [C. E. Alonso et al., Phys. Rev. C 78, 017301 (2008)]. Purpose: We aim at the identification of the 2(ms)(+) mixed-symmetry state (MSS) of radioactive Ba-140 and investigate its population by the alpha-transfer reaction as a suitable tool to selectively populate MSSs and as a potential new signature for its mixed-symmetric character. Method: A gamma-ray spectroscopy experiment was performed in inverse kinematics in order to populate the 2(ms)(+) state of Ba-140 by alpha-transfer from a C-nat target on Xe-136 beam ions. The population of the candidate for the 2(ms)(+) state of Ba-140 was measured relative to the population of the 2(1)(+) state. Results: The candidate for the 2(ms)(+) state of Ba-140 was populated by a transfer three times weaker than predicted. Another 2(+) state that can be ruled out as the MSS was in turn as strongly populated by the a transfer as predicted for the MSS. Conclusions: The relative population of 2(+) states by alpha-transfer cannot serve as a new signature for MSSs, since other 2(+) states are also strongly populated. Nevertheless, the substantial population of the MSS candidate of Ba-140 by alpha transfer qualifies this type of reaction as suitable tool to excite MSSs and study their electromagnetic decay properties.

Abstract: The time-dependent CP asymmetry in B-S(0) -> J/Psi K+K- decays is measured using pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1), collected with the LHCb detector at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. In a sample of 96 000 B-S(0) -> J/Psi K+K- decays, the CP-violating phase phi(s) is measured, as well as the decay widths GL and GH of the light and heavy mass eigenstates of the B-s(0)-(B) over bar (0)(s) system. The values obtained are phi(s) = -0.058 +/- 0.049 +/- 0.006 rad, Gamma(s) equivalent to (Gamma(L) + Gamma(H))/2 = 0.6603 +/- 0.0027 +/- 0.0015 ps(-1), and Delta Gamma(s) equivalent to Gamma(L)-Gamma(H) = 0.0805 +/- 0.0091 +/- 0.0032 ps(-1), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second, systematic. These are the most precise single measurements of those quantities to date. A combined analysis with B-s(0) -> J/Psi pi(+)pi(-) decays gives phi(s) = -0.010 +/- 0.039 rad. All measurements are in agreement with the standard model predictions. For the first time, the phase phi(s) is measured independently for each polarization state of the K+K- system and shows no evidence for polarization dependence.

Abstract: We calculate the shape of the pi Sigma and (K) over bar N invariant mass distributions in the Lambda(b) -> J/psi pi Sigma and Lambda(b) -> J/psi (K) over bar N decays that are dominated by the Lambda (1405) resonance. The weak interaction part is the same for both processes and the hadronization into the different meson-baryon channels in the final state is given by symmetry arguments. The most important feature is the implementation of the meson-baryon final-state interaction using two chiral unitary models from different theoretical groups. Both approaches give a good description of antikaon-nucleon scattering data, the complex energy shift in kaonic hydrogen and the line shapes of pi Sigma K in photoproduction, based on the two-pole scenario for the Lambda (1405). We find that this reaction reflects more the higher mass pole and we make predictions of the line shapes and relative strength of the meson-baryon distributions in the final state.