Bhattacharya, T., Cirigliano, V., Cohen, S. D., Filipuzzi, A., Gonzalez-Alonso, M., Graesser, M. L., et al. (2012). Probing novel scalar and tensor interactions from (ultra)cold neutrons to the LHC. Phys. Rev. D, 85(5), 054512–29pp.
Abstract: Scalar and tensor interactions were once competitors to the now well-established V – A structure of the standard model weak interactions. We revisit these interactions and survey constraints from low-energy probes (neutron, nuclear, and pion decays) as well as collider searches. Currently, the most stringent limit on scalar and tensor interactions arise from 0(+) -> 0(+) nuclear decays and the radiative pion decay pi -> e nu gamma, respectively. For the future, we find that upcoming neutron beta decay and LHC measurements will compete in setting the most stringent bounds. For neutron beta decay, we demonstrate the importance of lattice computations of the neutron-to-proton matrix elements to setting limits on these interactions, and provide the first lattice estimate of the scalar charge and a new average of existing results for the tensor charge. Data taken at the LHC is currently probing these interactions at the 10(-2) level (relative to the standard weak interactions), with the potential to reach the less than or similar to 10(-3) level. We show that, with some theoretical assumptions, the discovery of a charged spin-0 resonance decaying to an electron and missing energy implies a lower limit on the strength of scalar interactions probed at low energy.
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Agarwalla, S. K., & Hernandez, P. (2012). Probing the neutrino mass hierarchy with Super-Kamiokande. J. High Energy Phys., 10(10), 086–14pp.
Abstract: We show that for recently discovered large values of theta(13), a superbeam with an average neutrino energy of similar to 5 GeV, such as those being proposed at CERN, if pointing to Super-Kamiokande (L similar or equal to 8770 km), could reveal the neutrino mass hierarchy at 5 sigma in less than two years irrespective of the true hierarchy and CP phase. The measurement relies on the near resonant matter effect in the nu(mu) -> nu(e) oscillation channel, and can be done counting the total number of appearance events with just a neutrino beam.
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CDF Collaboration(Aaltonen, T. et al), & Cabrera, S. (2012). Production of Lambda(0), (Lambda)over-bar(0), Xi(+/-), and Omega(+/-) hyperons in p(p)over-bar collisions at root s=1.96 TeV. Phys. Rev. D, 86(1), 012002–10pp.
Abstract: We report a set of measurements of inclusive invariant p(T) differential cross sections of Lambda(0), (Lambda) over bar (0), Xi(+/-), and Omega(+/-) hyperons reconstructed in the central region with pseudorapidity vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1 and p(T) up to 10 GeV/c. Events are collected with a minimum-bias trigger in p<(p)over bar> collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using the CDF II detector at the Tevatron Collider. As p(T) increases, the slopes of the differential cross sections of the three particles are similar, which could indicate a universality of the particle production in p(T). The invariant differential cross sections are also presented for different charged-particle multiplicity intervals.
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Norena, J., Verde, L., Barenboim, G., & Bosch, C. (2012). Prospects for constraining the shape of non-Gaussianity with the scale-dependent bias. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 08(8), 019–16pp.
Abstract: We consider whether the non-Gaussian scale-dependent halo bias can be used not only to constrain the local form of non-Gaussianity but also to distinguish among different shapes. In particular, we ask whether it can constrain the behavior of the primordial three-point function in the squeezed limit where one of the momenta is much smaller than the other two. This is potentially interesting since the observation of a three-point function with a squeezed limit that does not go like the local nor equilateral templates would be a signal of non-trivial dynamics during inflation. To this end we use the quasi-single field inflation model of Chen & Wang [1, 2] as a representative two-parameter model, where one parameter governs the amplitude of non-Gaussianity and the other the shape. We also perform a model-independent analysis by parametrizing the scale-dependent bias as a power-law on large scales, where the power is to be constrained from observations. We find that proposed large-scale structure surveys (with characteristics similar to the dark energy task force stage IV surveys) have the potential to distinguish among the squeezed limit behavior of different bispectrum shapes for a wide range of fiducial model parameters. Thus the halo bias can help discriminate between different models of inflation.
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Poltoratska, I. et al, & Rubio, B. (2012). Pygmy dipole resonance in Pb-208. Phys. Rev. C, 85(4), 041304–5pp.
Abstract: Scattering of protons of several hundred MeV is a promising new spectroscopic tool for the study of electric dipole strength in nuclei. A case study of Pb-208 shows that, at very forward angles, J(pi) = 1(-) states are strongly populated via Coulomb excitation. A separation from nuclear excitation of other modes is achieved by a multipole decomposition analysis of the experimental cross sections based on theoretical angular distributions calculated within the quasiparticle-phonon model. The B(E1) transition strength distribution is extracted for excitation energies up to 9MeV; that is, in the region of the so-called pygmy dipole resonance (PDR). The Coulomb-nuclear interference shows sensitivity to the underlying structure of the E1 transitions, which allows for the first time an experimental extraction of the electromagnetic transition strength and the energy centroid of the PDR.
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