Abstract: Searches are performed for both promptlike and long-lived dark photons, A ', produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. These searches look for A '->mu(+)mu(-) decays using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.5 fb(-1) collected with the LHCb detector. Neither search finds evidence for a signal, and 90% confidence-level exclusion limits are placed on the gamma-A ' kinetic mixing strength. The promptlike A ' search explores the mass region from near the dimuon threshold up to 70 GeV and places the most stringent constraints to date on dark photons with 214 < m(A ') less than or similar to 740 MeV and 10.6 < m(A ') less than or similar to 30 GeV. The search for long-lived A '->mu(+)mu(-) decays places world-leading constraints on low-mass dark photons with lifetimes O(1)ps.

Abstract: The use of extra space-time dimensions provides a promising approach to the flavor problem. The chosen compactification of a 6-dimensional orbifold implies a remnant family symmetry A4. This makes interesting predictions for quark and lepton masses, for neutrino oscillations and neutrinoless double beta decay, providing also a very good global description of all flavor observables. Due to an auxiliary Z4 symmetry, we implement a scotogenic Majorana neutrino mass generation mechanism with a viable WIMP dark matter candidate.

Abstract: We demonstrate that a scotogenic dark symmetry can be obtained as a residual subgroup of the global U(1)(B-L) symmetry already present in the Standard Model. In addition, we propose a general framework in which the U(1)(B-L) symmetry is spontaneously broken into an even Z(2n) subgroup, setting the general conditions for neutrinos to be Majorana and for dark matter stability to exist in terms of the residual Z(2n). As an example, under this general framework, we build a class of simple models where, in a scotogenic manner, the dark matter candidate is the lightest particle running inside the mass loop of a neutrino. The global U(1)(B-L) symmetry in our framework, being anomaly free, can also be gauged in a straightforward manner leading to a richer phenomenology.

Abstract: We propose a flavour theory in which the family symmetry results naturally from a six-dimensional orbifold compactification. “Diracness” of neutrinos is a consequence of the spacetime dimensionality, and the fact that right-handed neutrinos live in the bulk. Dark matter is incorporated in a scotogenic way, as a result of an auxiliary Z(3) symmetry, and its stability is associated to the conservation of a “dark parity” symmetry. The model leads naturally to a “golden” quark-lepton mass relation.

Abstract: The T2K experiment widely uses plastic scintillator as a target for neutrino interactions and an active medium for the measurement of charged particles produced in neutrino interactions at its near detector complex. Over 10 years of operation the measured light yield recorded by the scintillator based subsystems has been observed to degrade by 0.9-2.2% per year. Extrapolation of the degradation rate through to 2040 indicates the recorded light yield should remain above the lower threshold used by the current reconstruction algorithms for all subsystems. This will allow the near detectors to continue contributing to important physics measurements during the T2K-II and Hyper-Kamiokande eras. Additionally, work to disentangle the degradation of the plastic scintillator and wavelength shifting fibres shows that the reduction in light yield can be attributed to the ageing of the plastic scintillator. The long component of the attenuation length of the wavelength shifting fibres was observed to degrade by 1.3-5.4% per year, while the short component of the attenuation length did not show any conclusive degradation.