Reig, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Wilczek, F. (2018). SO(3) family symmetry and axions. Phys. Rev. D, 98(9), 095008–6pp.
Abstract: Motivated by the idea of comprehensive unification, we study a gauged SO(3) flavor extension of the extended Standard Model, including right-handed neutrinos and a Peccei-Quinn symmetry with simple charge assignments. The model accommodates the observed fermion masses and mixings and yields a characteristic, successful relation among them. The Peccei-Quinn symmetry is an essential ingredient.
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ANTARES Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Coleiro, A., Colomer, M., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., et al. (2018). Long-term monitoring of the ANTARES optical module efficiencies using K-40 decays in sea water. Eur. Phys. J. C, 78(8), 669–8pp.
Abstract: Cherenkov light induced by radioactive decay products is one of the major sources of background light for deep-sea neutrino telescopes such as ANTARES. These decays are at the same time a powerful calibration source. Using data collected by the ANTARES neutrino telescope from mid 2008 to 2017, the time evolution of the photon detection efficiency of optical modules is studied. A modest loss of only 20% in 9 years is observed. The relative time calibration between adjacent modules is derived as well.
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Caputo, A., Pena-Garay, C., & Witte, S. J. (2018). Looking for axion dark matter in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Phys. Rev. D, 98(8), 083024–6pp.
Abstract: We study the extent to which the decay of cold dark matter axions can be probed with forthcoming radio telescopes such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). In particular, we focus on signals arising from dwarf spheroidal galaxies, where astrophysical uncertainties are reduced and the expected magnetic field strengths are such that signals arising from axion decay may dominate over axion-photon conversion in a magnetic field. We show that with similar to 100 hr of observing time, SKA could improve current sensitivity by 2-3 orders of magnitude-potentially obtaining sufficient sensitivity to begin probing the decay of cold dark matter axions.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Bailey, A. J., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., et al. (2018). Search for resonances in the mass distribution of jet pairs with one or two jets identified as b-jets in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 98(3), 032016–24pp.
Abstract: A search for new resonances decaying into jets containing b-hadrons in pp collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented in the dijet mass range from 0.57 to 7 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of up to 36.1 fb(-1) collected in 2015 and 2016 at root s = 13 TeV. No evidence of a significant excess of events above the smooth background shape is found. Upper cross-section limits and lower limits on the corresponding signal mass parameters for several types of signal hypotheses are provided at 95% C.L. In addition, 95% C.L. upper limits are set on the cross sections for new processes that would produce Gaussian-shaped signals in the di-b-jet mass distributions.
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LHCb Collaboration, Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). Observation of a New Xi(-)(b) Resonance. Phys. Rev. Lett., 121(7), 072002–12pp.
Abstract: From samples of pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at root s = 7, 8 and 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.0, 2.0 and 1.5 fb(-1), respectively, a peak in both the Lambda(0)(b) K- and Xi(0)(b)pi(-) invariant mass spectra is observed. In the quark model, radially and orbitally excited Xi(-)(b) resonances with quark content bds are expected. Referring to this peak as Xi(b)(6227)(-), the mass and natural width are measured to be m(Xi b(6227))(-) = 6226.9 +/- 2.0 +/- 0.3 +/- 0.2 MeV/c(2) and Gamma(Xi b(6227))- = 18.1 +/- 5.4 +/- 1.8 MeV/c(2), where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third, on m(Xi b(6227))(-), is due to the knowledge of the Lambda(0)(b) baryon mass. Relative production rates of the Xi(b)(6227)(-) -> Lambda K-0(b)- and Xi(b)(6227)(-) -> Xi(0)(b)pi(-) decays are also reported.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). Search for a dimuon resonance in the Upsilon mass region. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 147–21pp.
Abstract: A search is performed for a spin-0 boson, phi, produced in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, using prompt phi -> mu(+)mu(-) decays and a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 3.0 fb(-1) collected with the LHCb detector. No evidence is found for a signal in the mass range from 5.5 to 15 GeV. Upper limits are placed on the product of the production cross-section and the branching fraction into the dimuon final state. The limits are comparable to the best existing over most of the mass region considered and are the first to be set near the Upsilon resonances.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2018). Measurement of D-s(+/-) production asymmetry in pp collisions at root s=7 and 8 TeV. J. High Energy Phys., 08(8), 008–21pp.
Abstract: The inclusive D-s(+/-) production asymmetry is measured in pp collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of root s = 7 and 8 TeV. Promptly produced D-s(+/-) mesons are used, which decay as D-s(+/-) -> phi pi(+/-), with phi -> K+ K-. The measurement is performed in bins of transverse momentum, pT, and rapidity, y, covering the range 2.5 < pT < 25 : 0 GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. No kinematic dependence is observed. Evidence of nonzero D-s(+/-) production asymmetry is found with a significance of 3.3 standard deviations.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Bailey, A. J., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo, F. L., et al. (2018). Combined measurement of differential and total cross sections in the H -> gamma gamma and the H -> ZZ* -> 4l decay channels at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Lett. B, 786, 114–133.
Abstract: A combined measurement of differential and inclusive total cross sections of Higgs boson production is performed using 36.1 fb(-1) of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data produced by the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. Cross sections are obtained from measured H -> gamma gamma and H -> ZZ* -> 4l event yields, which are combined taking into account detector efficiencies, resolution, acceptances and branching fractions. The total Higgs boson production cross section is measured to be 57.0(-5.9)(+6.0) (stat.) (+4.0)(-3.3) (syst.) pb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. Differential cross-section measurements are presented for the Higgs boson transverse momentum distribution, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets produced together with the Higgs boson, and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The results from the two decay channels are found to be compatible, and their combination agrees with the Standard Model predictions.
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Arguelles, C. A., Palomares-Ruiz, S., Schneider, A., Wille, L., & Yuan, T. L. (2018). Unified atmospheric neutrino passing fractions for large-scale neutrino telescopes. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 07(7), 047–41pp.
Abstract: The atmospheric neutrino passing fraction, or self-veto, is defined as the probability for an atmospheric neutrino not to be accompanied by a detectable muon from the same cosmic-ray air shower. Building upon previous work, we propose a redefinition of the passing fractions by unifying the treatment for muon and electron neutrinos. Several approximations have also been removed. This enables performing detailed estimations of the uncertainties in the passing fractions from several inputs: muon losses, cosmic-ray spectrum, hadronic-interaction models and atmosphere-density profiles. We also study the passing fractions under variations of the detector configuration: depth, surrounding medium and muon veto trigger probability. The calculation exhibits excellent agreement with passing fractions obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, we provide a general software framework to implement this veto technique for all large-scale neutrino observatories.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Bailey, A. J., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., et al. (2018). Search for new phenomena using the invariant mass distribution of same-flavour opposite-sign dilepton pairs in events with missing transverse momentum in root s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 78(8), 625–38pp.
Abstract: A search for new phenomena in final states containing an e(+)e(-) or m(+)m(-) pair, jets, and large missing transverse momentum is presented. This analysis makes use of proton-proton collision data with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1), collected during 2015 and 2016 at a centre of-mass energy Os = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The search targets the pair production of supersymmetric coloured particles (squarks or gluinos) and their decays into final states containing an e(+)e(-) or m(+)m(-) pair and the lightest neutralino ((c) over tilde (0)(1)) via one of two next-to-lightest neutralino ((c) over tilde (0)(2)) decay mechanisms: (c) over tilde (0)(2) Z (c) over tilde (0)(1), where the Z boson decays leptonically leading to a peak in the dilepton invariant mass distribution around the Z boson mass; and (c) over tilde (0)(2) l(+)1(-) (c) over tilde (0)(1) with no intermediate l(+)l(-) resonance, yielding a kinematic endpoint in the dilepton invariant mass spectrum. The data are found to be consistent with the Standard Model expectation. Results are interpreted using simplified models, and exclude gluinos and squarks with masses as large as 1.85 and 1.3 TeV at 95% confidence level, respectively.
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