Abstract: In the simplest type-I seesaw leptogenesis scenario right-handed neutrino annihilation processes are absent. However, in the presence of new interactions these processes are possible and can affect the resulting B – L asymmetry in an important way. A prominent example is provided by models with spontaneous lepton number violation, where the existence of new dynamical degrees of freedom can play a crucial role. In this context, we provide a model-independent discussion of the effects of right-handed neutrino annihilations. We show that in the weak washout regime, as long as the scattering processes remain slow compared with the Hubble expansion rate throughout the relevant temperature range, the efficiency can be largely enhanced, reaching in some cases maximal values. Moreover, the B – L asymmetry yield turns out to be independent upon initial conditions, in contrast to the “standard” case. On the other hand, when the annihilation processes are fast, the right-handed neutrino distribution tends to a thermal one down to low temperatures, implying a drastic suppression of the efficiency which in some cases can render the B – L generation mechanism inoperative.

Abstract: Using a proton-proton collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected by LHCb at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, about 3800 Xi(0)(b) -> Xi(+)(c)pi(-), Xi(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+) signal decays are reconstructed. From this sample, the first measurement of the Xi(0)(b) baryon lifetime is made, relative to that of the Lambda(0)(b) baryon. The mass differences M(Xi(0)(b)) – M(Lambda(0)(b)) and M(Xi(+)(c)) – M(Lambda(+)(c)) are also measured with precision more than 4 times better than the current world averages. The resulting values are tau(Xi b0)/tau(Lambda b0) = 1.006 +/- 0.018 +/- 0.010, M(Xi(0)(b)) – M(Lambda(0)(b)) = 172.44 +/- 0.39 +/- 0.17 MeV/c(2), M(Xi(+)(c)) – M(Lambda(+)(c)) = 181.51 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.10 MeV/c(2), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The relative rate of Xi(0)(b) to Lambda(0)(b) baryon production is measured to be f(Xi b0) B(Xi(0)(b) -> Xi(+)(c)pi(-)) B(Xi(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+))/f(Lambda b0) B(Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-)) B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+)) = (1.88 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.03) x 10(-2), where the first factor is the ratio of fragmentation fractions, b -> Xi(0)(b) relative to b -> Lambda(0)(b). Relative production rates as functions of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity are also presented.

Abstract: We analyse the singular behaviour of one-loop integrals and scattering amplitudes in the framework of the loop-tree duality approach. We show that there is a partial cancellation of singularities at the loop integrand level among the different components of the corresponding dual representation that can be interpreted in terms of causality. The remaining threshold and infrared singularities are restricted to a finite region of the loop momentum space, which is of the size of the external momenta and can be mapped to the phase-space of real corrections to cancel the soft and collinear divergences.