Abstract: Many models beyond the Standard Model predict light and feebly interacting particles that are often long-lived. These long-lived particles (LLPs) in many cases can be produced from meson decays. In this work, we propose a simple and quick reinterpretation method for models predicting LLPs produced from meson decays. With the method, we are not required to run Monte-Carlo simulation, implement detector geometries and efficiencies, or apply experimental cuts in an event analysis, as typically done in recasting and reinterpretation works. The main ingredients our method requires are only the theoretical input, allowing for computation of the production and decay rates of the LLPs. There are two conditions for the method to work: firstly, the LLPs in the models considered should be produced from a set of mesons with similar mass and lifetime (or the same meson) and second, the LLPs should, in general, have a lab-frame decay length much larger than the distance between the interaction point and the detector. As an example, we use this method to reinterpret exclusion bounds on heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) in the minimal “3+1” scenario, into those for HNLs in the general effective-field-theory framework as well as for axion-like particles. We are able to reproduce existing results, and obtain new bounds via reinterpretation of past experimental results, in particular, from CHARM and Belle.

Abstract: The ratios of branching fractions R(D*) = B((B) over bar -> D* tau(-) (v) over bar (tau))/B((B) over bar -> D*.mu(-)(v) over bar mu) and R(D-0) = B(B- -> D(0)t-mu(-)(v) over bar mu) are measured, assuming isospin symmetry, using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode tau(-) -> mu(-)v(tau)(v) over bar mu. The measured values are R(D) = 0.281 +/- 0.018 +/- 0.024 and R(D-0) = 0.441 +/- 0.060 +/- 0.066, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The correlation between these measurements is rho = -0.43. The results are consistent with the current average of these quantities and are at a combined 1.9 standard deviations from the predictions based on lepton flavor universality in the standard model.

Abstract: Dual scatterers preserve the helicity of an incident field, whereas antidual scatterers flip it completely. In this setting of linear electromagnetic scattering theory, we provide a completely general proof on the nonexistence of passive antidual scatterers. However, we show that scatterers fulfilling the refractive index matching condition flip the helicity of the fields very efficiently without being in contradiction with the law of energy conservation. Moreover, we find that this condition is paired with the impedance matching condition in several contexts of electromagnetism and, in particular, within Fresnel's and Mie's scattering problems. Finally, we show that indexmatched media induce a resonant helicity mixing on the propagating electromagnetic waves. We reach this conclusion by identifying that the refractive index matching condition leads to the phenomenon of avoided crossing.