Abstract: In this paper, we address the question of whether the almost four standard deviations difference between theory and experiment for the muon anomalous magnetic moment a(mu) can be explained as a higher-order Standard Model perturbation effect in the pion form factor measurements. This question has, until now, remained open, obscuring the source of discrepancies between the measurements. We calculate the last radiative corrections for the extraction of the pion form factor, which were believed to be potentially substantial enough to explain the data within the Standard Model. We find that the corrections are too small to diminish existing discrepancies in the determination of the pion form factor for different kinematical configurations of low-energy BABAR, BES-III and KLOE experiments. Consequently, they cannot noticeably change the previous predictions for a(mu) and decrease the deviations between theory and direct measurements. To solve the above issues, new data and better understanding of low-energy experimental setups are needed, especially as new direct a(mu) measurements at Fermilab and J-PARC will provide new insights and substantially shrink the experimental error.

Abstract: Constraints on inflationary models typically assume only the standard models of cosmology and particle physics. By extending the neutrino sector to include a new interaction with a light scalar mediator (m(phi) similar to MeV), it is possible to relax these constraints, in particular via opening up regions of the parameter space of the spectral index n(s). These new interactions can be probed at IceCube via interactions of astrophysical neutrinos with the cosmic neutrino background for nearly all of the relevant parameter space.

Abstract: We present the detailed derivation of the longitudinal part of the three-gluon vertex from the Slavnov-Taylor identities that it satisfies, by means of a nonperturbative implementation of the Ball-Chiu construction; the latter, in its original form, involves the inverse gluon propagator, the ghost dressing function, and certain form factors of the ghost-gluon kernel. The main conceptual subtlety that renders this endeavor nontrivial is the infrared finiteness of the gluon propagator, and the resulting need to separate the vertex into two pieces, one that is intimately connected with the emergence of a gluonic mass scale, and one that satisfies the original set of Slavnov-Taylor identities, but with the inverse gluon propagator replaced by its “kinetic” term. The longitudinal form factors obtained by this construction are presented for arbitrary Euclidean momenta, as well as special kinematic configurations, parametrized by a single momentum. A particularly preeminent feature of the components comprising the tree-level vertex is their considerable suppression for momenta below 1 GeV, and the appearance of the characteristic “zero-crossing” in the vicinity of 100-200 MeV. Special combinations of the form factors derived with this method are compared with the results of recent large-volume lattice simulations, and are found to capture faithfully the rather complicated curves formed by the data. A similar comparison with results obtained from Schwinger-Dyson equations reveals a fair overall agreement, but with appreciable differences at intermediate energies. A variety of issues related to the distribution of the pole terms responsible for the gluon mass generation are discussed in detail, and their impact on the structure of the transverse parts is elucidated. In addition, a brief account of several theoretical and phenomenological possibilities involving these newly acquired results is presented.

Abstract: A search for new particles decaying into a pair of top quarks is performed using proton-proton collision data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). Events consistent with top-quark pair production and the fully hadronic decay mode of the top quarks are selected by requiring multiple high transverse momentum jets including those containing b-hadrons. Two analysis techniques, exploiting dedicated top-quark pair reconstruction in different kinematic regimes, are used to optimize the search sensitivity to new hypothetical particles over a wide mass range. The invariant mass distribution of the two reconstructed top-quark candidates is examined for resonant production of new particles with various spins and decay widths. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section times branching fraction for new hypothetical Z' bosons, dark-matter mediators, Kaluza-Klein gravitons and Kaluza-Klein gluons. By comparing with the predicted production cross sections, the Z' boson in the topcolor-assisted-technicolor model is excluded for masses up to 3.1-3.6 TeV, the dark-matter mediators in a simplified framework are excluded in the mass ranges from 0.8 to 0.9 TeV and from 2.0 to 2.2 TeV, and the Kaluza-Klein gluon is excluded for masses up to 3.4 TeV, depending on the decay widths of the particles.

Abstract: The production fractions of (B) over bar (0)(s) and Lambda(0)(b) hadrons, normalized to the sum of B- and (B) over bar (0) fractions, arc measured in 13 TeV pp collisions using data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.67 fb(-1). These ratios, averaged over the b hadron transverse momenta from 4 to 25 GeV and pseudorapidity from 2 to 5, are 0.122 +/- 0.006 for (B) over bar (0)(s) and 0.259 +/- 0.018 for Lambda(0)(b) where the uncertainties arise from both statistical and systematic sources. The Lambda(0)(b) ratio depends strongly on transverse momentum, while the (B) over bar (0)(s) ratio shows a mild dependence. Neither ratio shows variations with pseudorapidity. The measurements are made using semileptonic decays to minimize theoretical uncertainties. In addition, the ratio of D+ to D-0 mesons produced in the sum of (B) over bar (0) and B- semileptonic decays is determined as 0.359 +/- 0.006 +/- 0.009, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic.