Herrero-Brocal, A., & Vicente, A. (2024). The majoron coupling to charged leptons. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 078–33pp.
Abstract: The particle spectrum of all Majorana neutrino mass models with spontaneous violation of global lepton number include a Goldstone boson, the so-called majoron. The presence of this massless pseudoscalar changes the phenomenology dramatically. In this work we derive general analytical expressions for the 1-loop coupling of the majoron to charged leptons. These can be applied to any model featuring a majoron that have a clear hierarchy of energy scales, required for an expansion in powers of the low-energy scale to be valid. We show how to use our general results by applying them to some example models, finding full agreement with previous results in several popular scenarios and deriving novel ones in other setups.
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Balbinot, R., & Fabbri, A. (2024). The Unruh Vacuum and the “In-Vacuum” in Reissner-Nordström Spacetime. Universe, 10(1), 18–14pp.
Abstract: The Unruh vacuum is widely used as a quantum state to describe black hole evaporation since, near the horizon, it reproduces the physical state of a quantum field, the so-called “in-vacuum”, in the case where a black hole is formed by gravitational collapse. We examine the relation between these two quantum states in the background spacetime of a Reissner-Nordstrom black hole (both extremal and not), highlighting the similarities and striking differences.
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Ferreiro, A., Monin, S., & Torrenti, F. (2024). Physical scale adiabatic regularization in cosmological spacetimes. Phys. Rev. D, 109(4), 045015–16pp.
Abstract: We develop a new regularization method for the stress -energy tensor and the two -point function of free quantum scalar fields propagating in cosmological spacetimes. We proceed by extending the adiabatic regularization scheme with the introduction of two additional mass scales. By setting them to the order of the physical scale of the studied scenario, we obtain ultraviolet -regularized quantities that do not distort the power spectra amplitude at the infrared scales amplified by the expansion of the Universe. This is not ensured by the standard adiabatic approach. We also show how our proposed subtraction terms can be interpreted as a renormalization of coupling constants in the Einstein equations. We finally illustrate our proposed regularization method in two scenarios of cosmological interest: de Sitter inflation and geometric reheating.
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Torres-Sanchez, P., Steiger, H. T. J., Mastinu, P., Wyss, J. L., Kayser, L., Silvestrin, L., et al. (2024). Fast neutron production at the LNL Tandem from the 7Li(14N,xn)X reaction. Eur. Phys. J. C, 84(4), 372–11pp.
Abstract: Fast neutron beams (E-n>1 MeV) are of relevance for many scientific and industrial applications. This paper explores fast neutron production using a TANDEM accelerator at the Legnaro National Laboratories, via an energetic ion beam (90 MeV N-14) onto a lithium target. The high energy models for nuclear collision of FLUKA foresee large neutron yields for reactions of this kind. The experiment aimed at validating the expected neutron yields from FLUKA simulations, using two separate and independent set-ups: one based on the multi-foil activation technique, and the other on the time of flight technique, by using liquid scintillator detectors. The results of the experiment show clear agreement of the measured spectra with the FLUKA simulations, both in the shape and the magnitude of the neutron flux at the mea-sured positions. The neutron spectrum is centered around the 8 MeV range with mild tails, and a maximum neutron energy spanning up to 50 MeV. These advantageous results provide a starting point in the development of fast neutron beams based on high energy ion beams from medium-sized accelerator facilities
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Jaimes Elles, S. J., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Rebollo De Miguel, M., et al. (2024). Curvature-bias corrections using a pseudomass method. J. Instrum., 19(3), P03010–22pp.
Abstract: Momentum measurements for very high momentum charged particles, such as muons from electroweak vector boson decays, are particularly susceptible to charge-dependent curvature biases that arise from misalignments of tracking detectors. Low momentum charged particles used in alignment procedures have limited sensitivity to coherent displacements of such detectors, and therefore are unable to fully constrain these misalignments to the precision necessary for studies of electroweak physics. Additional approaches are therefore required to understand and correct for these effects. In this paper the curvature biases present at the LHCb detector are studied using the pseudomass method in proton-proton collision data recorded at centre of mass energy root s = 13 TeV during 2016, 2017 and 2018. The biases are determined using Z -> mu(+)mu(-) decays in intervals defined by the data-taking period, magnet polarity and muon direction. Correcting for these biases, which are typically at the 10(-4) GeV-1 level, improves the Z -> mu(+)mu(-) mass resolution by roughly 18% and eliminates several pathological trends in the kinematic-dependence of the mean dimuon invariant mass.
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Delgado, R. L., Gomez-Ambrosio, R., Martinez-Martin, J., Salas-Bernardez, A., & Sanz-Cillero, J. J. (2024). Production of two, three, and four Higgs bosons: where SMEFT and HEFT depart. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 037–45pp.
Abstract: In this article we study the phenomenological implications of multiple Higgs boson production from longitudinal vector boson scattering in the context of effective field theories. We find compact representations for effective tree-level amplitudes with up to four final state Higgs bosons. Total cross sections are then computed for scenarios relevant at the LHC in which we find the general Higgs Effective Theory (HEFT) prediction avoids the heavy suppression observed in Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT).
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Aikot, A., Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Bouchhar, N., et al. (2024). Search for a CP-odd Higgs boson decaying into a heavy CP-even Higgs boson and a Z boson in the l+l-t(t)over-bar and ν(ν)over-barb(b)over-bar final states using 140 fb-1 of data collected with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 02(2), 197–56pp.
Abstract: A search for a heavy CP-odd Higgs boson, A, decaying into a Z boson and a heavy CP-even Higgs boson, H, is presented. It uses the full LHC Run 2 dataset of pp collisions at root s = 13TeV collected with the ATLAS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb(-1). The search for A -> ZH is performed in the l(+)l(-)t (t) over bar t and nu(nu) over barb (b) over bar final states and surpasses the reach of previous searches in different final states in the region with m(H) > 350 GeV and m(A) > 800 GeV. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is found. Upper limits are placed on the production cross-section times the decay branching ratios. Limits with less model dependence are also presented as functions of the reconstructed m(t (t) over bar) and m(b (b) over bar) distributions in the l(+)l(-)t (t) over bar and nu(nu) over barb (b) over bar channels, respectively. In addition, the results are interpreted in the context of two-Higgs-doublet models.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Aikot, A., Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Bouchhar, N., et al. (2024). Search for resonant production of dark quarks in the dijet final state with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 02(2), 128–35pp.
Abstract: This paper presents a search for a new Z' resonance decaying into a pair of dark quarks which hadronise into dark hadrons before promptly decaying back as Standard Model particles. This analysis is based on proton-proton collision data recorded at root s = 13TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1). After selecting events containing large-radius jets with high track multiplicity, the invariant mass distribution of the two highest-transverse-momentum jets is scanned to look for an excess above a data-driven estimate of the Standard Model multijet background. No significant excess of events is observed and the results are thus used to set 95% confidence-level upper limits on the production cross-section times branching ratio of the Z' to dark quarks as a function of the Z' mass for various dark-quark scenarios.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Aiello, S. et al), Alves Garre, S., Bariego-Quintana, A., Calvo, D., Carretero, V., Garcia Soto, A., et al. (2024). Searches for neutrino counterparts of gravitational waves from the LIGO/Virgo third observing run with KM3NeT. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 026–28pp.
Abstract: The KM3NeT neutrino telescope is currently being deployed at two different sites in the Mediterranean Sea. First searches for astrophysical neutrinos have been performed using data taken with the partial detector configuration already in operation. The paper presents the results of two independent searches for neutrinos from compact binary mergers detected during the third observing run of the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave interferometers. The first search looks for a global increase in the detector counting rates that could be associated with inverse beta decay events generated by MeV-scale electron anti -neutrinos. The second one focuses on upgoing track -like events mainly induced by muon (anti -)neutrinos in the GeV-TeV energy range. Both searches yield no significant excess for the sources in the gravitational wave catalogs. For each source, upper limits on the neutrino flux and on the total energy emitted in neutrinos in the respective energy ranges have been set. Stacking analyses of binary black hole mergers and neutron star -black hole mergers have also been performed to constrain the characteristic neutrino emission from these categories.
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NEXT Collaboration(Mistry, K. et al), Carcel, S., Lopez-March, N., Martin-Albo, J., Novella, P., Querol, M., et al. (2024). Design, characterization and installation of the NEXT-100 cathode and electroluminescence regions. J. Instrum., 19(2), P02007–36pp.
Abstract: NEXT -100 is currently being constructed at the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc in the Spanish Pyrenees and will search for neutrinoless double beta decay using a high-pressure gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) with 100 kg of xenon. Charge amplification is carried out via electroluminescence (EL) which is the process of accelerating electrons in a high electric field region causing secondary scintillation of the medium proportional to the initial charge. The NEXT -100 EL and cathode regions are made from tensioned hexagonal meshes of 1 m diameter. This paper describes the design, characterization, and installation of these parts for NEXT -100. Simulations of the electric field are performed to model the drift and amplification of ionization electrons produced in the detector under various EL region alignments and rotations. Measurements of the electrostatic breakdown voltage in air characterize performance under high voltage conditions and identify breakdown points. The electrostatic deflection of the mesh is quantified and fit to a first -pr inciples mechanical model. Measurements were performed with both a standalone test EL region and with the NEXT-100 EL region before its installation in the detector. Finally, we describe the parts as installed in NEXT-100, following their deployment in Summer 2023.
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