Ellis, J., Konoplich, R., Mavromatos, N. E., Nguyen, L., Sakharov, A. S., & Sarkisyan-Grinbaum, E. K. (2019). Robust constraint on Lorentz violation using Fermi-LAT gamma-ray burst data. Phys. Rev. D, 99(8), 083009–22pp.
Abstract: Models of quantum gravity suggest that the vacuum should be regarded as a medium with quantum structure that may have nontrivial effects on photon propagation, including the violation of Lorentz invariance. Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) observations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are sensitive probes of Lorentz invariance, via studies of energy-dependent timing shifts in their rapidly varying photon emissions. We analyze the Fermi-LAT measurements of high-energy gamma rays from GRBs with known redshifts, allowing for the possibility of energy-dependent variations in emission times at the sources as well as a possible nontrivial refractive index in vacuo for photons. We use statistical estimators based on the irregularity, kurtosis, and skewness of bursts that are relatively bright in the 100 MeV to multi-GeV energy band to constrain possible dispersion effects during propagation. We find that the energy scale characterizing a linear energy dependence of the refractive index should exceed a few x10(17) GeV, and we estimate the sensitivity attainable with additional future sources to be detected by Fermi-LAT.
|
ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Bailey, A. J., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo, F. L., et al. (2018). Search for chargino-neutralino production using recursive jigsaw reconstruction in final states with two or three charged leptons in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 98(9), 092012–42pp.
Abstract: A search for electroweak production of supersymmetric particles is performed in two-lepton and three-lepton final states using recursive jigsaw reconstruction, a technique that assigns reconstructed objects to the most probable hemispheres of the decay trees, allowing one to construct tailored kinematic variables to separate the signal and background. The search uses data collected in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS experiment in root s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). Chargino-neutralino pair production, with decays via W/Z bosons, is studied in final states involving leptons and jets and missing transverse momentum for scenarios with large and intermediate mass splittings between the parent particle and lightest supersymmetric particle, as well as for the scenario where this mass splitting is close to the mass of the Z boson. The latter case is challenging since the vector bosons are produced with kinematic properties that are similar to those in Standard Model processes. Results are found to be compatible with the Standard Model expectations in the signal regions targeting large and intermediate mass splittings, and chargino-neutralino masses up to 600 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for a massless lightest supersymmetric particle. Excesses of data above the expected background are found in the signal regions targeting low mass splittings, and the largest local excess amounts to 3.0 standard deviations.
|
Dong, P. V., Huong, D. T., Camargo, D. A., Queiroz, F. S., & Valle, J. W. F. (2019). Asymmetric dark matter, inflation, and leptogenesis from B-L symmetry breaking. Phys. Rev. D, 99(5), 055040–17pp.
Abstract: We propose a unified setup for dark matter, inflation, and baryon asymmetry generation through the neutrino mass seesaw mechanism. Our scenario emerges naturally from an extended gauge group containing B-L as a noncommutative symmetry, broken by a singlet scalar that also drives inflation. Its decays reheat the universe, producing the lightest right-handed neutrino. Automatic matter parity conservation leads to the stability of an asymmetric dark matter candidate, directly linked to the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe.
|
Alvarez-Castillo, D. E., Blaschke, D. B., Grunfeld, A. G., & Pagura, V. P. (2019). Third family of compact stars within a nonlocal chiral quark model equation of state. Phys. Rev. D, 99(6), 063010–19pp.
Abstract: A class of hybrid compact star equations of state is investigated that joins by a Maxwell construction a low-density phase of hadronic matter, modeled by a relativistic mean-field approach with excluded nucleon volume, with a high-density phase of color superconducting two-flavor quark matter, described within a nonlocal covariant chiral quark model. It is found that the occurrence of a stable branch of hybrid compact stars requires a nonvanishing vector meson coupling in the quark model that exceeds a minimal value which depends on the presence of a diquark condensate. It is shown that these hybrid stars do not form a third family disconnected from the second family of ordinary neutron stars unless additional (de) confining effects are introduced with a density-dependent bag pressure. A suitably chosen density dependence of the vector meson coupling assures that at the same time the 2M(circle dot) maximum mass constraint is fulfilled on the hybrid star branch. A twofold interpolation method is realized which implements both the density dependence of a confining bag pressure at the onset of the hadron-to-quark matter transition and the stiffening of quark matter at higher densities by a density-dependent vector meson coupling. For three parametrizations of this class of hybrid equation of state the properties of corresponding compact star sequences are presented, including mass twins of neutron and hybrid stars at 2.00, 1.39 and 1.20 M-circle dot, respectively, and the hybrid compact star (third) families. The sensitivity of the hybrid equation of state and the corresponding compact star sequences to variations of the interpolation parameters at the 10% level is investigated and it is found that the feature of third family solutions for compact stars is robust against such a variation. This advanced description of hybrid star matter allows us to interpret GW170817 as a merger not only of two neutron stars but also of a neutron star with a hybrid star or of two hybrid stars.
|
LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2016). Measurement of the mass and lifetime of the Omega(-)(b) baryon. Phys. Rev. D, 93(9), 092007–12pp.
Abstract: A proton-proton collision data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected by LHCb at root s = 7 and 8 TeV, is used to reconstruct 63 +/- 9 Omega(-)(b) -> Omega(0)(c)pi(-), Omega(0)(c) -> pK(-)K(-)pi(+) decays. Using the Xi(-)(b) ->Xi(0)(c)pi(-), Xi(0)(c) -> pK(-)K(-)pi(+) decay mode for calibration, the lifetime ratio and the absolute lifetime of the Omega(-)(b) baryon are measured to be tau(Omega b-)/tau(Xi b-) = 1.11 +/- 0.16 +/- 0.03, tau(Omega b-) = 1.78 +/- 0.26 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.06 ps, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic and from the calibration mode (for tau(Omega b-) only). A measurement is also made of the mass difference, m(Omega b-) – m(Xi b-), and the corresponding Omega(-)(b) mass, which yields m(Omega b-) – m(Xi b-) = 247.4 +/- 3.2 +/- 0.5 MeV/c(2), m(Omega b-) = 6045.1 +/- 3.2 +/- 0.5 +/- 0.6 MeV/c(2). These results are consistent with previous measurements.
|
ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2016). Measurements of W(+/-)Z production cross sections in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector and limits on anomalous gauge boson self-couplings. Phys. Rev. D, 93(9), 092004–36pp.
Abstract: This paper presents measurements of W(+/-)Z production in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The gauge bosons are reconstructed using their leptonic decay modes into electrons and muons. The data were collected in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1). The measured inclusive cross section in the detector fiducial region is sigma W(+/-)Z -> l'nu ll = 35.1 +/- 0.9(stat) +/- 0.8(sys) +/- 0.8(lumi) fb, for one leptonic decay channel. In comparison, the next-to-leading-order Standard Model expectation is 30.0 +/- 2.1 fb. Cross sections for W(+)Z and W(-)Z production and their ratio are presented as well as differential cross sections for several kinematic observables. Limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings are derived from the transverse mass spectrum of the W(+/-)Z system. From the analysis of events with a W and a Z boson associated with two or more forward jets an upper limit at 95% confidence level on the W(+/-)Z scattering cross section of 0.63 fb, for each leptonic decay channel, is established, while the Standard Model prediction at next-to-leading order is 0.13 +/- 0.01 fb. Limits on anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings are also extracted.
|
Lu, J. X., Wang, E., Xie, J. J., Geng, L. S., & Oset, E. (2016). Lambda(b) -> J/psi K-0 Lambda reaction and a hidden-charm pentaquark state with strangeness. Phys. Rev. D, 93(9), 094009–11pp.
Abstract: We study the Lambda(b) -> J/psi K-0 Lambda reaction considering both the K-0 Lambda interaction with its coupled channels and the J/psi Lambda interaction. The latter is described by taking into account the fact that there are predictions for a hidden-charm state with strangeness that couples to J/psi Lambda By using the coupling of the resonance to J/psi Lambda from these predictions, we show that a neat peak can be observed in the J/psi Lambda invariant mass distribution, rather stable under changes of unknown magnitudes. In some cases, one finds a dip structure associated to that state, but a signal of the state shows up in the J/psi Lambda spectrum.
|
Fabbri, A., Balbinot, R., & Anderson, P. R. (2016). Scattering coefficients and gray-body factor for 1D BEC acoustic black holes: Exact results. Phys. Rev. D, 93(6), 064046–6pp.
Abstract: A complete set of exact analytic solutions to the mode equation is found in the region exterior to the acoustic horizon for a class of 1D Bose-Einstein condensate acoustic black holes. From these, analytic expressions for the scattering coefficients and gray-body factor are obtained. The results are used to verify previous predictions regarding the behaviors of the scattering coefficients and gray-body factor in the low-frequency limit.
|
Han, X. F., & Wang, L. (2016). Implication of the 750 GeV diphoton resonance on two-Higgs-doublet model and its extensions with Higgs field. Phys. Rev. D, 93(5), 055027–9pp.
Abstract: We examine the implication of the 750 GeV diphoton resonance on the two-Higgs-doublet model by imposing various theoretical and experimental constraints. The production rate of the two-Higgs-doublet model is smaller than the cross section observed at the LHC by 2 orders of magnitude. In order to accommodate the 750 GeV diphoton resonance, we extend the two-Higgs-doublet model by introducing additional Higgs fields, and focus on two different extensions: an inert complex Higgs triplet and a real scalar septuplet. As the 125 GeV Higgs is in agreement with the observed data, the production rate for the 750 GeV diphoton resonance can be enhanced to 0.6 fb for the former and 4.5 fb for the latter. The results of the latter are well consistent with the 750 GeV diphoton excess at the LHC.
|
Bai, Y., Lu, R., Lu, S. D., Salvado, J., & Stefanek, B. A. (2016). Three twin neutrinos: Evidence from LSND and MiniBooNE. Phys. Rev. D, 93(7), 073004–11pp.
Abstract: We construct a neutrino model of three twin neutrinos in light of the neutrino appearance excesses at LSND and MiniBooNE. The model, which includes a twin parity, naturally predicts identical lepton Yukawa structures in the Standard Model and the twin sectors. As a result, a universal mixing angle controls all three twin neutrino couplings to the Standard Model charged leptons. This mixing angle is predicted to be the ratio of the electroweak scale over the composite scale of the Higgs boson and has the right order of magnitude to fit the data. The heavy twin neutrinos decay within the experimental lengths into active neutrinos plus a long-lived Majoron and can provide a good fit, at around the 4 sigma confidence level, to the LSND and MiniBooNE appearance data while simultaneously satisfying the disappearance constraints. For the Majorana neutrino case, the fact that neutrinos have a larger scattering cross section than antineutrinos provides a natural explanation to MiniBooNE's observation of a larger antineutrino appearance excess.
|