Abstract: The most recent measurements of the temperature and low-multipole polarization anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background from the Planck satellite, when combined with galaxy clustering data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey in the form of the full shape of the power spectrum, and with baryon acoustic oscillation measurements, provide a 95% confidence level (C.L.) upper bound on the sum of the three active neutrinos Sigma m(nu) < 0.183 eV, among the tightest neutrino mass bounds in the literature, to date, when the same data sets are taken into account. This very same data combination is able to set, at similar to 70% C.L., an upper limit on Sigma m(nu) of 0.0968 eV, a value that approximately corresponds to the minimal mass expected in the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy scenario. If high-multipole polarization data from Planck is also considered, the 95% C.L. upper bound is tightened to Sigma m(nu) < 0.176 eV. Further improvements are obtained by considering recent measurements of the Hubble parameter. These limits are obtained assuming a specific nondegenerate neutrino mass spectrum; they slightly worsen when considering other degenerate neutrino mass schemes. Low-redshift quantities, such as the Hubble constant or the reionization optical depth, play a very important role when setting the neutrino mass constraints. We also comment on the eventual shifts in the cosmological bounds on Sigma m(nu) when possible variations in the former two quantities are addressed.

Abstract: The magnetic susceptibility of the QCD vacuum is analyzed in the framework of a nonlocal SU(3) Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. Considering two different model parametrizations, we estimate the values of the u-and s-quark tensor coefficients and magnetic susceptibilities and then we extend the analysis to finite temperature systems. Our numerical results are compared to those obtained in other theoretical approaches and in lattice QCD calculations.

Abstract: We present a comprehensive study of the determination of the strong coupling from tau decay, using the most recent release of the experimental ALEPH data. We critically review all theoretical strategies used in previous works and put forward various novel approaches which allow one to study complementary aspects of the problem. We investigate the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods, trying to uncover their potential hidden weaknesses and test the stability of the obtained results under slight variations of the assumed inputs. We perform several determinations, using different methodologies, and find a very consistent set of results. All determinations are in excellent agreement, and allow us to extract a very reliable value for alpha(s)(m(tau)(2)). The main uncertainty originates in the pure perturbative error from unknown higher orders. Taking into account the systematic differences between the results obtained with the contour-improved perturbation theory and fixed-order perturbation theory prescriptions, we find alpha((nf=3))(s) (m(tau)(2)) = 0.328 +/- 0.013 which implies alpha((nf=5))(s) (M-Z(2)) = 0.1197 +/- 0.0015.

Abstract: A search for supersymmetry involving the pair production of gluinos decaying via third-generation squarks to the lightest neutralino (chi) over tilde (0)(1) is reported. It uses an LHC proton-proton data set at a center-of-mass energy root s = 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015. The signal is searched for in events containing several energetic jets, of which at least three must be identified as b jets, large missing transverse momentum, and, potentially, isolated electrons or muons. Large-radius jets with a high mass are also used to identify highly boosted top quarks. No excess is found above the predicted background. For (chi) over tilde (0)(1) masses below approximately 700 GeV, gluino masses of less than 1.78 TeVand 1.76 TeV are excluded at the 95% C. L. in simplified models of the pair production of gluinos decaying via sbottom and stop, respectively. These results significantly extend the exclusion limits obtained with the root s = 8 TeV data set.

Abstract: The results of a search for the top squark, the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, in final states with one isolated electron or muon, jets, and missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses the 2015 LHC pp collision data at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1). The analysis targets two types of signal models: gluino-mediated pair production of top squarks with a nearly mass-degenerate top squark and neutralino and direct pair production of top squarks, decaying to the top quark and the lightest neutralino. The experimental signature in both signal scenarios is similar to that of a top quark pair produced in association with large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits on gluino and top squark masses are set at 95% confidence level. The results extend the LHC run-1 exclusion limit on the gluino mass up to 1460 GeV in the gluino-mediated scenario in the high gluino and low top squark mass region and add an excluded top squark mass region from 745 to 780 GeV for the direct top squark model with a massless lightest neutralino. The results are also reinterpreted to set exclusion limits in a model of vectorlike top quarks.