Abstract: The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider aims to collect an unprecedented data set of 50 ab-1 to study CP-violation in the B-meson system and to search for Physics beyond the Standard Model. SuperKEKB is already the world's highest-luminosity collider. In order to collect the planned data set within approximately one decade, the target is to reach a peak luminosity of 6 x 1035 cm-2 s-1by further increasing the beam currents and reducing the beam size at the interaction point by squeezing the betatron function down to betay* = 0.3 mm. To ensure detector longevity and maintain good reconstruction performance, beam backgrounds must remain well controlled. We report on current background rates in Belle II and compare these against simulation. We find that a number of recent refinements have significantly improved the background simulation accuracy. Finally, we estimate the safety margins going forward. We predict that backgrounds should remain high but acceptable until a luminosity of at least 2.8 x 1035 cm-2 s-1is reached for betay* = 0.6 mm. At this point, the most vulnerable Belle II detectors, the Time-of-Propagation (TOP) particle identification system and the Central Drift Chamber (CDC), have predicted background hit rates from single-beam and luminosity backgrounds that add up to approximately half of the maximum acceptable rates.

Abstract: Using an effective field theory approach, we study coherent neutrino scattering on nuclei, in the setup pertinent to the COHERENT experiment. We include non-standard effects both in neutrino production and detection, with an arbitrary flavor structure, with all leading Wilson coefficients simultaneously present, and without assuming factorization in flux times cross section. A concise description of the COHERENT event rate is obtained by introducing three generalized weak charges, which can be associated (in a certain sense) to the production and scattering of nu(e), nu(mu) and (nu) over bar (mu) on the nuclear target. Our results are presented in a convenient form that can be trivially applied to specific New Physics scenarios. In particular, we find that existing COHERENT measurements provide percent level constraints on two combinations of Wilson coefficients. These constraints have a visible impact on the global SMEFT fit, even in the constrained flavor-blind setup. The improvement, which affects certain 4-fermion LLQQ operators, is significantly more important in a flavor-general SMEFT. Our work shows that COHERENT data should be included in electroweak precision studies from now on.

Abstract: The production cross-sections of Υ mesons, namely Υ(1S), Υ(2S) and Υ(3S), in pp collisions at root s = 5TeV are measured with a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.13 +/- 0.18 pb(-1) collected by the LHCb detector. The Υ mesons are reconstructed in the decay mode Υ -> mu(+)mu(-). Double differential cross-sections times branching fractions, as functions of the transverse momentum p(T) and the rapidity y of the Υ mesons, are measured in the range pT < 20 GeV/ c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. The results integrated over these pT and y ranges are sigma((sic)(1S)) x B((sic)(1S) -> mu(+) mu(-)) = 2101 +/- 33 +/- 83 pb, sigma((sic)(2S)) x B((sic)(2S) -> mu(+) mu(-)) = 526 +/- 20 +/- 21 pb, sigma((sic)(3S)) x B((sic)(3S) -> mu(+) mu(-)) = 242 +/- 16 +/- 10 pb, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The ratios of cross-sections between measurements of two different (sic) states and between measurements at different centre-of-mass energies are determined. The nuclear modification factor of (sic)(1S) at root s = 5TeV is updated as well using the directly measured cross-section results from this analysis.

Abstract: Interactions of cosmic ray protons, atomic nuclei, and electrons in the interstellar medium in the inner part of the Milky Way produce gamma-ray flux from the Galactic Ridge. If the gamma-ray emission is dominated by proton and nuclei interactions, a neutrino flux comparable to the gamma-ray flux is expected from the same sky region. Data collected by the ANTARES neutrino telescope are used to constrain the neutrino flux from the Galactic Ridge in the 1-100 TeV energy range. Neutrino events reconstructed both as tracks and showers are considered in the analysis and the selection is optimized for the search of an excess in the region |l| < 30 degrees, |b| < 2 degrees. The expected background in the search region is estimated using an off-zone region with similar sky coverage. Neutrino signal originating from a power-law spectrum with spectral index ranging from Gamma nu = 1to 4is simulated in both channels. The observed energy distributions are fitted to constrain the neutrino emission from the Ridge. The energy distributions in the signal region are inconsistent with the background expectation at similar to 96% confidence level. The mild excess over the background is consistent with a neutrino flux with a power law with a spectral index 2.45(-0.34)(+0.22) and a flux normalization dN nu/dE nu= 4.0(-2.0)(+2.7) x 10(-16) GeV-1 cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) at 40 TeV reference energy. Such flux is consistent with the expected neutrino signal if the bulk of the observed gamma-ray flux from the Galactic Ridge originates from interactions of cosmic ray protons and nuclei with a power-law spectrum extending well into the PeV energy range.

Abstract: A search for the rare decays W+ -> D-s(+)gamma and Z -> D-0 gamma and is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0fb(-1). No significant signal is observed for either decay mode and upper limits on their branching fractions are set using W+ -> mu(+)nu and Z ->mu(+)mu(-)decays as normalization channels. The upper limits are and at 95% confidence level for W+ -> D-s(+)gamma and Z -> D-0 gamma the and decay modes, respectively. This is the first reported search for Z -> D-0 gamma the decay, while the upper limit on the Z -> D-0 gamma branching fraction improves upon the previous best limit.