Abstract: We discuss non-minimal quadratic inflation in supersymmetric (SUSY) and non-SUSY models which entails a linear coupling of the inflaton to gravity. Imposing a lower bound on the parameter c(R), involved in the coupling between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar curvature, inflation can be attained even for subplanckian values of the inflaton while the corresponding effective theory respects the perturbative unitarity up to the Planck scale. Working in the non-SUSY context we also consider radiative corrections to the inflationary potential due to a possible coupling of the inflaton to bosons or fermions. We find ranges of the parameters, depending mildly on the renormalization scale, with adjustable values of the spectral index n(s), tensor-to-scalar ratio r similar or equal to (2 – 4) . 10(-3), and an inflaton mass close to 3 . 10 (13) GeV. In the SUSY framework we employ two gauge singlet chiral superfields, a logarithmic Kahler potential including all the allowed terms up to fourth order in powers of the various fields, and determine uniquely the superpotential by applying a continuous R and a global U(1) symmetry. When the Kahler manifold exhibits a no-scale-type symmetry, the model predicts n(s) similar or equal to 0.963 and r similar or equal to 0.004. Beyond no-scale SUGRA, n(s) and r depend crucially on the coefficient involved in the fourth order term, which mixes the inflaton with the accompanying non-inflaton field in the Kahler potential, and the prefactor encountered in it. Increasing slightly the latter above (-3), an efficient enhancement of the resulting r can be achieved putting it in the observable range. The inflaton mass in the last case is confined in the range (5 – 9) . 10(13) GeV.

Abstract: Production cross-sections of prompt charm mesons are measured with the first data from pp collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.98 +/- 0.19 pb(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment. The production cross-sections of D-0, D+, D (s) (+) , and D*+ mesons are measured in bins of charm meson transverse momentum, p(T), and rapidity, y, and cover the range 0 < p(T) < 15GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. The inclusive cross-sections for the four mesons, including charge conjugation, within the range of 1 < p(T) < 8 GeV/c are found to be sigma(pp -> D-0 X) = 2460 +/- 3 +/- 130 μb sigma(pp -> D+ X) = 1000 +/- 3 +/- 110 μb sigma(pp -> Ds+X) = 460 +/- 13 +/- 100 μb sigma(pp -> D*+ X) = 880 +/- 5 +/- 140 μb where the uncertainties are due to statistical and systematic uncertainties, respectively.

Abstract: We present an update of the determination of the solar neutrino fluxes from a global analysis of the solar and terrestrial neutrino data in the framework of three-neutrino mixing. Using a Bayesian analysis we reconstruct the posterior probability distribution function for the eight normalization parameters of the solar neutrino fluxes plus the relevant masses and mixing, with and without imposing the luminosity constraint. We then use these results to compare the description provided by different Standard Solar Models. Our results show that, at present, both models with low and high metallicity can describe the data with equivalent statistical agreement. We also argue that even with the present experimental precision the solar neutrino data have the potential to improve the accuracy of the solar model predictions.

Abstract: We investigate lepton flavour violation in a class of minimal left-right symmetric models where the left-right symmetry is broken by triplet scalars. In this context we present a method to consistently calculate the triplet-Yukawa couplings which takes into account the experimental data while simultaneously respecting the underlying symmetries. Analysing various scenarios, we then calculate the full set of tree-level and one-loop contributions to all radiative and three-body flavour-violating fully leptonic decays as well as well as μ- e conversion in nuclei. Our method illustrates how these processes depend on the underlying parameters of the theory. To that end we observe that, for many choices of the model parameters, there is a strong complementarity between the different observables. For instance, in a large part of the parameter space, lepton flavour violating T-decays have a large enough branching ratio to be measured in upcoming experiments. Our results further show that experiments coming online in the immediate future, like Mu3e and BELLE II, or longer-term, such as PRISM/PRIME, will probe significant portions of the currently allowed parameter space.

Abstract: A flavour-tagged decay-time-dependent amplitude analysis of B-s(0) -> (K+pi(-))(K-pi(+)) decays is presented in the K-+/-pi(-/+) mass range from 750 to 1600 MeV/c(2). The analysis uses pp collision data collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1). Several quasi-two-body decay modes are considered, corresponding to K-+/-pi(-/+) combinations with spin 0, 1 and 2, which are dominated by the K-0(*)(800)(0) and K-0(*)(1430)(0), the K*(892)(0) and the K-2(*)(1430)(0) resonances, respectively. The longitudinal polarisation fraction for the B-s(0) -> K-*(892)(0) (K*) over bar (892)(0) decay is measured as f(L) = 0.208 +/- 0.032 +/- 0.046, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The first measurement of the mixing-induced CP-violating phase in phi(d (d) over bar)(s), in b -> d (s) over bars transitions is performed, yielding a value of phi(d (d) over bar)(s)= -0.10 +/- 0.13 (stat) +/- 0.14 (syst) rad.