Abstract: A considerable experimental effort is currently under way to test the persistent hints for oscillations due to an eV-scale sterile neutrino in the data of various reactor neutrino experiments. The assessment of the statistical significance of these hints is usually based on Wilks' theorem, whereby the assumption is made that the log-likelihood is chi 2-distributed. However, it is well known that the preconditions for the validity of Wilks' theorem are not fulfilled for neutrino oscillation experiments. In this work we derive a simple asymptotic form of the actual distribution of the log-likelihood based on reinterpreting the problem as fitting white Gaussian noise. From this formalism we show that, even in the absence of a sterile neutrino, the expectation value for the maximum likelihood estimate of the mixing angle remains non-zero with attendant large values of the log-likelihood. Our analytical results are then confirmed by numerical simulations of a toy reactor experiment. Finally, we apply this framework to the data of the Neutrino-4 experiment and show that the null hypothesis of no-oscillation is rejected at the 2.6 sigma level, compared to 3.2 sigma obtained under the assumption that Wilks' theorem applies.

Abstract: Using a proton-proton collision data sample collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.5 fb(-1), the observation of a new excited Xi(0)(b) resonance decaying to the Xi(-)(b)pi(+) final state is presented. The state, referred to as Xi(b) (6227)(0), has a measured mass and natural width of m(Xi(b)(6227)(0)) = 6227.1(-1.5)(+1.4) +/- 0.5 MeV and Gamma(Xi(b)(6227)(0)) = 18.6(-4.1)(+5.0) +/- 1.4 MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic. The production rate of the Xi(b)(6227)(0) state relative to that of the Xi(-)(b) baryon in the kinematic region 2 < eta < 5 and p(T) < 30 GeV is measured to be f(Xi b(6227)0)/f(Xi b)(-) B(Xi(b)(6227)(0) -> Xi(-)(b)pi(+)) = 0.045 +/- 0.008 +/- 0.004, where B(Xi(b)(6227)(0) -> Xi(-)(b)pi(+)) is the branching fraction of the decay, and f(Xi b(6227)0) and f(Xi b-) represent fragmentation fractions. Improved measurements of the mass and natural width of the previously observedf Xi(b)(6227)(-) state, along with the mass of the Xi(-)(b) baryon, are also reported. Both measurements are significantly more precise than, and consistent with, previously reported values.

Abstract: Within the Standard Model Effective Field Theory framework, with operators up to dimension 6, we perform a model-independent analysis of the lepton-flavour-violating processes involving tau leptons. Namely, we study hadronic tau decays and l-tau conversion in nuclei, with l = e, mu. Based on available experimental limits, we establish constraints on the Wilson coefficients of the operators contributing to these processes. Our work paves the way to extract the related information from Belle II and foreseen future experiments.

Abstract: We study the predictions for CP phases and absolute neutrino mass scale for broad classes of models with a U(2)-like flavor symmetry. For this purpose we consider the same special textures in neutrino and charged lepton mass matrices that are successful in the quark sector. While in the neutrino sector the U(2) structure enforces two texture zeros, the contribution of the charged lepton sector to the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata (PMNS) matrix can be parametrized by two rotation angles. Restricting to the cases where at least one of these angles is small, we obtain three representative scenarios. In all scenarios we obtain a narrow prediction for the sum of neutrino masses in the range of 60-75 meV, possibly in the reach of upcoming galaxy survey experiments. All scenarios can be excluded if near-future experimental date provide evidence for either neutrinoless double-beta decay or inverted neutrino mass ordering.

Abstract: The integrated fiducial cross-section and unfolded differential jet mass spectrum of high transverse momentum Z -> b (b) over bar decays are measured in Z gamma events in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The data analysed were collected between 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). Photons are required to have a transverse momentum p(T) > 175 GeV. The Z -> b (b) over bar decay is reconstructed using a jet with p(T) > 200 GeV, found with the anti-k(t) R = 1.0 jet algorithm, and groomed to remove soft and wide-angle radiation and to mitigate contributions from the underlying event and additional proton-proton collisions. Two different but related measurements are performed using two jet grooming definitions for reconstructing the Z -> b (b) over bar decay: trimming and soft drop. These algorithms differ in their experimental and phenomenological implications regarding jet mass reconstruction and theoretical precision. To identify Zbosons, b-tagged R = 0.2 track-jets matched to the groomed large-R calorimeter jet are used as a proxy for the b-quarks. The signal yield is determined from fits of the data-driven background templates to the different jet mass distributions for the two grooming methods. Integrated fiducial cross-sections and unfolded jet mass spectra for each grooming method are compared with leading-order theoretical predictions. The results are found to be in good agreement with Standard Model expectations within the current statistical and systematic uncertainties.