Status of the Design of an Annihilation Detector to Observe Neutron-Antineutron Conversions at the European Spallation Source

The goal of the HIBEAM/NNBAR program is to search for baryon number violation via the conversion or oscillation of neutrons into sterile neutrons and/or antineutrons at the European Spallation Source. A key experimental component of the program is the construction of an annihilation detector to directly observe the production of an antineutron following the oscillation. Design studies for the annihilation detector are presented. The predicted response of the detector models are studied using Geant4 simulations made with Monte Carlo simulations of the annihilation signal topology and cosmic ray backgrounds. Particle identification and sensitive discriminating observables, such as invariant mass and sphericity, are shown.

Search for the doubly charmed baryon $$ {\varXi}_{cc}^{+} $$ in the $$ {\varXi}_c^{+}{\pi}^{-}{\pi}^{+} $$ final state

A search for the doubly charmed baryon $$ {\varXi}_{cc}^{+} $$ Ξ cc + is performed in the $$ {\varXi}_c^{+}{\pi}^{-}{\pi}^{+} $$ Ξ c + π − π + invariant-mass spectrum, where the $$ {\varXi}_c^{+} $$ Ξ c + baryon is reconstructed in the pK−π+ final state. The study uses proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector at a centre- of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb−1. No significant signal is observed in the invariant-mass range of 3.4–3.8 GeV/c2. Upper limits are set on the ratio of branching fractions multiplied by the production cross-section with respect to the $$ {\varXi}_{cc}^{++} $$ Ξ cc + + → ($$ {\varXi}_c^{+} $$ Ξ c + → pK−π+)π+ decay for different $$ {\varXi}_{cc}^{+} $$ Ξ cc + mass and lifetime hypotheses in the rapidity range from 2.0 to 4.5 and the transverse momentum range from 2.5 to 25 GeV/c. The results from this search are combined with a previously published search for the $$ {\varXi}_{cc}^{+} $$ Ξ cc + →$$ {\varLambda}_c^{+} $$ Λ c + K−π+ decay mode, yielding a maximum local significance of 4.0 standard deviations around the mass of 3620 MeV/c2, including systematic uncertainties. Taking into account the look-elsewhere effect in the 3.5–3.7 GeV/c2 mass window, the combined global significance is 2.9 standard deviations including systematic uncertainties.

Angular analysis of the rare decay $$ {B}_s^0 $$ → ϕμ+μ−

An angular analysis of the rare decay $$ {B}_s^0 $$ B s 0 → ϕμ+μ− is presented, using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.4 fb−1. The observables describing the angular distributions of the decay $$ {B}_s^0 $$ B s 0 → ϕμ+μ− are determined in regions of q2, the square of the dimuon invariant mass. The results are consistent with Standard Model predictions.

Study the $$B^{0}_{(s)}$$ decays into $$\phi $$ and a scalar or vector meson

In the present work, we investigate the decays of $$B^{0}_{(s)} \rightarrow \phi \pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}$$ B ( s ) 0 → ϕ π + π - with the final state interaction based on the chiral unitary approach. In the final state interaction of the $$\pi ^+\pi ^-$$ π + π - with its coupled channels, we study the effects of the $$\eta \eta $$ η η channel in the two-body interaction for the reproduction of the $$f_{0}(980)$$ f 0 ( 980 ) state, where its contribution to the $$f_{0}(980)$$ f 0 ( 980 ) state can be ignored. Our results for the $$\pi ^+\pi ^-$$ π + π - invariant mass distributions of the decay $$B^{0}_{s} \rightarrow \phi \pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}$$ B s 0 → ϕ π + π - describe the experimental data up to 1 GeV well, with the resonance contributions from the $$f_{0}(980)$$ f 0 ( 980 ) and $$\rho $$ ρ . For the predicted invariant mass distributions of the $$B^{0} \rightarrow \phi \pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}$$ B 0 → ϕ π + π - decay, we find that the contributions from the $$f_{0}(500)$$ f 0 ( 500 ) are significant, but not from the $$f_{0}(980)$$ f 0 ( 980 ) state. With some experimental branching ratios to determine the production vertex factors, we make predictions for the branching ratios of the other decay channels, including the vector mesons, in the $$B^0_{(s)}$$ B ( s ) 0 decays, some of which are consistent with the experimental measurements within the uncertainties.

Framing energetic top-quark pair production at the LHC

Top-quark pair production is central to many facets of LHC physics. At leading order, the top and anti-top are produced in a back-to-back topology, however this topology accounts only for a minority of the events with TeV-scale momentum transfer that contain a $$ t\overline{t} $$ t t ¯ pair. The remaining events instead involve the splitting of an initial or final-state gluon to $$ t\overline{t} $$ t t ¯ . We provide simple quantitative arguments that explain why this is the case, and examine the interplay between different topologies and a range of variables that characterise the event hardness. We then develop a method to classify the topologies of individual events and use it to illustrate our findings in the context of simulated events, using both top partons and suitably defined fiducial tops. For events with large $$ t\overline{t} $$ t t ¯ invariant mass, we comment on additional features that have important experimental and theoretical implications.

Measurements of differential cross-sections in four-lepton events in 13 TeV proton-proton collisions with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of four-lepton differential and integrated fiducial cross-sections in events with two same-flavour, opposite-charge electron or muon pairs are presented. The data correspond to 139 fb−1 of $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions, collected by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider (2015–2018). The final state has contributions from a number of interesting Standard Model processes that dominate in different four-lepton invariant mass regions, including single Z boson production, Higgs boson production and on-shell ZZ production, with a complex mix of interference terms, and possible contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model. The differential cross-sections include the four-lepton invariant mass inclusively, in slices of other kinematic variables, and in different lepton flavour categories. Also measured are dilepton invariant masses, transverse momenta, and angular correlation variables, in four regions of four-lepton invariant mass, each dominated by different processes. The measurements are corrected for detector effects and are compared with state-of-the-art Standard Model calculations, which are found to be consistent with the data. The Z → 4ℓ branching fraction is extracted, giving a value of (4.41 ± 0.30) × 10−6. Constraints on effective field theory parameters and a model based on a spontaneously broken B − L gauge symmetry are also evaluated. Further reinterpretations can be performed with the provided information.