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At least 325 records · Page 18

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DOE OSTI2024

Search for the leptonic decays D * + → e + ν e and D * + → μ + ν μ

We present the first search for the leptonic decays D * + → e + ν e and D * + → μ + ν μ by analyzing a data sample of electron-positron collisions recorded with the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies between 4.178 and 4.226 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.32 fb − 1 . No significant signal is observed. The upper limits on the branching fractions for D * + → e + ν e and D * + → μ + ν μ are set to be 1.1 × 10 − 5 and 4.3 × 10 − 6 at 90% confidence level, respectively. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

DOE OSTI2024

TeV-scale lepton number violation: Connecting leptogenesis, neutrinoless double beta decay, and colliders

In the context of TeV-scale lepton number violating (LNV) interactions, we illustrate the interplay between leptogenesis, neutrinoless double beta ( 0 ν β β ) decay, and LNV searches at proton-proton colliders. Using a concrete model for illustration, we overcome the limitations of previous effective field theory analyses and are able to identify the parameter space where standard thermal leptogenesis is rendered unviable due to washout processes. Moreover, we show how 0 ν β β decay and p p collisions provide complementary probes. We find that the new particle spectrum can have a decisive impact on the relative sensitivity of these two probes. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for pair-produced vectorlike quarks coupling to light quarks in the lepton plus jets final state using 13 TeV p p collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for the pair production of heavy vectorlike quarks (VLQs) that each decay into a W boson and a light quark. This study focuses on events where one W boson decays into leptons and the other into hadrons. The search analyzed 140 fb -1 of pp collision data with $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, recorded by the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018 during run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. The final state is characterized by a high-transverse-momentum isolated electron or muon, large missing transverse momentum, multiple small-radius jets, and a single large-radius jet identified as originating from the hadronic decay of a boosted W boson. With higher center-of-mass energy and integrated luminosity than in the run 1 search, and improved analysis tools, this analysis excludes VLQs (Q) with masses below 1530 GeV at 95% confidence level for the branching ratio $\mathscr{B}$⁡(Q →W⁢q) =1, an improvement of 840 GeV on the previous ATLAS limit.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Test of lepton flavor universality with a measurement of R ( D * ) using hadronic B tagging at the Belle II experiment

The ratio of branching fractions R ( D * ) = B ( B ¯ → D * τ − ν ¯ τ ) / B ( B ¯ → D * ℓ − ν ¯ ℓ ) , where ℓ is an electron or muon, is measured using a Belle II data sample with an integrated luminosity of 189 fb − 1 at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy e + e − collider. Data is collected at the ϒ ( 4 S ) resonance, and one B meson in the ϒ ( 4 S ) → B B ¯ decay is fully reconstructed in hadronic decay modes. The accompanying signal B meson is reconstructed as B ¯ → D * τ − ν ¯ τ using leptonic τ decays. The normalization decay, B ¯ → D * ℓ − ν ¯ ℓ , produces the same observable final-state particles. The ratio of branching fractions is extracted in a simultaneous fit to two signal-discriminating variables in both channels and yields R ( D * ) = 0.262 − 0.039 + 0.041 ( stat ) − 0.032 + 0.035 ( syst ) . This result is consistent with the current world average and with Standard Model predictions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Adachi, I. (ORCID:0000000322870173)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Searching for heavy neutral leptons at a future muon collider

As the planning stages for a high energy muon collider enter a more concrete era, an important question arises as to what new physics could be uncovered. A TeV-scale muon collider is also a vector boson fusion (VBF) factory with a very clean background, and as such it is a promising environment to look for new physics that couples to the electroweak (EW) sector. In this paper, we explore the ability of a future TeV-scale muon collider to search for Majorana and Dirac heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) produced via EW bosons. Employing a model-independent, conservative approach, we present an estimation of the production and decay rate of HNLs over a mass range between 200 GeV and 9.5 TeV in two benchmark collider proposals with s = 3 , 10 TeV, as well as an estimation of the dominant Standard Model (SM) background. We find that exclusion limits for the mixing between the HNLs and SM neutrinos can be as low as O ( 10 − 6 ) . Additionally, we demonstrate that a TeV-scale muon collider allows for the ability to discriminate between Majorana and Dirac type HNLs for a large range of mixing values. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Kwok, Tsz Hong↗

DOE OSTI2024

Lepton-flavor-violating ALP signals with TeV-scale muon beams

We explore the feasibility of using TeV-energy muons to probe lepton-flavor-violating (LFV) processes mediated by an axion-like particle (ALP) a with mass O(10 GeV). We focus on µτ LFV interactions and assume that the ALP is coupled to a dark state χ, which can be either less or more massive than a. Such a setup is demonstrated to be consistent with χ being a candidate for dark matter, in the experimentally relevant regime of parameters. We consider the currently operating NA64-µ experiment and proposed FASERν2 detector as both the target and the detector for the process µA → τA a, where A is the target nucleus. We also show that a possible future active muon fixed-target experiment operating at a 3 TeV muon collider or in its preparatory phase can provide an impressive reach for the LFV process considered, with future FASERν2 data providing a pilot study towards that goal. The implications of the muon anomalous magnetic moment (g - 2) µ measurements for the underlying model, in case of a positive signal, are also examined, and a sample UV completion is outlined.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for the baryon number and lepton number violating decays τ − → Λ π − and τ − → Λ ¯ π − at Belle II

We present a search for the baryon number B and lepton number L violating decays τ − → Λ π − and τ − → Λ ¯ π − produced from the e + e − → τ + τ − process, using a 364 fb − 1 data sample collected by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider. No evidence of signal is found in either decay mode, which have | Δ ( B − L ) | equal to 2 and 0, respectively. Upper limits at 90% credibility level on the branching fractions of τ − → Λ π − and τ − → Λ ¯ π − are determined to be 4.7 × 10 − 8 and 4.3 × 10 − 8 , respectively. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Adachi, I. (ORCID:0000000322870173)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for Heavy Neutral Leptons in Electron-Positron and Neutral-Pion Final States with the MicroBooNE Detector

We present the first search for heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) decaying into ν e + e − or ν π 0 final states in a liquid-argon time projection chamber using data collected with the MicroBooNE detector. The data were recorded synchronously with the NuMI neutrino beam from Fermilab’s main injector corresponding to a total exposure of 7.01 × 10 20 protons on target. We set upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the mixing parameter | U μ 4 | 2 in the mass ranges 10 ≤ m HNL ≤ 150 MeV for the ν e + e − channel and 150 ≤ m HNL ≤ 245 MeV for the ν π 0 channel, assuming | U e 4 | 2 = | U τ 4 | 2 = 0 . These limits represent the most stringent constraints in the mass range 35 < m HNL < 175 MeV and the first constraints from a direct search for ν π 0 decays. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2024

Observation of D s + → η ′ μ + ν μ , Precision Test of Lepton Flavor Universality with D s + → η ( ′ ) l + ν l , and First Measurements of D s + → η ( ′ ) μ + ν μ Decay Dynamics

By analyzing 7.33 fb − 1 of e + e − annihilation data collected at center-of-mass energies between 4.128 and 4.226 GeV with the BESIII detector, we report the observation of the semileptonic decay D s + → η ′ μ + ν μ , with a statistical significance larger than 10 σ , and the measurements of the D s + → η μ + ν μ and D s + → η ′ μ + ν μ decay dynamics for the first time. The branching fractions of D s + → η μ + ν μ and D s + → η ′ μ + ν μ are determined to be ( 2.235 ± 0.05 1 stat ± 0.05 2 syst ) % and ( 0.801 ± 0.05 5 stat ± 0.02 8 syst ) % , respectively, with precision improved by factors of 6.0 and 6.6 compared to the previous best measurements. Combined with the results for the decays D s + → η e + ν e and D s + → η ′ e + ν e , the ratios of the decay widths are examined both inclusively and in several ℓ + ν ℓ four-momentum transfer ranges. No evidence for lepton flavor universality violation is found within the current statistics. The products of the hadronic form factors f + , 0 η ( ′ ) ( 0 ) and the c → s Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element | V c s | are determined. The results based on the two-parameter series expansion are f + , 0 η ( 0 ) | V c s | = 0.452 ± 0.01 0 stat ± 0.00 7 syst and f + , 0 η ′ ( 0 ) | V c s | = 0.504 ± 0.03 7 stat ± 0.01 2 syst , which help to constrain present models on f + , 0 η ( ′ ) ( 0 ) . The forward-backward asymmetries are determined to be ⟨ A FB η ⟩ = − 0.059 ± 0.03 1 stat ± 0.00 5 syst and ⟨ A FB η ′ ⟩ = − 0.064 ± 0.07 9 stat ± 0.00 6 syst for the first time, which are consistent with the theoretical calculation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of Angular Coefficients of B ¯ → D * ℓ ν ¯ ℓ : Implications for | V c b | and Tests of Lepton Flavor Universality

We measure the complete set of angular coefficients J i for exclusive B ¯ → D * ℓ ν ¯ ℓ decays ( ℓ = e , μ ). Our analysis uses the full 711 fb − 1 Belle dataset with hadronic tag-side reconstruction. The results allow us to extract the form factors describing the B ¯ → D * transition and the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element | V cb | . Using recent lattice QCD calculations for the hadronic form factors, we find | V cb | = ( 40.7 ± 0.7 ) × 10 − 3 using the Boyd-Grinstein-Lebed parametrization, compatible with determinations from inclusive semileptonic decays. We search for lepton flavor universality violation as a function of the hadronic recoil parameter w and investigate the differences of the electron and muon angular distributions. We find no deviation from standard model expectations. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2024

Heavy Neutral Leptons via Axionlike Particles at Neutrino Facilities

Heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) are often among the hypothetical ingredients behind nonzero neutrino masses. If sufficiently light, they can be produced and detected in fixed-target-like experiments. We show that if the HNLs belong to a richer—but rather generic—dark sector, their production mechanism can deviate dramatically from expectations associated with the standard-model weak interactions. In more detail, we postulate that the dark sector contains an axionlike particle (ALP) that naturally decays into HNLs. Since ALPs mix with the pseudoscalar hadrons, the HNL flux might be predominantly associated with the production of neutral mesons (e.g., π 0 , η ) as opposed to charge hadrons (e.g., π ± , K ± ). In this case, the physics responsible for HNL production and decay are not directly related and experiments like DUNE might be sensitive to HNLs that are too weakly coupled to the standard model to be produced via weak interactions, as is generically the case of HNLs that play a direct role in the type-I seesaw mechanism. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Test of Lepton Flavor Universality with B + → K + π + π − ℓ + ℓ − Decays

The first test of lepton flavor universality between muons and electrons using B + → K + π + π − ℓ + ℓ − ( ℓ = e , μ ) decays is presented. The measurement is performed with data from proton-proton collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb − 1 . The ratio of branching fractions between B + → K + π + π − e + e − and B + → K + π + π − μ + μ − decays is measured in the dilepton invariant-mass-squared range 1.1 < q 2 < 7.0 GeV 2 / c 4 and is found to be R K π π − 1 = 1.3 1 − 0.17 + 0.18 ( stat ) − 0.09 + 0.12 ( syst ) , in agreement with the standard model prediction. The first observation of the B + → K + π + π − e + e − decay is also reported. © 2025 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration 2025 CERN

Aaij, R. (ORCID:0000000305331952)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Search for displaced leptons in $\sqrt{𝑠}$ =13 TeV and 13.6 TeV 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for leptons displaced from the primary vertex is performed with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The search includes the full proton-proton collision dataset collected during Run 2 at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV and a partial dataset collected during Run 3 in 2022–2023 at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13.6 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 140 fb −1 and 56.3 fb −1 , respectively. Final states with displaced electrons or muons are considered, and novel triggers introduced in Run 3 are employed that use large impact parameter tracking to reconstruct displaced tracks with low momentum. In addition, photon reconstruction and multivariate techniques are employed to broaden the sensitivity to channels with large background rates or highly displaced electrons, respectively. The results are consistent with the Standard Model background expectations and are used to set model-independent limits on the production of displaced electrons and muons. The analysis is also interpreted in the context of a gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking model with pair-produced long-lived sleptons and a dark sector model with pair-produced chargino-like states. The results include 95% confidence level exclusions of selectrons with lifetimes from 4 ps to 60 ns and a mass of 150 GeV, and exclusions of selectrons, smuons, and staus with a lifetime of 0.3 ns for masses up to 740, 830, and 440 GeV, respectively. Dark charginos with masses up to 380 GeV are excluded for a mass difference with the neutral state of 40 GeV, and mass differences down to 17 GeV are excluded for dark charginos with a 100 GeV mass.

supersymmetric models↗

DOE OSTI2024

HTS Accelerator Magnets Conceptual Design for Future Lepton Colliders

There is an interest in designing superconducting magnet systems for future lepton circular colliders. This application requires many low-field iron-dominated dipole and quadrupole magnets. Conventional room-temperature magnets are often used because of their low field, low total current, and low power losses. However, high electricity bills for large accelerators drive magnet design to superconductivity. High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets can substantially reduce energy losses in magnet systems. The present study investigated the conceptual design of HTS dipole and quadrupole magnets operating in persistent current mode. Energy is transferred into the magnet from an external detachable power source. A continuously circulating current generates a stable magnetic field. The iron-dominated magnet system concept was investigated using OPERA3D code, and the results confirmed the proposed approach’s validity.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Probing charged lepton flavor violation with a positron beam at CEBAF (JLAB)

The addition of a high intensity 11 GeV polarized positron beam at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at JLAB would allow for a search of Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) via the process $e^+N \rightarrow \mu^+ X$. The proposed Solenoidal Large Intensity Detector (SoLID) spectrometer, in the configuration with muon chambers, would be ideal for such CLFV searches. Various new physics scenarios, including the phenomenologically convenient Leptoquark (LQ) framework, predict CLFV rates that are within reach of current or planned experiments. A positron beam with instantaneous luminosity, ${\cal L}\sim 10^{38}$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$, could improve on existing HERA limits by two or three orders of magnitude. The availability of positron beam polarization would also allow for distentangling CLFV effects mediated by left-handed vs. right-handed LQs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of the transverse momentum distribution of Drell–Yan lepton pairs in proton–proton collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper describes precision measurements of the transverse momentum $p_\mathrm {T}^{\ell \ell }$ ($\ell =e,\mu $) and of the angular variable $\phi ^{*}_{\eta }$ distributions of Drell–Yan lepton pairs in a mass range of 66–116 GeV. The analysis uses data from 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13\,$TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. Measurements in electron-pair and muon-pair final states are performed in the same fiducial volumes, corrected for detector effects, and combined. Compared to previous measurements in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ and $8\,$TeV, these new measurements probe perturbative QCD at a higher centre-of-mass energy with a different composition of initial states. They reach a precision of 0.2$\%$ for the normalized spectra at low values of $p_\mathrm {T}^{\ell \ell }$. The data are compared with different QCD predictions, where it is found that predictions based on resummation approaches can describe the full spectrum within uncertainties.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Averages of b-hadron, c-hadron, and $$\tau $$-lepton properties as of 2018: Heavy Flavor Averaging Group (HFLAV)

Abstract This paper reports world averages of measurements of b -hadron, c -hadron, and $$\tau $$ τ -lepton properties obtained by the Heavy Flavour Averaging Group using results available through September 2018. In rare cases, significant results obtained several months later are also used. For the averaging, common input parameters used in the various analyses are adjusted (rescaled) to common values, and known correlations are taken into account. The averages include branching fractions, lifetimes, neutral meson mixing parameters, $$C\!P$$ C P violation parameters, parameters of semileptonic decays, and Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa matrix elements.

Amhis, Y. (ORCID:0000000342821512)↗

DOE OSTI2020

Search for physics beyond the standard model in events with jets and two same-sign or at least three charged leptons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A data sample of events from proton-proton collisions with at least two jets, and two isolated same-sign or three or more charged leptons, is studied in a search for signatures of new physics phenomena. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of $137{\,{\text {fb}}^{-1}} $ at a center-of-mass energy of $13\,{\text {TeV}} $, collected in 2016–2018 by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is performed using a total of 168 signal regions defined using several kinematic variables. The properties of the events are found to be consistent with the expectations from standard model processes. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on cross sections for the pair production of gluinos or squarks for various decay scenarios in the context of supersymmetric models conserving or violating R parity. The observed lower mass limits are as large as $2.1\,{\text {TeV}} $ for gluinos and $0.9\,{\text {TeV}} $ for top and bottom squarks. To facilitate reinterpretations, model-independent limits are provided in a set of simplified signal regions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗