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At least 415 records · Page 23

Pressure-dependent kinetics of cyclopentene consumption

Recent experiments have uncovered deficiencies in the ability of current kinetic models for cyclopentane combustion to predict species profiles as a function of O2 concentration. One likely source of these discrepancies flows from the limited availability of relevant kinetic data for key functionalized intermediates, requiring the use of distant analogies to estimate their rates. This work fills this gap for cyclopentene, the most prominent C5 intermediate in low-temperature cyclopentane combustion. Ab initio transition-state-theory based master equation methods are used to calculate pressure-dependent rate constants across four potential energy surfaces (C5H8 + OH, C5H8 + HO2, C5H7, and C5H7 + O2). Potential energy surfaces are characterized at the CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVDZ-F12//revDSD-PBEP86-D3BJ/def2-TZVPP level of theory. Pressure-dependent rate constants and branching fractions are determined via 1D master equation calculations. The results are used to analyze the competition for radicals between cyclopentene and cyclopentane in the intermediate temperature region, and to identify the dominant pathways flowing from these initiation channels. On the OH initiation surface, we find good agreement with recently published experimental rate constants at high temperature, and we elucidate the complex temperature dependence below 800 K, where 𝜋𝜋 addition becomes prominent. On the HO2 initiation surface, we find an interesting alternative route to bicyclic ether formation via well-skipping over the HO2 adduct well. On the cyclopentenyl radical surface, the major product is cyclopentadiene plus H. On the cyclopentenyl + O2 surface, we find that resonance stabilization largely prevents the allylic radical from undergoing oxidation, whereas the alkylic radical has a somewhat elevated propensity for oxidation pathways relative to cyclopentyl.

ab initio calculations↗

Comprehensive Kinetics on the C 7 H 7 Potential Energy Surface under Combustion Conditions

The automated kinetics workflow code, KinBot, was used to explore and characterize the regions of the C 7 H 7 potential energy surface that are relevant to combustion environments and especially soot inception. We first explored the lowest-energy region, which includes the benzyl, fulvenallene + H, and cyclopentadienyl + acetylene entry points. We then expanded the model to include two higher-energy entry points, vinylpropargyl + acetylene and vinylacetylene + propargyl. The automated search was able to uncover the pathways from the literature. In addition, three important new routes were discovered: a lower-energy pathway connecting benzyl with vinylcyclopentadienyl, a decomposition mechanism from benzyl that results in side-chain hydrogen atom loss to produce fulvenallene + H, and shorter and lower energy routes to the dimethylene-cyclopentenyl intermediates. We systematically reduced the extended model to a chemically relevant domain composed of 63 wells, 10 bimolecular products, 87 barriers, and 1 barrierless channel and constructed a master equation using the CCSD(T)-F12a/cc-pVTZ//ωB97X-D/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory to provide rate coefficients for chemical modeling. Our calculated rate coefficients show excellent agreement with measured ones. We also simulated concentration profiles and calculated branching fractions from the important entry points to provide an interpretation of this important chemical landscape.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Modeling–Experiment–Theory Analysis of Reactions Initiated from Cl + Methyl Formate

Methyl formate (MF; CH 3 OCHO) is the smallest representative of esters, which are common components of biodiesel. The present study characterizes the thermal dissociation kinetics of the radicals formed by H atom abstraction from MF—CH 3 OCO and CH 2 OCHO—through a combination of modeling, experiment, and theory. For the experimental effort, excimer laser photolysis of Cl 2 was used as a source of Cl atoms to initiate reactions with MF in the gas phase. Time-resolved species profiles of MF, Cl 2 , HCl, CO 2 , CH 3 , CH 3 Cl, CH 2 O, and CH 2 ClOCHO were measured and quantified using photoionization mass spectrometry at temperatures of 400–750 K and 10 Torr. The experimental data were simulated using a kinetic model, which was informed by ab initio-based theoretical kinetics calculations and included chlorine chemistry and secondary reactions of radical decomposition products. Here, we calculated the rate coefficients for the H-abstraction reactions Cl + MF → HCl + CH 3 OCO (R1a) and Cl + MF → HCl + CH 2 OCHO (R1b): k 1a,theory = 6.71 × 10 –15 ·T 1.14 ·exp(—606/T) cm 3 /molecule·s; k 1b,theory = 4.67 × 10 –18 ·T 2.21 ·exp(—245/T) cm 3 /molecule·s over T = 200–2000 K. Electronic structure calculations indicate that the barriers to CH 3 OCO and CH 2 OCHO dissociation are 13.7 and 31.6 kcal/mol and lead to CH 3 + CO 2 (R3) and CH 2 O + HCO (R5), respectively. The master equation-based theoretical rate coefficients are k 3,theory (P = ∞) = 2.94 × 10 9 ·T 1.21 ·exp(—6209/T) s –1 and k 5,theory (P = ∞) = 8.45 × 10 8 ·T 1.39 ·exp(—15132/T) s –1 over T = 300–1500 K. The calculated branching fractions into R1a and R1b and the rate coefficient for R5 were validated by modeling of the experimental species time profiles and found to be in excellent agreement with theory. Additionally, we found that the bimolecular reactions CH 2 OCHO + Cl, CH 2 OCHO + Cl 2 , and CH 3 + Cl 2 were critical to accurately model the experimental data and constrain the kinetics of MF-radicals. Inclusion of the kinetic parameters determined in this study showed a significant impact on combustion simulations of larger methyl esters, which are considered as biodiesel surrogates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Search for charged-lepton-flavour violation in Z-boson decays with the ATLAS detector

Leptons with essentially the same properties apart from their mass are grouped into three families (or flavours). The number of leptons of each flavour is conserved in interactions, but this is not imposed by fundamental principles. Since the formulation of the standard model of particle physics, the observation of flavour oscillations among neutrinos has shown that lepton flavour is not conserved in neutrino weak interactions. So far, there has been no experimental evidence that this also occurs in interactions between charged leptons. Such an observation would be a sign of undiscovered particles or a yet unknown type of interaction. Here the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN reports a constraint on lepton-flavour-violating effects in weak interactions, searching for Z -boson decays into a τ lepton and another lepton of different flavour with opposite electric charge. The branching fractions for these decays are measured to be less than 8.1 × 10 –6 ( eτ ) and 9.5 × 10 –6 ( μτ ) at the 95% confidence level using 139 fb –1 of proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV and 20.3 fb –1 at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV. These results supersede the limits from the Large Electron–Positron Collider experiments conducted more than two decades ago.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Primary photodissociation mechanisms of pyruvic acid on S 1 : observation of methylhydroxycarbene and its chemical reaction in the gas phase

Pyruvic acid, a representative alpha-keto carboxylic acid, is one of the few organic molecules destroyed in the troposphere by solar radiation rather than by reactions with free radicals. To date, only its stable final products were identified, often with contribution from secondary chemistry, making it difficult to elucidate photodissociation mechanisms following excitation to the lowest singlet excited-state (S 1 ) and the role of the internal hydrogen bond in the most-stable Tc conformer. Using multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry we report the first direct experimental evidence, via the observation of singlet methylhydroxycarbene (MHC) following 351 nm excitation, supporting the decarboxylation mechanism previously proposed. Decarboxylation to MHC + CO 2 represents 97–100% of product branching at 351 nm. We observe vinyl alcohol and acetaldehyde, which we attribute to isomerization of MHC. We also observe a 3 ± 2% yield of the Norrish Type I photoproducts CH 3 CO + DOCO, but only from d 1 -pyruvic acid. At 4 Torr pressure, we measure a photodissociation quantum yield of $1.0^{+0}_{–0.4}$, consistent with IUPAC recommendations. However, our measured product branching fractions disagree with IUPAC. In light of previous calculations, these results support a mechanism in which hydrogen transfer on the S 1 excited state occurs at least partially by tunneling, in competition with intersystem crossing to the T 1 state. Here, we present the first evidence of a bimolecular reaction of MHC in the gas phase, where MHC reacts with pyruvic acid to produce a C 4 H 8 O 2 product. This observation implies that some MHC produced from pyruvic acid in Earth's troposphere will be stabilized and participate in chemical reactions with O 2 and H 2 O, and should be considered in atmospheric modeling.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Wave packet dynamics and control in excited states of molecular nitrogen

Wave packet interferometry with vacuum ultraviolet light has been used to probe a complex region of the electronic spectrum of molecular nitrogen, N 2 . Wave packets of Rydberg and valence states were excited by using double pulses of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), free-electron-laser (FEL) light. These wave packets were composed of contributions from multiple electronic states with a moderate principal quantum number (n ~ 4-9) and a range of vibrational and rotational quantum numbers. The phase relationship of the two FEL pulses varied in time, but as demonstrated previously, a shot-by-shot analysis allows the spectra to be sorted according to the phase between the two pulses. The wave packets were probed by angle-resolved photoionization using an infrared pulse with a variable delay after the pair of excitation pulses. The photoelectron branching fractions and angular distributions display oscillations that depend on both the time delays and the relative phases of the VUV pulses. The combination of frequency, time delay, and phase selection provides significant control over the ionization process and ultimately improves the ability to analyze and assign complex molecular spectra.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Search for light long-lived particles decaying to displaced jets in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV

A search for light long-lived particles (LLPs) decaying to displaced jets is presented, using a data sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13.6 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34.7 fb −1 , collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in 2022. Novel trigger, reconstruction, and machine-learning techniques were developed for and employed in this search. After all selections, the observations are consistent with the background predictions. Limits are presented on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson to LLPs that subsequently decay to quark pairs or tau lepton pairs. An improvement by up to a factor of 10 is achieved over previous limits for models with LLP masses smaller than 60 GeV and proper decay lengths smaller than 1 m. The first constraints are placed on the fraternal twin Higgs (FTH) and folded supersymmetry (FSUSY) models, where the lower bounds on the top quark partner mass reach up to 350 GeV for the FTH model and 250 GeV for the FSUSY model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for the doubly heavy baryons $ {{{{\varOmega}_{bc}^{0}}}} $ and $ {{{{\varXi}_{bc}^{0}}}} $ decaying to $ {{{{\varLambda}^+_c}}} {{{{\pi}^-}}} $ and $ {{{{\varXi}^+_c}}} {{{{\pi}^-}}} $ *

The first search for the doubly heavy $ {{{{\varOmega}_{bc}^{0}}}} $ baryon and a search for the $ {{{{\varXi}_{bc}^{0}}}} $ baryon are performed using $ pp $ collision data collected via the $ {\rm{LHCb}} $ experiment from 2016 to 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of $ 13 \;{\rm{TeV}} $, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.2 $ \;{\rm{f}}{{\rm{b}}^{ - 1}} $. The baryons are reconstructed via their decays to $ {{{{\varLambda}^+_c}}} {{{{\pi}^-}}} $ and $ {{{{\varXi}^+_c}}} {{{{\pi}^-}}} $. No significant excess is found for invariant masses between 6700 and 7300 $ \;{\rm{MeV}}/{c^2} $, in a rapidity range from 2.0 to 4.5 and a transverse momentum range from 2 to 20 $ \;{\rm{MeV}}/{c} $. Upper limits are set on the ratio of the $ {{{{\varOmega}_{bc}^{0}}}} $ and $ {{{{\varXi}_{bc}^{0}}}} $ production cross-section times the branching fraction to $ {{{{\varLambda}^+_c}}}{{{{\pi}^-}}} $ ( $ {{{{\varXi}^+_c}}}{{{{\pi}^-}}} $) relative to that of the $ {{{{\varLambda}^0_b}}} $ ( $ {{{{\varXi}_{b}^{0}}}} $) baryon, for different lifetime hypotheses, at 95% confidence level. The upper limits range from $ 0.5\times10^{-4} $ to $ 2.5\times10^{-4} $ for the $ {{{{{{{{\varOmega}_{bc}^{0}}}}{{\rightarrow }}{{{{\varLambda}^+_c}}}{{{{\pi}^-}}}}}}} $ ( $ {{{{{{{{\varXi}_{bc}^{0}}}}{{\rightarrow }}{{{{\varLambda}^+_c}}}{{{{\pi}^-}}}}}}} $) decay, and from $ 1.4\times10^{-3} $ to $ 6.9\times10^{-3} $ for the $ {{{{{{{{\varOmega}_{bc}^{0}}}}{{\rightarrow }}{{{{\varXi}^+_c}}}{{{{\pi}^-}}}}}}} $ ( $ {{{{{{{{\varXi}_{bc}^{0}}}}{{\rightarrow }}{{{{\varXi}^+_c}}}{{{{\pi}^-}}}}}}} $) decay, depending on the considered mass and lifetime of the $ {{{{\varOmega}_{bc}^{0}}}} $ ( $ {{{{\varXi}_{bc}^{0}}}} $) baryon.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Observation of the Y(4230) and a new structure in ${\boldsymbol e^+\boldsymbol e^- \boldsymbol\rightarrow \boldsymbol K^+\boldsymbol K^-\boldsymbol J/\boldsymbol\psi}$

The cross sections of $e^+e^- \rightarrow K^+K^-J/\psi$ at center-of-mass energies from 4.127 to 4.600 GeV are measured based on 15.6 fb -1 data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring. Two resonant structures are observed in the line shape of the cross sections. The mass and width of the first structure are measured to be ($4225.3\pm2.3\pm21.5$) MeV and ($72.9\pm6.1\pm30.8$) MeV, respectively. They are consistent with those of the established $Y(4230)$. The second structure is observed for the first time with a statistical significance greater than 8σ, denoted as $Y(4500)$. Its mass and width are determined to be ($4484.7\pm13.3\pm24.1$) MeV and ($111.1\pm30.1\pm15.2$) MeV, respectively. The first presented uncertainties are statistical and the second ones are systematic. The product of the electronic partial width with the decay branching fraction $\Gamma(Y(4230)\to e^+ e^-) \mathcal{B}(Y(4230) \to K^+ K^- J/\psi)$ is reported.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for the weak decay ψ (3686) → $Λ^{+}_{c}$ $\overline{Σ}$ - + c.c. *

Using (448.1 ± 2.9) x 10 6 ψ (3686) events collected with the BESIII detector, we perform the first search for the weak baryonic decay ψ (3686) → $Λ^{+}_{c}$ $\overline{Σ}$ - + c.c. . The analysis procedure is optimized using a blinded method. No significant signal is observed, and the upper limit on the branching fraction ($\mathcal{B}$) of ψ (3686) → $Λ^{+}_{c}$ $\overline{Σ}$ - + c.c. is set as 1.4 x 10 -5 at the 90% confidence level.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Search for hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness in e + e - → $K$ + $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 + c.c.*

We report a search for a heavier partner of the recently observed Z cs (3985) - state, denoted as $Z^{'-}_{cs}$, in the process e + e - → $K$ + $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 + c.c., based on e + e - collision data collected at the center-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s}$ = 4.661, 4.682 and 4.699 GeV with the BESIII detector. The $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ is of interest as it is expected to be a candidate for a hidden-charm and open-strange tetraquark. A partial-reconstruction technique is used to isolate K + recoil-mass spectra, which are probed for a potential contribution from $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ → $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 + (c.c.). We find an excess of $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ → $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 + (c.c.) candidates with a significance of 2.1σ, after considering systematic uncertainties, at a mass of 4123.5 ± 0.7 stat. ± 4.7 syst. ) MeV/c 2 . As the data set is limited in size, the upper limits are evaluated at the 90% confidence level on the product of the Born cross sections (σ BORN ) and the branching fraction ($\mathcal{B}$) of $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ → $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 , under different assumptions of the $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ mass from 4.120 to 4.140 MeV and of the width from 10 to 50 MeV at the three center-of-mass energies. The upper limits of σ BORN ∙ $\mathcal{B}$ are found to be at the level of $\mathcal{O}$(1) pb at each energy. Larger data samples are needed to confirm the $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ state and clarify its nature in the coming years.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Charm physics with overlap fermions on 2+1-flavor domain wall fermion configurations*

Decay constants of pseudoscalar mesons D, D s , η c , and vector mesons D*, D$^{*}_{s}$, J/ψ are determined from the N f = 2 + 1 lattice QCD at a lattice spacing a ~ 0.08 fm. For vector mesons, the decay constants defined by tensor currents are given in the $\overline{MS}$ scheme at 2 GeV. The calculation is performed on domain wall fermion configurations generated by the RBC-UKQCD collaborations and the overlap fermion action is used for the valence quarks. Comparing the current results with our previous results at a coarser lattice spacing a ~ 0.11 fm provides a better understanding of the discretization error. We obtain $f$$^{T}_{D^*_s}$($\overline{MS}$, 2 GeV)/f D$^{*}_{s}$ = 0.909(18) with a better precision than our previous result. Combining our f D$^{*}_{s}$ = 277(11) MeV with the total width of D$^{*}_{s}$ determined in a recent study gives a branching fraction 4.26(52) x 10 –5 for D$^{*}_{s}$ leptonic decay.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

$Ξ$ 𝑐 → $Ξ$ form factors from lattice QCD with domain-wall quarks: A new piece in the puzzle of $Ξ^0_𝑐$ decay rates

We present a lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) determination of the vector and axial-vector form factors that describe the charm-baryon semileptonic decays Ξ 𝑐 → Ξ⁢ℓ + ⁢𝜈 ℓ . The calculation uses a domain-wall action for the up, down, and strange quarks, and an anisotropic clover action for the charm quark. We use four ensembles of gauge-field configurations generated by the RBC and UKQCD collaborations, with lattice spacings between 0.111 and 0.073 fm and pion masses ranging from 420 to 230 MeV. We present Standard Model predictions for the decay rates and branching fractions of Ξ$^0_𝑐$ → Ξ$^−_𝑐$⁢ℓ + ⁢𝜈 ℓ and Ξ$^+_𝑐$ → Ξ$^0_𝑐$⁢ℓ + ⁢𝜈 ℓ for ℓ =𝑒, 𝜇. In particular, we obtain Γ⁡(Ξ$^0_𝑐$ → Ξ − ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝜈 𝑒 )/|𝑉 𝑐⁢𝑠 | 2 = 0.2515⁢(73) ps −1 and ℬ⁡(Ξ$^0_𝑐$ → Ξ − ⁢𝑒 +⁢ 𝜈 𝑒 ) = 3.58⁢(12)%. These values are higher than those predicted by a previous lattice calculation and substantially higher than the experimentally measured values, but consistent with expectations from approximate 𝑆⁢𝑈⁡(3) flavor symmetry.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for a Dark Higgs Boson Produced in Association with Inelastic Dark Matter at the Belle II Experiment

Inelastic dark matter models that have two dark matter particles and a massive dark photon can reproduce the observed relic dark matter density without violating cosmological limits. The mass splitting between the two dark matter particles 𝜒 1 and 𝜒 2 , with 𝑚⁡(𝜒 2 ) >𝑚⁡(𝜒 1 ), is induced by a dark Higgs field and a corresponding dark Higgs boson ℎ′. We present a search for dark matter in events with two vertices, at least one of which must be displaced from the interaction region, and missing energy. Using a 365 fb −1 data sample collected at Belle II, which operates at the SuperKEKB 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − collider, we observe no evidence for a signal. We set upper limits on the product of the production cross section 𝜎⁡(𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − → ℎ′⁡𝜒 1 ⁢𝜒 2 ), and the product of branching fractions ℬ⁡(𝜒 2 → 𝜒 1⁢ 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − ) ×ℬ⁡(ℎ′ → 𝑥 + ⁢𝑥 − ), where 𝑥 + ⁢𝑥 − indicates 𝜇 + ⁢𝜇 − , 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 − , or 𝐾 + ⁢𝐾 − , as functions of ℎ′ mass and lifetime at the level of 10 −1 fb. We set model-dependent upper limits on the dark Higgs mixing angle at the level of 10 −5 and on the dark photon kinetic mixing parameter at the level of 10 −3 . This is the first search for dark Higgs bosons in association with inelastic dark matter.

dark matter↗

$Ξ$ 𝑏 → $Ξ$ form factors from lattice QCD and standard-model predictions for $Ξ$ 𝑏 → $Ξ$⁢𝜇 + ⁢𝜇 − and $Ξ$ 𝑏 → $Ξ$⁢𝛾 decays

We present the first lattice QCD determination of the $Ξ$ 𝑏 → $Ξ$ vector, axial-vector, and tensor form factors, which are relevant for the theory of rare decays including $Ξ$ 𝑏 → $Ξ$⁢ℓ + ⁢ℓ − and $Ξ$ 𝑏 → $Ξ$⁢𝛾. The calculation is performed with 2+1 flavors of domain-wall fermions at three different lattice spacings and pion masses in the range from approximately 430 to 230 MeV. The bottom quark is implemented using an anisotropic clover action. Three-point functions with a wide range of source-sink separations and model averaging are used to extract the ground-state contributions. We fit the dependence of the form factors on the momentum transfer, the pion mass, and the lattice spacing using modified 𝑧 expansions that account for subthreshold branch cuts, and apply dispersive bounds and asymptotic behavior constraints to achieve controlled uncertainties in the full semileptonic kinematic region. Using our form factor results, we present standard model predictions for the $Ξ$$^{−}_{𝑏}$ → $Ξ$ − ⁢𝛾 and $Ξ$$^{−}_{𝑏}$ → $Ξ$ − ⁢𝜇 + ⁢𝜇 − branching fractions and two angular observables.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for the isospin-violating decays 𝜒 𝑐⁢𝐽 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c. and 𝜂 𝑐 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.

Using a sample of (2712.4 ± 14.3) × 10 6 𝜓⁡(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector, we perform a search for the isospin-violating decays 𝜒 𝑐⁢𝐽 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.(𝐽 = 0,1,2) and 𝜂 𝑐 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c. No significant signal for 𝜒 𝑐⁢𝐽 or 𝜂 𝑐 is observed in the $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ invariant mass distribution. The upper limits on the branching fractions at the 90% confidence level are set to be ℬ⁡(𝜒 𝑐⁢0 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 1.5 × 10 −6 , ℬ⁡(𝜒 𝑐⁢1 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 1.6 × 10 −6 , ℬ⁡(𝜒 𝑐⁢2 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 1.7 × 10 −6 , and ℬ⁡(𝜂 𝑐 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 6.2 × 10 −5 for the first time.

Ablikim, M. [Institute of High Energy Physics] (OR↗

Search for 𝑏-hadron decays to long-lived particles in the CMS endcap muon detectors

A search for long-lived particles originating from the decay of 𝑏 hadrons produced in proton-proton collisions with a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the LHC is presented. The analysis is performed on a dataset recorded in 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.6 fb −1 . Interactions of the long-lived particles in the CMS endcap muon system would create hadronic or electromagnetic showers, producing clusters of detector hits. Selected events contain at least one such high-multiplicity cluster in the muon endcaps and require the presence of a displaced muon. The most stringent upper limits to date on the branching fraction ℬ⁡(𝐵 →𝐾⁢Φ), where the long-lived particle Φ decays to a pair of hadrons, are obtained for Φ masses of 0.3–3.0 GeV and Φ mean proper decay lengths in the range of 1–500 cm.

Hayrapetyan, A. [Yerevan Physics Institute]↗

Search for charged lepton flavor violating 𝑍 and 𝑍′ boson decays in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for flavor violating decays of the 𝑍 boson to charged leptons is performed using data from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . Each of the decays 𝑍 → 𝑒⁢𝜇, 𝑍 → 𝑒⁢𝜏, and 𝑍 → 𝜇⁢𝜏 is considered. The data are consistent with the backgrounds expected from standard model processes. For the 𝑍 → 𝑒⁢𝜇 channel the observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limit on the branching fraction is 1.9⁢(2.0) × 10 −7 , which is the most stringent direct limit to date on this process; the corresponding limits for the 𝑍 → 𝑒⁢𝜏 and 𝑍 → 𝜇⁢𝜏 channels are 13.8⁢(11.4) × 10 −6 and 12.0⁢(5.3) × 10 −6 , respectively. Additionally, the 𝑒⁢𝜇 final state is used to search for lepton flavor violating decays of 𝑍′ resonances in the mass range from 110 to 500 GeV. No significant excess is observed above the predicted background levels.

Hayrapetyan, A. [Yerevan Physics Institute]↗