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At least 1,693 records · Page 94

Physics of parameter correlations around the solar-scale enhancement in neutrino theory with unitarity violation

We discuss the physics of the three neutrino flavor transformation with non-unitary mixing matrix, with particular attention to the correlation between the $\nu$SM- and the $\alpha$ parameters which represent the effect of unitarity-violating (UV) new physics. Towards this goal, a new perturbative framework is created to illuminate the effect of non-unitarity in the region of the solar-scale enhanced oscillations. We refute the skepticism about the physical reality of the $\nu$Standard Model CP phase $\delta$–$\alpha$ parameter phase correlation by analysis with the SOL convention of $U_{{\tiny MNS}}$, in which $e^{\pm i \delta}$ is attached to $s_{12}$. Then, a comparative study between the solar- and atmospheric-scale oscillation regions allowed by the framework reveals a dynamical $\delta$–(blobs of the $\alpha$ parameters) correlation in the solar oscillation region, in sharp contrast to the “chiral”-type phase correlation $[e^{- i \delta} \bar{\alpha}_{\mu e},\ e^{- i \delta} \bar{\alpha}_{\tau e},\ \bar{\alpha}_{\tau \mu}]$ in the Particle Data Group convention seen in the atmospheric oscillation region. An explicit perturbative calculation to the first order in the $\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{e}$ channel allows us to decompose the UV related part of the probability into the unitary evolution part and the genuine non-unitary part. We observe that the effect of non-unitarity tends to cancel between these two parts, as well as between the different $\alpha_{\beta \gamma}$ parameters.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Gravitational waves from breaking of an extra U (1) in SO (10) grand unification

Abstract In a class of gauged $U(1)$ extended Standard Models (SMs), the breaking of the $U(1)$ symmetry is not only a source for Majorana masses of right-handed (RH) neutrinos crucial for the seesaw mechanism, but also a source of stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background. Such $U(1)$ extended models are well-motivated from the viewpoint of grand unification. In this paper, we discuss a successful ultraviolet completion of a $U(1)$ extended SM by an $SO(10)$ grand unified model through an intermediate step of $SU(5) \times U(1)$ unification. With a parameter set that is compatible with the $SO(10)$ grand unification, we find that a first-order phase transition associated with the $U(1)$ symmetry breaking can be strong enough to generate GWs with a detectable size of amplitude. We also find that the resultant GW amplitude reduces and its peak frequency becomes higher as the RH neutrino masses increase.

Physics↗

Rare isotope-containing diamond colour centres for fundamental symmetry tests

Detecting a non-zero electric dipole moment in a particle would unambiguously signify physics beyond the Standard Model. A potential pathway towards this is the detection of a nuclear Schiff moment, the magnitude of which is enhanced by the presence of nuclear octupole deformation. However, due to the low production rate of isotopes featuring such ‘pear-shaped’ nuclei, capturing, detecting and manipulating them efficiently is a crucial prerequisite. Incorporating them into synthetic diamond optical crystals can produce defects with defined, molecule-like structures and isolated electronic states within the diamond band gap, increasing capture efficiency, enabling repeated probing of even a single atom and producing narrow optical linewidths. In this study, we used density functional theory to investigate the formation, structure and electronic properties of crystal defects in diamond containing 229 ⁢Pa, a rare isotope that is predicted to have an exceptionally strong nuclear octupole deformation. In addition, we identified and studied stable lanthanide-containing defects with similar electronic structures as non-radioactive proxies to aid in experimental methods. Our findings hold promise for the existence of such defects and can contribute to the development of a quantum information processing-inspired toolbox of techniques for studying rare isotopes.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Search for dark matter produced in association with a Higgs boson decaying to bottom quarks in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

A search for dark matter particles produced in association with a Higgs boson decaying to a bottom quark-antiquark pair in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV is presented. The data, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb −1 . The analysis is performed in exclusive categories targeting both Lorentz-boosted (merged) and resolved 𝑏 jet pair topologies, covering a wide range of Higgs boson transverse momentum. A statistical combination is made with a previous search using data collected in 2016 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb −1 . The observed data agree with the standard model background predictions. Constraints are placed on models predicting new particles or interactions, such as those in the simplified frameworks of baryonic-𝑍′ and 2⁢HDM + 𝑎, where the latter is a type-II two-Higgs-doublet model featuring a heavy pseudoscalar with an additional light pseudoscalar. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section for these models. For the baryonic-𝑍′ model, 𝑍′ boson masses below 2.25 TeV are excluded for a dark matter particle candidate mass of 1 GeV. In the 2⁢HDM + 𝑎 model, heavy pseudoscalar masses between 850 and 1300 GeV are excluded for a light pseudoscalar mass of 350 GeV.

Hayrapetyan, A. [Yerevan Physics Institute]↗

Weakly supervised anomaly detection for resonant new physics in the dijet final state using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

An anomaly detection search for narrow-width resonances beyond the Standard Model that decay into a pair of jets is presented. The search is based on 139 fb −1 of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis is optimized without a particular signal model and aims to be sensitive to a broad range of new physics. It uses two different machine learning strategies to estimate the background in different signal regions. In each region, a weakly supervised classifier is trained to distinguish this background model from data. The analysis focuses on events with high transverse momentum jets reconstructed as large-radius jets. The mass and substructure of these jets are used as inputs to the classifiers. After a classifier-based selection, the distribution of the invariant mass of the two jets is used to search for potential local excesses. The model-independent results of both the anomaly detection methods show no signs of significant local excesses. In addition to model-independent results, a representative set of signal models is injected into the data, and the sensitivity of the methods to these scenarios is reported.

Aad, G. [Aix-Marseille Université] (ORCID:00000002↗

Measurement of the liquid argon scintillation pulse shape using differentiable simulation in the coherent CAPTAIN-Mills experiment

The coherent CAPTAIN-Mills (CCM) experiment is a liquid argon (LAr) light collection detector searching for MeV-scale neutrino and beyond Standard Model physics signatures. Two hundred eight-inch photomultiplier tubes instrument the seven-ton fiducial volume with 50% photocathode coverage to detect light produced by charged particles. CCM’s light-based approach reduces requirements of LAr purity, compared to other detection technologies, such that sub-MeV particles can be reliably detected without additional LAr filtration and with 𝒪⁡(1) parts per million of common contaminants. We present a measurement of LAr light production and propagation parameters, with uncertainties, obtained from a sample of MeV-scale electromagnetic events. The optimization of this high-dimensional parameter space was facilitated by a differentiable optical photon Monte Carlo simulation and detailed photomultiplier tube response characterization. This result accurately predicts the timing and spatial distribution of light due to scintillation and Cherenkov emission in the detector. This is the first description of photon propagation in LAr to include several effects, including anomalous dispersion of the index of refraction near the ultraviolet resonance, Mie scattering from impurities, and Cherenkov light production.

Cherenkov detectors↗

$Ξ$ 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↗

Measurement of the 𝐶⁢𝑃 asymmetry in 𝐷 + → 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 0 decays at Belle II

We measure the 𝐶⁢𝑃 asymmetry in 𝐷 + → 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 0 decays reconstructed in 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − collisions at the Belle II experiment using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 428 fb −1 . A control sample of 𝐷 + → 𝜋 + ⁢𝐾$^0_𝑆$ decays is used to correct for detection and production asymmetries. The result 𝐴 𝐶⁢𝑃 ⁡(𝐷 + → 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 0 ) = (−1.8 ± 0.9 ± 0.1)%, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, is the most precise determination to date. It agrees with the prediction of 𝐶⁢𝑃 symmetry from the standard model and with results of previous measurements.

CP violation↗

Proposal for a dedicated search for millicharged and fractionally charged particles at LANL

In this paper, we propose an experiment, LANSCE-mQ, aiming to detect fractionally charged and millicharged particles (mCPs) using an 800 MeV proton beam fixed target at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This search can shed new light on numerous fundamental questions, including charge quantization, the predictions of string theories and grand unification theories, the gauge symmetry of the Standard Model, dark sector models, and the tests of cosmic reheating. We propose to install two-layer scintillation detectors made of plastic (such as EJ-200) or CeBr 3 to search for mCPs. Dedicated geant4 detector simulations and in situ measurements have been conducted to obtain a preliminary determination of the background rate. The dominant backgrounds are beam-induced neutrons and coincident dark current signals from the photomultiplier tubes, while beam-induced high-energy photons ( γ ’s) and cosmic muons are subdominant. We determined that LANSCE-mQ, the dedicated mCP experiment, has the leading mCP sensitivity for mass between ∼ 1 and 300 MeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Long-lived axionlike particles from tau decays

Axionlike particles (ALPs) are well-motivated examples of light, weakly coupled particles in theories beyond the Standard Model. In this work, we study long-lived ALPs coupled exclusively to leptons in the mass range between 2⁢𝑚 𝑒 and 𝑚 𝜏 − 𝑚 𝑒 . For anarchic flavor structure the leptophilic ALP production in tau decays or from ALP-tau bremsstrahlung is enhanced thanks to derivative couplings of the ALP and can surpass production from electron and muon channels, especially for ALPs heavier than 𝑚 𝜇 . Using past data from high-energy fixed-target experiments such as CHARM and BEBC we place new constraints on the ALP decay constant 𝑓 𝑎 , reaching scales as high as 𝒪⁡(10 8 ) GeV in lepton-flavor-violating channels and 𝑓 𝑎 ∼ 𝒪⁡(10 2 ) GeV in lepton-flavor-conserving ones. We also present projections for the event-rate sensitivity of current and future detectors to ALPs produced at the Fermilab Main Injector, the CERN SPS, and in the forward direction of the LHC. We show that SHiP will be sensitive to 𝑓 𝑎 values that are over an order of magnitude above the existing constraints.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Tau tridents at accelerator neutrino facilities

We present the first detailed study of Standard Model neutrino tridents involving tau leptons at the near detectors of accelerator neutrino facilities. The rates of these processes were previously thought to be negligible, even at future facilities. Our full 2 → 4 calculation, including both coherent and incoherent scatterings, reveals that the DUNE near detector could observe a considerable number of tau tridents—an important background to new physics searches. We identify promising kinematic features that may allow distinction of tau tridents from the usual neutrino charged-current background at DUNE, and thus establish the observation of tau tridents for the first time. We also comment on the detection prospects at other accelerator and collider neutrino experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for cascade decays of charged sleptons and sneutrinos in final states with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠} = 13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for cascade decays of charged sleptons and sneutrinos using final states characterized by three leptons (electrons or muons) and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on a dataset with 140 fb −1 of proton-proton (pp) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{𝑠} = 13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. This paper focuses on a supersymmetric scenario that is motivated by the muon anomalous magnetic moment observation, dark-mattter relic density abundance, and electroweak naturalness. A mass spectrum involving light Higgsinos and heavier sleptons with a bino at intermediate mass is targeted. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed. This search enables us to place stringent constraints on this model, excluding at the 95% confidence level charged slepton and sneutrino masses up to 450 GeV when assuming a lightest neutralino mass of 100 GeV and mass-degenerate selectrons, smuons and sneutrinos.

extensions of Higgs sector↗

New physics particles mixing with mesons: Production in the fragmentation chain

A class of extensions to the Standard Model adds hypothetical long-lived particles (LLPs) that have mass- or kinetic-mixing with neutral mesons, such as pions or rho mesons. The mixing can contribute significantly to the production of LLPs at proton accelerator experiments, and no consistent description of these production modes exists in the literature. In this paper, we develop a framework for studying different LLPs—dark photons, vector mediators coupled to the baryon current, and axionlike particles with different coupling patterns. In particular, we implement the production mechanisms in PYTHIA 8, study how the overall flux and kinematic distributions depend on the LLP’s mass, and compare various subprocesses where the mixing contributes—proton bremsstrahlung, meson decay, and production in the fragmentation chain. We find that our new description of LLP production predicts an integrated flux that differs from current approaches by one to two orders of magnitude, and highlight the unavoidable theoretical uncertainties coming from poor knowledge of the properties of heavy mesons.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for 𝛾⁢𝐻 production and constraints on the Yukawa couplings of light quarks to the Higgs boson

A search for 𝛾⁢𝐻 production is performed with data from the CMS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 at a proton-proton center-of-mass collision energy of 13 TeV. The analysis focuses on the topology of a boosted Higgs boson recoiling against a high-energy photon. The final states of 𝐻 → $b\bar{b}$ and 𝐻 → 4⁢ℓ are analyzed. This study examines effective 𝐻⁡𝑍⁢𝛾 and 𝐻⁡𝛾⁢𝛾 anomalous couplings within the context of an effective field theory. In this approach, the production cross section is constrained to be 𝜎 𝛾⁢𝐻 < 16.4 fb at 95% confidence level (CL). Simultaneous constraints on four anomalous couplings involving 𝐻⁡𝑍⁢𝛾 and 𝐻⁡𝛾⁢𝛾 are provided. Additionally, the production rate for 𝐻 → 4⁢ℓ is examined to assess potential enhancements in the Yukawa couplings between light quarks and the Higgs boson. Assuming the standard model values for the Yukawa couplings of the bottom and top quarks, the following simultaneous constraints are obtained: 𝜅 𝑢 =(0.0 ± 1.5) ×10 3 , 𝜅 𝑑 = (0.0$^{+6.7}_{−6.8}$) × 10 2 , 𝜅 𝑠 = 0$^{+30}_{−32}$, and 𝜅 𝑐 =0.0$^{+2.3}_{−2.8}$. This rules out the hypothesis that up- or down-type quarks in the first or second generation have the same Yukawa couplings as those in the third generation, with a CL greater than 95%.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Affleck-Dine curvaton

The Standard Model of particle physics does not explain the origin of the universe’s baryon asymmetry or its primordial fluctuations. The Affleck-Dine mechanism is a well motivated scenario for generating the baryon asymmetry through the postinflationary dynamics of a complex scalar field with baryon number. The curvaton mechanism is a popular approach for producing curvature perturbations through the dynamics of a light spectator field that decays after inflation. We demonstrate that the same complex field can viably perform both roles without any modifications to the minimal realization of Affleck-Dine baryogenesis. This scenario can also accommodate appreciable levels of primordial non-Gaussianity, beyond those achievable with only a real-valued curvaton field, and may be observable with future cosmic microwave background experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

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]↗

Probing a New Regime of Neutrino Self-Interactions with Astrophysical Neutrinos and the Relativistic Cosmic Neutrino Background

Neutrino self-interactions beyond the standard model have profound implications in astrophysics and cosmology. In this Letter, we study an uncharted scenario in which one of the three neutrino species has a mass smaller than the temperature of the cosmic neutrino background. This results in a relativistic component that significantly broadens the absorption feature on the astrophysical neutrino spectra, in contrast to the sharply peaked absorption expected in the extensively studied scenarios assuming a fully nonrelativistic cosmic neutrino background. By solving the Boltzmann equations for neutrino absorption and regeneration, we demonstrate that this mechanism provides novel sensitivity to sub-keV mediator masses, well below the traditional ∼1–100 MeV range. Future observations of the diffuse supernova neutrino background with Hyper-Kamiokande could probe coupling strengths down to 𝑔 ∼10 −8 , surpassing existing constraints by orders of magnitude. These findings open new directions for discoveries and offer crucial insights into the interplay between neutrinos and the dark sector.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Lepton flavor violation: From muon decays to muon colliders

We investigate the unique potential of a high-energy muon collider to probe lepton-flavor-violating signals arising from physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). Low-energy, precision searches for charged lepton flavor violation (LFV) are projected to dramatically improve their sensitivity in the coming years and could provide the first evidence of new physics. We interpret the sensitivity of these searches in terms of a set of LFV operators in the SM effective field theory. The same operators are then probed at the TeV scale via new, high-energy processes only available at a high-energy muon collider, such as 𝜇⁢𝜇 → 𝜇⁢𝜏 or the scattering of a muon of an electroweak gauge boson into LFV final states. We find that, for most operators, a muon collider could confirm signals if they are seen at future low-energy experiments, whereas for certain flavor combinations it extends the reach to scales well beyond those accessible at lower energies. We also project the sensitivity of a muon collider to lepton-flavor-violating decays of the SM Higgs boson and demonstrate improved sensitivity to ℎ → 𝑒⁢𝜏 and ℎ → 𝜇⁢𝜏 by an order of magnitude compared to the High-Luminosity LHC. The importance of having multiple, complementary probes is illustrated by considering both various combinations of operators and relative sizes of flavor-violating transitions between generations under various assumptions for the flavor structure of new physics.

Asadi, Pouya [University of California, Santa Cruz↗