Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Decay modes”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records

Precision measurements of Higgs hadronic decay modes at the FCC-ee

The expected precision at the FCC-ee on the product $σ$ x $\mathcal{B} \large{(}H → b\bar{b}, c\bar{c}, s\bar{s}, gg\large{)}$ of Higgs boson production cross sections times branching ratios of hadronic decays is presented. This study provides the first comprehensive determination of all major hadronic Higgs decay modes in a combined fit at future $e^+e^−$ colliders, using both Higgs-strahlung $(ZH)$ and Vector boson fusion $(v\bar{v}H)$ production processes, with a full treatment of interference effects in the $v\bar{v}jj$ final state. It assumes four identical IDEA detectors collecting $e^+e^−$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 240 and 365 GeV. The combination of all channels across both energies, with full covariance between production and decay modes, yields a production cross-section times branching-ratio precision at the percent to per-mil level for the dominant hadronic final states $(b\bar{b}, c\bar{c}, gg)$. These results provide a comprehensive input to the determination of Higgs coupling projections at the FCC-ee, and they establish for the first time sensitivity to the rare decay $H → s\bar{s}$, demonstrating that FCC-ee has the potential to provide evidence of the strange-quark Yukawa coupling.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for Lepton-Flavor-Violating Decay Modes 𝐵 0 →𝐾$^0_𝑆$⁢𝜏 ± ⁢ℓ ∓ with Hadronic 𝐵 Tagging at Belle and Belle II

We present the first search for the lepton-flavor-violating decay modes 𝐵 0 →𝐾$^0_𝑆$⁢𝜏 ± ⁢ℓ ∓ (ℓ=𝜇,𝑒) using the 711 and 365 fb −1 data samples recorded by the Belle and Belle II detectors, respectively. We use a hadronic 𝐵-tagging technique to fully reconstruct a 𝐵 meson and search for signal decays in the system recoiling against the tagged meson, considering 𝜏 decays to either light leptons, one charged hadron, or one charged hadron and a neutral pion. We find no evidence for 𝐵 0 →𝐾$^0_𝑆$⁢𝜏 ± ⁢ℓ ∓ decays and set 90% confidence level upper limits on the branching fractions in the range of [0.8,3.6] ×10 −5 .

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of $\tau _\text {L}$ using the ${B} _s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \eta$ decay mode

Using a proton–proton collision data sample collected by the LHCb detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $5.7~\text {fb}^{-1}$ , the lifetime of the light ${{B} ^0_{s}}$ mass eigenstate, $\tau _{L}$ , is measured using the $B^0_s \rightarrow J/\psi \eta$ decay mode to be $\begin{aligned} \tau _{\text {L}} = 1.445 \pm 0.016 \text {(stat)} \pm 0.008 \text {(syst)} \,\text {ps}. \end{aligned}$ A combination of this result with a previous LHCb analysis using an independent dataset corresponding to 3 fb –1 of integrated luminosity gives $\begin{aligned} \tau _{\text {L}} = 1.452 \pm 0.014 \pm 0.007 \pm 0.002 \,\text {ps}, \end{aligned}$ where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second due to the uncorrelated part of the systematic uncertainty and the third due to the correlated part of the systematic uncertainty.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for top squarks in the four-body decay mode with single lepton final states in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A search for the pair production of the lightest supersymmetric partner of the top quark, the top squark ($ {\overset{\sim }{\textrm{t}}}_1 $), is presented. The search targets the four-body decay of the $ {\overset{\sim }{\textrm{t}}}_1 $, which is preferred when the mass difference between the top squark and the lightest supersymmetric particle is smaller than the mass of the W boson. This decay mode consists of a bottom quark, two other fermions, and the lightest neutralino ($ {\overset{\sim }{\chi}}_1^0 $), which is assumed to be the lightest supersymmetric particle. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. Events are selected using the presence of a high-momentum jet, an electron or muon with low transverse momentum, and a significant missing transverse momentum. The signal is selected based on a multivariate approach that is optimized for the difference between m($ {\overset{\sim }{\textrm{t}}}_1 $) and m($ {\overset{\sim }{\chi}}_1^0 $). The contribution from leading background processes is estimated from data. No significant excess is observed above the expectation from standard model processes. The results of this search exclude top squarks at 95% confidence level for masses up to 480 and 700 GeV for m($ {\overset{\sim }{\textrm{t}}}_1 $) − m($ {\overset{\sim }{\chi}}_1^0 $) = 10 and 80 GeV, respectively.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for Higgs boson pair production in the $ \textrm{b}\overline{\textrm{b}}{\textrm{W}}^{+}{\textrm{W}}^{-} $ decay mode in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A search for Higgs boson pair (HH) production with one Higgs boson decaying to two bottom quarks and the other to two W bosons are presented. The search is done using proton-proton collisions data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$ recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC from 2016 to 2018. The final states considered include at least one leptonically decaying W boson. No evidence for the presence of a signal is observed and corresponding upper limits on the HH production cross section are derived. The limit on the inclusive cross section of the nonresonant HH production, assuming that the distributions of kinematic observables are as expected in the standard model (SM), is observed (expected) to be 14 (18) times the value predicted by the SM, at 95% confidence level. The limits on the cross section are also presented as functions of various Higgs boson coupling modifiers, and anomalous Higgs boson coupling scenarios. In addition, limits are set on the resonant HH production via spin-0 and spin-2 resonances within the mass range 250–900 GeV.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for a vector-like quark T' → tH via the diphoton decay mode of the Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for the electroweak production of a vector-like quark T', decaying to a top quark and a Higgs boson is presented. The search is based on a sample of proton-proton collision events recorded at the LHC at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{–1}$. This is the first T' search that exploits the Higgs boson decay to a pair of photons. For narrow isospin singlet T' states with masses up to 1.1 TeV, the excellent diphoton invariant mass resolution of 1–2% results in an increased sensitivity compared to previous searches based on the same production mechanism. The electroweak production of a T' quark with mass up to 960 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming a coupling strength κ$_{T}$ = 0.25 and a relative decay width Γ/M$_{T'}$< 5%.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for lepton flavor-violating decay modes B 0 → K* 0 τ ± ℓ ∓ (ℓ = e, μ) with hadronic B-tagging at Belle and Belle II

We present the results of a search for the charged-lepton-flavor violating decays B 0 → K *0 τ ± ℓ ∓ , where ℓ ∓ is either an electron or a muon. The results are based on 365 fb −1 and 711 fb −1 datasets collected with the Belle II and Belle detectors, respectively. We use an exclusive hadronic B-tagging technique, and search for a signal decay in the system recoiling against a fully reconstructed B meson. We find no evidence for B 0 → K* 0 τ ± ℓ ∓ decays and set upper limits on the branching fractions in the range of (2.9–6.4)×10 −5 at 90% confidence level.

B physics↗

Search for the Z γ decay mode of new high-mass resonances in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This letter presents a search for narrow, high-mass resonances in the Zγ final state with the Z boson decaying into a pair of electrons or muons. The $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV pp collision data were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and have an integrated luminosity of 140 fb -1 . The data are found to be in agreement with the Standard Model background expectation. Upper limits are set on the resonance production cross section times the decay branching ratio into Zγ. For spin-0 resonances produced via gluon-gluon fusion, the observed limits at 95% confidence level vary between 65.5 fb and 0.6 fb, while for spin-2 resonances produced via gluon-gluon fusion (or quark-antiquark initial states) limits vary between 77.4 (76.1) fb and 0.6 (0.5) fb, for the mass range from 220 GeV to 3400 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Precision measurement of positron decay modes of Xe-125 in the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment

The radioisotope $^{125}\text{Xe}$ is a short-lived ($T_{1/2}\sim16.9 h$) activation product of the neutron calibrations performed in the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment. Subsequently, $^{125}$Xe decays primarily ($>99\%$) via electron capture, but positron emission has been confirmed by direct measurement to at least the 243 keV level of $^{125}\text{I}$. An additional decay to the 188keV level is expected from triple-coincident measurements of the annihilation and relaxation $γ$ rays, but has not been directly confirmed. By utilizing multiple-scatter event analysis and the pre-activation data to constrain backgrounds, this work reports positron emission with a statistical significance of 5.5$σ$. This corresponds to a total branching ratio of $0.29\pm0.08_{\text{stat.}}\pm0.04_{\text{sys.}}$%, and is the first constraint to the individual branching levels of $^{125}\text{I}$.

Akerib, D. S. [SLAC; KIPAC, Menlo Park]↗

Measurement of boosted Higgs bosons produced via vector boson fusion or gluon fusion in the H →$ \textrm{b}\overline{\textrm{b}} $ decay mode using LHC proton-proton collision data at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A measurement is performed of Higgs bosons produced with high transverse momentum (p$_{T}$) via vector boson or gluon fusion in proton-proton collisions. The result is based on a data set with a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected in 2016–2018 with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$. The decay of a high-p$_{T}$ Higgs boson to a boosted bottom quark-antiquark pair is selected using large-radius jets and employing jet substructure and heavy-flavor taggers based on machine learning techniques. Independent regions targeting the vector boson and gluon fusion mechanisms are defined based on the topology of two quark-initiated jets with large pseudorapidity separation. The signal strengths for both processes are extracted simultaneously by performing a maximum likelihood fit to data in the large-radius jet mass distribution. The observed signal strengths relative to the standard model expectation are $ {4.9}_{-1.6}^{+1.9} $ and $ {1.6}_{-1.5}^{+1.7} $ for the vector boson and gluon fusion mechanisms, respectively. A differential cross section measurement is also reported in the simplified template cross section framework.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Slowly decaying zero mode in a weakly nonintegrable boundary impurity model

The transverse field Ising model (TFIM) on the half-infinite chain possesses an edge zero mode. This work considers an impurity model: TFIM perturbed by a boundary integrability-breaking interaction. For sufficiently large transverse field, but in the ordered phase of the TFIM, the zero mode is observed to decay. The decay is qualitatively different from zero modes where the integrability-breaking interactions are nonzero all along the chain. It is shown that for the impurity model, the zero mode decays by relaxing to a nonlocal quasiconserved operator, the latter being exactly conserved when the opposite edge of the chain has no noncommuting perturbations so as to ensure perfect degeneracy of the spectrum. In the thermodynamic limit, the quasiconserved operator vanishes, and a regime is identified where the decay of the zero mode obeys Fermi's golden rule. Furthermore, a toy model for the decay is constructed in Krylov space and it is highlighted how Fermi's golden rule may be recovered from this toy model.

1-dimensional systems↗

Search for long-lived particles decaying in the CMS muon detectors in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

A search for long-lived particles (LLPs) decaying in the CMS muon detectors is presented. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb − 1 , recorded at the LHC in 2016–2018, is used. The decays of LLPs are reconstructed as high multiplicity clusters of hits in the muon detectors. In the context of twin Higgs models, the search is sensitive to LLP masses from 0.4 to 55 GeV and a broad range of LLP decay modes, including decays to hadrons, τ leptons, electrons, or photons. No excess of events above the standard model background is observed. The most stringent limits to date from LHC data are set on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay to a pair of LLPs with masses below 10 GeV. This search also provides the best limits for various intervals of LLP proper decay length and mass. Finally, this search sets the first limits at the LHC on a dark quantum chromodynamic sector whose particles couple to the Higgs boson through gluon, Higgs boson, photon, vector, and dark-photon portals, and is sensitive to branching fractions of the Higgs boson to dark quarks as low as 2 × 10 − 3 . © 2024 CERN, for the CMS Collaboration 2024 CERN

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Evidence for ground-state electron capture of K 40

Potassium-40 is a widespread, naturally occurring isotope whose radioactivity impacts estimated geological ages spanning billions of years, nuclear structure theory, and subatomic rare-event searches—including those for dark matter and neutrinoless double-beta decay. The decays of this long-lived isotope must be precisely known for its use as a geochronometer, and to account for its presence in low-background experiments. There are several known decay modes for potassium-40, but a predicted electron-capture decay directly to the ground state of argon-40 has never been observed. The existence of this decay mode impacts several fields, while theoretical predictions span an order of magnitude. Here we report on the first, successful observation of this rare decay mode, obtained by the KDK (potassium decay) Collaboration using a novel combination of a low-threshold x-ray detector surrounded by a tonne-scale, high-efficiency γ -ray tagger at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A blinded analysis reveals a distinctly nonzero ratio of intensities of ground-state electron-captures ( I EC 0 ) over excited-state ones ( I EC * ) of I EC 0 / I EC * = 0.0095 ± stat 0.0022 ± sys 0.0010 (68% CL), with the null hypothesis rejected at 4 σ [Stukel et al. , Phys. Rev. Lett. 131 , 052503 (2023) ]. In terms of branching ratio, this unambiguous signal yields I EC 0 = 0.098 % ± stat 0.023 % ± sys 0.010 % , roughly half of the commonly used prediction. This first observation of a third-forbidden unique electron capture improves our understanding of low-energy backgrounds in dark-matter searches and has implications for nuclear-structure calculations. For example, a shell-model based theoretical estimate for the neutrinoless double-beta decay half-life of calcium-48 is increased by a factor of 7 - 2 + 3 . Our nonzero measurement shifts geochronological ages by up to a percent; implications are illustrated for Earth and solar system chronologies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Search for rare decays B + → D s ( * ) + η , D s ( * ) + K ¯ 0 , D + η , and D + K 0

We present a study of rare decay modes B + → D$^{+}_{s}$ℎ 0 , B + → D$^{*}_{s}$⁢ + ℎ 0 , and B + → D + ⁢ℎ 0 , where ℎ 0 denotes the neutral meson η or K 0 , using a data sample of (772 ±10) ×10 6 B$\overline{B}$ events produced at the Υ⁡(4⁢S) resonance. The data were collected by the Belle detector operating at the asymmetric-energy KEKB collider. We find no evidence for these decays, so we set upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the branching fractions of , , and D + ⁢ℎ 0 decay modes. Along with these rare decay modes, we report improved measurements of the color-suppressed decay branching fractions $\mathscr{B}$⁡($\overline{B}$ 0 →D 0 ⁢η) =(26.6 ±1.2 ±2.1) ×10 -5 and $\mathscr{B}$⁡($\overline{B}$) 0 →D 0 ⁢ $\overline{K}$ 0 ) =(5.6 ±0.5 ±0.2) ×10 -5 . The first and second quoted uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

An extended variational method for the resistive wall mode in toroidal plasma confinement devices

The external-kink stability of a toroidal plasma surrounded by a rigid resistive wall is investigated. The well-known analysis of Haney and Freidberg is rigorously extended to allow for a wall that is sufficiently thick that the thin-shell approximation does not necessarily hold. A generalized Haney–Freidberg formula for the growth-rate of the resistive wall mode is obtained. Thick-wall effects do not change the marginal stability point of the mode but introduce an interesting asymmetry between growing and decaying modes. Growing modes have growth-rates that exceed those predicted by the original Haney–Freidberg formula. On the other hand, decaying modes have decay-rates that are less than those predicted by the original formula. The well-known Hu–Betti formula for the rotational stabilization of the resistive wall mode is also generalized to take thick-wall effects into account. Increasing wall thickness facilitates the rotational stabilization of the mode, because it decreases the critical toroidal electromagnetic torque that the wall must exert on the plasma. On the other hand, the real frequency of the mode at the marginal stability point increases with increasing wall thickness.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Novel method for the identification of the production flavor of neutral charmed mesons

We propose a new algorithm for the identification of the production flavor of neutral D mesons in the Belle II experiment. The algorithm exploits the correlation between the flavor of a reconstructed neutral D meson (signal D meson) and the electric charges of particles reconstructed in the rest of the e + e – →$c\bar{c}$ event. These include those originating from the decay of the other charm hadron produced in the event, as well as those possibly produced in association with the signal D meson. We develop the algorithm using simulation and calibrate it in data using decay modes that identify the flavor of the decaying neutral D meson. We use a data sample of e + e – collisions, corresponding to 362 fb –1 of integrated luminosity, collected by Belle II at center-of-mass energies near the Υ(4S) mass. The effective tagging efficiency in data is (47.91±0.07 (stat) ±0.51 (syst)) %, independent of the neutral-D-meson decay mode. This charm flavor tagger will approximately double the effective sample size of many CP-violation and charm-mixing measurements that so far have exclusively relied on neutral D mesons originating from D* ± decays. While developed for Belle II, the basic principles underlying the charm flavor tagger can be used in other experiments, including those at hadron colliders.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Di-Higgs Signatures in Neutral Naturalness

The Higgs boson was the last fundamental piece of the Standard Model to be experimentally confirmed. LHC is embarked in a quest to probe the possibility that this particle provides a portal to new physics. One front of this quest consists in measuring the interactions of the Higgs with itself and with other SM particles to a high precision. In a more exotic front, the LHC is searching for the possibility that a pair of Higgses (HH) is the evidence of a new resonance. Such resonances are predicted in models with extended Higgs sectors, extra dimensions, and in models with exotic bound states. In this paper we show how scalar quirks in Folded Supersymmetry can give rise to HH resonances. We point out a viable sector of the parameter space in which HH is the dominant decay channel for these {\it squirkonium} bound states. We found that future runs of the LHC could discover HH resonances in the range of 0.5 - 1.6 TeV under reasonable assumptions. Furthermore, for a given mass and width of the HH signal, the model predicts the branching ratio of the subsequent decay modes of the heavy resonance. Finding the extra decay modes in the predicted pattern can serve as a smoking gun to confirm the model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for the rare decays $W^+ → D^+_s \gamma$ and $Z → D^0 \gamma$ at LHCb

A search for the rare decays $W^+ → D^+_s \gamma$ and $Z → D^0 \gamma$ is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0fb -1 . No significant signal is observed for either decay mode and upper limits on their branching fractions are set using W⁺ → μ⁺v and Z → μ⁺μ⁻ decays as normalization channels. The upper limits are 6.5 x 10 -4 and 2.1 x 10 -3 at 95% confidence level for the $W^+ → D^+_s \gamma$ and $Z → D^0 \gamma$ decay modes, respectively. This is the first reported search for the $Z → D^0 \gamma$ decay, while the upper limit on the branching fraction $W^+ → D^+_s \gamma$ improves upon the previous best limit.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗