We present a search for the rare flavor-changing neutral-current decay $B^0 \to K^{\ast 0} τ^+ τ^-$ with data collected by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider. The analysis uses a 365 fb$^{-1}$ data sample recorded at the center-of-mass energy of the $Υ(4S)$ resonance. One of the $B$ mesons produced in the $Υ(4S)\to B^0 \bar{B}^0$ process is fully reconstructed in a hadronic decay mode, while its companion $B$ meson is required to decay into a $K^{\ast 0}$ and two $τ$ leptons of opposite charge. The $τ$ leptons are reconstructed in final states with a single electron, muon, charged pion or charged $ρ$ meson, and additional neutrinos. We set an upper limit on the branching ratio of $BR(B^0 \to K^{\ast 0} τ^+ τ^-) < 1.8 \times 10^{-3}$ at the 90% confidence level, which is the most stringent constraint reported to date.
- - - - - - - - Overview of HEPData Record - - - - - - - -<br/><br/></ul><b>Post-fit yields:</b><ul><li><a href="159541?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields:%20fit%20variable">Fit variable $\eta(\rm{BDT})$</a></ul><b>Signal $q^{2}$:</b><ul><li><a href="159541?version=1&table=Generated%20$q^2$"> Generated $q^{2}$ distribution </a></ul><b>Signal selection efficiency:</b><ul><li><a href="159541?version=1&table=Selection%20efficiency"> Selection efficieny in signal region </a>
Observed yields and fit results in bins of $\eta(\rm{BDT})$ as obtained by the fit on the four signal categories, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 365 fb$^{-1}$. The yields are shown for $B^0 \rightarrow K^{\ast 0}\tau\tau$ signal and the two background components ($B\bar{B}$ decays and $q\bar{q}$ continuum).
Distribution of the di-tau invariant mass squared $q^2$ assumed for the generated signal $B^0 \rightarrow K^{\ast 0}\tau\tau$ events.
The formation of light (anti)nuclei with mass number A of a few units (e.g., d, $^3$He, and $^4$He) in high-energy hadronic collisions presents a longstanding mystery in nuclear physics [1,2]. It is not clear how nuclei bound by a few MeV can emerge in environments characterized by temperatures above 100 MeV [3-5], about 100,000 times hotter than the center of the Sun. Despite extensive studies, this question remained unanswered. The ALICE Collaboration now addresses it with a novel approach using deuteron-pion momentum correlations in proton-proton (pp) collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Our results provide model-independent evidence that about 80% of the observed (anti)deuterons are produced in nuclear fusion reactions [6] following the decay of short-lived resonances, such as the $\Delta (1232)$. These findings resolve a crucial gap in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in hadronic collisions. Beyond answering the fundamental question on how nuclei are formed in hadronic collisions, the results can be employed in the modeling of the production of light and heavy nuclei in cosmic rays [7] and dark matter decays [8,9].
Measured $\pi^{+}$–d$\oplus\pi^{-}$–$\overline{\mathrm{d}}$ (left panel) correlation function.
Measured $\pi^{-}$–d$\oplus\pi^{+}$–$\overline{\mathrm{d}}$ (right panel) correlation function.
The extracted kinetic decoupling temperature is derived from $\pi^{+}$–d correlation functions.
A measurement of the WZ$γ$ triboson production cross section is presented. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis focuses on the final state with three charged leptons, $\ell^\pmν\ell^+\ell^-$, where $\ell$ = e or $μ$, accompanied by an additional photon. The observed (expected) significance of the WZ$γ$ signal is 5.4 (3.8) standard deviations. The cross section is measured in a fiducial region, where events with an $\ell$ originating from a tau lepton decay are excluded, to be 5.48 $\pm$ 1.11 fb, which is compatible with the prediction of 3.69 $\pm$ 0.24 fb at next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. Exclusion limits are set on anomalous quartic gauge couplings and on the production cross sections of massive axion-like particles.
The distributions of the variables used in the simultaneous fit for the nonprompt $l$ CR. The black points with error bars represent the data and their statistical uncertainties, whereas the shaded band represents the predicted uncertainties. The bottom panel in each figure shows the ratio of the number of events observed in data to that of the total SM prediction. The last bin of each plot has been extended to include the overflow contribution.
The distributions of the variables used in the simultaneous fit for the nonprompt $\gamma$ CR. The black points with error bars represent the data and their statistical uncertainties, whereas the shaded band represents the predicted uncertainties. The bottom panel in each figure shows the ratio of the number of events observed in data to that of the total SM prediction. The last bin of each plot has been extended to include the overflow contribution.
The distributions of the variables used in the simultaneous fit for the ZZ CR. The black points with error bars represent the data and their statistical uncertainties, whereas the shaded band represents the predicted uncertainties. The bottom panel in each figure shows the ratio of the number of events observed in data to that of the total SM prediction. The last bin of each plot has been extended to include the overflow contribution.
The mass of the top quark is measured using top-antitop-quark pair events with high transverse momentum top quarks. The dataset, collected with the ATLAS detector in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis targets events in the lepton-plus-jets decay channel, with an electron or muon from a semi-leptonically decaying top quark and a hadronically decaying top quark that is sufficiently energetic to be reconstructed as a single large-radius jet. The mean of the invariant mass of the reconstructed large-radius jet provides the sensitivity to the top quark mass and is simultaneously fitted with two additional observables to reduce the impact of the systematic uncertainties. The top quark mass is measured to be $m_t = 172.95 \pm 0.53$ GeV, which is the most precise ATLAS measurement from a single channel.
Values and uncertainties for the parameters of interest in the profile likelihood fit to $\overline{m_J}$, $m_{jj}$, and $m_{tj}$ using data. The parameters of interest are the top quark mass, $m_t$, and the ratio of the measured cross-section to the Standard Model expectation of the $t\bar{t}$ cross-section, $\mu$.
Post-fit central values and uncertaintes for the nuisance parameters (including MC stat uncertainty terms) used in the profile likelihood fit to $\overline{m_J}$, $m_{jj}$, and $m_{tj}$ using data.
Covariance matrix for the profile likelihood fit to $\overline{m_J}$, $m_{jj}$, and $m_{tj}$ using data.
A search for long-lived heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ collected at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC is presented. Events are selected with a charged lepton originating from the primary vertex associated with the proton-proton interaction, as well as a second charged lepton and a hadronic jet associated with a secondary vertex that corresponds to the semileptonic decay of a long-lived HNL. No excess of events above the standard model expectation is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are evaluated for HNLs that mix with electron and/or muon neutrinos. Limits are presented in the mass range of 1-16.5 GeV, with excluded square mixing parameter values reaching as low as 2 $\times$ 10$^{-7}$. For masses above 11 GeV, the presented limits exceed all previous results in the semileptonic decay channel, and for some of the considered scenarios are the strongest to date.
The 95% CL limits on $|V_{Ne}|^2$ as a function of the HNL mass for a Majorana HNL. Values of $-1$ indicate that no limit is available for the mass point.
The 95% CL limits on $|V_{N\mu}|^2$ as a function of the HNL mass for a Majorana HNL. Values of $-1$ indicate that no limit is available for the mass point.
The 95% CL limits on mixed coupling as a function of the HNL mass for a Majorana HNL. Values of $-1$ indicate that no limit is available for the mass point.
We report the $p+p$ and $p+d$ differential cross sections measured in the SeaQuest experiment for $J/\psi$ and $\psi\left(2S\right)$ production at 120 GeV beam energy covering the forward $x$-Feynman ($x_F$) range of $0.5 < x_F <0.9$. The measured cross sections are in good agreement with theoretical calculations based on the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) using the long-distance matrix elements deduced from a recent global analysis of proton- and pion-induced charmonium production data. The $\sigma_{\psi\left(2S\right)} / \sigma_{J/\psi}$ cross section ratios are found to increase as $x_F$ increases, indicating that the $q \bar{q}$ annihilation process has larger contributions in the $\psi\left(2S\right)$ production than the $J/\psi$ production. The $\sigma_{pd}/2\sigma_{pp}$ cross section ratios are observed to be significantly different for the Drell-Yan process and $J/\psi$ production, reflecting their different production mechanisms. We find that the $\sigma_{pd}/2\sigma_{pp}$ ratios for $J/\psi$ production at the forward $x_F$ region are sensitive to the $\bar{d}/ \bar{u}$ flavor asymmetry of the proton sea, analogous to the Drell-Yan process. The transverse momentum ($p_T$) distributions for $J/\psi$ and $\psi\left(2S\right)$ production are also presented and compared with data collected at higher center-of-mass energies.
The differential cross sections per nucleon, $d\sigma/dx_{F}$ (in nb), for $J/\psi$ production in $p+p$ collision at 120 GeV for different $x_F$ bins.
The differential cross sections per nucleon, $d\sigma/dx_{F}$ (in nb), for $J/\psi$ production in $p+d$ collision at 120 GeV for different $x_F$ bins.
The differential cross sections per nucleon, $d\sigma/dx_{F}$ (in nb), for $\psi(2S)$ production in $p+p$ collision at 120 GeV for different $x_F$ bins.
Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) may interact with a virtual pion that is exchanged between nucleons. This interaction channel is important to consider in models where the spin-independent isoscalar channel is suppressed. Using data from the first science run of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment, containing 60 live days of data in a 5.5~tonne fiducial mass of liquid xenon, we report the results on a search for WIMP-pion interactions. We observe no significant excess and set an upper limit of $1.5\times10^{-46}$~cm$^2$ at a 90% confidence level for a WIMP mass of 33~GeV/c$^2$ for this interaction.
WIMP-Pion interaction cross section at the 90% CL
We report a measurement of the $e^+e^- \to \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$ cross section in the energy range from 0.62 to 3.50 GeV using an initial-state radiation technique. We use an $e^+e^-$ data sample corresponding to 191 $\text{fb}^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity, collected at a center-of-mass energy at or near the $\Upsilon{(4S)}$ resonance with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB collider. Signal yields are extracted by fitting the two-photon mass distribution in $e^+e^- \to \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0\gamma$ events, which involve a $\pi^0 \to \gamma\gamma$ decay and an energetic photon radiated from the initial state. Signal efficiency corrections with an accuracy of 1.6% are obtained from several control data samples. The uncertainty on the cross section at the $\omega$ and $\phi$ resonances is dominated by the systematic uncertainty of 2.2%. The resulting cross sections in the 0.62-1.80 GeV energy range yield $ a_\mu^{3\pi} = [48.91 \pm 0.23~(\mathrm{stat}) \pm 1.07~(\mathrm{syst})] \times 10^{-10} $ for the leading-order hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment. This result differs by $2.5$ standard deviations from the most precise current determination.
Energy bin range ($\sqrt{s'}$), number of events after unfolding ($N_{\mathrm{unf}}$), corrected efficiency ($\varepsilon$), and cross section ($\sigma_{3\pi}$) for $e^{+}e^{-} \to \pi^{+} \pi^{-} \pi^{0}$ in energy range 0.62--1.05~GeV. The two uncertainties in the cross section are the statistical and systematic contributions. The statistical uncertainties for the unfolding and cross section are square roots of the diagonal components of the unfolding covariance matrix. The image shows Figure 23 in the PRD paper, and the points with error bars indicate the cross section in the table.
Energy bin range ($\sqrt{s'}$), number of events after unfolding ($N_{\mathrm{unf}}$), corrected efficiency ($\varepsilon$), and cross section ($\sigma_{3\pi}$) for $e^{+}e^{-} \to \pi^{+} \pi^{-} \pi^{0}$ in energy range 1.05--3.50~GeV. The two uncertainties in the cross section are the statistical and systematic contributions. The statistical uncertainties for the unfolding and cross section are square roots of the diagonal components of the unfolding covariance matrix. The image shows Figure 23 in the PRD paper, and the points with error bars indicate the cross section in the table.
The statistic covariance matrix for the $e^+e^- \to \pi^+ \pi^- \pi^0$ cross section measurement at the Belle II. The 212 x 212 matrix of the energy ranges from 0.62 to 3.50 GeV. This covariance matrix, obtained by propagating the covariance matrix in the unfolding procedure, shows the total statistical uncertainties for the cross section results.
A combination of fifteen top quark mass measurements performed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the LHC is presented. The data sets used correspond to an integrated luminosity of up to 5 and 20$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, respectively. The combination includes measurements in top quark pair events that exploit both the semileptonic and hadronic decays of the top quark, and a measurement using events enriched in single top quark production via the electroweak $t$-channel. The combination accounts for the correlations between measurements and achieves an improvement in the total uncertainty of 31% relative to the most precise input measurement. The result is $m_\mathrm{t}$ = 172.52 $\pm$ 0.14 (stat) $\pm$ 0.30 (syst) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.33 GeV.
Uncertainties on the $m_{t}$ values extracted in the LHC, ATLAS, and CMS combinations arising from the categories described in the text, sorted in order of decreasing value of the combined LHC uncertainty.
We search for the rare decay $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ in a $362\ \rm{fb}^{-1}$ sample of electron-positron collisions at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB collider. We use the inclusive properties of the accompanying $B$ meson in $\Upsilon(4S) \to B\kern 0.18em\overline{\kern -0.18em B}{}$ events to suppress background from other decays of the signal $B$ candidate and light-quark pair production. We validate the measurement with an auxiliary analysis based on a conventional hadronic reconstruction of the accompanying $B$ meson. For background suppression, we exploit distinct signal features using machine learning methods tuned with simulated data. The signal-reconstruction efficiency and background suppression are validated through various control channels. The branching fraction is extracted in a maximum likelihood fit. Our inclusive and hadronic analyses yield consistent results for the $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ branching fraction of $\left[2.7\pm 0.5(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.5(\mathrm{syst})\right] \times 10^{-5}$ and $\left[1.1^{+0.9}_{-0.8}(\mathrm{stat}){}^{+0.8}_{-0.5}(\mathrm{syst})\right] \times 10^{-5}$, respectively. Combining the results, we determine the branching fraction of the decay $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ to be $\left[2.3 \pm 0.5(\mathrm{stat})^{+0.5}_{-0.4}(\mathrm{syst})\right]\times 10^{-5}$, providing the first evidence for this decay at $3.5$ standard deviations. The combined result is $2.7$ standard deviations above the standard model expectation.
- - - - - - - - Overview of HEPData Record - - - - - - - -<br/><br/></ul><b>Post-fit yields:</b><ul><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20Y(4S)%3A%20fit%20variable%20(ITA)">Y(4S) fit variable (ITA)</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20off-resonance%3A%20fit%20variable%20(ITA)">Off-resonance fit variable (ITA)</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20Y(4S)%3A%20%24%5Ceta(%5Crm%7BBDT%7D_%7B2%7D)%24%20(ITA)">Y(4S) $\eta(\rm{BDT}_{2})$ (ITA)</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20Y(4S)%3A%20%24q%5E%7B2%7D%24%20(HTA)">Y(4S) $q^{2}$ (ITA)</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20Y(4S)%3A%20%24%5Ceta(%5Crm%7BBDT%7D_%7B2%7D)%24%20(ITA%2C%20signal-rich)">Y(4S) $\eta(\rm{BDT}_{2})$ (ITA, signal-rich)</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20Y(4S)%3A%20%24q%5E%7B2%7D%24%20%20(ITA%2C%20signal-rich)">Y(4S) $q^{2}$ (ITA, signal-rich)</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20Y(4S)%3A%20fit%20variable%20(HTA)">Y(4S) fit variable (HTA)</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Postfit%20yields%20Y(4S)%3A%20%24q%5E%7B2%7D%24%20(HTA)">Y(4S) $q^{2}$ (HTA)</a></ul><b>Signal selection efficiency:</b><ul><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Selection%20efficiency%20(ITA)">ITA</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Selection%20efficiency%20(HTA)">HTA</a></ul><b>Likelihoods:</b><ul><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Profile%20likelihoods%20(HTA)">HTA</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Profile%20likelihoods%20(ITA)">ITA</a><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Profile%20likelihoods%20(Combined)">Combined</a></ul><b>Branching fraction summary:</b><ul><li><a href="146803?version=1&table=Branching%20fraction%20summary">Branching fraction summary</a></ul></ul>HistFactory json with full statistical model for combined likelihood and minimal fitting example are included under Resources.<ul>
Observed yields and fit results in bins of the $\eta(\rm{BDT}_{2})\times q^2_{\mathrm{rec}}$ space obtained by the ITA simultaneous fit to the off- and on-resonance data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 42 and 362 fb$^{-1}$, respectively. The yields are shown individually for the $B^+ \rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar\nu$ signal, neutral and charged $B$-meson decays and the sum of the five continuum categories. The yields are obtained in bins of the $\eta(\rm{BDT}_{2})\times q^2_{\mathrm{rec}}$ space.
Observed yields and fit results in bins of the $\eta(\rm{BDT}_{2})\times q^2_{\mathrm{rec}}$ space obtained by the ITA simultaneous fit to the off- and on-resonance data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 42 and 362 fb$^{-1}$, respectively. The yields are shown individually for the $B^+ \rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar\nu$ signal, neutral and charged $B$-meson decays and the sum of the five continuum categories. The yields are obtained in bins of the $\eta(\rm{BDT}_{2})\times q^2_{\mathrm{rec}}$ space.
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