A search for the exotic decay of the Higgs boson to a pair of light pseudoscalars, each of which subsequently decays into a pair of photons, is presented. The search uses data from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 132 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis probes pseudoscalar bosons with masses in the range 15-62 GeV, coming from the Higgs boson decay, which leads to four well-isolated photons in the final state. No significant deviation from the background-only hypothesis is observed. Upper limits are set on the product of the Higgs boson production cross section and branching fraction into four photons. The observed (expected) limits range from 0.80 (1.00) fb for a pseudoscalar boson mass of 15 GeV to 0.26 (0.24) fb for a mass of 62 GeV at 95% confidence level.
Results on two-particle $\Delta\eta\Delta\phi$ correlations in inelastic p+p interactions at 20, 31, 40, 80, and 158~GeV/c are presented. The measurements were performed using the large acceptance NA61/SHINE hadron spectrometer at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. The data show structures which can be attributed mainly to effects of resonance decays, momentum conservation, and quantum statistics. The results are compared with the EPOS and UrQMD models.
Hadronic charm production was investigated with a two-arm magnetic spectrometer. The experiment was triggered on muons from the semileptonic decay of charm particles in one arm while reconstructing the mass of the associatively produced partners in the other arm. An excess of 153±46 combinations above background for the neutral D→Kπ mode was observed. This corresponds to a model-dependent DD¯ production cross section of 41±12+15−11 μb per nucleon, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.
The inclusive cross section for charged-D* production by 205-GeV/c π− mesons incident on a beryllium target was measured with a two-arm spectrometer triggered by prompt muons. Using the mass-difference technique often employed in D* studies, a signal of 31±11 charged D*’s was isolated; it includes contributions from both the D*+ and D*− charged modes in correlation with triggering muons of the proper charge. This corresponds to an inclusive charged-D* production cross section of 220±77−57+77 μb per Be nucleus or 24±9−6+9 μb per nucleon when the cross section is scaled linearly with atomic mass number. The first error is statistical and the second is systematic.
The hadronic production of charmed states was studied in a two-arm spectrometer using a 205-GeV/c negative-pion beam incident upon a beryllium target. One arm, filled with dense absorber, triggered the detectors upon the passage of a muon with a moderate transverse momentum and a total momentum of at least 4 GeV/c. The other arm was an open-geometry magnetic spectrometer which had both neutral- and charged-particle identification capabilities. The apparatus, the data, and an invariant-mass-plot search for evidence of charmed-meson production through several charged-particle decay modes are described. The Kπ, Kππ, and Kπππ mass plots fail to reveal significant D-meson signals. Based upon the Kπ mass plots, the 95%-confidence upper limit on the DD¯ production cross section is found to be less than 51 μb per nucleon for the production models tested. A search for evidence of charged-D* production yields 30±16 combinations above background in association with the expected trigger muon charge. Interpreted as a D* signal, this excess corresponds to a model-dependent inclusive DD¯ production cross section of 34±18−9+14 μb per nucleon. Model-dependent upper limits on the ratio of the F to D cross sections are also presented.
We have observed $23.2 \pm 6.0_{-0.9}^{+1.0}$ purely-leptonic decays of $D_s^+ -> \mu^+ \nu_\mu$ from a sample of muonic one prong decay events detected in the emulsion target of Fermilab experiment E653. Using the $D_s^+ -> \phi \mu^+ \nu_\mu$ yield measured previously in this experiment, we obtain $B(D_s^+ --> \mu^+ \nu_\mu) / B(D_s^+ --> \phi \mu^+ \nu_\mu) =0.16 \pm 0.06 \pm 0.03$. In addition, we extract the decay constant $f_{D_s}=194 \pm 35 \pm 20 \pm 14 MeV$.
Pentaquark states have been extensively investigated theoretically in the context of the constituent quark model. In this paper experimental searches in the $Xi^{-}\pi^{-}$, $Xi^{-}\pi^{+}$, $Xi^{+}\pi^{-}$ and $Xi^{+}\pi^{+}$ invariant mass spectra in proton-proton interactions at $\sqrt{s}$=17.3 GeV are presented. Previous possible evidence from the NA49 collaboration of the existence of a narrow $Xi^{-}\pi^{-}$ baryon resonance in p+p interactions is not confirmed with almost 10 times greater event statistics. The search was performed using the NA61/SHINE detector which reuses the main components of the NA49 apparatus. No signal was observed with either the selection cuts of NA49 or a newly optimised set.
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Precise knowledge of hadron production rates in the generation of neutrino beams is necessary for accelerator-based neutrino experiments to achieve their physics goals. NA61/SHINE, a large-acceptance hadron spectrometer, has recorded hadron+nucleus interactions relevant to ongoing and future long-baseline neutrino experiments at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. This paper presents three analyses of interactions of 60 GeV/$c$ $\pi^+$ with thin, fixed carbon and beryllium targets. Integrated production and inelastic cross sections were measured for both of these reactions. In an analysis of strange, neutral hadron production, differential production multiplicities of $K^0_{S}$, $\Lambda$ and anti-$\Lambda$ were measured. Lastly, in an analysis of charged hadron production, differential production multiplicities of $\pi^+$, $\pi^-$, $K^+$, $K^-$ and protons were measured. These measurements will enable long-baseline neutrino experiments to better constrain predictions of their neutrino flux in order to achieve better precision on their neutrino cross section and oscillation measurements.
Results on $\phi$ meson production in inelastic p+p collisions at CERN SPS energies are presented. They are derived from data collected by the NA61/SHINE fixed target experiment, by means of invariant mass spectra fits in the $\phi \to K^+K^-$ decay channel. They include the first ever measured double differential spectra of $\phi$ mesons as a function of rapidity $y$ and transverse momentum $p_T$ for proton beam momenta of 80 GeV/c and 158 GeV/c, as well as single differential spectra of $y$ or $p_T$ for beam momentum of 40 GeV/c. The corresponding total $\phi$ yields per inelastic p+p event are obtained. These results are compared with existing data on $\phi$ meson production in p+p collisions. The comparison shows consistency but superior accuracy of the present measurements. The emission of $\phi$ mesons in p+p reactions is confronted with that occurring in Pb+Pb collisions, and the experimental results are compared with model predictions. It appears that none of the considered models can properly describe all the experimental observables.
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