58 research outputs found
The Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: Estimates, Patterns, and Threats
The Mediterranean Sea is a marine biodiversity hot spot. Here we combined an extensive literature analysis with expert opinions to update publicly available estimates of major taxa in this marine ecosystem and to revise and update several species lists. We also assessed overall spatial and temporal patterns of species diversity and identified major changes and threats. Our results listed approximately 17,000 marine species occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. However, our estimates of marine diversity are still incomplete as yetâundescribed species will be added in the future. Diversity for microbes is substantially underestimated, and the deep-sea areas and portions of the southern and eastern region are still poorly known. In addition, the invasion of alien species is a crucial factor that will continue to change the biodiversity of the Mediterranean, mainly in its eastern basin that can spread rapidly northwards and westwards due to the warming of the Mediterranean Sea. Spatial patterns showed a general decrease in biodiversity from northwestern to southeastern regions following a gradient of production, with some exceptions and caution due to gaps in our knowledge of the biota along the southern and eastern rims. Biodiversity was also generally higher in coastal areas and continental shelves, and decreases with depth. Temporal trends indicated that overexploitation and habitat loss have been the main human drivers of historical changes in biodiversity. At present, habitat loss and degradation, followed by fishing impacts, pollution, climate change, eutrophication, and the establishment of alien species are the most important threats and affect the greatest number of taxonomic groups. All these impacts are expected to grow in importance in the future, especially climate change and habitat degradation. The spatial identification of hot spots highlighted the ecological importance of most of the western Mediterranean shelves (and in particular, the Strait of Gibraltar and the adjacent Alboran Sea), western African coast, the Adriatic, and the Aegean Sea, which show high concentrations of endangered, threatened, or vulnerable species. The Levantine Basin, severely impacted by the invasion of species, is endangered as well
Test of lepton universality in decays
The first simultaneous test of muon-electron universality using
and decays is performed, in two ranges of the dilepton
invariant-mass squared, . The analysis uses beauty mesons produced in
proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector between 2011 and
2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 . Each
of the four lepton universality measurements reported is either the first in
the given interval or supersedes previous LHCb measurements. The
results are compatible with the predictions of the Standard Model.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and
additional information, are available at
https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-046.html (LHCb
public pages
Observation of B(s)0âJ/ÏppÂŻ decays and precision measurements of the B(s)0 masses
The first observation of the decays
B
0
(
s
)
â
J
/
Ï
p
ÂŻ
p
is reported, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of
5.2
â
â
fb
â
1
, collected with the LHCb detector. These decays are suppressed due to limited available phase space, as well as due to Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka or Cabibbo suppression. The measured branching fractions are
B
(
B
0
â
J
/
Ï
p
ÂŻ
p
)
=
[
4.51
±
0.40
(
stat
)
±
0.44
(
syst
)
]
Ă
10
â
7
,
B
(
B
0
s
â
J
/
Ï
p
ÂŻ
p
)
=
[
3.58
±
0.19
(
stat
)
±
0.39
(
syst
)
]
Ă
10
â
6
. For the
B
0
s
meson, the result is much higher than the expected value of
O
(
10
â
9
)
. The small available phase space in these decays also allows for the most precise single measurement of both the
B
0
mass as
5279.74
±
0.30
(
stat
)
±
0.10
(
syst
)
â
â
MeV
and the
B
0
s
mass as
5366.85
±
0.19
(
stat
)
±
0.13
(
syst
)
â
â
MeV
Observation of the decay Î <sub>b</sub> <sup>0</sup> âââÏ(2S)pÏ<sup>â</sup>
International audienceThe Cabibbo-suppressed decay Î âââÏ(2S)pÏ is observed for the first time using a data sample collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions corresponding to 1.0, 2.0 and 1.9 fb of integrated luminosity at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV, respectively. The Ï(2S) mesons are reconstructed in the ΌΌ final state. The branching fraction with respect to that of the Î âââÏ(2S)pK decay mode is measured to b
Search for CP violation in Îb0âpKâ and Îb0âpÏâ decays
A search for CP violation in Îb0âpKâ and Îb0âpÏâ decays is presented using a sample of pp collisions collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0fbâ1. The CP -violating asymmetries are measured to be ACPpKâ=â0.020±0.013±0.019 and ACPpÏâ=â0.035±0.017±0.020, and their difference ACPpKââACPpÏâ=0.014±0.022±0.010, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. These are the most precise measurements of such asymmetries to date
Evidence for an nc(1S)ff- resonance in B0 yc(1S)K+ decays
A Dalitz plot analysis of B0âηc(1S)K+Ï- decays is performed using data samples of pp collisions collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of s=7,8 and 13TeV , corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 4.7fb-1 . A satisfactory description of the data is obtained when including a contribution representing an exotic ηc(1S)Ï- resonant state. The significance of this exotic resonance is more than three standard deviations, while its mass and width are 4096±20-22+18MeV and 152±58-35+60MeV , respectively. The spin-parity assignments JP=0+ and JP=1- are both consistent with the data. In addition, the first measurement of the B0âηc(1S)K+Ï- branching fraction is performed and gives B(B0âηc(1S)K+Ï-)=(5.73±0.24±0.13±0.66)Ă10-4, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third is due to limited knowledge of external branching fractions
Observation of Two New Excited Îb0 States Decaying to Îb0 K-Ï+
Two narrow resonant states are observed in the Îb0K-Ï+ mass spectrum using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb-1. The minimal quark content of the Îb0K-Ï+ system indicates that these are excited Îb0 baryons. The masses of the Îb(6327)0 and Îb(6333)0 states are m[Îb(6327)0]=6327.28-0.21+0.23±0.12±0.24 and m[Îb(6333)0]=6332.69-0.18+0.17±0.03±0.22 MeV, respectively, with a mass splitting of Îm=5.41-0.27+0.26±0.12 MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the Îb0 mass measurement. The measured natural widths of these states are consistent with zero, with upper limits of Î[Îb(6327)0]<2.20(2.56) and Î[Îb(6333)0]<1.60(1.92) MeV at a 90% (95%) credibility level. The significance of the two-peak hypothesis is larger than nine (five) Gaussian standard deviations compared to the no-peak (one-peak) hypothesis. The masses, widths, and resonant structure of the new states are in good agreement with the expectations for a doublet of 1D Îb0 resonances
Test of lepton universality in bâsâ+ââ decays
The first simultaneous test of muon-electron universality using
B
+
â
K
+
â
+
â
â
and
B
0
â
K
*
0
â
+
â
â
decays is performed, in two ranges of the dilepton invariant-mass squared,
q
2
. The analysis uses beauty mesons produced in proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector between 2011 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of
9
â
â
fb
â
1
. Each of the four lepton universality measurements reported is either the first in the given
q
2
interval or supersedes previous LHCb measurements. The results are compatible with the predictions of the Standard Model
Amplitude analysis of the B0 (s)! K0K0 decays and measurement of the branching fraction of the B0! K0K0 decay
The and decays are studied using proton-proton collision data
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3fb. An untagged and
time-integrated amplitude analysis of
decays in two-body invariant mass regions of 150 MeV around the
mass is performed. A stronger longitudinal polarisation fraction in the decay, , is observed as compared to in the decay. The ratio of branching fractions of the two decays
is measured and used to determine .Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and
additional information, are available at
https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2019-004.html (LHCb
public pages
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