4,503 research outputs found
Correlations of the elements of the neutrino mass matrix
Assuming Majorana nature of neutrinos, we re-investigate, in the light of the
recent measurement of the reactor mixing angle, the allowed ranges for the
absolute values of the elements of the neutrino mass matrix in the basis where
the charged-lepton mass matrix is diagonal. Apart from the derivation of upper
and lower bounds on the values of the matrix elements, we also study their
correlations. Moreover, we analyse the sensitivity of bounds and correlations
to the global fit results of the neutrino oscillation parameters which are
available in the literature.Comment: 37 pages, 146 figures, minor corrections, 17 additional figures,
version for publication in JHE
Corrections to the Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relation and chiral couplings and
Next to leading order corrections to the
Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relation (GMOR) are obtained using weighted QCD Finite
Energy Sum Rules (FESR) involving the pseudoscalar current correlator. Two
types of integration kernels in the FESR are used to suppress the contribution
of the kaon radial excitations to the hadronic spectral function, one with
local and the other with global constraints. The result for the pseudoscalar
current correlator at zero momentum is , leading to the chiral corrections to GMOR: . The resulting uncertainties are mostly due to variations in the upper
limit of integration in the FESR, within the stability regions, and to a much
lesser extent due to the uncertainties in the strong coupling and the strange
quark mass. Higher order quark mass corrections, vacuum condensates, and the
hadronic resonance sector play a negligible role in this determination. These
results confirm an independent determination from chiral perturbation theory
giving also very large corrections, i.e. roughly an order of magnitude larger
than the corresponding corrections in chiral . Combining
these results with our previous determination of the corrections to GMOR in
chiral , , we are able to determine two low
energy constants of chiral perturbation theory, i.e. , and , both at the
scale of the -meson mass.Comment: Revised version with minor correction
Mass hierarchy discrimination with atmospheric neutrinos in large volume ice/water Cherenkov detectors
Large mass ice/water Cherenkov experiments, optimized to detect low energy
(1-20 GeV) atmospheric neutrinos, have the potential to discriminate between
normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchies. The sensitivity depends on
several model and detector parameters, such as the neutrino flux profile and
normalization, the Earth density profile, the oscillation parameter
uncertainties, and the detector effective mass and resolution. A proper
evaluation of the mass hierarchy discrimination power requires a robust
statistical approach. In this work, the Toy Monte Carlo, based on an extended
unbinned likelihood ratio test statistic, was used. The effect of each model
and detector parameter, as well as the required detector exposure, was then
studied. While uncertainties on the Earth density and atmospheric neutrino flux
profiles were found to have a minor impact on the mass hierarchy
discrimination, the flux normalization, as well as some of the oscillation
parameter (\Delta m^2_{31}, \theta_{13}, \theta_{23}, and \delta_{CP})
uncertainties and correlations resulted critical. Finally, the minimum required
detector exposure, the optimization of the low energy threshold, and the
detector resolutions were also investigated.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figure
Neutron Majorana mass from exotic instantons
We show how a Majorana mass for the Neutron could result from
non-perturbative quantum gravity effects peculiar to string theory. In
particular, "exotic instantons" in un-oriented string compactifications with
D-branes extending the (supersymmetric) standard model could indirectly produce
an effective operator delta{m} n^t n+h.c. In a specific model with an extra
vector-like pair of `quarks', acquiring a large mass proportional to the string
mass scale (exponentially suppressed by a function of the string moduli
fields), delta{m} can turn out to be as low as 10^{-24}-10^{-25} eV. The
induced neutron-antineutron oscillations could take place with a time scale
tau_{n\bar{n}} > 10^8 s, that could be tested by the next generation of
experiments. On the other hand, proton decay and FCNC's are automatically
strongly suppressed and are compatible with the current experimental limits.
Depending on the number of brane intersections, the model may also lead to the
generation of Majorana masses for R-handed neutrini. Our proposal could also
suggest neutron-neutralino or neutron-axino oscillations, with implications in
UCN, Dark Matter Direct Detection, UHECR and Neutron-Antineutron oscillations.
This suggests to improve the limits on neutron-antineutron oscillations, as a
possible test of string theory and quantum gravity.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures. More comments on neutron-neutralino mixin
Electromagnetic superconductivity of vacuum induced by strong magnetic field
The quantum vacuum may become an electromagnetic superconductor in the
presence of a strong external magnetic field of the order of 10^{16} Tesla. The
magnetic field of the required strength (and even stronger) is expected to be
generated for a short time in ultraperipheral collisions of heavy ions at the
Large Hadron Collider. The superconducting properties of the new phase appear
as a result of a magnetic-field-assisted condensation of quark-antiquark pairs
with quantum numbers of electrically charged rho mesons. We discuss
similarities and differences between the suggested superconducting state of the
quantum vacuum, a conventional superconductivity and the Schwinger pair
creation. We argue qualitatively and quantitatively why the superconducting
state should be a natural ground state of the vacuum at the sufficiently strong
magnetic field. We demonstrate the existence of the superconducting phase using
both the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model and an effective bosonic model based on the
vector meson dominance (the rho-meson electrodynamics). We discuss various
properties of the new phase such as absence of the Meissner effect, anisotropy
of superconductivity, spatial inhomogeneity of ground state, emergence of a
neutral superfluid component in the ground state and presence of new
topological vortices in the quark-antiquark condensates.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, to appear in Lect. Notes Phys. "Strongly
interacting matter in magnetic fields" (Springer), edited by D. Kharzeev, K.
Landsteiner, A. Schmitt, H.-U. Ye
Quasi-free photoproduction of η-mesons off 3He nuclei
Quasi-free photoproduction of η-mesons has been measured off nucleons bound in 3He nuclei for incident photon energies from the threshold region up to 1.4 GeV. The experiment was performed at the tagged photon facility of the Mainz MAMI accelerator with an almost 4π covering electromagnetic calorimeter, combining the TAPS and Crystal Ball detectors. The η-mesons were detected in coincidence with the recoil nucleons. This allowed a comparison of the production cross section off quasi-free protons and quasi-free neutrons and a full kinematic reconstruction of the final state, eliminating effects from nuclear Fermi motion. In the S11(1535) resonance peak, the data agree with the neutron/proton cross section ratio extracted from measurements with deuteron targets. More importantly, the prominent structure observed in photoproduction off quasi-free neutrons bound in the deuteron is also clearly observed. Its parameters (width, strength) are consistent with the expectations from the deuteron results. On an absolute scale the cross sections for both quasi-free protons and neutrons are suppressed with respect to the deuteron target pointing to significant nuclear final-state interaction effects
Review of particle physics
The Review summarizes much of particle physics and cosmology. Using data from previous editions, plus 3,062 new measurements from 721 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as supersymmetric particles, heavy bosons, axions, dark photons, etc. All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as Higgs Boson Physics, Supersymmetry, Grand Unified Theories, Neutrino Mixing, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Cosmology, Particle Detectors, Colliders, Probability and Statistics. Among the 117 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised, including those on Pentaquarks and Inflation. The complete Review is published online in a journal and on the website of the Particle Data Group (http://pdg.lbl.gov). The printed PDG Book contains the Summary Tables and all review articles but no longer includes the detailed tables from the Particle Listings. A Booklet with the Summary Tables and abbreviated versions of some of the review articles is also available
A novel pathway producing dimethylsulphide in bacteria is widespread in soil environments
The volatile compound dimethylsulphide (DMS) is important in climate regulation, the sulphur cycle and signalling to higher organisms. Microbial catabolism of the marine osmolyte dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) is thought to be the major biological process generating DMS. Here we report the discovery and characterisation of the first gene for DMSP-independent DMS production in any bacterium. This gene, mddA, encodes a methyltransferase that methylates methanethiol (MeSH) and generates DMS. MddA functions in many taxonomically diverse bacteria including sediment-dwelling pseudomonads, nitrogen-fixing bradyrhizobia and cyanobacteria, and mycobacteria, including the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The mddA gene is present in metagenomes from varied environments, being particularly abundant in soil environments, where it is predicted to occur in up to 76% of bacteria. This novel pathway may significantly contribute to global DMS emissions, especially in terrestrial environments, and could represent a shift from the notion that DMSP is the only significant precursor of DMS
A Light Stop with Flavor in Natural SUSY
The discovery of a SM-like Higgs boson near 125 GeV and the flavor texture of
the Standard Model motivate the investigation of supersymmetric quiver-like BSM
extensions. We study the properties of such a minimal class of models which
deals naturally with the SM parameters. Considering experimental bounds as well
as constraints from flavor physics and Electro-Weak Precision Data, we find the
following. In a self-contained minimal model - including the full dynamics of
the Higgs sector - top squarks below a TeV are in tension with b->s{\gamma}
constraints. Relaxing the assumption concerning the mass generation of the
heavy Higgses, we find that a stop not far from half a TeV is allowed. The
models have some unique properties, e.g. an enhancement of the h->
b\bar{b},\tau\bar{{\tau}} decays relative to the h->\gamma{\gamma} one, a
gluino about 3 times heavier than the stop, an inverted hierarchy of about 3-20
between the squarks of the first two generations and the stop, relatively light
Higgsino neutralino or stau NLSP, as well as heavy Higgses and a W' which may
be within reach of the LHC.Comment: LaTeX, 22 pages, 4 figures; V2: references adde
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