Three lepton signatures from tZq interactions in the SM and top-FCNC at the CMS experiment at \sqrt{s} = 8 TeV

The search for a top quark in association with a Z boson can be performed in both top pair production as well as single top production. Targeting the three lepton final state, the search can be used to identify the standard model (SM) process of a single top quark associated with a Z boson and to search for flavour changing neutral current (FCNC) interactions. The presented analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $19.7$ fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV. The cross section for the SM tZq production is measured to be $\sigma(tZq\rightarrow l\nu bl^+ l^- q)= 10^{+8}_{-7}$ fb with a significance of $2.4 \sigma$. Exclusion limits at 95$\%$ confidence level on the branching ratio of a top quark decaying to a Z boson and an up or charm quark are determined to be $BR(t \rightarrow Zu) < 0.022\%$ and $BR(t \rightarrow Zc) < 0.049\%$ respectively.Comment: Presented at the 9th International Workshop on Top Quark Physics, Olomouc, Czech Republic, September 19-23, 201

The Eurodividend: Why the EU should introduce a basic income for all

Philippe Van Parijs argues for a basic income for all legal residents of the European Union to be financed by the Value Added Tax. Unlike the US, the EU lacks automatic inter-state transfers and migration between states is much less common. A universal basic income would serve as a buffering mechanism and enable a stronger recovery from economic downturns. It would also help the Union overcome the pressures of competitiveness that entails a sacrificing of social expenditure and the EU may be seen as more legitimate and less of a heartless bureaucracy in the eyes of its residents

Brussels Capital of Europe: the new linguistic challenges

Introduction Language wars lie at the heart of Belgian history. Through a succession of bitter battles, endless power struggles and laborious compromises, Belgium’s political leaders gradually managed to elaborate, adjust and readjust a legal framework likely to facilitate a fairly peaceful cohabitation of the populations and a reasonably effective functioning of the institutions. But while squabbles are still going on about the survival of linguistic “facilities” in a number of Flemish commu..

Review of “The Language(s) of Politics. Multilingual policy-making in the European Union“ by Nils Ringe. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press 2022.

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Impasses et promesses de l'écologie politique

L’écologie politique, entend-on souvent, ne se réduit pas à la protection de l’environnement. Mais en quoi consiste le surplus ? S’agit-il d’autre chose que de quelques idées vaguement mystiques ou d’un fatras disparate de propositions ponctuelles

Est-il juste que l’Université soit gratuite ?

Est-il juste que l’Université soit gratuite ? D’un côté, bien sûr que oui. De l’autre, bien sûr que non. J’explique brièvement les considérations qui sous-tendent ces deux réponses. Puis je les réconcilie au profit — essentiellement — du statu quo, en argumentant que la gratuité d’un privilège ne peut se justifier que si elle sert l’intérêt de ceux qui n’y ont pas accès. Je termine en examinant quatre objections, dont seule la dernière est susceptible de me faire vaciller