Kaon oscillations in the Standard Model and Beyond using Nf=2 dynamical quarks

We compute non-perturbatively the B-parameters of the complete basis of four-fermion operators needed to study the Kaon oscillations in the SM and in its supersymmetric extension. We perform numerical simulations with two dynamical maximally twisted sea quarks at three values of the lattice spacing on configurations generated by the ETMC. Unwanted operator mixings and O(a) discretization effects are removed by discretizing the valence quarks with a suitable Osterwalder-Seiler variant of the Twisted Mass action. Operators are renormalized non-perturbatively in the RI/MOM scheme. Our preliminary result for BK(RGI) is 0.73(3)(3).Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, proceedings of the XXVII Int'l Symposyum on Lattice Field Theory (LAT2009), July 26-31 2009, Peking University, Beijing (China

K^0-\bar{K}^0 mixing in the Standard Model from Nf=2+1+1 Twisted Mass Lattice QCD

We present preliminary results at {\beta} = 1.95 (a = 0.077 fm) on the first unquenched N_f=2+1+1 lattice computation of the B_K parameter which controls the neutral kaon oscillations in the Standard Model. Using N_f=2+1+1 maximally twisted sea quarks and Osterwalder-Seiler valence quarks we achieve O(a) improvement and a continuum-like renormalization pattern for the four-fermion operator. Our results are extrapolated/interpolated to the physical light/strange quark mass but not yet to the continuum limit. The computation of the relevant renormalization constants is performed non perturbatively in the RI'-MOM scheme using dedicated simulations with N_f=4 degenerate sea quark flavours produced by the ETM collaboration. We get B_K^{RGI} (a = 0.077) = 0.747(18), which when compared to our previous unquenched N_f=2 determination and most of the existing results, suggests a rather weak B_K^{RGI} dependence on the number of dynamical flavours. We are at the moment analysing lattice data at two additional {\beta} values which will allow us to perform an extrapolation to the continuum limit.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, Proceedings of Lattice 2011, XXIX International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, Californi

B-physics from lattice QCD...with a twist

We present a precise lattice QCD determination of the b-quark mass, of the B and Bs decay constants and first results for the B-meson bag parameters. For our computation we employ the so-called ratio method and our results benefit from the use of improved interpolating operators for the B-mesons. QCD calculations are performed with Nf = 2 dynamical light-quarks at four values of the lattice spacing and the results are extrapolated to the continuum limit. The preliminary results are mb(mb) = 4.35(12) GeV for the MSbar b-quark mass, fBs = 234(6) MeV and fB = 197(10) MeV for the B-meson decay constants, BBs(mb) = 0.90(5) and BB(mb) = 0.87(5) for the B-meson bag parameters.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on High Energy Physics - ICHEP 2012; July 4-11 2012; Melbourne, Australi

K^0-\bar{K}^0 Mixing Beyond the SM from Nf=2 tmQCD

We present preliminary results on the of neutral kaon oscillations in extensions of the Standard Model. Using Nf=2 maximally twisted sea quarks and Osterwalder-Seiler valence quarks, we achieve both O(a)-improvement and continuum-like renormalization pattern for the relevant four-fermion operators. We perform simulations at three values of the lattice spacing and extrapolate/interpolate our results to the continuum limit and physical light/strange quark mass. The calculation of the renormalization constants of the complete operator basis is performed non- perturbatively in the RI-MOM scheme.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; presented at the XXVIII International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory Villasimius, Sardinia, Ital

B-physics from the ratio method with Wilson twisted mass fermions

We present a precise lattice QCD determination of the b-quark mass, of the B and Bs decay constants and first preliminary results for the B-mesons bag parameter. Simulations are performed with Nf = 2 Wilson twisted mass fermions at four values of the lattice spacing and the results are extrapolated to the continuum limit. Our calculation benefits from the use of improved interpolating operators for the B-mesons and employs the so-called ratio method. The latter allows a controlled interpolation at the b-quark mass between the relativistic data around and above the charm quark mass and the exactly known static limit.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Proceedings of the 30th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory - Lattice 2012; June 24-29, 2012; Cairns, Australi

Effect of Pulp Pigmentation Intensity on Consumer Acceptance of New Blood Mandarins: A Cross-Cultural Study in Spain and Italy

One of the current objectives of different citrus breeding programmes is obtaining new pigmented mandarins. This study investigates to what extent consumer preferences, expectations and purchase intention are affected by the appearance of new mandarins, specifically pulp pigmentation intensity. Four hundred consumers from both Italy and Spain (800 in all) participated in the study. In each country, half were informed about the healthy properties of the anthocyanins responsible for red pulp colouration, while the other half were not. Italians more readily accepted new mandarin varieties than Spaniards, which was linked to them being more familiar with blood oranges. In Italy, both slight- and medium-pigmented mandarins were well-accepted. Spanish consumers preferred the slight-pigmented variety. The most intense pigmented varieties were not well-accepted in either country. Health-related information positively affected Spaniards’ consumer response but did not modify that of Italians. A halo effect was detected in Spain, where health-related information positively affected mandarin appearance liking and its expected taste liking. Consumer perception that new varieties were unnatural was identified as a consumption barrier, mainly in Spain. Blood orange familiarity and health claims are revealed as conditioning factors for consumer response to pigmented mandarins. Interventions should be made to inform consumers that these varieties are obtained by conventional breeding and not by transgenic technology. Future studies should evaluate consumer response to other sensory characteristics, such as odour, taste and texture

B-physics computations from Nf=2 tmQCD

We present an accurate lattice QCD computation of the b-quark mass, the B and Bs decay constants, the B-mixing bag-parameters for the full four-fermion operator basis, as well as estimates for \xi and f_{Bq}\sqrt{B_q} extrapolated to the continuum limit and the physical pion mass. We have used Nf = 2 dynamical quark gauge configurations at four values of the lattice spacing generated by ETMC. Extrapolation in the heavy quark mass from the charm to the bottom quark region has been carried out using ratios of physical quantities computed at nearby quark masses, having an exactly known infinite mass limit.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, presented at the 31st International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2013), 29 July - 3 August 2013, Mainz, German

Depth of interaction and bias voltage depenence of the spectral response in a pixellated CdTe detector operating in time-over-threshold mode subjected to monochromatic X-rays

High stopping power is one of the most important figures of merit for X-ray detectors. CdTe is a promising material but suffers from: material defects, non-ideal charge transport and long range X-ray fluorescence. Those factors reduce the image quality and deteriorate spectral information. In this project we used a monochromatic pencil beam collimated through a 20μm pinhole to measure the detector spectral response in dependance on the depth of interaction. The sensor was a 1mm thick CdTe detector with a pixel pitch of 110μm, bump bonded to a Timepix readout chip operating in Time-Over-Threshold mode. The measurements were carried out at the Extreme Conditions beamline I15 of the Diamond Light Source. The beam was entering the sensor at an angle of \texttildelow20 degrees to the surface and then passed through \texttildelow25 pixels before leaving through the bottom of the sensor. The photon energy was tuned to 77keV giving a variation in the beam intensity of about three orders of magnitude along the beam path. Spectra in Time-over-Threshold (ToT) mode were recorded showing each individual interaction. The bias voltage was varied between -30V and -300V to investigate how the electric field affected the spectral information. For this setup it is worth noticing the large impact of fluorescence. At -300V the photo peak and escape peak are of similar height. For high bias voltages the spectra remains clear throughout the whole depth but for lower voltages as -50V, only the bottom part of the sensor carries spectral information. This is an effect of the low hole mobility and the longer range the electrons have to travel in a low field

Non-perturbatively Renormalized Light Quark Masses with Two Dynamical Fermions

We present the results of a partially quenched lattice QCD calculation of light quark masses with $N_f=2$ degenerate dynamical flavors. Numerical simulations are carried out using the plaquette gauge action and the Wilson quark action at $\beta = 5.8$ (a^{-1} \simeq 3.2\gev). The spatial extension of the $24^3 \times 48$ lattice is about 1.5 fm. Configurations have been generated at four values of the sea quark masses, for which the ratio of pseudoscalar over vector meson masses is in the range $M_P/M_V \simeq 0.60 \div 0.75$. An important feature of the present study is the use of non-perturbative renormalization, performed with the \ri method. The effects of dynamical sea quarks in the determination of light quark masses have been investigated by performing a quenched calculation on a similar lattice. Our results for the average up-down and strange quark masses are m_{ud}^{MS} (2\gev) = 4.3(4) (^{+1.1}_{-0.4})\mev and m_s^{MS}(2\gev)=101(8)(^{+25}_{-9}) \mev. These values are larger than those obtained by evaluating the quark mass renormalization constants with one-loop (boosted) perturbation theory. Our results for the light quark masses are compatible with those obtained in the quenched simulation. No significant sea quark effects are seen, at the values of sea quark masses used in the present study.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, Proceedings of "Lattice 2005" (Dublin, 25-30 July 2005), updated systematic errors, updated references and clarified comparisons with previous result

K-meson vector and tensor decay constants and BK-parameter from Nf=2 tmQCD

We present work in progress on the computation of the K-meson vector and tensor decay constants, as well as the B-parameter in Kaon oscillations. Our simulations are performed in a partially quenched setup, with two dynamical (sea) Wilson quark flavours, having a maximally twisted mass term. Valence quarks are either of the standard or the Osterwalder-Seiler maximally twisted variety. These two regularizations can be suitably combined in order to obtain a BK parameter which is both multiplicatively renormalizable and O(a) improved.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, talk presented at the XXVI International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, July 14 - 19, 2008, Williamsburg, Virginia, US