Realistic calculations of nuclear disappearance lifetimes induced by neutron-antineutron oscillations

Realistic calculations of nuclear disappearance lifetimes induced by neutron-antineutron oscillations are reported for oxygen and iron, using antineutron nuclear potentials derived from a recent comprehensive analysis of antiproton atomic X-ray and radiochemical data. A lower limit of 3.3 x 10E8 s on the neutron-antineutron oscillation time is derived from the Super-Kamiokande I new lower limit of 1.77 x 10E32 yr on the neutron lifetime in oxygen. Antineutron scattering lengths in carbon and nickel, needed in trap experiments using ultracold neutrons, are calculated from updated antinucleon optical potentials at threshold, with results shown to be largely model independent.Comment: version matching PRD publication, typos and references correcte

Longitudinal Hadronic Shower Development in a Combined Calorimeter

This work is devoted to the experimental study of the longitudinal hadronic shower development in the ATLAS barrel combined prototype calorimeter consisting of the lead-liquid argon electromagnetic part and the iron-scintillator hadronic part. The results have been obtained on the basis of the 1996 combined test beam data which have been taken on the H8 beam of the CERN SPS, with the pion beams of 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, 100, 150 and 300 GeV/c. The degree of description of generally accepted Bock parameterization of the longitudinal shower development has been investigated. It is shown that this parameterization does not give satisfactory description for this combined calorimeter. Some modification of this parameterization, in which the e/h ratios of the compartments of the combined calorimeter are used, is suggested and compared with the experimental data. The agreement between such parameterization and the experimental data is demonstrated.Comment: Latex, 21 pages, 10 figure

Non-compensation of an Electromagnetic Compartment of a Combined Calorimeter

The method of extraction of the $e/h$ ratio, the degree of non-compensation, of the electromagnetic compartment of the combined calorimeter is suggested. The $e/h$ ratio of $1.74\pm0.04$ has been determined on the basis of the 1996 combined calorimeter test beam data. This value agrees with the prediction that $e/h > 1.7$ for this electromagnetic calorimeter.Comment: LATEX, 17 pages, 7 figure

Cosmic Coincidence and Asymmetric Dark Matter in a Stueckelberg Extension

We discuss the possibility of cogenesis generating the ratio of baryon asymmetry to dark matter in a Stueckelberg U(1) extension of the standard model and of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. For the U(1) we choose $L_{\mu}-L_{\tau}$ which is anomaly free and can be gauged. The dark matter candidate arising from this extension is a singlet of the standard model gauge group but is charged under $L_{\mu}-L_{\tau}$. Solutions to the Boltzmann equations for relics in the presence of asymmetric dark matter are discussed. It is shown that the ratio of the baryon asymmetry to dark matter consistent with the current WMAP data, i.e., the cosmic coincidence, can be successfully explained in this model with the depletion of the symmetric component of dark matter from resonant annihilation via the Stueckelberg gauge boson. For the extended MSSM model it is shown that one has a two component dark matter picture with asymmetric dark matter being the dominant component and the neutralino being the subdominant component (i.e., with relic density a small fraction of the WMAP cold dark matter value). Remarkably, the subdominant component can be detected in direct detection experiments such as SuperCDMS and XENON-100. Further, it is shown that the class of Stueckelberg models with a gauged $L_{\mu}-L_{\tau}$ will produce a dramatic signature at a muon collider with the $\sigma(\mu^+\mu^-\to \mu^+\mu^-,\tau^+\tau^-)$ showing a detectable $Z'$ resonance while $\sigma(\mu^+\mu^-\to e^+e^-)$ is devoid of this resonance. Asymmetric dark matter arising from a $U(1)_{B-L}$ Stueckelberg extension is also briefly discussed. Finally, in the models we propose the asymmetric dark matter does not oscillate and there is no danger of it being washed out from oscillations.Comment: 36 pages, 7 figure

Non-perturbative proton stability

Proton decay is a generic prediction of GUT models and is therefore an important channel to detect the existence of unification or to set limits on GUT models. Current bounds on the proton lifetime are around 10^33 years, which sets stringent limits on the GUT scale. These limits are obtained under `reasonable' assumptions about the size of the hadronic matrix elements. In this paper we present a non-perturbative calculation of the hadronic matrix elements within the chiral bag model of the proton. We argue that there is an exponential suppression of the matrix elements, due to non-perturbative QCD, that stifles proton decay by orders of magnitude -- potentially O(10^-10). This suppression is present for small quark masses and is due to the chiral symmetry breaking of QCD. Such a suppression has clear implications for GUT models and could resuscitate several scenarios

Andreev interferometer with three superconducting electrodes

We develop a quasiclassical theory of Andreev interferometers with three superconducting electrodes. Provided tunneling interface resistance between one superconducting electrode and the normal metal strongly exceeds two others, significant current sensitivity to the external magnetic flux is observed only at subgap voltages. If all barrier conductances are comparable, multiple Andreev reflection comes into play and substantial current modulation can be achieved in both subgap and overgap voltage regimes. Our analysis reveals a large variety of interesting features which can be used for performance optimization of Andreev interferometers.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figure

Neutrino-nucleon cross sections at energies of Megaton-scale detectors

An updated set of (anti)neutrino-nucleon charged and neutral current cross sections at $3~{\rm GeV} \lesssim E_\nu \lesssim 100~{\rm GeV}$ is presented. These cross sections are of particular interest for the detector optimization and data processing and interpretation in the future Megaton-scale experiments like PINGU, ORCA, and Hyper-Kamiokande. Finite masses of charged leptons and target mass corrections in exclusive and deep inelastic $(\bar\nu)\nu N$ interactions are taken into account. A new set of QCD NNLO parton density functions, the ABMP15, is used for calculation of the DIS cross sections. The sensitivity of the cross sections to phenomenological parameters and to extrapolations of the nucleon structure functions to small $x$ and $Q^2$ is studied. An agreement within the uncertainties of our calculations with experimental data is demonstrated.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for the VLVnT-2015 Conference proceedings, will be published on EPJ Web of Conference