0000000000086209
AUTHOR
Yanxi Zhang
Excess electronic recoil events in XENON1T
We report results from searches for new physics with low-energy electronic recoil data recorded with the XENON1T detector. With an exposure of 0.65 t-y and an unprecedentedly low background rate of $76\pm2$ events/(t y keV) between 1 and 30 keV, the data enables sensitive searches for solar axions, an enhanced neutrino magnetic moment, and bosonic dark matter. An excess over known backgrounds is observed at low energies and most prominent between 2 and 3 keV. The solar axion model has a 3.4$\sigma$ significance, and a 3D 90% confidence surface is reported for axion couplings to electrons, photons, and nucleons. This surface is inscribed in the cuboid defined by $g_{ae}<3.8 \times 10^{-12}$,…
Model-Independent Evidence forJ/ψpContributions toΛb0→J/ψpK−Decays
The data sample of Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi pK(-) decays acquired with the LHCb detector from 7 and 8 TeV pp collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), is inspected for the presence of J/psi p or J/psi K- contributions with minimal assumptions about K(-)p contributions. It is demonstrated at more than nine standard deviations that Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi pK(-) decays cannot be described with K- p contributions alone, and that J/psi K- contributions play a dominant role in this incompatibility. These model-independent results support the previously obtained model-dependent evidence for P-c(+)-> J/psi p charmonium-pentaquark states in the same data sample.
First Observation ofD0−D¯0Oscillations inD0→K+π−π+π−Decays and Measurement of the Associated Coherence Parameters
Charm meson oscillations are observed in a time-dependent analysis of the ratio of D0→K+π−π+π− to D0→K−π+π−π+ decay rates, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0fb−1 recorded by the LHCb experiment. The measurements presented are sensitive to the phase-space averaged ratio of doubly Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favoured amplitudes rK3πD and the product of the coherence factor RK3πD and a charm mixing parameter y′K3π. The constraints measured are rK3πD=(5.67±0.12)×10−2, which is the most precise determination to date, and RK3πD⋅y′K3π=(0.3±1.8)×10−3, which provides useful input for determinations of the CP-violating phase γ in B±→DK±,D→K∓π±π∓π± decays. The analysis also …
Physics reach of the XENON1T dark matter experiment.
The XENON1T experiment is currently in the commissioning phase at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. In this article we study the experiment's expected sensitivity to the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon interaction cross section, based on Monte Carlo predictions of the electronic and nuclear recoil backgrounds. The total electronic recoil background in $1$ tonne fiducial volume and ($1$, $12$) keV electronic recoil equivalent energy region, before applying any selection to discriminate between electronic and nuclear recoils, is $(1.80 \pm 0.15) \cdot 10^{-4}$ ($\rm{kg} \cdot day \cdot keV)^{-1}$, mainly due to the decay of $^{222}\rm{Rn}$ daughters inside the xenon target. The nu…
Updated determination of D0–D¯0 mixing and CP violation parameters with D0→K+π− decays
We report measurements of charm-mixing parameters based on the decay-time-dependent ratio of D0→K+π- to D0→K-π+ rates. The analysis uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb-1 recorded by the LHCb experiment from 2011 through 2016. Assuming charge-parity (CP) symmetry, the mixing parameters are determined to be x′2=(3.9±2.7)×10-5, y′=(5.28±0.52)×10-3, and RD=(3.454±0.031)×10-3. Without this assumption, the measurement is performed separately for D0 and D¯0 mesons, yielding a direct CP-violating asymmetry AD=(-0.1±9.1)×10-3, and magnitude of the ratio of mixing parameters 1.00<|q/p|<1.35 at the 68.3% confidence level. All results incl…
First observation of the rareB+→D+K+π−decay
The B+→D+K+π- decay is observed in a data sample corresponding to 3.0 fb-1 of pp collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The signal significance is 8σ and the branching fraction is measured to be B(B+→D+K+π-)=(5.31±0.90±0.48±0.35)×10-6, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic and due to the normalization mode B+→D-K+π+, respectively. The Dalitz plot appears to be dominated by broad structures. Angular distributions are exploited to search for quasi-two-body contributions from B+→D2∗(2460)0K+ and B+→D+K∗(892)0 decays. No significant signals are observed and upper limits are set on their branching fractions.
Observation of charmless baryonic decays B(s)0→pp¯h+h′−
Decays of B0 and Bs0 mesons to the charmless baryonic final states pp¯h+h′-, where h and h′ each denote a kaon or a pion, are searched for using the LHCb detector. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb-1. Four-body charmless baryonic Bs0 decays are observed for the first time. The decays Bs0→pp¯K+K-, Bs0→pp¯K±π∓, B0→pp¯K±π∓ and B0→pp¯π+π- are observed with a significance greater than 5 standard deviations; evidence at 4.1 standard deviations is found for the B0→pp¯K+K- decay and an upper limit is set on the branching fraction for Bs0→pp¯π+π-. Branching fraction…
First experimental study of photon polarization in radiative B0s decays.
The polarization of photons produced in radiative $B^{0}_{s}$ decays is studied for the first time. The data are recorded by the LHCb experiment in $pp$ collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3fb$^{-1}$ at center-of-mass energies of $7$ and $8$TeV. A time-dependent analysis of the $B^{0}_{s} \to \phi \gamma$ decay rate is conducted to determine the parameter ${\mathcal{A}}^\Delta$, which is related to the ratio of right- over left-handed photon polarization amplitudes in $b \to s \gamma$ transitions. A value of ${\mathcal{A}}^\Delta=-0.98^{\,+0.46\,+0.23}_{\,-0.52\,-0.20}$ is measured. This result is consistent with the Standard Model prediction within two standard deviatio…
Measurement ofCPviolation parameters inB0→DK*0decays
An analysis of B0→DK*0 decays is presented, where D represents an admixture of D0 and D¯0 mesons reconstructed in four separate final states: K−π+, π−K+, K+K− and π+π−. The data sample corresponds to 3.0 fb−1 of proton-proton collision, collected by the LHCb experiment. Measurements of several observables are performed, including CP asymmetries. The most precise determination is presented of rB(DK*0), the magnitude of the ratio of the amplitudes of the decay B0→DK+π− with a b→u or a b→c transition, in a Kπ mass region of ±50 MeV/c2 around the K∗(892) mass and for an absolute value of the cosine of the K*0 helicity angle larger than 0.4.
Evidence for Exotic Hadron Contributions toΛb0→J/ψpπ−Decays
A full amplitude analysis of $\Lambda_b^0 \to J/\psi p \pi^-$ decays is performed with a data sample acquired with the LHCb detector from 7 and 8 TeV $pp$ collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$. A significantly better description of the data is achieved when, in addition to the previously observed nucleon excitations $N\to p\pi^-$, either the $P_c(4380)^+$ and $P_c(4450)^+\to J/\psi p$ states, previously observed in $\Lambda_b^0 \to J/\psi p K^-$ decays, or the $Z_c(4200)^-\to J/\psi \pi^-$ state, previously reported in $B^0 \to J/\psi K^+ \pi^-$ decays, or all three, are included in the amplitude models. The data support a model containing all three exotic sta…
First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data
Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, {\it narrow-band} analyses methods have been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known …
Light Dark Matter Search with Ionization Signals in XENON1T
We report constraints on light dark matter (DM) models using ionization signals in the XENON1T experiment. We mitigate backgrounds with strong event selections, rather than requiring a scintillation signal, leaving an effective exposure of (22±3) tonne day. Above ∼0.4 keVee, we observe <1 event/(tonne day keVee), which is more than 1000 times lower than in similar searches with other detectors. Despite observing a higher rate at lower energies, no DM or CEvNS detection may be claimed because we cannot model all of our backgrounds. We thus exclude new regions in the parameter spaces for DM-nucleus scattering for DM masses mχ within 3–6 GeV/c2, DM-electron scattering for mχ>30 MeV/c2, a…
Oncogenic Deregulation of EZH2 as an Opportunity for Targeted Therapy in Lung Cancer.
Abstract As a master regulator of chromatin function, the lysine methyltransferase EZH2 orchestrates transcriptional silencing of developmental gene networks. Overexpression of EZH2 is commonly observed in human epithelial cancers, such as non–small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), yet definitive demonstration of malignant transformation by deregulated EZH2 remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate the causal role of EZH2 overexpression in NSCLC with new genetically engineered mouse models of lung adenocarcinoma. Deregulated EZH2 silences normal developmental pathways, leading to epigenetic transformation independent of canonical growth factor pathway activation. As such, tumors feature a transcrip…
GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence
On August 14, 2017 at 10 30:43 UTC, the Advanced Virgo detector and the two Advanced LIGO detectors coherently observed a transient gravitational-wave signal produced by the coalescence of two stellar mass black holes, with a false-alarm rate of 1 in 27 000 years. The signal was observed with a three-detector network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 18. The inferred masses of the initial black holes are 30.5-3.0+5.7M and 25.3-4.2+2.8M (at the 90% credible level). The luminosity distance of the source is 540-210+130 Mpc, corresponding to a redshift of z=0.11-0.04+0.03. A network of three detectors improves the sky localization of the source, reducing the area of the 90% credible regio…
XENON1T Dark Matter Data Analysis: Signal Reconstruction, Calibration and Event Selection
The XENON1T experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso is the most sensitive direct detection experiment for dark matter in the form of weakly interacting particles (WIMPs) with masses above $6\,$GeV/$c^2$ scattering off nuclei. The detector employs a dual-phase time projection chamber with 2.0 metric tons of liquid xenon in the target. A one metric $\mathrm{ton}\times\mathrm{year}$ exposure of science data was collected between October 2016 and February 2018. This article reports on the performance of the detector during this period and describes details of the data analysis that led to the most stringent exclusion limits on various WIMP-nucleon interaction models to date. In pa…
Measurement of the Ratio of Branching FractionsB(B¯0→D*+τ−ν¯τ)/B(B¯0→D*+μ−ν¯μ)
The branching fraction ratio R(D-*) = B((B) over bar (0) -> D-*(+)tau(-)(nu) over bar (tau))/B((B) over bar (0) -> D-*(+)mu(-)(nu) over bar (mu)) is measured using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode tau(-) -> mu(-)(nu) over bar (mu)nu(tau). The semitauonic decay is sensitive to contributions from non-standard-model particles that preferentially couple to the third generation of fermions, in particular, Higgs-like charged scalars. A multidimensional fit to kinematic distributions of the candidate (B) over bar (0) decays gives R(D-*) =…
Prospects for quarkonium studies at the high-luminosity LHC
Prospects for quarkonium-production studies accessible during the upcoming high-luminosity phases of the CERN Large Hadron Collider operation after 2021 are reviewed. Current experimental and theoretical open issues in the field are assessed together with the potential for future studies in quarkonium-related physics. This will be possible through the exploitation of the huge data samples to be collected in proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions, both in the collider and fixed-target modes. Such investigations include, among others, those of: (i) J/psi and Upsilon produced in association with other hard particles; (ii) chi(c,b) and eta(c,b) down to small transverse mom…
$^{222}$Rn emanation measurements for the XENON1T experiment
The selection of low-radioactive construction materials is of utmost importance for the success of low-energy rare event search experiments. Besides radioactive contaminants in the bulk, the emanation of radioactive radon atoms from material surfaces attains increasing relevance in the effort to further reduce the background of such experiments. In this work, we present the $^{222}$Rn emanation measurements performed for the XENON1T dark matter experiment. Together with the bulk impurity screening campaign, the results enabled us to select the radio-purest construction materials, targeting a $^{222}$Rn activity concentration of 10 $\mu$Bq/kg in 3.2 t of xenon. The knowledge of the distribut…
Search for Light Dark Matter Interactions Enhanced by the Migdal Effect or Bremsstrahlung in XENON1T.
Direct dark matter detection experiments based on a liquid xenon target are leading the search for dark matter particles with masses above ∼5 GeV/c2, but have limited sensitivity to lighter masses because of the small momentum transfer in dark matter-nucleus elastic scattering. However, there is an irreducible contribution from inelastic processes accompanying the elastic scattering, which leads to the excitation and ionization of the recoiling atom (the Migdal effect) or the emission of a bremsstrahlung photon. In this Letter, we report on a probe of low-mass dark matter with masses down to about 85 MeV/c2 by looking for electronic recoils induced by the Migdal effect and bremsstrahlung us…
Observation of the rare B(s)(0) + decay from the combined analysis of CMS and LHCb data.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence.-- et al.
Projected WIMP sensitivity of the XENONnT dark matter experiment
XENONnT is a dark matter direct detection experiment, utilizing 5.9 t of instrumented liquid xenon, located at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. In this work, we predict the experimental background and project the sensitivity of XENONnT to the detection of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). The expected average differential background rate in the energy region of interest, corresponding to (1, 13) keV and (4, 50) keV for electronic and nuclear recoils, amounts to 12.3 ± 0.6 (keV t y)-1 and (2.2± 0.5)× 10−3 (keV t y)-1, respectively, in a 4 t fiducial mass. We compute unified confidence intervals using the profile construction method, in order to ensure proper coverage…
Effective field theory search for high-energy nuclear recoils using the XENON100 dark matter detector
International audience; We report on weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) search results in the XENON100 detector using a nonrelativistic effective field theory approach. The data from science run II (34 kg×224.6 live days) were reanalyzed, with an increased recoil energy interval compared to previous analyses, ranging from (6.6–240) keVnr. The data are found to be compatible with the background-only hypothesis. We present 90% confidence level exclusion limits on the coupling constants of WIMP-nucleon effective operators using a binned profile likelihood method. We also consider the case of inelastic WIMP scattering, where incident WIMPs may up-scatter to a higher mass state, and …
Amplitude analysis ofB+→J/ψϕK+decays
The first full amplitude analysis of B+→J/ψϕK+ with J/ψ→μ+μ−, ϕ→K+K− decays is performed with a data sample of 3 fb−1 of pp collision data collected at s√=7 and 8 TeV with the LHCb detector. The data cannot be described by a model that contains only excited kaon states decaying into ϕK+, and four J/ψϕ structures are observed, each with significance over 5 standard deviations. The quantum numbers of these structures are determined with significance of at least 4 standard deviations. The lightest is best described as a D±sD∗∓s cusp, but a resonant interpretation is also possible with mass consistent with, but width much larger than, previous measurements of the claimed X(4140) state. The mode…
GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
On August 17, 2017 at 12-41:04 UTC the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors made their first observation of a binary neutron star inspiral. The signal, GW170817, was detected with a combined signal-to-noise ratio of 32.4 and a false-alarm-rate estimate of less than one per 8.0×104 years. We infer the component masses of the binary to be between 0.86 and 2.26 M, in agreement with masses of known neutron stars. Restricting the component spins to the range inferred in binary neutron stars, we find the component masses to be in the range 1.17-1.60 M, with the total mass of the system 2.74-0.01+0.04M. The source was localized within a sky region of 28 deg2 (90% probabili…
Constraints on the unitarity triangle angleγfrom Dalitz plot analysis ofB0→DK+π−decays
The first study is presented of CP violation with an amplitude analysis of the Dalitz plot of B0→DK+π- decays, with D→K+π-, K+K-, and π+π-. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to 3.0 fb-1 of pp collisions collected with the LHCb detector. No significant CP violation effect is seen, and constraints are placed on the angle γ of the unitarity triangle formed from elements of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark mixing matrix. Hadronic parameters associated with the B0→DK∗(892)0 decay are determined for the first time. These measurements can be used to improve the sensitivity to γ of existing and future studies of the B0→DK∗(892)0 decay.
Measurement of the Difference of Time-IntegratedCPAsymmetries inD0→K−K+andD0→π−π+Decays
A search for CP violation in $D^0 \rightarrow K^{-} K^{+} $ and $D^0 \rightarrow \pi^{-} \pi^{+} $ decays is performed using $pp$ collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $3~fb^{-1}$, collected using the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and $8~$TeV. The flavour of the charm meson is inferred from the charge of the pion in $D^{*+}\rightarrow D^0\pi^+$ and $D^{*-}\rightarrow \bar{D^0}\pi^{-}$ decays. The difference between the CP asymmetries in $D^0 \rightarrow K^{-} K^{+} $ and $D^0 \rightarrow \pi^{-} \pi^{+} $ decays, $\Delta A_{CP} \equiv A_{CP}(K^{-} K^{+}) - A_{CP}(\pi^{-} \pi^{+})$, is measured to be $\left( -0.10 \pm 0.08(stat) \pm 0.03(syst) \right) \…
Measurement of the W boson mass
The W boson mass is measured using proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.7fb(-1) recorded during 2016 by the LHCb experiment. With a simultaneous fit of the muon q/p(T) distribution of a sample of W ->mu y decays and the phi* distribution of a sample of Z -> mu mu decays the W boson mass is determined to be
Amplitude analysis ofB−→D+π−π−decays
The Dalitz plot analysis technique is used to study the resonant substructures of $B^{-} \to D^{+} \pi^{-} \pi^{-}$ decays in a data sample corresponding to 3.0 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. A model-independent analysis of the angular moments demonstrates the presence of resonances with spins 1, 2 and 3 at high $D^{+}\pi^{-}$ mass. The data are fitted with an amplitude model composed of a quasi-model-independent function to describe the $D^{+}\pi^{-}$ S-wave together with virtual contributions from the $D^{*}(2007)^{0}$ and $B^{*0}$ states, and components corresponding to the $D^{*}_{2}(2460)^{0}$, $D^{*}_{1}(2680)^{0}$, $D^{*}_…
Observation of Bc+→J/ψD(*)K(*) decays
A search for the decays B + c → J / ψ D ( * ) 0 K + and B + c → J / ψ D ( * ) + K * 0 is performed with data collected at the LHCb experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb − 1 . The decays B + c → J / ψ D 0 K + and B + c → J / ψ D * 0 K + are observed for the first time, while first evidence is reported for the B + c → J / ψ D * + K * 0 and B + c → J / ψ D + K * 0 decays. The branching fractions of these decays are determined relative to the B + c → J / ψ π + decay. The B + c mass is measured, using the J / ψ D 0 K + final state, to be 6274.28 ± 1.40 ( stat ) ± 0.32 ( syst ) MeV / c 2 . This is the most precise single measurement of the B + c mass to date.
Study of J/ψ Production in Jets
The production of $J/\psi$ mesons in jets is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions using data collected with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The fraction of the jet transverse momentum carried by the $J/\psi$ meson, $z \equiv p_{\rm T}(J/\psi)/p_{\rm T}({\rm jet})$, is measured using jets with $p_{\rm T}({\rm jet}) > 20$ GeV in the pseudorapidity range $2.5 < \eta({\rm jet}) < 4.0$. The observed $z$ distribution for $J/\psi$ mesons produced in $b$-hadron decays is consistent with expectations. However, the results for prompt $J/\psi$ production do not agree with predictions based on fixed-order non-relativistic QCD. This is the first measurement o…
Measurements of charm mixing and CP violation using D0→K±π∓ decays
Measurements of charm mixing and CP violation parameters from the decay-time-dependent ratio of D0→K+π− to D0→K−π+ decay rates and the charge-conjugate ratio are reported. The analysis uses B¯¯¯¯→D∗+μ−X, and charge-conjugate decays, where D∗+→D0π+, and D0→K∓π±. The pp collision data are recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies s√ = 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb−1. The data are analyzed under three hypotheses: (i) mixing assuming CP symmetry, (ii) mixing assuming no direct CP violation in the Cabibbo-favored or doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decay amplitudes, and (iii) mixing allowing either direct CP violation and/or CP violation in the superpos…