Systematic study of rigid triaxiality in Ba–Pt nuclei and role of $$$$ subshell effect

A systematic variation of shape variables \(\beta \) and \(\gamma \) with N and \(N_\mathrm {p}N_\mathrm {n}\) is studied in the framework of an asymmetric rotor model of Davydov and Filippov for the \(Z=\) 50–82, \(N=\) 82–126 major shell space. The role of the \(Z=64\) subshell in producing smooth systematics has been discussed. The quadrupole moments are extracted after considering both axially symmetric and axially asymmetric nuclei. The correlation of \(\beta \) with \(\gamma \) together with the measured quadrupole moments indicates that \(\gamma \)-rigidity is better observed in nuclei with modest deformation.     

Summability of Connected Correlation Functions of Coupled Lattice Fields

We consider two nonindependent random fields \(\psi \) and \(\phi \) defined on a countable set Z. For instance, \(Z=\mathbb {Z}^d\) or \(Z=\mathbb {Z}^d\times I\), where I denotes a finite set of possible “internal degrees of freedom” such as spin. We prove that, if the cumulants of \(\psi \) and \(\phi \) enjoy a certain decay property, then all joint cumulants between \(\psi \) and \(\phi \) are \(\ell _2\)-summable in the precise sense described in the text. The decay assumption for the cumulants of \(\psi \) and \(\phi \) is a restricted \( \ell _1\) summability condition called \(\ell _1\)-clustering property. One immediate application of the results is given by a stochastic process \(\psi _t(x)\) whose state is \(\ell _1\)-clustering at any time t: then the above estimates can be applied with \(\psi =\psi _t\) and \(\phi =\psi _0\) and we obtain uniform in t estimates for the summability of time-correlations of the field. The above clustering assumption is obviously satisfied by any \(\ell _1\)-clustering stationary state of the process, and our original motivation for the control of the summability of time-correlations comes from a quest for a rigorous control of the Green–Kubo correlation function in such a system. A key role in the proof is played by the properties of non-Gaussian Wick polynomials and their connection to cumulants     

Stable exponential cosmological solutions with two factor spaces in the Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet model with a $$\Lambda $$-term

We study D-dimensional Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravitational model including the Gauss–Bonnet term and the cosmological term \(\Lambda \). We find a class of solutions with exponential time dependence of two scale factors, governed by two Hubble-like parameters \(H >0\) and h, corresponding to factor spaces of dimensions \(m >2\) and \(l > 2\), respectively. These solutions contain a fine-tuned \(\Lambda = \Lambda (x, m, l, \alpha )\), which depends upon the ratio \(h/H = x\), dimensions of factor spaces m and l, and the ratio \(\alpha = \alpha _2/\alpha _1\) of two constants (\(\alpha _2\) and \(\alpha _1\)) of the model. The master equation \(\Lambda (x, m, l,\alpha ) = \Lambda \) is equivalent to a polynomial equation of either fourth or third order and may be solved in radicals. The explicit solution for \(m = l\) is presented in “Appendix”. Imposing certain restrictions on x, we prove the stability of the solutions in a class of cosmological solutions with diagonal metrics. We also consider a subclass of solutions with small enough variation of the effective gravitational constant G and show the stability of all solutions from this subclass.     

CP violations in predictive neutrino mass structures

We study the CP-violation effects from two types of neutrino mass matrices with (i) \((M_\nu )_{ee}=0\), and (ii) \((M_\nu )_{ee}=(M_\nu )_{e\mu }=0\), which can be realized by the high-dimensional lepton number violating operators \(\bar{\ell }_R^c\gamma ^\mu L_L (D_\mu \Phi )\Phi ^2\) and \(\bar{\ell }_R^c l_R (D_\mu {\Phi })^2\Phi ^2\), respectively. In (i), the neutrino mass spectrum is in the normal ordering with the lightest neutrino mass within the range \(0.002\,\mathrm{eV}\lesssim m_0\lesssim 0.007\,\mathrm{eV}\). Furthermore, for a given value of \(m_0\), there are two solutions for the two Majorana phases \(\alpha _{21}\) and \(\alpha _{31}\), whereas the Dirac phase \(\delta \) is arbitrary. For (ii), the parameters of \(m_0\), \(\delta \), \(\alpha _{21}\), and \(\alpha _{31}\) can be completely determined. We calculate the CP-violating asymmetries in neutrino–antineutrino oscillations for both mass textures of (i) and (ii), which are closely related to the CP-violating Majorana phases.     

Warm modified Chaplygin gas shaft inflation

In this paper, we examine the possible realization of a new inflation family called “shaft inflation” by assuming the modified Chaplygin gas model and a tachyon scalar field. We also consider the special form of the dissipative coefficient \(\Gamma ={a_0}\frac{T^{3}}{\phi ^{2 }}\) and calculate the various inflationary parameters in the scenario of strong and weak dissipative regimes. In order to examine the behavior of inflationary parameters, the \(n_s \)–\( \phi ,\, n_s \)–r, and \(n_s \)–\( \alpha _s\) planes (where \(n_s,\, \alpha _s,\, r\), and \(\phi \) represent the spectral index, its running, tensor-to-scalar ratio, and scalar field, respectively) are being developed, which lead to the constraints \(r< 0.11\), \(n_s=0.96 \pm 0.025\), and \(\alpha _s =-0.019 \pm 0.025\). It is quite interesting that these results of the inflationary parameters are compatible with BICEP2, WMAP \((7+9)\) and recent Planck data.     

Aharonov and Bohm versus Welsh eigenvalues

We consider a class of two-dimensional Schrödinger operator with a singular interaction of the \(\delta \) type and a fixed strength \(\beta \) supported by an infinite family of concentric, equidistantly spaced circles, and discuss what happens below the essential spectrum when the system is amended by an Aharonov–Bohm flux \(\alpha \in [0,\frac{1}{2}]\) in the center. It is shown that if \(\beta \ne 0\), there is a critical value \(\alpha _{\mathrm {crit}}\in (0,\frac{1}{2})\) such that the discrete spectrum has an accumulation point when \(\alpha <\alpha _{\mathrm {crit}}\), while for \(\alpha \ge \alpha _{\mathrm {crit}}\) the number of eigenvalues is at most finite, in particular, the discrete spectrum is empty for any fixed \(\alpha \in (0,\frac{1}{2})\) and \(|\beta |\) small enough.     

Two-Higgs-doublet type-II and -III models and $$t\rightarrow c h$$ at the LHC

We study the constraints of the generic two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM) type-III and the impacts of the new Yukawa couplings. For comparisons, we revisit the analysis in the 2HDM type-II. To understand the influence of all involving free parameters and to realize their correlations, we employ a \(\chi \)-square fitting approach by including theoretical and experimental constraints, such as the S, T, and U oblique parameters, the production of standard model Higgs and its decay to \(\gamma \gamma \), \(WW^*/ZZ^*\), \(\tau ^+\tau ^-\), etc. The errors of the analysis are taken at 68, 95.5, and \(99.7~\%\) confidence levels. Due to the new Yukawa couplings being associated with \(\cos (\beta -\alpha )\) and \(\sin (\beta -\alpha )\), we find that the allowed regions for \(\sin \alpha \) and \(\tan \beta \) in the type-III model can be broader when the dictated parameter \(\chi _F\) is positive; however, for negative \(\chi _F\), the limits are stricter than those in the type-II model. By using the constrained parameters, we find that the deviation from the SM in \(h\rightarrow Z\gamma \) can be of \(\mathcal{O}(10~\%)\). Additionally, we also study the top-quark flavor-changing processes induced at the tree level in the type-III model and find that when all current experimental data are considered, we get \(Br(t\rightarrow c(h, H) )< 10^{-3}\) for \(m_h=125.36\) and \(m_H=150\) GeV, and \(Br(t\rightarrow cA)\) slightly exceeds \(10^{-3}\) for \(m_A =130\) GeV.     

Ellipses Percolation

We define a continuum percolation model that provides a collection of random ellipses on the plane and study the connectivity behavior of the covered set and the vacant set, the one obtained by removing all ellipses. Our model generalizes a construction that appears implicitly in the Poisson cylinder model of Tykesson and Windisch. The ellipses model has a parameter \(\alpha > 0\) associated with the tail decay of the major axis distribution; we only consider distributions \(\rho \) satisfying \(\rho [r, \infty ) \asymp r^{-\alpha }\). We prove that this model presents a double phase transition in \(\alpha \). For \(\alpha \in (0,1]\) the plane is completely covered by the ellipses, almost surely. For \(\alpha \in (1,2)\) the vacant set is not empty but does not percolate for any positive density of ellipses, while the covered set always percolates. For \(\alpha \in (2, \infty )\) the vacant set percolates for small densities of ellipses and the covered set percolates for large densities. Moreover, we prove for the critical parameter \(\alpha = 2\) that there is a non-degenerate interval of densities for which the probability of crossing boxes of a fixed proportion is bounded away from zero and one. In this interval neither the covered set nor the vacant set percolate, a behavior that is similar to critical independent percolation on \(\mathbb {Z}^2\).     

Light deflection and Gauss–Bonnet theorem: definition of total deflection angle and its applications

In this paper, we re-examine the light deflection in the Schwarzschild and the Schwarzschild–de Sitter spacetime. First, supposing a static and spherically symmetric spacetime, we propose the definition of the total deflection angle \(\alpha \) of the light ray by constructing a quadrilateral \(\varSigma ^4\) on the optical reference geometry \({\mathscr {M}}^\mathrm{opt}\) determined by the optical metric \(\bar{g}_{ij}\). On the basis of the definition of the total deflection angle \(\alpha \) and the Gauss–Bonnet theorem, we derive two formulas to calculate the total deflection angle \(\alpha \); (1) the angular formula that uses four angles determined on the optical reference geometry \({\mathscr {M}}^\mathrm{opt}\) or the curved \((r, \phi )\) subspace \({\mathscr {M}}^\mathrm{sub}\) being a slice of constant time t and (2) the integral formula on the optical reference geometry \({\mathscr {M}}^\mathrm{opt}\) which is the areal integral of the Gaussian curvature K in the area of a quadrilateral \(\varSigma ^4\) and the line integral of the geodesic curvature \(\kappa _g\) along the curve \(C_{\varGamma }\). As the curve \(C_{\varGamma }\), we introduce the unperturbed reference line that is the null geodesic \(\varGamma \) on the background spacetime such as the Minkowski or the de Sitter spacetime, and is obtained by projecting \(\varGamma \) vertically onto the curved \((r, \phi )\) subspace \({\mathscr {M}}^\mathrm{sub}\). We demonstrate that the two formulas give the same total deflection angle \(\alpha \) for the Schwarzschild and the Schwarzschild–de Sitter spacetime. In particular, in the Schwarzschild case, the result coincides with Epstein–Shapiro’s formula when the source S and the receiver R of the light ray are located at infinity. In addition, in the Schwarzschild–de Sitter case, there appear order \({\mathscr {O}}(\varLambda m)\) terms in addition to the Schwarzschild-like part, while order \({\mathscr {O}}(\varLambda )\) terms disappear.     

Strong decay of $$\Lambda _c(2940)$$ as a 2 P state in the $$\Lambda _c$$Λc family

Considering the mass, parity and \(D^0 p\) decay mode, we tentatively assign the \(\Lambda _c(2940)\) as the \(P-\)wave states with one radial excitation. Then, via studying the strong decay behavior of the \(\Lambda _c(2940)\) within the \(^3P_0\) model, we obtain that the total decay widths of the \(\Lambda _{c1}(\frac{1}{2}^-,2P)\) and \(\Lambda _{c1}(\frac{3}{2}^-,2P)\) states are 16.27 and 25.39 MeV, respectively. Compared with the experimental total width \(27.7^{+8.2}_{-6.0}\pm 0.9^{+5.2}_{-10.4}~\mathrm {MeV}\) measured by LHCb Collaboration, both assignments are allowed, and the \(J^P=\frac{3}{2}^-\) assignment is more favorable. Other \(\lambda \)-mode \(\Sigma _c(2P)\) states are also investigated, which are most likely to be narrow states and have good potential to be observed in future experiments.     

Search of the neutrino-less double beta decay of $$^{}$$Se into the excited states of $$^{}$$Kr with CUPID-0

The CUPID-0 experiment searches for double beta decay using cryogenic calorimeters with double (heat and light) read-out. The detector, consisting of 24 ZnSe crystals 95\(\%\) enriched in \(^{82}\)Se and two natural ZnSe crystals, started data-taking in 2017 at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. We present the search for the neutrino-less double beta decay of \(^{82}\)Se into the 0\(_1^+\), 2\(_1^+\) and 2\(_2^+\) excited states of \(^{82}\)Kr with an exposure of 5.74 kg\(\cdot \)yr (2.24\(\times \)10\(^{25}\) emitters\(\cdot \)yr). We found no evidence of the decays and set the most stringent limits on the widths of these processes: \(\varGamma \)(\(^{82}\)Se \(\rightarrow ^{82}\)Kr\(_{0_1^+}\))8.55\(\times \)10\(^{-24}\) yr\(^{-1}\), \(\varGamma \) (\(^{82}\) Se \(\rightarrow ^{82}\) Kr \(_{2_1^+}\))\(\,{<}\,6.25 \,{\times }\,10^{-24}\) yr\(^{-1}\), \(\varGamma \)(\(^{82}\)Se \(\rightarrow ^{82}\)Kr\(_{2_2^+}\))8.25\(\times \)10\(^{-24}\) yr\(^{-1}\) (90\(\%\) credible interval).     

Critical Two-Point Function for Long-Range <Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>) Models Below the Upper Critical Dimension

We consider the n-component \(|\varphi |^4\) lattice spin model (\(n \ge 1\)) and the weakly self-avoiding walk (\(n=0\)) on \(\mathbb Z^d\), in dimensions \(d=1,2,3\). We study long-range models based on the fractional Laplacian, with spin-spin interactions or walk step probabilities decaying with distance r as \(r^{-(d+\alpha )}\) with \(\alpha \in (0,2)\). The upper critical dimension is \(d_c=2\alpha \). For \(\varepsilon >0\), and \(\alpha = \frac{1}{2} (d+\varepsilon )\), the dimension \(d=d_c-\varepsilon \) is below the upper critical dimension. For small \(\varepsilon \), weak coupling, and all integers \(n \ge 0\), we prove that the two-point function at the critical point decays with distance as \(r^{-(d-\alpha )}\). This “sticking” of the critical exponent at its mean-field value was first predicted in the physics literature in 1972. Our proof is based on a rigorous renormalisation group method. The treatment of observables differs from that used in recent work on the nearest-neighbour 4-dimensional case, via our use of a cluster expansion.     

Radiative corrections of heavy scalar decays to gauge bosons in the singlet extension of the Standard Model

Assuming the existence of a new real scalar singlet \(s^0\) coupled to the Standard Model via a scalar quartic portal interaction, we compute the radiative corrections to the decay rates of the heavy scalar mass eigenstate to a couple of gauge bosons ZZ and \(W^+W^-(\gamma )\), showing that they can give a contribution as large as \({{\mathcal {O}}}\)(5%) and \({{\mathcal {O}}}\)(7%), respectively. We also explicitly analyze in detail their dependence on the heavy mass \(m_S\) and on the scalar mixing angle \(\alpha \), finding that, especially in the large-mass region, these depend on the sign and the assumed value of \(\sin \alpha \).     

The decays of $$\bar{B}^0$$, $$\bar{B}^0_s$$B¯s0 and $$B^-$$B- into $$\eta _c$$ηc plus a scalar or vector meson

We investigate the decays of \(\bar{B}^0_s\), \(\bar{B}^0\) and \(B^-\) into \(\eta _c\) plus a scalar or vector meson in a theoretical framework by taking into account the dominant process for the weak decay of \(\bar{B}\) meson into \(\eta _c\) and a \(q\bar{q}\) pair. After hadronization of this \(q\bar{q}\) component into pairs of pseudoscalar mesons we obtain certain weights for the pseudoscalar meson-pseudoscalar meson components. In addition, the \(\bar{B}^0\) and \(\bar{B}^0_s\) decays into \(\eta _c\) and \(\rho ^0\), \(K^*\) are evaluated and compared to the \(\eta _c\) and \(\phi \) production. The calculation is based on the postulation that the scalar mesons \(f_0(500)\), \(f_0(980)\) and \(a_0(980)\) are dynamically generated states from the pseudoscalar meson-pseudoscalar meson interactions in S-wave. Up to a global normalization factor, the \(\pi \pi \), \(K \bar{K}\) and \(\pi \eta \) invariant mass distributions for the decays of \(\bar{B}^0_s \rightarrow \eta _c \pi ^+ \pi ^-\), \(\bar{B}^0_s \rightarrow \eta _c K^+ K^-\), \(\bar{B}^0 \rightarrow \eta _c \pi ^+ \pi ^-\), \(\bar{B}^0 \rightarrow \eta _c K^+ K^-\), \(\bar{B}^0 \rightarrow \eta _c \pi ^0 \eta \), \(B^- \rightarrow \eta _c K^0 K^-\) and \(B^- \rightarrow \eta _c \pi ^- \eta \) are predicted. Comparison is made with the limited experimental information available and other theoretical calcualtions. Further comparison of these results with coming LHCb measurements will be very valuable to make progress in our understanding of the nature of the low lying scalar mesons, \(f_0(500), f_0(980)\) and \(a_0(980)\).     

The phenomenon of tristable stochastic resonance driven by $$\alpha $$-noise

In this paper, the tristable stochastic resonance (SR) phenomenon induced by \(\alpha \)-stable noise is analysed. The mechanism for realizing resonance is explored based on research concerning the potential function and resonant output of a system. The rules for resonance system parameters q, p, skewness parameter r and intensity amplification factor Q of \(\alpha \)-stable noise to act on the resonant output are explored under different values of stability index \(\alpha \) and asymmetric skewness \(\beta \) of \(\alpha \)-stable noise. The results will contribute to a reasonable selection of parameter-induced tristable SR system parameters under \(\alpha \)-stable noise, and lay the foundation for a practical engineering application of weak signal detection based on the SR.     

A new decay mode of higher charmonium

We calculate the \(\Lambda _c{\bar{\Lambda }}_c\) partial decay width of the excited vector charmonium states around 4.6 GeV with the quark pair creation model. We find that the partial decay width of the \(\Lambda _c{\bar{\Lambda }}_c\) mode can reach up to several MeV for \(\psi (4S,~5S,~6S)\). In contrast, the partial \(\Lambda _c{\bar{\Lambda }}_c\) decay width of the states \(\psi (3D,~4D,~5D)\) is less than one MeV. If the enhancement Y(4630) reported by the Belle Collaboration in \(\Lambda _c{\bar{\Lambda }}_c\) invariant-mass distribution is the same structure as Y(4660), the Y(4660) resonance is most likely to be a S-wave charmonium state.     

Coupled channels dynamics in the generation of the $$\Omega (2012)$$ resonance

We look into the newly observed \(\Omega (2012)\) state from the molecular perspective in which the resonance is generated from the \(\bar{K} \Xi ^*\), \(\eta \Omega \) and \(\bar{K} \Xi \) channels. We find that this picture provides a natural explanation of the properties of the \(\Omega (2012)\) state. We stress that the molecular nature of the resonance is revealed with a large coupling of the \(\Omega (2012)\) to the \(\bar{K} \Xi ^*\) channel, that can be observed in the \(\Omega (2012) \rightarrow \bar{K} \pi \Xi \) decay which is incorporated automatically in our chiral unitary approach via the use of the spectral function of \(\Xi ^*\) in the evaluation of the \(\bar{K} \Xi ^*\) loop function.     

Analysis of charmless two-body <Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis> decays in factorization-assisted topological-amplitude approach

We analyze charmless two-body non-leptonic B decays \(B \rightarrow PP, PV\) under the framework of a factorization-assisted topological-amplitude approach, where P(V) denotes a light pseudoscalar (vector) meson. Compared with the conventional flavor diagram approach, we consider the flavor SU(3) breaking effect assisted by a factorization hypothesis for topological diagram amplitudes of different decay modes, factorizing out the corresponding decay constants and form factors. The non-perturbative parameters of topology diagram magnitudes \(\chi \) and the strong phase \(\phi \) are universal; they can be extracted by \(\chi ^2\) fit from current abundant experimental data of charmless Bdecays. The number of free parameters and the \(\chi ^2\) per degree of freedom are both reduced compared with previous analyses. With these best fitted parameters, we predict branching fractions and CP asymmetry parameters of nearly 100 \(B_{u,d}\) and \(B_s\) decay modes. The long-standing \(\pi \pi \) and \(\pi K\)-CP puzzles are solved simultaneously.     

Skeletal modifications of $$\upbeta $$-carboline alkaloids and their antiviral activity profile

To study the effect of the variation of fused ring size and substitution on the antiviral activity of \(\upbeta \)-carboline alkaloids, four types of structurally novel \(\upbeta \)-carboline alkaloids analogues, with indole-fused six- to nine-membered-rings motifs, were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the inhibition of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Bioassay results indicated that most of these analogues had significant anti-TMV activity; especially I-14 (54 \(\pm \) 3 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vitro; 51 \(\pm \) 2, 45 \(\pm \) 2, and 42 \(\pm \) 1 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vivo), II-4 (53 \(\pm \) 1 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vitro; 49 \(\pm \) 2, 57 \(\pm \) 2, and 48 \(\pm \) 1 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vivo), and II-8 (48 \(\pm \) 1 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vitro; 53 \(\pm \) 2 %, 56 \(\pm \) 2 %, and 46 \(\pm \) 1 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vivo), which were more potent vs. TMV than was ribavirin (36 \(\pm \) 1 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vitro; 37 \(\pm \) 2, 41 \(\pm \) 2, and 38 \(\pm \) 1 % at 500 \(\upmu \)g/mL in vivo). The size of the fused ring has important effects on anti-TMV potency, which may be ascribed to conformational differences. The X-ray structures of I-1, I-6, II-8, and III show differing conformational preferences. The most potent compounds can be used as leads for further optimization as antiphytoviral agents.     

Spin density matrix of the $$\omega $$ in the reaction $${\bar{p}p}\,\rightarrow \,\omega \pi ^0$$p¯p→π0

The spin density matrix of the \(\omega \) has been determined for the reaction \({\bar{p}p}\,\rightarrow \,\omega \pi ^0\) with unpolarized in-flight data measured by the Crystal Barrel LEAR experiment at CERN. The two main decay modes of the \(\omega \) into \(\pi ^0 \gamma \) and \(\pi ^+ \pi ^- \pi ^0\) have been separately analyzed for various \({\bar{p}}\)momenta between 600 and 1940 MeV/c. The results obtained with the usual method by extracting the matrix elements via the \(\omega \) decay angular distributions and with the more sophisticated method via a full partial wave analysis are in good agreement. A strong spin alignment of the \(\omega \) is clearly visible in this energy regime and all individual spin density matrix elements exhibit an oscillatory dependence on the production angle. In addition, the largest contributing orbital angular momentum of the \({\bar{p}p~}\)system has been identified for the different beam momenta. It increases from \(L^{max}_{{\bar{p}p~}}\) \(=\) 2 at 600 MeV/c to \(L^{max}_{{\bar{p}p~}}\) \(=\) 5 at 1940 MeV/c.