Search

Neutral meson mixing and meson lifetimes are theory-side parametrised in terms four-quark operators which can be determined by calculating weak decay matrix elements using lattice Quantum Chromodynamics. While calculations of meson mixing matrix elements are standard, determinations of lifetimes typically suffer from complications in renormalisation procedures because dimension-6 four-quark operators can mix with operators of lower mass dimension and, moreover, quark-line disconnected diagrams contribute. We present work detailing the idea to use fermionic gradient flow to non-perturbatively renormalise matrix elements describing meson mixing or lifetimes, and combining it with a perturbative calculation to match to the $\overline{\rm MS}$ scheme using the shoft-flow-time expansion., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, Contribution to the 40th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 31st July - 4th August, 2023, Fermilab, USA

We present an update on ongoing work to extract pseudoscalar and vector decay constants for $B^{(*)}$, $B^{(*)}_s$ and $B^{(*)}_c$ mesons and determine phenomenologically-interesting ratios such as $f_{B_s}/f_B$ or $f_{B^*}/f_B$. Our calculation is based on ${\rm N_f}=2+1$ dynamical flavour gauge field ensembles generated by the RBC/UKQCD collaborations using domain-wall fermions and the Iwasaki gauge action. Using domain-wall light, strange, and charm quarks and relativistic $b$ quarks, we obtain results at multiple lattice spacings and valence quark masses., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, Contribution to the 39th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 8th-13th August, 2022, Bonn, Germany

As a result of the helicity suppression effect, within the Standard Model the rare decay channel $B_s \to e^+ e^-$ has a decay probability which is five orders of magnitude below current experimental limits. Thus, any observation of this channel within the current or forthcoming experiments will give unambiguous evidence of Physics Beyond the Standard Model. In this work, we present for the first time a New Physics scenario in which the branching fraction $\bar{\mathcal{B}}r(B_s \to e^+ e^-)$ is enhanced up to values which saturate the current experimental bounds. More concretely, we study the general Two-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) with a pseudoscalar coupling to electrons unsuppressed by the electron mass. Furthermore, we demonstrate how this scenario can arise from a UV-complete theory of quark-lepton unification that can live at a low scale. This latter step allows us to establish correlations between $B_s \to e^+ e^-$ and the lepton-flavour-violating decays $\tau^{-}\to \mu^{-}e^+ e^-$ and $\tau\to \mu \gamma$., Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures

Two Higgs doublet models are attractive scenarios for physics beyond the Standard Model. In particular, lepton-specific manifestations remain contenders to explain the observed discrepancy between the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon $a_\mu$ predicted within the Standard Model and recent observations at Fermilab and BNL. Dominant uncertainties that affect $a_\mu$ have motivated the MUonE experiment to access the hadronic vacuum polarisation contribution that impacts $a_\mu$ via elastic muon-electron scattering. In this work, we contrast the high precision that is achievable within the MUonE context with constraints from flavour physics, precision electroweak constraints and LHC searches as well as their extrapolations for a range of two Higgs doublet models with a softly broken $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. We find that the sensitivity of MUonE does not extend beyond the parameter regions that are already excluded by other constraints. MUonE will therefore provide a detailed measurement of the hadronic vacuum polarisation contribution which then transparently informs $a_\mu$ interpretations in 2HDMs without modifications of correlations from beyond the Standard Model interactions. In passing we extend earlier results of LHC and flavour projections to lepton-specific 2HDM (Types X and Y) scenarios, and comment on the possibility of modifying the value of the W-boson mass; we briefly discuss the implications for a strong first-order electroweak phase transition for these models., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables

We study the intersection of flavour and collider physics for Two-Higgs-Doublet models of Type I and II. Drawing from the flavour precision-LHC exotics search complementarity, we also provide a projection of the future sensitivity that can be achieved in light of currently available analyses. On the one hand, we find that the parameter space of the 2HDM can be explored significantly further with more data from the LHC with some complementarity with flavour physics. On the other hand, flavour physics results alongside their projections remain powerful tools to constrain the model space in regions where direct sensitivity to new states via exotics searches is lost. Our results further highlight the recently observed flavour physics anomalies as important drivers of new physics searches in the future; we also touch on implications for a strong first order electroweak phase transition., Comment: 34 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables

The bacterium Myxoccocus xanthus produces multicellular protective droplets called fruiting bodies when starved. These structures form initially through the active dewetting of cells into surface-bound droplets, where substantial flows of the material are needed as the fruiting bodies grow and become round. These dynamics are followed by a primitive developmental process in which the fluid-like droplets of motile cells mature into mechanically-resilient mounds of non-motile spores that can resist significant mechanical perturbation from the external environment. To date, the mechanical properties of fruiting bodies and the changes in cellular behavior that lead to maturation have not been studied. We use atomic force microscopy to probe the rheology of droplets throughout their development and find that relaxation occurs on two time scales, $\sim$1~s and $\sim$100~s. We use a two-element Maxwell-Wiechert model to quantify the viscoelastic relaxation and find that at early developmental times, cellular motility is responsible for the flow of the material but that this flow ceases when cells stop moving and become nonmotile spores. Later in development there is a dramatic increase in the modulus of the droplet as cells sporulate and the fruiting body matures, resulting in a mostly elastic structure that can protect spores from harsh environmental insult.

We perform a comprehensive study of the allowed parameter space of the Two Higgs Doublet Model of Type II (2HDM-II). Using the theoretical framework flavio we combine the most recent flavour, collider and electroweak precision observables with theoretical constraints to obtain bounds on the mass spectrum of the theory. In particular we find that the 2HDM-II fits the data slightly better than the Standard Model (SM) with best fit values of the heavy Higgs masses around 2 TeV and a value of $\tan \beta \approx 4$. Moreover, we conclude that the wrong-sign limit is disfavoured by Higgs signal strengths and excluded by the global fit by more than five standard deviations and potential deviations from the alignment limit can only be tiny. Finally we test the consequences of our study on electroweak baryogenesis via the program package BSMPT and we find that the allowed parameter space strongly discourages a strong first order phase transition within the 2HDM-II., Comment: 52 pages, 20 figures, 8 tables, revised version, published in JHEP

Atomic swaps enable the transfer of value between the cryptocurrencies of various blockchains without the need to trust an intermediary. In this paper, we propose the concept of atomic loans, which utilize atomic swap technology to allow market participants to create overcollateralized debt instruments in a trustless and disintermediated manner. The primary use cases for atomic loans include enabling fiat/stablecoin access for cryptocurrency holders to participate within legacy systems, as well as enabling leverage for margin trading. We also introduce a bidding process for liquidating collateral in the case of default which provides the ability for a more fair distribution of collateral.

A study was conducted to determine the process by which recent high school graduates enter the labor market, seek and find jobs, migrate from one type of location to another, and the extent to which they are able to further their career objectives via job and location mobility. In addition, the role of the education system in the school-to-work transition was examined. Data for the study were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, integrated with 1970 Census data. Results inferred from this data include the following: (1) the probability of migration is positively influenced by knowledge of labor market factors, lower socioeconomic background, fewer number of years in residence at high school location, verbal and mathematical aptitude, and marriage for females; (2) migration is not affected by race, sex, or rural residence; (3) migration enhances the employment prospects for persons initially without jobs, especially students; (4) postsecondary education favorably influences employment changes and wages; (5) the graduates used mostly informal methods to seek employment, such as friends and direct application to firms; however, using employment agencies, school placement agencies and union registration is more likely to result in finding a job. The study implies that geographic mobility can be viewed as a productive undertaking for promoting upward mobility once a young person has successfully entered the labor force and gained employment.(KC)