Search

We present a non-perturbative lattice calculation of the form factors which contribute to the amplitudes for the radiative decays $P\to \ell \bar \nu_\ell \gamma$, where $P$ is a pseudoscalar meson and $\ell$ is a charged lepton. Together with the non-perturbative determination of the corrections to the processes $P\to \ell \bar \nu_\ell$ due to the exchange of a virtual photon, this allows accurate predictions at $O(\alpha_{em})$ to be made for leptonic decay rates for pseudoscalar mesons ranging from the pion to the $D_s$ meson. We are able to separate unambiguously and non-pertubatively the point-like contribution, from the structure-dependent, infrared-safe, terms in the amplitude. The fully non-perturbative $O(a)$ improved calculation of the inclusive leptonic decay rates will lead to the determination of the corresponding Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements also at $O(\alpha_{em})$. Prospects for a precise evaluation of leptonic decay rates with emission of a hard photon are also very interesting, especially for the decays of heavy $D$ and $B$ mesons for which currently only model-dependent predictions are available to compare with existing experimental data., Comment: 46 pages, 12 figures

We analyze experimentally and theoretically the transport spectra of a gated lateral GaAs double quantum dot containing two holes. The strong spin-orbit interaction present in the hole subband lifts the Pauli spin blockade and allows to map out the complete spectra of the two-hole system. By performing measurements in both source-drain voltage directions, at different detunings and magnetic fields, we carry out quantitative fitting to a Hubbard two-site model accounting for the tunnel coupling to the leads and the spin-flip relaxation process. We extract the singlet-triplet gap and the magnetic field corresponding to the singlet-triplet transition in the double-hole ground state. Additionally, at the singlet-triplet transition we find a resonant enhancement (in the blockaded direction) and suppression of current (in the conduction direction). The current enhancement stems from the multiple resonance of two-hole levels, opening several conduction channels at once. The current suppression arises from the quantum interference of spin-conserving and spin flipping tunneling processes., Comment: 43 pages, 14 figures

We report a detailed study of the tunnel barriers within a single-hole GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum dot device (DQD). For quantum information applications as well as fundamental studies, careful tuning and reliable measurements of the barriers are important requirements. In order to tune a DQD device adequately into the single-hole electric dipole spin resonance regime, one has to employ a variety of techniques to cover the extended range of tunnel couplings. In this work, we demonstrate four separate techniques, based upon charge sensing, quantum transport, time-resolved pulsing, and electron dipole spin resonance spectroscopy to determine the couplings as a function of relevant gate voltages and magnetic field. Measurements were performed under conditions of both symmetric and asymmetric tunnel couplings to the leads. Good agreement was observed between different techniques when measured under the same conditions. The results indicate that even in this relatively simple circuit, the requirement to tune multiple gates and the consequences of real potential profiles result in non-intuitive dependencies of the couplings as a function of the plunger gate voltage and the magnetic field.

The remarkable recent progress in the precision of Lattice QCD computations for a number of physical quantities relevant for flavour physics has motivated the introduction of isospin-breaking effects, including in particular electromagnetic corrections, to the computations. The isospin breaking corrections are necessary to fully exploit this improved precision for the determination of the fundamental parameters of the Standard Model, including the CKM matrix elements, and to look for deviations from experimental measurements which might signal the presence of new physics. Together with colleagues from Rome, we have developed and implemented a framework for including isospin-breaking corrections in leptonic decays $P\to\ell\bar\nu_\ell(\gamma)$, where $P$ is a pseudoscalar meson and $\ell$ a charged lepton, and the theoretical framework and numerical results are reviewed below. The status of our studies to extend this framework to semileptonic decays $P_1\to P_2\ell\bar\nu_\ell(\gamma)$, where $P_{1,2}$ are pseudoscalar mesons, is also presented., Comment: Contribution to the 60th Jubilee Krak\'ow School of Theoretical Physics

We present a comparison of existing experimental data for the radiative leptonic decays $P\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\ell}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\ell}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$, where $P=K$ or $\ensuremath{\pi}$ and $\ensuremath{\ell}=e$ or $\ensuremath{\mu}$, from the KLOE, PIBETA, E787, $\mathrm{ISTRA}+$ and OKA collaborations with theoretical predictions based on the recent non-perturbative determinations of the structure-dependent vector and axial-vector form factors, ${F}_{V}$ and ${F}_{A}$ respectively. These were obtained using lattice $\mathrm{QCD}+\mathrm{QED}$ simulations at order $O({\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\mathrm{em}})$ in the electromagnetic coupling. We find good agreement with the KLOE data on $K\ensuremath{\rightarrow}e{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays from which the form factor ${F}^{+}={F}_{V}+{F}_{A}$ can be determined. For $K\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays we observe differences of up to --34 standard deviations at large photon energies between the theoretical predictions and the data from the E787, $\mathrm{ISTRA}+$ and OKA experiments and similar discrepancies in some kinematical regions with the PIBETA experiment on radiative pion decays. A global study of all the kaon-decay data within the Standard Model results in a poor fit, largely because at large photon energies the KLOE and E787 data cannot be reproduced simultaneously in terms of the same form factor ${F}^{+}$. The discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental values of the form factor ${F}^{\ensuremath{-}}={F}_{V}\ensuremath{-}{F}_{A}$ is even more pronounced. These observations motivate future improvements of both the theoretical and experimental determinations of the structure-dependent form factors ${F}^{+}$ and ${F}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, as well as further theoretical investigations of models of ``new physics'' which might for example, include possible flavor changing interactions beyond $V\ensuremath{-}A$ and/or nonuniversal corrections to the lepton couplings.

The precision of lattice QCD computations of many quantities has reached such a precision that isospin-breaking corrections, including electromagnetism, must be included if further progress is to be made in extracting fundamental information, such as the values of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements, from experimental measurements. We discuss the framework for including radiative corrections in leptonic and semileptonic decays of hadrons, including the treatment of infrared divergences. We briefly review isospin breaking in leptonic decays and present the first numerical results for the ratio $\Gamma(K_{\mu2})/\Gamma(\pi_{\mu2})$ in which these corrections have been included. We also discuss the additional theoretical issues which arise when including electromagnetic corrections to semileptonic decays, such as $K_{\ell3}$ decays. The separate definition of strong isospin-breaking effects and those due to electromagnetism requires a convention. We define and advocate conventions based on hadronic schemes, in which a chosen set of hadronic quantities, hadronic masses for example, are set equal in QCD and in QCD+QED. This is in contrast with schemes which have been largely used to date, in which the renormalised $\alpha_s(\mu)$ and quark masses are set equal in QCD and in QCD+QED in some renormalisation scheme and at some scale $\mu$., Comment: Presented at the 36th Annual International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice2018), Michigan State University, July 22nd - 28th 2018

The leading electromagnetic (e.m.) and strong isospin-breaking corrections to the $\pi^+ \to \mu^+ \nu[\gamma]$ and $K^+ \to \mu^+ \nu[\gamma]$ leptonic decay rates are evaluated for the first time on the lattice. The results are obtained using gauge ensembles produced by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration with $N_f = 2 + 1 + 1$ dynamical quarks. The relative leading-order e.m.~and strong isospin-breaking corrections to the decay rates are 1.53(19)\% for $\pi_{\mu 2}$ decays and 0.24(10)\% for $K_{\mu 2}$ decays. Using the experimental values of the $\pi_{\mu 2}$ and $K_{\mu 2}$ decay rates and updated lattice QCD results for the pion and kaon decay constants in isosymmetric QCD, we find that the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $ | V_{us}| = 0.22538(46)$, reducing by a factor of about $1.8$ the corresponding uncertainty in the Particle Data Group review. Our calculation of $|V_{us}|$ allows also an accurate determination of the first-row CKM unitarity relation $| V_{ud}|^2 + | V_{us}|^2 + | V_{ub}|^2 = 0.99988(46)$. Theoretical developments in this paper include a detailed discussion of how QCD can be defined in the full QCD+QED theory and an improved renormalisation procedure in which the bare lattice operators are renormalised non-perturbatively into the (modified) Regularization Independent Momentum subtraction scheme and subsequently matched perturbatively at $O(\alpha_{em}\alpha_s(M_W))$ into the W-regularisation scheme appropriate for these calculations., Comment: 63 pages, 10 figures and 2 tables. Version matches the published paper

We present a lattice QCD calculation of the ΔI=1/2, K→ππ decay amplitude A0 and ϵ′, the measure of direct CP violation in K→ππ decay, improving our 2015 calculation [1] of these quantities. Both calculations were performed with physical kinematics on a 323×64 lattice with an inverse lattice spacing of a-1=1.3784(68) GeV. However, the current calculation includes nearly 4 times the statistics and numerous technical improvements allowing us to more reliably isolate the ππ ground state and more accurately relate the lattice operators to those defined in the standard model. We find Re(A0)=2.99(0.32)(0.59)×10-7 GeV and Im(A0)=-6.98(0.62)(1.44)×10-11 GeV, where the errors are statistical and systematic, respectively. The former agrees well with the experimental result Re(A0)=3.3201(18)×10-7 GeV. These results for A0 can be combined with our earlier lattice calculation of A2 [2] to obtain Re(ϵ′/ϵ)=21.7(2.6)(6.2)(5.0)×10-4, where the third error represents omitted isospin breaking effects, and Re(A0)/Re(A2)=19.9(2.3)(4.4). The first agrees well with the experimental result of Re(ϵ′/ϵ)=16.6(2.3)×10-4. A comparison of the second with the observed ratio Re(A0)/Re(A2)=22.45(6), demonstrates the standard model origin of this “ΔI=1/2 rule” enhancement.

We present a non-perturbative calculation of the form factors which contribute to the amplitudes for the radiative decays $P\to \ell \bar \nu_\ell \gamma$, where $P$ is a pseudoscalar meson and $\ell$ is a charged lepton. Together with the non-perturbative determination of the virtual photon corrections to the processes $P\to \ell \bar \nu_\ell$, this will allow accurate predictions to be made at $O(\alpha_{em})$ for leptonic decay rates for pseudoscalar mesons ranging from the pion to the $B$ meson. We are able to separate unambiguously the point-like contribution, the square of which leads to the infrared divergence in the decay rate, from the structure dependent, infrared-safe, terms in the amplitude. The fully non-perturbative, $O(a)$ improved calculation of the inclusive leptonic decay rates will lead to significantly improved precision in the determination of the corresponding Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements. Precise predictions for the emission of a hard photon are also very interesting, especially for the decays of heavy $D$ and $B$ mesons for which currently only model-dependent predictions are available to compare with existing experimental data.

Electrical tunability of the $$g$$g-factor of a confined spin is a long-time goal of the spin qubit field. Here we utilize the electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) to demonstrate it in a gated GaAs double-dot device confining a hole. This tunability is a consequence of the strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in the GaAs valence band. The SOI enables a spin-flip interdot tunneling, which, in combination with the simple spin-conserving charge transport leads to the formation of tunable hybrid spin-orbit molecular states. EDSR is used to demonstrate that the gap separating the two lowest energy states changes its character from a charge-like to a spin-like excitation as a function of interdot detuning or magnetic field. In the spin-like regime, the gap can be characterized by the effective $$g$$g-factor, which differs from the bulk value owing to spin-charge hybridization, and can be tuned smoothly and sensitively by gate voltages.

The leading-order electromagnetic and strong isospin-breaking corrections to the ratio of $K_{\mu 2}$ and $\pi_{\mu 2}$ decay rates are evaluated for the first time on the lattice, following a method recently proposed. The lattice results are obtained using the gauge ensembles produced by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration with $N_f = 2 + 1 + 1$ dynamical quarks. Systematics effects are evaluated and the impact of the quenched QED approximation is estimated. Our result for the correction to the tree-level $K_{\mu 2} / \pi_{\mu 2}$ decay ratio is $-1.22\,(16) \%$ to be compared to the estimate $-1.12\,(21) \%$ based on Chiral Perturbation Theory and adopted by the Particle Data Group., Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures; extended supplemental material with 1 table and 1 figure, results unchanged

We calculate the strong isospin breaking and QED corrections to meson masses and the hadronic vacuum polarization in an exploratory study on a $64\times24^3$ lattice with an inverse lattice spacing of $a^{-1}=1.78$ GeV and an isospin symmetric pion mass of $m_\pi=340$ MeV. We include QED in an electro-quenched setup using two different methods, a stochastic and a perturbative approach. We find that the electromagnetic correction to the leading hadronic contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon is smaller than $1\%$ for the up quark and $0.1\%$ for the strange quark, although it should be noted that this is obtained using unphysical light quark masses. In addition to the results themselves, we compare the precision which can be reached for the same computational cost using each method. Such a comparison is also made for the meson electromagnetic mass-splittings., Comment: 49 pages, 20 figures

We present a novel strategy to renormalize lattice operators in QCD+QED, including first order QED corrections to the non-perturbative evaluation of QCD renormalization constants. Our procedure takes systematically into account the mixed non-factorizable QCD+QED effects which were neglected in previous calculations, thus significantly reducing the systematic uncertainty on renormalization corrections. The procedure is presented here in the RI'-MOM scheme, but it can be applied to other schemes (e.g. RI-SMOM) with appropriate changes. We discuss the application of this strategy to the calculation of the leading isospin breaking corrections to the leptonic decay rates $\Gamma(\pi_{\mu 2})$ and $\Gamma(K_{\mu 2})$, evaluated for the first time on the lattice. The precision in the matching to the $W$-regularization scheme is improved to $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_{em}\alpha_s(M_W))$ with respect to previous calculations. Finally, we show the updated precise result obtained for the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|V_{us}|$., Comment: Presented at the 37th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2019), 16-22 June 2019, Wuhan, China

We discuss the theoretical framework required for the computation of radiative corrections to semileptonic decay rates in lattice simulations, and in particular to those for $K_{\ell3}$ decays. This is an extension of the framework we have developed and successfully implemented for leptonic decays. New issues which arise for semileptonic decays, include the presence of unphysical terms which grow exponentially with the time separation between the insertion of the weak Hamiltonian and the sink for the final-state meson-lepton pair. Such terms must be identified and subtracted. We discuss the cancellation of infrared divergences and show that, with the QED$_\mathrm{\,L}$ treatment of the zero mode in the photon propagator, the $O(1/L)$ finite-volume corrections are "universal". These corrections however, depend not only on the semileptonic form factors $f^\pm(q^2)$ but also on their derivatives $df^\pm/dq^2$. (Here $q$ is the momentum transfer between the initial and final state mesons.) We explain the perturbative calculation which would need to be performed to subtract the $O(1/L)$ finite-volume effects., Presented at the 37th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2019), 16-22 June 2019, Wuhan, China

RBC/UKQCD is preparing a calculation of leptonic decay rates including isospin breaking corrections using a perturbative approach to include NLO contributions from QED effects. We present preliminary numerical results for a contribution to the leptonic pion decay rate and report on exploratory studies of computational techniques based on all-to-all propagators.

Hole spins have recently emerged as attractive candidates for solid-state qubits for quantum computing. Their state can be manipulated electrically by taking advantage of the strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI). Crucially, these systems promise longer spin coherence lifetimes owing to their weak interactions with nuclear spins as compared to electron spin qubits. Here we measure the spin relaxation time T1 of a single hole in a GaAs gated lateral double quantum dot device. We propose a protocol converting the spin state into long-lived charge configurations by the SOI-assisted spin-flip tunneling between dots. By interrogating the system with a charge detector we extract the magnetic-field dependence of T1 ∝ B−5 for fields larger than B = 0.5 T, suggesting the phonon-assisted Dresselhaus SOI as the relaxation channel. This coupling limits the measured values of T1 from ~400 ns at B = 1.5 T up to ~60 μs at B = 0.5 T.

The rare kaon decay $K^+\to\pi^+\nu\bar{\nu}$ is an ideal process in which to search for signs of new physics and is the primary goal of the NA62 experiment at CERN. In this paper we report on a lattice QCD calculation of the long-distance contribution to the $K^+\to\pi^+\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay amplitude at the near-physical pion mass $m_\pi=170$ MeV. The calculations are however, performed on a coarse lattice and hence with a lighter charm quark mass ($m_c^{\bar{\mathrm{MS}}}(\mbox{3 GeV})=750$ MeV) than the physical one. The main aims of this study are two-fold. Firstly we study the momentum dependence of the amplitude and conclude that it is very mild so that a computation at physical masses even at a single kinematic point would provide a good estimate of the long-distance contribution to the decay rate. Secondly we compute the contribution to the branching ratio from the two-pion intermediate state whose energy is below the kaon mass and find that it is less than 1% after its exponentially growing unphysical contribution has been removed and that the corresponding non-exponential finite-volume effects are negligibly small.

There is rapidly expanding interest in exploiting the spin of valence-band holes rather than conduction-band electrons for spin qubit semiconductor circuits composed of coupled quantum dots. The hole platform offers stronger spin–orbit interaction (SOI), large difference between in-dot-plane and out-of-dot-planeg-factors, i.e.g-factor anisotropy, and a significantly reduced hyperfine coupling to nuclei in the host material. These attributes collectively can deliver fast all-electric coherent spin manipulation, efficient spin-flip inter-dot tunneling channels, a voltage tunable effectiveg-factor, ag-factor adjustable to nearly zero in an appropriately oriented external magnetic field, and long spin relaxation and coherence times. Here, we review our recent work on the physics of heavy holes confined in a planar GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum dot system with strong SOI. For asingle-hole, we have performed resonant tunneling magneto-spectroscopy to extract spin-flip and spin-conserving tunneling strengths, implemented spin-flip Landau–Zener–Stückelberg–Majorana (LZSM) interferometry, determined the spin relaxation timeT1as a function of magnetic field using a fast single-shot latched charge technique, electrically tuned the effectiveg-factor revealed by electric dipole spin resonance, and found signatures of the hyperfine interaction and dynamic nuclear polarization with holes. Fortwo-holes, we have measured the energy spectrum in the presence of strong SOI (and so not limited by Pauli spin blockade), quantified the heavy-hole (HH)g-factor anisotropy on tilting the magnetic field, described a scheme to employ HHs whoseg-factor is tunable to nearly zero for an in-plane magnetic field for a coherent photon-to-spin interface, and observed a well-defined LZSM interference pattern at small magnetic fields on pulsing through the singlet-triplet anti-crossing.

Electromagnetic effects in the leptonic decay rates $\pi^+ \to \mu^+ \nu$ and $K^+ \to \mu^+ \nu$ are evaluated for the first time on the lattice. Following a method recently proposed in Ref. [1] the emission of virtual photons at leading order in the electromagnetic coupling is evaluated on the lattice and the infrared divergence computed for a point-like meson at finite lattice volume is subtracted. The physical decay rate is then obtained by adding the emission of real and virtual photons regularised with a photon mass. Using the gauge ensembles produced by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration with $N_f = 2 + 1 + 1$ dynamical quarks the feasibility of our approach is demonstrated. Preliminary results for the electromagnetic corrections to charged (neutral) pion and kaon masses as well as to the leptonic decay rates of charged pions and kaons are presented., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, proceedings of the 34th annual International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 24-30 July 2016, University of Southampton (UK)

We review lattice results related to pion, kaon, D- and B-meson physics with the aim of making them easily accessible to the particle-physics community. More specifically, we report on the determination of the light-quark masses, the form factor f+(0) , arising in the semileptonic K→ π transition at zero momentum transfer, as well as the decay constant ratio fK/ fπ and its consequences for the CKM matrix elements Vu s and Vu d. Furthermore, we describe the results obtained on the lattice for some of the low-energy constants of SU(2) L× SU(2) R and SU(3) L× SU(3) R Chiral Perturbation Theory. We review the determination of the BK parameter of neutral kaon mixing as well as the additional four B parameters that arise in theories of physics beyond the Standard Model. The latter quantities are an addition compared to the previous review. For the heavy-quark sector, we provide results for mc and mb (also new compared to the previous review), as well as those for D- and B-meson-decay constants, form factors, and mixing parameters. These are the heavy-quark quantities most relevant for the determination of CKM matrix elements and the global CKM unitarity-triangle fit. Finally, we review the status of lattice determinations of the strong coupling constant αs.

We perform Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) spectroscopy on a system with strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI), realized as a single hole confined in a gated double quantum dot. In analogy to the electron systems, at magnetic field B=0 and high modulation frequencies we observe the photon-assisted tunneling (PAT) between dots, which smoothly evolves into the typical LZSM funnel-shaped interference pattern as the frequency is decreased. In contrast to electrons, the SOI enables an additional, efficient spin-flipping interdot tunneling channel, introducing a distinct interference pattern at finite B. Magneto-transport spectra at low-frequency LZSM driving show the two channels to be equally coherent. High-frequency LZSM driving reveals complex photon-assisted tunneling pathways, both spin-conserving and spin-flipping, which form closed loops at critical magnetic fields. In one such loop an arbitrary hole spin state is inverted, opening the way toward its all-electrical manipulation., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, and supplementary material

It is important to correct for finite-volume (FV) effects in the presence of QED, since these effects are typically large due to the long range of the electromagnetic interaction. We recently made the first lattice calculation of electromagnetic corrections to the hadronic vacuum polarisation (HVP). For the HVP, an analytical derivation of FV corrections involves a two-loop calculation which has not yet been carried out. We instead calculate the universal FV corrections numerically, using lattice scalar QED as an effective theory. We show that this method gives agreement with known analytical results for scalar mass FV effects, before applying it to calculate FV corrections for the HVP. This method for numerical calculation of FV effects is also widely applicable to quantities beyond the HVP.

We demonstrate that the leading and next-to-leading finite-volume effects in the evaluation of leptonic decay widths of pseudoscalar mesons at O(α) are universal; i.e. they are independent of the structure of the meson. This is analogous to a similar result for the spectrum but with some fundamental differences, most notably the presence of infrared divergences in decay amplitudes. The leading nonuniversal, structure-dependent terms are of O(1/L2) [compared to the O(1/L3) leading nonuniversal corrections in the spectrum]. We calculate the universal finite-volume effects, which requires an extension of previously developed techniques to include a dependence on an external three-momentum (in our case, the momentum of the final-state lepton). The result can be included in the strategy proposed in Ref. [N. Carrasco et al.,Phys. Rev. D 91, 074506 (2015).PRVDAQ1550-799810.1103/PhysRevD.91.074506] for using lattice simulations to compute the decay widths at O(α), with the remaining finite-volume effects starting at order O(1/L2). The methods developed in this paper can be generalized to other decay processes, most notably to semileptonic decays, and hence open the possibility of a new era in precision flavor physics. We demonstrate that the leading and next-to-leading finite-volume effects in the evaluation of leptonic decay widths of pseudoscalar mesons at $O(\alpha)$ are universal, i.e. they are independent of the structure of the meson. This is analogous to a similar result for the spectrum but with some fundamental differences, most notably the presence of infrared divergences in decay amplitudes. The leading non-universal, structure-dependent terms are of $O(1/L^2)$ (compared to the $O(1/L^3)$ leading non-universal corrections in the spectrum). We calculate the universal finite-volume effects, which requires an extension of previously developed techniques to include a dependence on an external three-momentum (in our case, the momentum of the final state lepton). The result can be included in the strategy proposed in Ref.\,\cite{Carrasco:2015xwa} for using lattice simulations to compute the decay widths at $O(\alpha)$, with the remaining finite-volume effects starting at order $O(1/L^2)$. The methods developed in this paper can be generalised to other decay processes, most notably to semileptonic decays, and hence open the possibility of a new era in precision flavour physics.

We report a first, complete lattice QCD calculation of the long-distance contribution to the K^{+}→π^{+}νν[over ¯] decay within the standard model. This is a second-order weak process involving two four-Fermi operators that is highly sensitive to new physics and being studied by the NA62 experiment at CERN. While much of this decay comes from perturbative, short-distance physics, there is a long-distance part, perhaps as large as the planned experimental error, which involves nonperturbative phenomena. The calculation presented here, with unphysical quark masses, demonstrates that this contribution can be computed using lattice methods by overcoming three technical difficulties: (i) a short-distance divergence that results when the two weak operators approach each other, (ii) exponentially growing, unphysical terms that appear in Euclidean, second-order perturbation theory, and (iii) potentially large finite-volume effects. A follow-on calculation with physical quark masses and controlled systematic errors will be possible with the next generation of computers.

The rare decays of a kaon into a pion and a lepton/antilepton pair proceed via a flavour changing neutral current and therefore first arise in the Standard Model only as a second order electroweak interaction. This natural suppression makes these decays sensitive to the effects of potential New Physics. However the rare decay channels $K^+\to\pi^+\ell^+\ell^-$ are dominated by long-distance contributions, where the two electroweak processes are separated by distances over which non-perturbative QCD effects play a significant role. In this talk I provide an update on the progress of our exploratory calculations of the long-distance contributions to $K^+\to\pi^+\ell^+\ell^-$ amplitudes, which make use of the Domain Wall Fermion ensembles of the RBC and UKQCD collaborations, and outline the prospects for further progress of the calculation.

In Ref [1] we have presented the results of an exploratory lattice QCD computation of the long-distance contribution to the $K^+\to\pi^+\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay amplitude. In the present paper we describe the details of this calculation, which includes the implementation of a number of novel techniques. The $K^+\to\pi^+\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay amplitude is dominated by short-distance contributions which can be computed in perturbation theory with the only required non-perturbative input being the relatively well-known form factors of semileptonic kaon decays. The long-distance contributions, which are the target of this work, are expected to be of O(5%) in the branching ratio. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of lattice QCD computations of the $K^+\to\pi^+\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay amplitude, and in particular of the long-distance component. Though this calculation is performed on a small lattice ($16^3\times32$) and at unphysical pion, kaon and charm quark masses, $m_\pi=420$ MeV, $m_K=563$ MeV and $m_c^{\overline{\mathrm{MS}}}(\mbox{2 GeV})=863$ MeV, the techniques presented in this work can readily be applied to a future realistic calculation., Comment: 74 pages, 12 figures

In this paper, for the first time a method is proposed to compute electromagnetic effects in hadronic processes using lattice simulations. The method can be applied, for example, to the leptonic and semileptonic decays of light or heavy pseudoscalar mesons. For these quantities the presence of infrared divergences in intermediate stages of the calculation makes the procedure much more complicated than is the case for the hadronic spectrum, for which calculations already exist. In order to compute the physical widths, diagrams with virtual photons must be combined with those corresponding to the emission of real photons. Only in this way do the infrared divergences cancel as first understood by Bloch and Nordsieck in 1937. We present a detailed analysis of the method for the leptonic decays of a pseudoscalar meson. The implementation of our method, although challenging, is within reach of the present lattice technology., 38 pages, 14 figures

In this paper we describe our recent experiments on coherent manipulation of electron spin states formed in a highly tunable GaAs/AlGaAs triple quantum dot device. The coherent evolution of spin states is achieved by using fast pulses from an initialization point in the (201) charge configuration region of the stability diagram. We demonstrate the versatility of the triple dot system capable of tuning to different regimes controlled by the width of the (111) region and pulse parameters. In particular we observe Δ'1/2-Q3/2 (analogue of S-T+ in a double dot) and Δ'1/2-Δ1/2 exchange driven oscillations from both sides of the stability diagram involving all three spins. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We review lattice results related to pion, kaon, D- and B-meson physics with the aim of making them easily accessible to the particle physics community. More specifically, we report on the determination of the light-quark masses, the form factor f+(0), arising in semileptonic K -> pi transition at zero momentum transfer, as well as the decay constant ratio fK/fpi of decay constants and its consequences for the CKM matrix elements Vus and Vud. Furthermore, we describe the results obtained on the lattice for some of the low-energy constants of SU(2)LxSU(2)R and SU(3)LxSU(3)R Chiral Perturbation Theory and review the determination of the BK parameter of neutral kaon mixing. The inclusion of heavy-quark quantities significantly expands the FLAG scope with respect to the previous review. Therefore, for this review, we focus on D- and B-meson decay constants, form factors, and mixing parameters, since these are most relevant for the determination of CKM matrix elements and the global CKM unitarity-triangle fit. In addition we review the status of lattice determinations of the strong coupling constant alpha_s., Several errors of transcription in the entries of Table 1 have been corrected. The entries of Table 1 now agree with the final results quoted in the main text. 324 pages, 26 figures, 118 tables, 697 references

The rare decays of a kaon into a pion and a charged lepton/antilepton pair proceed via a flavor changing neutral current and therefore may only be induced beyond tree level in the Standard Model. This natural suppression makes these decays sensitive to the effects of potential new physics. The $CP$-conserving $K\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay channels however are dominated by a single-photon exchange; this involves a sizeable long-distance hadronic contribution which represents the current major source of theoretical uncertainty. Here we outline our methodology for the computation of the long-distance contributions to these rare decay amplitudes using lattice QCD and present the numerical results of the first exploratory studies of these decays in which all but the disconnected diagrams are evaluated. The domain wall fermion ensembles of the RBC and UKQCD Collaborations are used, with a pion mass of ${M}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}\ensuremath{\sim}430\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$ and a kaon mass of ${M}_{K}\ensuremath{\sim}625\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$. In particular we determine the form factor, $V(z)$, of the ${K}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay from the lattice at small values of $z={q}^{2}/{M}_{K}^{2}$, obtaining $V(z)=1.37(36)$, 0.68(39), 0.96(64) for the three values of $z=\ensuremath{-}0.5594(12)$, $\ensuremath{-}1.0530(34)$, $\ensuremath{-}1.4653(82)$ respectively.

Hole transport experiments were performed on a gated double quantum dot device defined in a p-GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure with a single hole occupancy in each dot. The charging diagram of the device was mapped out using charge detection confirming that the single hole limit is reached. In that limit, a detailed study of the two-hole spin system was performed using high bias magnetotransport spectroscopy. In contrast to electron systems, the hole spin was found not to be conserved during interdot resonant tunneling. This allows one to fully map out the two-hole energy spectrum as a function of the magnitude and the direction of the external magnetic field. The heavy-hole g factor was extracted and shown to be strongly anisotropic, with a value of 1.45 for a perpendicular field and close to zero for an in-plane field as required for hybridizing schemes between spin and photonic quantum platforms.

I review the the application of the lattice formulation of QCD and large-scale numerical simulations to the evaluation of non-perturbative hadronic effects in Standard Model Phenomenology. I present an introduction to the elements of the calculations and discuss the limitations both in the range of quantities which can be studied and in the precision of the results. I focus particularly on the extraction of the QCD parameters, i.e. the quark masses and the strong coupling constant, and on important quantities in flavour physics. Lattice QCD is playing a central role in quantifying the hadronic effects necessary for the development of precision flavour physics and its use in exploring the limits of the Standard Model and in searches for inconsistencies which would signal the presence of new physics.

The rare kaon decays K????¯ are strongly suppressed in the standard model and widely regarded as processes in which new phenomena, not predicted by the standard model, may be observed. Recognizing such new phenomena requires a precise standard model prediction for the branching ratio of K????¯ with controlled uncertainty for both short-distance and long-distance contributions. In this work we demonstrate the feasibility of lattice QCD calculation of the long-distance contribution to rare kaon decays with the emphasis on K+??+??¯. Our methodology covers the calculation of both W?W and Z-exchange diagrams. We discuss the estimation of the power-law, finite-volume corrections and two methods to consistently combine the long-distance contribution determined by the lattice methods outlined here with the short-distance parts that can be reliably determined using perturbation theory. It is a subsequent work of our first methodology paper on K???+??, where the focus was made on the ?-exchange diagrams.

We utilize magnetic field dependencies to identify two hitherto unobserved quantum interference processes in a triple quantum dot circuit. The first observation involves the interplay of Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg behavior from two separate anticrossings between two energy levels that anticross twice as a function of a detuning parameter. The second process involves quantum interference between all-exchange and hyperfine qubits activated in a three-spin system.

We have performed fits of the pseudoscalar masses and decay constants, from a variety of RBC-UKQCD domain wall fermion ensembles, to SU(2) partially quenched chiral perturbation theory at next-to leading order (NLO) and next-to-next-to leading order (NNLO). We report values for 9 NLO and 8 linearly independent combinations of NNLO partially quenched low energy constants, which we compare to other lattice and phenomenological determinations. We discuss the size of successive terms in the chiral expansion and use our large set of low energy constants to make predictions for mass splittings due to QCD isospin breaking effects and the S-wave ?? scattering lengths. We conclude that, for the range of pseudoscalar masses explored in this work, 115 MeV?mPS?430 MeV, the NNLO SU(2) expansion is quite robust and can fit lattice data with percent-scale accuracy.

We present an exploratory study of the electromagnetic corrections to meson masses and the hadronic vacuum polarization using $N_f=2+1$ Domain Wall fermions. These corrections are estimated with two different approaches, a stochastic approach using $U(1)$ gauge configurations for the photon fields, and a perturbative approach through a QED perturbative expansion of the QCD+QED path integral. We compare results and statistical errors from both methods., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, presented at the 34th annual International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 24-30 July 2016, University of Southampton, UK

We report on a calculation of the B* Bπ coupling in lattice QCD. The strong matrix element for a B* to Bπ transition is directly related to the leading order low-energy constant in heavy meson chiral perturbation theory (HMχPT) for B mesons. We carry out our calculation directly at the b-quark mass using a non-perturbatively tuned clover action that controls discretization effects of order |→pa| and (ma)n for all n. Our analysis is performed on RBC/UKQCD gauge configurations using domain-wall fermions and the Iwasaki gauge action at two lattice spacings of a-1 = 1.729(25) GeV, a-1 = 2.281(28) GeV, and unitary pion masses down to 290 MeV. We achieve good statistical precision and control all systematic uncertainties, giving a final result for the HMχPT coupling gb = 0.56(3)stat(7)sys in the continuum and at the physical light-quark masses. This is the first calculation performed directly at the physical b-quark mass and lies in the region one would expect from carrying out an interpolation between previous results at the charm mass and at the static point.

Spin qubits involving individual spins in single quantum dots or coupled spins in double quantum dots have emerged as potential building blocks for quantum information processing applications. It has been suggested that triple quantum dots may provide additional tools and functionalities. These include the encoding of information to either obtain protection from decoherence or to permit all-electrical operation, efficient spin busing across a quantum circuit, and to enable quantum error correction utilizing the three-spin Greenberger-Horn-Zeilinger quantum state. Towards these goals we demonstrate for the first time coherent manipulation between two interacting three-spin states. We employ the Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg approach for creating and manipulating coherent superpositions of quantum states. We confirm that we are able to maintain coherence when decreasing the exchange coupling of one spin with another while simultaneously increasing its coupling with the third. Such control of pairwise exchange is a requirement of most spin qubit architectures but has not been previously demonstrated., Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, and 2 tables

We use one-loop SU(2)L×SU(2)R chiral perturbation theory (SU(2) ChPT) to study the behaviour of the form-factors for semileptonic K?? decays with the pion mass at q2=0 and at View the MathML source, where q is the momentum transfer. At q2=0, the final-state pion has an energy of approximately mK/2 (for mKmuch greater-thanm?) and so is not soft, nevertheless it is possible to compute the chiral logarithms, i.e. the corrections of View the MathML source. We envisage that our results at q2=0 will be useful in extrapolating lattice QCD results to physical masses. A consequence of the Callan–Treiman relation is that in the SU(2) chiral limit (mu=md=0), the scalar form factor f0 at View the MathML source is equal to f(K)/f, the ratio of the kaon and pion leptonic decay constants in the chiral limit. Lattice results for the scalar form factor at View the MathML source are obtained with excellent precision, but at the masses at which the simulations are performed the results are about 25% below f(K)/f and are increasing only very slowly. We investigate the chiral behaviour of View the MathML source and find large corrections which provide a semi-quantitative explanation of the difference between the lattice results and f(K)/f. We stress the generality of the relation View the MathML source in the SU(2) chiral limit, where P=K, D or B and briefly comment on the potential value of using this theorem in obtaining physical results from lattice simulations.

The integrated branching fraction of the process $B\to X_s l^+l^-$ is dominated by resonance background from narrow charmonium states, such as $B\to X_s\psi\to X_s l^+l^-$, which exceeds the non-resonant charm-loop contribution by two orders of magnitude. The origin of this fact is discussed in view of the general expectation of quark-hadron duality. The situation in $B\to X_s l^+l^-$ is contrasted with charm-penguin amplitudes in two-body hadronic B decays of the type $B\to\pi\pi$, for which it is demonstrated that resonance effects and the potentially non-perturbative $c\bar c$ threshold region do not invalidate the standard picture of QCD factorization. This holds irrespective of whether the charm quark is treated as a light or a heavy quark., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures

I review a number of theoretical issues in the computation of quantities in heavy-quark physics on the lattice. Since, particularly for the b -quark, m b a > 1 , it is necessary to use effective theories, such as the Heavy Quark Effective Theory (HQET). In order to be useful for flavour physics, power corrections in 1 / m b must be calculated, leading to ultra-violet divergences which behave like inverse powers of the lattice spacing. I argue that the mixing coefficients between operators of different dimensions must be determined non-perturbatively if generic non-perturbative QCD effects are to be included. I briefly outline the Zeuthen approach for achieving such a non-perturbative renormalization. I also discuss the Fermilab formulation of heavy quark physics on the lattice and its generalizations, noting that non-perturbative determinations of the parameters of the theory are beginning.

It has been previously demonstrated, employing charge detection techniques, that quantum cellular automata (QCA) processes exist in the vicinity of quadruple degeneracy points in both ring and serial arrangements of lateral triple quantum dots. The effect is primarily an electrostatic one. In this paper, we report on transport measurements through a triple dot potential and study experimentally the interplay between these QCA phenomena and the Pauli (spin) blockade effect. We demonstrate experimentally that the interaction between these processes leads to a higher order and indirect form of spin blockade in which the QCA effect itself is blockaded. Crown Copyright © 2007.

This biennial Review summarizes much of particle physics. Using data from previous editions, plus 2158 new measurements from 551 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We also summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as Higgs bosons, heavy neutrinos, and supersymmetric particles. All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as the Standard Model, particle detectors, probability, and statistics. Among the 108 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised including those on neutrino mass, mixing, and oscillations, QCD, top quark, CKM quark-mixing matrix, Vud & Vus , Vcb & Vub , fragmentation functions, particle detectors for accelerator and non-accelerator physics, magnetic monopoles, cosmological parameters, and big bang cosmology. A booklet is available containing the Summary Tables and abbreviated versions of some of the other sections of this full Review. All tables, listings, and reviews (and errata) are also available on the Particle Data Group website: pdg.lbl.gov.