Search

We consider the constraints on new physics affecting rare kaon and hyperon decay as parametrized by a low energy effective theory that can be obtained from high-$\rm p_T$ observables at LHC. To this end, we match the relevant low energy Wilson coefficients onto those in SMEFT at dimension six and compute their contributions to charged dilepton, monolepton, monojets, and $\rm VH$ searches by ATLAS and CMS. Constraints from rare kaon decays are generally more restrictive, with the ones arising from high-$\rm p_T$ measurements complementing them along directions in parameter space to which the former are not sensitive. We also illustrate the effect of a high luminosity LHC run in reducing the viable parameter regions., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures

I review the status of CP violation in hyperon decay in light of recent progress by BESIII and the anticipated improvements at the super tau-charm facility. I emphasize the complementarity between kaons and hyperons for studying CP violation in $|\Delta S|=1,2$ processes., Comment: Invited contribution to FTCF2024, to appear in International Journal of Modern Physics A: (Special Issue: FTCF 2024)

Motivated by the LHCb measurement of the hyperon decay mode $\Sigma^+\to p\mu^+\mu^-$ and prospects for improvement, we revisit the estimates for the rate and muon forward-backward asymmetry within the standard model and beyond. The standard model prediction has a fourfold ambiguity, and we suggest ways to resolve it with other measurements, including possible studies of $\Sigma^+\to p e^+e^-$ in the BESIII and LHCb experiments. We use the recent BESIII measurements of $\Sigma^+\to p \gamma$ and $\Sigma^+\to N\pi$ to reduce the uncertainty in the long-distance contribution to $\Sigma^+\to p\mu^+\mu^-$. Beyond the standard model, we consider a general effective Hamiltonian at low energy with ten operators whose Wilson coefficients parametrize the new physics. We derive expressions for the $\Sigma^+\to p\mu^+\mu^-$ rate and the associated muon forward-backward asymmetry in terms of these coefficients. Finally, we implement the existing constraints from kaon decays, pointing out the extent to which this hyperon mode can constrain the directions in parameter space to which the kaons are not sensitive., Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures, text & figures improved, references added, main conclusions unchanged

Recently Belle II reported the first measurement of $B^+\to K^++{\rm invisible (inv)}$, which is $2.7\sigma$ above the standard model (SM) prediction. If confirmed, this calls for new physics beyond SM. In the SM, the invisible particles are neutrino-anti-neutrino pairs. There are more possibilities when going beyond the SM. In this work, we focus on decays to dark matter (DM) and show that the $B\to K +\mathrm{inv}$ excess from Belle II and DM relic density can be simultaneously explained in a simple extension of the SM. The model introduces a real scalar singlet $\phi$ acting as a DM candidate, and two heavy vector-like quarks $Q,D$ with the same quantum numbers as the SM left-handed quark doublet and right-handed down-type quark singlet, respectively. All these new particles are odd under a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry while the SM particles are even. The model can successfully explain the Belle II anomaly and DM relic density for TeV-scale heavy quarks with hierarchical Yukawa couplings involving $b$ and $s$ quarks. At the same time, it can easily satisfy other flavour physics constraints. Direct detection searches utilizing the Migdal effect constrain some of the parameter space., Comment: v2: add the dark matter direct detection constraints due to the Migdal effect. To appear in JHEP

Discrete family symmetry models based on the $Z_3$ symmetry of ``lepton triality'' were recently studied in the context of charged-lepton flavour-violating processes at Belle II and the proposed $\mu^+ \mu^+$ and $\mu^+ e^-$ collider known as $\mu$TRISTAN. In this paper we augment these phenomenological analyses to include the $Z$ and Higgs boson decays $Z \to \ell^+ \ell^-$ ($\ell = e, \mu, \tau$), $H \to \gamma \gamma$ and $H \to Z \gamma$ that are induced at the $1$-loop level in these models. We also derive the parameter space that will be probed by the HL-LHC and the possible future colliders the ILC, CEPC and FCC., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures

Belle II has recently reported the new measurement ${\cal B}(B^+\to K^+\nu\bar\nu)=(2.3\pm0.7)\times 10^{-5}$ \cite{Belle-II:2023esi} which is two times larger than their previous result (although consistent within errors) and about $2.7\,\sigma$ higher than the SM prediction. We re-examine new physics scenarios we have discussed previously which can enhance this rate to determine if they can accommodate the higher value reported in the new measurement. We use consistency with existing bounds on $B\to K^*\nu\bar\nu$, $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$, $B\to D^{(*)}\ell\bar\nu$ and $B_s$ mixing to limit possible explanations for the excess. For the case of LFV neutrino couplings, we find that only two leptoquarks remain viable requiring a large $C_{9^\prime}^{\tau\tau}=-C_{10^\prime}^{\tau\tau}$. For models with different types of light dark matter particle pairs (scalar, fermion, or vector), the preliminary $q^2$ distribution from Belle II, which shows that the excess appears mostly for bins with $3\leq q^2\leq7$ GeV$^2$ \cite{Belle-II:2023esi}, implies only the vector current operators with scalar or vector dark matter particles with masses in the hundreds of MeV can match the anomaly., Comment: Correct two typos

We analyse the potential of the proposed $\mu^+ \mu^+$ and $\mu^+ e^-$ collider $\mu$TRISTAN to complement the searches for charged-lepton flavour-violation (CLFV) that can be carried out by Belle II. $\mu$TRISTAN offers the possibility of directly producing and studying new resonances that could mediate CLFV for a certain range of masses. In addition, we find that it can produce competitive bounds to those from Belle II for cases where the new resonance lies beyond direct reach. We illustrate these points with three $Z_3$ "lepton triality" models, where we also find an example that can only be probed by $\mu$TRISTAN. These three models feature doubly-charged scalars, denoted $k_{1,2,3}$ respectively, that induce both CLFV and flavour-conserving processes. Tree-level $k_1$ exchange induces the CLFV scattering process $\mu^+ e^- \to e^+ \tau^-$, while $k_2$ interactions induce $\mu^+ \mu^+ \to \tau^+ e^+$, $\mu^+ e^- \to \tau^+ \mu^-$ and make a non-SM contribution to the flavour-conserving scattering $\mu^+ \mu^+ \to \mu^+ \mu^+$. The $k_3$ model has a non-SM contribution to the flavour-conserving process $\mu^+ e^- \to \mu^+ e^-$. Other scattering processes involving $k_1$, $k_2$ or $k_3$ are not relevant for $\mu$TRISTAN and outside the scope of our analysis. We quantify the sensitivity of $\mu$TRISTAN for each of these processes. For the $k_1$ and $k_2$ cases we compare the $\mu$TRISTAN reach to the expected sensitivity of Belle II to the crossing symmetry related CLFV $\tau$ decays.

Hyperon nonleptonic decays that change strangeness by two units, such as $\Xi\to N\pi$ and $\Omega^-\to nK^-,\Lambda\pi^-,\Sigma^{(*)}\pi$, are highly suppressed in the standard model. Only a few of them have been searched for to date, leading to experimental upper bounds which are many orders of magnitude above the expectations of the standard model. This leaves ample opportunity to look for indications of new physics in these processes. At the same time, most, but not all, $\Delta S=2$ interactions beyond the standard model are severely constrained by kaon-mixing data. We present two scenarios where new physics satisfying the kaon-mixing constraints can enhance the hyperon decay rates to levels that can be probed in future quests by BESIII and LHCb and at the proposed Super Tau-Charm Factory. Both scenarios require significant fine-tuning., Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, slightly expanded, in line with journal version

We describe the applications of clustering and visualization tools using the so-called neutral B anomalies as an example. Clustering permits parameter space partitioning into regions that can be separated with some given measurements. It provides a visualization of the collective dependence of all the observables on the parameters of the problem. These methods highlight the relative importance of different observables, and the effect of correlations, and help to understand tensions in global fits. The tools we describe also permit a visual inspection of high dimensional observable and parameter spaces through both linear projections and slicing., Comment: Talk presented at Corfu Summer Institute 2022 "School and Workshops on Elementary Particle Physics and Gravity" based on e-Print: 2103.07937, Animations as mp4 ancillary files

Motivated by flavour symmetry models, we construct theories based on a low-energy limit featuring lepton flavour triality that have the flavour-violating decays $\tau^\pm \to \mu^\pm \mu^\pm e^\mp$ and $\tau^\pm \to e^\pm e^\pm \mu^\mp$ as the main phenomenological signatures of physics beyond the standard model. These decay modes are expected to be probed in the near future with increased sensitivity by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider. The simple standard model extensions featured have doubly-charged scalars as the mediators of the above decay processes. The phenomenology of these extensions is studied here in detail., Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures Additional references and neutrino mass discussion added. Matches version accepted for publication in Physical Review D

This paper describes new user controls for examining high-dimensional data using low-dimensional linear projections and slices. A user can interactively change the contribution of a given variable to a low-dimensional projection, which is useful for exploring the sensitivity of structure to particular variables. The user can also interactively shift the center of a slice, for example, to explore how structure changes in local subspaces. The Mathematica package as well as example notebooks are provided, which contain functions enabling the user to experiment with these new manual controls, with one specifically for exploring regions and boundaries produced by classification models. The advantage of Mathematica is its linear algebra capabilities, and interactive cursor location controls. Some limited implementation has also been made available in the R package tourr., Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures

We consider decays of $B$ and $K$ mesons into a pseudo-scalar or vector meson plus missing energy. Within the SM, these modes originate from flavor changing neutral current (FCNC) processes with two neutrinos in the final state. In this paper we consider the experimental upper bounds on these modes and interpret the difference between these bounds and the SM prediction as a window into new light invisible particles. In particular we consider the case where some new symmetry requires the new particles to be produced in pairs. We first construct the general low energy effective Lagrangian coupling an FCNC with two dark sector particles of spin zero, one-half and one. We then present numerical estimates for the constraints that can be placed on these interactions, finding that an effective new physics scale from ${\cal O}(10)$-${\cal O}(10^{11})$ GeV can be probed, with the exact value strongly depending on the interaction structure as well as the mass of the invisible particle. For $K^+\to \pi^+ \displaystyle{\not} E$ we incorporate into our constraints the effect of using only the signal regions of NA62, and for $B^+\to K^+ \displaystyle{\not} E$ the $q^2$-dependent efficiency of Belle II., Comment: 40 pages, 42 figures, the consideration of Belle II efficiency is clarified and corrected, several new references are added, to appear in JHEP

We present a concise overview on $CP$ violation in hyperon decays, including past, present, and future efforts to search for it. We highlight in particular the most recent results of the BESIII experiment using a quantum-entangled pair of hyperon and antihyperon produced by a charmonium resonance formed in $e^+e^-$ annihilation. The subsequent nonleptonic decays of these hyperon pairs allow for the simultaneous determination of various parameters pertaining to $CP$ violation in the decays. We compare the reported data with the corresponding current predictions for $CP$ asymmetries within the standard model of particle physics. Moreover, we touch on how much these asymmetries might be enhanced by possible new physics beyond the standard model. We also comment briefly on the importance of the proposed super tau-charm factories in future quests for hyperon $CP$-violation., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, slightly expanded version of invited Perspective paper published in Science Bulletin (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2022.08.012)

There has been much recent interest in long-lived massive particles at the LHC, understood as those with lifetimes between tens of micrometers and several meters. In this context we consider the possibility of long-lived electroweak singlet scalars charged under colour $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ with masses near a TeV. The shortest lifetime of interest is already longer than typical hadronisation scales. These exotic new particles would therefore appear as colour singlet bound states of the new scalars with quarks and gluons and it is their colour charge that prevents them from decaying. In particular we consider colour representations consistent with maintaining asymptotic freedom, those with dimensionality $d_R \leq 15$. We find that only the octets can decay, and they do so into multi-jet final states through the two-gluon channel. The other representations are stable and form fractionally charged colour singlets, with the decuplet being the only one that can form electrically neutral colour singlets., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures. Version accepted by PRD

We discuss the modes $B\to K^{(*)}\nu\bar\nu$ in the context of non-standard neutrino interactions that add incoherently to the SM rates. We consider two scenarios: an additional light neutrino; and neutrino lepton flavour violation. We find that an additional light neutrino that interacts with SM fields via a non-universal $Z^\prime$ can increase $R^\nu_{K^{(*)}}$ by up to a factor of two without conflicting with $B_s-\bar B_s$ mixing. This model then predicts rates for $B_s\to \tau^+\tau^-$ up to six times larger than the SM. In the context of neutrino lepton flavour violation mediated by leptoquarks we find that the current experimental upper bounds on $R^\nu_{K^{(*)}}$ are already more constraining than direct bounds from $B_s\to \tau \ell$ and $B\to K^{(*)}\tau \ell$ modes for $\ell=e,\mu$., Comment: fixed typo in Eqs. 7,8

We introduce the interactive tool pandemonium to cluster model predictions that depend on a set of parameters. The model predictions are used to define the coordinates in observable space which go into the clustering. The results of this partitioning are then visualized in both observable and parameter space to study correlations between them. The tool offers multiple choices for coordinates, distance functions and linkage methods within hierarchical clustering. It provides a set of diagnostic statistics and visualization methods to study the clustering results in order to interpret the outcome. The methods are most useful in an interactive environment that enables exploration, and we have implemented them with a graphical user interface in R. We demonstrate the concepts with an application to phenomenological studies in flavor physics in the context of the so-called B anomalies., Comment: 48 pages, 30 figures, version to appear in EPJ Plus

Rare kaon decays with missing energy, $K\to\pi$+$E_{\rm miss}$, have received considerable attention because their rates can be calculated quite precisely within the standard model (SM), where the missing energy is carried away by an undetected neutrino-antineutrino pair. Beyond the SM, clean theoretical predictions can also be made regarding these processes. One such prediction is the so-called Grossman-Nir (GN) bound, which states that the branching fractions of the $K_L$ and $K^+$ modes must satisfy the relation $\mathcal{B}(K_L\to\pi^0$+$E_{\rm miss})\lesssim4.3\,\mathcal{B}(K^+\to\pi^+$+$E_{\rm miss})$ and applies within and beyond the SM, as long as the hadronic transitions change isospin by $\Delta I=1/2$. In this paper we extend the study of these modes to include new-physics scenarios where the missing energy is due to unobserved lepton-number-violating neutrino pairs, invisible light new scalars, or pairs of such scalars. The new interactions are assumed to arise above the electroweak scale and described by an effective field theory. We explore the possibility of violating the GN bound through $\Delta I=3/2$ contributions to the $K\to\pi$ transitions within these scenarios and find that large violations are only possible in the case where the missing energy is due to an invisible light new scalar., Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures, slightly expanded, typos corrected, matches publication

The effect of Laponite (a synthetic clay) on the structure, thermal and water vapor barrier properties of nanocomposite gelatin films produced by casting with 0, 4.5 and 15% w Lap/w gelatin, was studied. X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements were reported. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed dual crystalline structure of the films with collagen-type bundles of triple helices, intercalated inside clay platelets, increasing interlayer distances. Depending on the renaturation of triple-helices and Laponite content, the glass transition temperatures substantially decreased. The amount of helices decreased with Lap concentration, affecting the enthalpy of melting. The nanocomposite gelatin films showed improved thermal stability. Changes of water vapor permeability could be related to the presence of larger free volume of the coils and intercalated structures, facilitating water transfer through the film., Comment: 43 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, supplementary information

Multivariate data is often visualized using linear projections, produced by techniques such as principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis, and projection pursuit. A problem with projections is that they obscure low and high density regions near the center of the distribution. Sections, or slices, can help to reveal them. This paper develops a section pursuit method, building on the extensive work in projection pursuit, to search for interesting slices of the data. Linear projections are used to define sections of the parameter space, and to calculate interestingness by comparing the distribution of observations, inside and outside a section. By optimizing this index, it is possible to reveal features such as holes (low density) or grains (high density). The optimization is incorporated into a guided tour so that the search for structure can be dynamic. The approach can be useful for problems when data distributions depart from uniform or normal, as in visually exploring nonlinear manifolds, and functions in multivariate space. Two applications of section pursuit are shown: exploring decision boundaries from classification models, and exploring subspaces induced by complex inequality conditions from multiple parameter model. The new methods are available in R, in the tourr package., Comment: v3 is accepted for publication in JCGS and contains the appendix

The ratio $\mathcal{B}(K_L\to\pi^0\nu\bar\nu)/\mathcal{B}(K^+\to\pi^+\nu\bar\nu)$ of the branching fractions of kaon decays $K_L\to\pi^0\nu\bar\nu$ and $K^+\to\pi^+\nu\bar\nu$ has a maximum of about 4.3 under the assumption that the underlying interactions change isospin by $\Delta I=1/2$. This is referred to as the Grossman-Nir (GN) bound, which is respected by the standard model (SM) and by many scenarios beyond it. Recent preliminary results of the KOTO and NA62 Collaborations searching for these kaon modes seem to imply a violation of this bound. The KOTO findings also suggest that $\mathcal{B}(K_L\to\pi^0\nu\bar\nu)$ could be much larger, by nearly two orders of magnitude, than that predicted in the SM. In this work we study the possibility of violating the GN bound in an effective field theory approach with only SM fields. We show that the bound holds, in addition to the original GN scenarios, whether or not the kaon decays conserve lepton number. We demonstrate that the inclusion of $\Delta I=3/2$ operators can lead to a violation of the GN bound and illustrate with an example of how the KOTO numbers may be reached with a new physics scale of order tens of GeV., Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, minor changes for typos

We use the results of CMS and ATLAS searches for resonances that decay to $\tau\nu$ or $tb$ and $\tau^+\tau^-$ or $t\bar t$ final states to constrain the parameters of non-universal $W^\prime$ and $Z^\prime$ gauge bosons that couple preferentially to the third generation. For the former we consider production from $c\bar{b}$ annihilation and find very weak constraints on the strength of the interaction and only for the mass range between 800 and 1100 GeV from the $pp \to \tau_h p_T^{\rm miss}$ channel. The constraints on the latter are much stronger and arise from both $t\bar t$ and $\tau^+\tau^-$ production. Treated separately, we find that the weak constraints on the $W^\prime$ still permit an explanation of the $R(D^{(\star)})$ anomalies with a light sterile neutrino whereas the stronger constraints on the $Z^\prime$ exclude significant light sterile neutrino contributions to the $K \to \pi \nu \bar\nu$ rates. Within specific models the masses of $W^\prime$ and $Z^\prime$ are of course related and we briefly discuss the consequences., Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, matches version accepted for EPJC

Taking projections of high-dimensional data is a common analytical and visualisation technique in statistics for working with high-dimensional problems. Sectioning, or slicing, through high dimensions is less common, but can be useful for visualising data with concavities, or non-linear structure. It is associated with conditional distributions in statistics, and also linked brushing between plots in interactive data visualisation. This short technical note describes a simple approach for slicing in the orthogonal space of projections obtained when running a tour, thus presenting the viewer with an interpolated sequence of sliced projections. The method has been implemented in R as an extension to the tourr package, and can be used to explore for concave and non-linear structures in multivariate distributions., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures

New results in processes with an underlying quark transition $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$ have been recently reported by the LHCb and Belle II collaborations. In this note we show how the main implications of a handful of new measurements can be understood with the tools introduced in our recent paper, arXiv:1811.10793, without the need to redo the global fits. We find that the main impact of the new results, due to $R_K^{[1.1,6]}$ from LHCb, is a decrease in $C_{10\mu}^{NP}$ with a reduced uncertainty. We validate this conclusion by presenting the result of a new global fit., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures

We consider lepton-flavor violation in strangeness changing ($|\Delta S|=1$) semileptonic $\tau$-lepton decays arising from new physics encoded in a standard model effective Lagrangian. Its invariance under the standard model gauge group entails the relevance of other processes which can serve as complementary probes of the new physics operators. We show in particular that for some of them the bounds implied by current data on the rare kaon decays involving a neutrino pair, $K\to \pi\nu\bar\nu$, are stronger than the existing limits from direct searches for lepton-flavor-violating semileptonic $\tau$ decays. We discuss additional processes affected by the same operators and find that certain leptonic charged-meson decays also provide stricter constraints on a few more of them. Upcoming results of ongoing experiments such as Belle II and NA62 will further test the new physics parameter space., Comment: 16 pages, no figure, slightly expanded, references added, matches journal version

Studies of lepton-flavor violation in strangeness-changing ($|\Delta S|=1$) transitions have a~long tradition in the kaon sector where they provide some of the strongest limits on physics beyond the standard model. Recent hints of violation of lepton-flavor universality in $B$-meson decays have revived interest in lepton-flavor violation as the two phenomena appear simultaneously in many extensions of the standard model. At the same time, the LHCb experiment has produced new results for the hyperon process $\Sigma^+\to p\mu^+\mu^-$ and may be in a position to study other rare hyperon decay modes. With this in mind, we investigate $|\Delta S|=1$ hyperon decays into different-flavor lepton pairs $e^\pm\mu^\mp$ in a model-independent manner and contrast the coverage of parameter space that can be achieved with what is known from kaon modes. We include a comparison with selected two-body leptonic decays of charged mesons, with $K\to \pi\nu\bar\nu$ modes, with $\mu\to e$ conversion, and with lepton-flavor violating decays of other neutral mesons, all of which constrain the same parameter space in a complementary~way., Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures, somewhat expanded, typos corrected, references added, matches publication

Artificial self-perception is the machine ability to perceive its own body, i.e., the mastery of modal and intermodal contingencies of performing an action with a specific sensors/actuators body configuration. In other words, the spatio-temporal patterns that relate its sensors (e.g. visual, proprioceptive, tactile, etc.), its actions and its body latent variables are responsible of the distinction between its own body and the rest of the world. This paper describes some of the latest approaches for modelling artificial body self-perception: from Bayesian estimation to deep learning. Results show the potential of these free-model unsupervised or semi-supervised crossmodal/intermodal learning approaches. However, there are still challenges that should be overcome before we achieve artificial multisensory body perception., Comment: Workshop on Crossmodal Learning for Intelligent Robotics. IEEE Int. Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2018)

Discrepancies between measurements of decay modes with an underlying quark level transition $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$ and standard model (SM) predictions have persisted for several years, particularly for the muon channels. The inadequacy of the SM becomes more compelling in a global fit. For example, Ref. [1] described 175 observables by six parameters encoding new physics and quantified the disagreement with the SM at about the $5\sigma$ level. While certain one and two parameter fits have previously been considered in detail, we establish a framework for the detailed discussion of the full 6d fit. We visualize and quantify the 6d $1\sigma$ region around the best fit point and define fit uncertainties for both current and future observables. We then define metrics quantifying the deviations between measurements and both SM and best fit predictions. These metrics relate observables to directions in parameter space, revealing their precise role in the fit, thus providing guidance for future theoretical and experimental work. Some metrics further quantify the role of correlated uncertainties, which turns out to be significant. For example the relevance of angular observables such as $P_5^\prime$ is reduced in this context. Finally, studying the space of observables allows us to discuss the internal tensions in the fit., Comment: 39 pages, 14 figures, journal version, animations referenced in the text are available at https://uschilaa.github.io/animations/

We present one loop results for the amplitudes giving rise to couplings between a color octet scalar, a gluon, and an electroweak gauge boson. These amplitudes could signal new physics in $\gamma$ jet, $Z$ jet and $W$ jet production at the LHC. We compute the relevant branching ratios and identify regions of parameter space where these decay modes become important. This can happen for scalar masses below the threshold for decay into heavy quark pairs ($t\bar t$ and $t\bar b$); or for small Yukawa couplings in which case the colored scalars are fermiophobic. In the case of light scalars, ${\cal B}(S\to \gamma g)$ can reach up to 10\% whereas ${\cal B}(S\to Z g)$ can reach a few percent. In the fermiophobic region of parameter space, ${\cal B}(S\to \gamma g)$ and ${\cal B}(S\to Z g)$ can reach up to 72\% and 28\% respectively, whereas ${\cal B}(S\to g g)$ can be 100\%. For the charged scalar, the decay mode ${\cal B}(S^\pm \to W^\pm g)$ can become dominant in both scenarios., Comment: 17 pages, 7 Figures

A recent paper on visualizing the sensitivity of hadronic experiments to nucleon structure [1] introduces the tool PDFSense which defines measures to allow the user to judge the sensitivity of PDF fits to a given experiment. The sensitivity is characterized by high-dimensional data residuals that are visualized in a 3-d subspace of the 10 first principal components or using t-SNE [2]. We show how a tour, a dynamic visualisation of high dimensional data, can extend this tool beyond 3-d relationships. This approach enables resolving structure orthogonal to the 2-d viewing plane used so far, and hence finer tuned assessment of the sensitivity., Comment: Format of the animations changed for easier viewing

The LHCb Collaboration has recently reported evidence for the rare hyperon decay $\Sigma^+\to p\mu^+\mu^-$ that is consistent with the standard model expectation. Motivated by this new result we revisit the calculation of this mode including both long and short distance contributions. In the standard model this mode is completely dominated by long distance physics and thus subject to large uncertainties. We present a range of predictions for the rate, the dimuon invariant mass spectrum, and a muon polarization asymmetry that covers these uncertainties as well as known constraints. We study the interplay between short and long distance contributions which could result in additional asymmetries, but we find that they are negligible within the standard model. We propose a parameterization of these asymmetries in terms of a couple of constants that can arise from new physics., Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, somewhat expanded, remarks on e+e- mode & references added, matches publication

We review the parameter regions allowed by measurements of $\mathcal{R}(D^{(*)})$ and by a theoretical limit on ${\cal B}(B_{c}\to\tau\nu)$ in terms of generic scalar and pseudoscalar new physics couplings, $g_s$ and $g_p$. We then use these regions as constraints to predict the ranges for additional observables in $b\to c\tau\nu$ including the differential decay distributions $d\Gamma/dq^{2}$; the ratios $\mathcal{R}(J/\psi)$ and $\mathcal{R}(\Lambda_{c})$; and the tau-lepton polarisation in $B\to D^{(\star)}\tau\nu$, with emphasis on the CP violating normal polarisation. Finally we map the allowed regions in $g_s$ and $g_p$ into the parameters of four versions of the Yukawa couplings of the general 2HDM-III model. We find that the model is still viable but could be ruled out by a confirmation of a large $\mathcal{R}(J/\psi)$., Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, major changes with new analysis and plots

We study generic effects of new physics on the rare decay modes $K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \bar\nu$ and $K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar\nu$. We discuss several cases: left-handed neutrino couplings; right handed neutrino couplings; neutrino lepton flavour violating (LFV) interactions; and $\Delta I =3/2$ interactions. The first of these cases has been studied before as it covers many new physics extensions of the standard model; the second one requires the existence of a new light (sterile) right-handed neutrino and its contribution to both branching ratios is always additive to the SM. The case of neutrino LFV couplings introduces a CP conserving contribution to $K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \bar\nu$ which affects the rates in a similar manner as a right handed neutrino as neither one of these interferes with the standard model amplitudes. Finally, we consider new physics with $\Delta I =3/2$ interactions to go beyond the Grossman-Nir bound. We find that the rare kaon rates are only sensitive to new physics scales up to a few GeV for this scenario.

Effective operators provide a model-independent description of physics beyond the stan- dard model that is particularly useful given the absence of any signs of new physics at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We recast previous LHC analyses to set limits on lepton-flavour-violating gluonic effective operators of dimension 8 and compare our results to existing limits from low-energy precision experiments. Current LHC data constrains the scale $\Lambda$ of the effective operators to be larger than $\Lambda\gtrsim 0.5 - 1.6$ TeV depending on the flavour and thus provides the most stringent limit for all operators apart from parity-conserving operators of the form $GG\bar\mu P_{L,R} e$, where $\mu - e$ conversion in nuclei poses the most stringent constraint., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures; v2: corrected normalization of operators in cross section calculation and matrix elements for tau decays, main conclusions unchanged, accepted by JHEP