E. Minucci

Bio: E. Minucci is an academic researcher from Université catholique de Louvain. The author has contributed to research in topics: Branching fraction & Higgs boson. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 4 publications receiving 42 citations. Previous affiliations of E. Minucci include CERN.

An investigation of the very rare $ {K}^{+}\to {\pi}^{+}\nu \overline{\nu} $ decay

Abstract: The NA62 experiment reports an investigation of the $$ {K}^{+}\to {\pi}^{+} u \overline{ u} $$ mode from a sample of K+ decays collected in 2017 at the CERN SPS. The experiment has achieved a single event sensitivity of (0.389 ± 0.024) × 10−10, corresponding to 2.2 events assuming the Standard Model branching ratio of (8.4 ± 1.0) × 10−11. Two signal candidates are observed with an expected background of 1.5 events. Combined with the result of a similar analysis conducted by NA62 on a smaller data set recorded in 2016, the collaboration now reports an upper limit of 1.78 × 10−10 for the $$ {K}^{+}\to {\pi}^{+} u \overline{ u} $$ branching ratio at 90% CL. This, together with the corresponding 68% CL measurement of ( $$ {0.48}_{-0.48}^{+0.72} $$ ) × 10−10, are currently the most precise results worldwide, and are able to constrain some New Physics models that predict large enhancements still allowed by previous measurements.

Search for a feebly interacting particle X in the decay K+ → π+X

Abstract: A search for the K+ → π+X decay, where X is a long-lived feebly interacting particle, is performed through an interpretation of the K+ → $$ {\pi}^{+} u \overline{ u} $$ analysis of data collected in 2017 by the NA62 experiment at CERN. Two ranges of X masses, 0–110 MeV/c2 and 154–260 MeV/c2, and lifetimes above 100 ps are considered. The limits set on the branching ratio, BR(K+ → π+X), are competitive with previously reported searches in the first mass range, and improve on current limits in the second mass range by more than an order of magnitude.

Measurement of the very rare K + → π+νν¯ decay

Abstract: The NA62 experiment reports the branching ratio measurement $$ \mathrm{BR}\left({K}^{+}\to {\pi}^{+} u \overline{ u}\right)=\left({10.6}_{-3.4}^{+4.0}\left|{}_{\mathrm{stat}}\right.\pm {0.9}_{\mathrm{syst}}\right)\times {10}^{-11} $$ at 68% CL, based on the observation of 20 signal candidates with an expected background of 7.0 events from the total data sample collected at the CERN SPS during 2016–2018. This provides evidence for the very rare K+ → $$ {\pi}^{+} u \overline{ u} $$ decay, observed with a significance of 3.4σ. The experiment achieves a single event sensitivity of (0.839 ± 0.054) × 10−11, corresponding to 10.0 events assuming the Standard Model branching ratio of (8.4 ± 1.0) × 10−11. This measurement is also used to set limits on BR(K+ → π+X), where X is a scalar or pseudo-scalar particle. Details are given of the analysis of the 2018 data sample, which corresponds to about 80% of the total data sample.

Search for π0 decays to invisible particles

Abstract: The NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS reports a study of a sample of 4 × 109 tagged π0 mesons from K+ → π+π0(γ), searching for the decay of the π0 to invisible particles. No signal is observed in excess of the expected background fluctuations. An upper limit of 4.4 × 10−9 is set on the branching ratio at 90% confidence level, improving on previous results by a factor of 60. This result can also be interpreted as a model- independent upper limit on the branching ratio for the decay K+ → π+X, where X is a particle escaping detection with mass in the range 0.110–0.155 GeV/c2 and rest lifetime greater than 100 ps. Model-dependent upper limits are obtained assuming X to be an axion-like particle with dominant fermion couplings or a dark scalar mixing with the Standard Model Higgs boson.

Feebly-interacting particles: FIPs 2020 workshop report

Abstract: With the establishment and maturation of the experimental programs searching for new physics with sizeable couplings at the LHC, there is an increasing interest in the broader particle and astrophysics community for exploring the physics of light and feebly-interacting particles as a paradigm complementary to a New Physics sector at the TeV scale and beyond. FIPs 2020 has been the first workshop fully dedicated to the physics of feebly-interacting particles and was held virtually from 31 August to 4 September 2020. The workshop has gathered together experts from collider, beam dump, fixed target experiments, as well as from astrophysics, axions/ALPs searches, current/future neutrino experiments, and dark matter direct detection communities to discuss progress in experimental searches and underlying theory models for FIPs physics, and to enhance the cross-fertilisation across different fields. FIPs 2020 has been complemented by the topical workshop "Physics Beyond Colliders meets theory", held at CERN from 7 June to 9 June 2020. This document presents the summary of the talks presented at the workshops and the outcome of the subsequent discussions held immediately after. It aims to provide a clear picture of this blooming field and proposes a few recommendations for the next round of experimental results.

The Forward Physics Facility at the High-Luminosity LHC

Abstract: High energy collisions at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produce a large number of particles along the beam collision axis, outside of the acceptance of existing LHC experiments. The proposed Forward Physics Facility (FPF), to be located several hundred meters from the ATLAS interaction point and shielded by concrete and rock, will host a suite of experiments to probe standard model (SM) processes and search for physics beyond the standard model (BSM). In this report, we review the status of the civil engineering plans and the experiments to explore the diverse physics signals that can be uniquely probed in the forward region. FPF experiments will be sensitive to a broad range of BSM physics through searches for new particle scattering or decay signatures and deviations from SM expectations in high statistics analyses with TeV neutrinos in this low-background environment. High statistics neutrino detection will also provide valuable data for fundamental topics in perturbative and non-perturbative QCD and in weak interactions. Experiments at the FPF will enable synergies between forward particle production at the LHC and astroparticle physics to be exploited. We report here on these physics topics, on infrastructure, detector, and simulation studies, and on future directions to realize the FPF’s physics potential.

Low-energy phenomenology of scalar leptoquarks at one-loop accuracy.

Abstract: We perform a complete study of the low-energy phenomenology of $S_1$ and $S_3$ lepto-quarks, aimed at addressing the observed deviations in $B$-meson decays and the muon magnetic dipole moment. Leptoquark contributions to observables are computed at one-loop accuracy in an effective field theory approach, using the recently published complete one-loop matching of these leptoquarks to the Standard Model effective field theory. We present several scenarios, discussing in each case the preferred parameter space and the most relevant observables.

New physics searches at kaon and hyperon factories

Abstract: Rare meson decays are among the most sensitive probes of both heavy and light new physics. Among them, new physics searches using kaons benefit from their small total decay widths and the availability of very large datasets. On the other hand, useful complementary information is provided by hyperon decay measurements. We summarize the relevant phenomenological models and the status of the searches in a comprehensive list of kaon and hyperon decay channels. We identify new search strategies for under-explored signatures, and demonstrate that the improved sensitivities from current and next-generation experiments could lead to a qualitative leap in the exploration of light dark sectors.