Paul Scherrer Institute

About: Paul Scherrer Institute is a facility organization based out in Villigen, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Neutron & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 9248 authors who have published 23984 publications receiving 890129 citations. The organization is also known as: PSI.

Patterns of New Physics in b → sℓ+ℓ− transitions in the light of recent data

Abstract: In the Standard Model (SM), the rare transitions where a bottom quark decays into a strange quark and a pair of light leptons exhibit a potential sensitivity to physics beyond the SM. In addition, the SM embeds Lepton Flavour Universality (LFU), leading to almost identical probabilities for muon and electron modes. The LHCb collaboration discovered a set of deviations from the SM expectations in decays to muons and also in ratios assessing LFU. Other experiments (Belle, ATLAS, CMS) found consistent measurements, albeit with large error bars. We perform a global fit to all available b → sl+l− data (l = e, μ) in a model-independent way allowing for different patterns of New Physics. For the first time, the NP hypothesis is preferred over the SM by 5 σ in a general case when NP can enter SM-like operators and their chirally-flipped partners. LFU violation is favoured with respect to LFU at the 3-4 σ level. We discuss the impact of LFU-violating New Physics on the observable P 5 ′ from B → K∗μ+μ− and we compare our estimate for long-distance charm contributions with an empirical model recently proposed by a group of LHCb experimentalists. Finally, we discuss NP models able to describe this consistent pattern of deviations.

Quantum confinement in Si nanocrystals

Abstract: The electronic structure of nanocrystalline Si which shows visible photoluminescence is calculated using the density-functional approach for finite structures. Except for geometry this is the same theory as for first-principles band structures of semiconductors and other solids. Our results for clusters ranging up to 706 Si atoms suggest that the band gap scales linearly with ${\mathit{L}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, where L is the cluster diameter. For such clusters it is found that dipole transitions across the gap are symmetry allowed. The finite structures thus show a direct band gap which is considerably larger than the one of bulk silicon. For larger clusters we find a strong decrease of oscillator strength, consistent with the occurrence of the indirect gap in the bulk limit.

Cell behaviour on micropatterned substrata: limits of extracellular matrix geometry for spreading and adhesion

Abstract: Cell adhesion, spreading and migration require the dynamic formation and dispersal of contacts with the extracellular matrix (ECM). In vivo, the number, availability and distribution of ECM binding sites dictate the shape of a cell and determine its mobility. To analyse the geometrical limits of ECM binding sites required for cell attachment and spreading, we used microcontact printing to produce regular patterns of ECM protein dots of defined size separated by nonadhesive regions. Cells cultured on these substrata adhere to and spread on ECM regions as small as 0.1 microm2, when spacing between dots is less than 5 microm. Spacing of 5-25 microm induces a cell to adapt its shape to the ECM pattern. The ability to spread and migrate on dots > or =1 microm2 ceases when the dot separation is > or =30 microm. The extent of cell spreading is directly correlated to the total substratum coverage with ECM-proteins, but irrespective of the geometrical pattern. An optimal spreading extent is reached at a surface coating above 15%. Knowledge of these geometrical limits is essential for an understanding of cell adhesion and migration, and for the design of artificial surfaces that optimally interact with cells in a living tissue.