Angular analysis of B 0 d → K * µ + µ − decays in p p collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector The ATLAS Collaboration An angular analysis of the decay B 0 d → K * µ + µ − is presented, based on proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The study is using 20.3 fb −1 of integrated luminosity collected during 2012 at centre-of-mass energy of √ s = 8 TeV. Measurements of the K * longitudinal polarisation fraction and a set of angular parameters obtained for this decay are presented. The results are compatible with the Standard Model predictions.Flavour-changing neutral currents (FCNC) have played a significant role in the construction of the Standard Model of particle physics (SM). These processes are forbidden at tree level and can proceed only via loops, hence are rare. An important set of FCNC processes involve the transition of a b-quark to an sµ + µ − final state mediated by electroweak box and penguin diagrams. If heavy new particles exist, they may contribute to FCNC decay amplitudes, affecting the measurement of observables related to the decay under study. Hence FCNC processes allow searches for contributions from sources of physics beyond the SM (hereafter referred to as new physics). This analysis focuses on the decay B 0 d → K * 0 (892)µ + µ − , where K * 0 (892) → K + π − . Hereafter, the K * 0 (892) is referred to as K * and charge conjugation is implied throughout, unless stated otherwise. In addition to angular observables such as the forward-backward asymmetry A FB 1, there is considerable interest in measurements of the charge asymmetry, differential branching fraction, isospin asymmetry, and ratio of rates of decay into dimuon and dielectron final states, all as a function of the invariant mass squared of the dilepton system q 2 . All of these observable sets can be sensitive to different types of new physics that allow for FCNCs at tree or loop level. The BaBar, Belle, CDF, CMS, and LHCb collaborations have published the results of studies of the angular distributions forThe LHCb Collaboration has reported a potential hint, at the level of 3.4 standard deviations, of a deviation from SM calculations [3,4] in this decay mode when using a parameterization of the angular distribution designed to minimise uncertainties from hadronic form factors. Measurements using this approach were also reported by the Belle and CMS Collaborations [6,8] and they are consistent with the LHCb experiment's results and with the SM calculations. This paper presents results following the methodology outlined in Ref. [3] and the convention adopted by the LHCb Collaboration for the definition of angular observables described in Ref. [9]. The results obtained here are compared with theoretical predictions that use the form factors computed in Ref. [10].This article presents the results of an angular analysis of the decay B 0 d → K * µ + µ − with the ATLAS detector, using 20.3 fb −1 of pp collision data at a centre-of-mass energy √ s = 8 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC...

Development of low cost, easy-to-use chemical sensor systems for low dose detection of γ radiation remains highly desired for medical radiation therapy and nuclear security monitoring. We report herein on a new fluorescence sensor molecule, 4,4'-di(1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-2-yl)biphenyl (DPI-BP), which can be dissolved into halogenated solvents (e.g., CHCl3, CH2Cl2) to enable instant detection of γ radiation down to the 0.01 Gy level. The sensing mechanism is primarily based on radiation induced fluorescence quenching of DPI-BP. Pristine DPI-BP is strongly fluorescent in halogenated solvents. When exposed to γ radiation, the halogenated solvents decompose into various radicals, including hydrogen and chlorine, which then combine to produce hydrochloric acid (HCl). This strong acid interacts with the imidazole group of DPI-BP to convert it into a DPI-BP/HCl adduct. The DPI-BP/HCl adduct possesses a more planar configuration than DPI-BP, enhancing the π-π stacking and thus molecular aggregation. The strong molecular fluorescence of DPI-BP gets quenched upon aggregation, due to the π-π stacking interaction (forming forbidden low-energy excitonic transition). Interestingly the quenched fluorescence can be recovered simply by adding base (e.g., NaOH) into the solution to dissociate the DPI-BP/HCl adduct. Such sensing mechanism was supported by systematic investigations based on HCl titration and dynamic light scattering measurements. To further confirm that the aggregation caused fluorescence quenching, a half size analogue of DPI-BP, 2-phenyl-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole (PI-Ph), was synthesized and investigated in comparison with the observations of DPI-BP. PI-Ph shares the same imidazole conjugation structure with DPI-BP and is expected to bind the same way with HCl. However, PI-Ph did not show fluorescence quenching upon binding with HCl likely due to the smaller π-conjugation structure, which can hardly enforce the π-π stacking assembly. Combining the low detection limit, fast and reversible fluorescence quenching response, and low cost of halogenated solvent composites, the sensor system presented may lead to the development of new, simple chemical dosimetry for low dose detection of γ radiation.

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In homeland security and nuclear safeguards applications, non-destructive techniques to identify and quantify special nuclear materials are in great demand. Although nuclear materials naturally emit characteristic radiation (e.g. neutrons, γ-rays), their intensity and energy are normally low. Furthermore, such radiation could be intentionally shielded with ease or buried in high-level background. Active interrogation techniques based on photofission have been identified as effective assay approaches to address this issue. In designing such assay systems, nuclear data, like photofission product yields, plays a crucial role. Although fission yields for neutron-induced reactions have been well studied and readily available in various nuclear databases, data on photofission product yields is rather scarce. This poses a great challenge to the application of photofission techniques. In this work, short-lived highenergy delayed γ-rays from photofission of 238 U were measured in between linac pulses. In addition, a list-mode system was developed to measure relatively long-lived delayed γ-rays from photofission of 238 U and 239 Pu after the irradiation. Time and energy information of each γ-ray event were simultaneously recorded by this system. Cumulative photofission product yields were then determined using the measured delayed γ-ray spectra.