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Cristina Lazzeroni

Publications and source records attributed to Cristina Lazzeroni.

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Prospects for $K_{L}\toπ^{0}ν\barν$, $K_S\toμ^+μ^-$, $K_L\toπ^0 \ell^+\ell^-$ and $\varepsilon^{\prime}/\varepsilon$ after the new $K^{+}\toπ^{+}ν\barν$ result from NA62

The recently announced NA62 measurement of the $K^{+}\toπ^{+}ν\barν$ branching ratio, based on 2016--2024 data, is fully consistent with its very accurate Standard Model (SM) prediction. While it is not excluded that the final result based on 2016--2026 data will deviate from the SM prediction, the question arises whether a similar fate awaits the $K_{L}\toπ^{0}ν\barν$ decay. This decay is currently being searched for by the KOTO experiment, with the present upper bound roughly two orders of magnitude above its very precise SM prediction. The proposed KOTO II experiment aims to provide the first discovery of the $K_{L}\toπ^{0}ν\barν$ decay and measure its branching ratio. Building on the findings of several previous papers we demonstrate that in the presence of suitably chosen large new complex phases and of a small amount of new right-handed $\bar s d$ couplings, in addition to the left-handed ones, the $K_{L}\toπ^{0}ν\barν$ branching ratio can still be enhanced by one order of magnitude with respect to the SM prediction while keeping both $K^{+}\toπ^{+}ν\barν$ and $\varepsilon_K$ SM-like. Simultaneously the decays $K_S\toμ^+μ^-$, studied by LHCb, and $K_L\toπ^0\ell^+\ell^-$, searched for by KOTO II, can be strongly enhanced and the anomaly in the ratio $\varepsilon^{\prime}/\varepsilon$, as claimed by Dual QCD, removed. We illustrate this with an example of a specific $Z^\prime$ scenario.

hep-ph

New bound on the vectorial axion-down-strange coupling from $K^+ \to π^+ ν\bar ν$ data

We reinterpret publicly available $K^+ \to π^+ ν\barν$ data collected by NA62 from 2016 to 2024 to constrain the fundamental vectorial coupling of the QCD axion to down and strange quarks. Using a fully reproducible likelihood analysis and a complete renormalization-group evolution of the axion couplings from the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) scale to the kaon scale, we translate the experimental limit into bounds on both the low-energy flavour-violating coupling and the fundamental UV parameters. In the generic regime where strong contributions dominate the decay amplitude, we obtain $|(F_V)_{sd}(μ_K)| > 1.6 \times 10^{12}\,\text{GeV}$. The coexistence of parametrically suppressed weak contributions implies a second, conceptually distinct constraint: the fact that weak-amplitude dominance arises from highly tuned UV coupling configurations, translates into a conservative general lower limit on the PQ scale, $f_a > 4.9 \times 10^4\,\text{GeV}$. These results provide the strongest accelerator-based constraints on axion-induced $d \leftrightarrow s$ transitions and establish a robust lower bound on $f_a$, complementary to astrophysical limits.

hep-ph

Kaon Physics: A Cornerstone for Future Discoveries

The kaon physics programme, long heralded as a cutting-edge frontier by the European Strategy for Particle Physics, continues to stand at the intersection of discovery and innovation in high-energy physics (HEP). With its unparalleled capacity to explore new physics at the multi-TeV scale, kaon research is poised to unveil phenomena that could reshape our understanding of the Universe. This document highlights the compelling physics case, with emphasis on exciting new opportunities for advancing kaon physics not only in Europe but also on a global stage. As an important player in the future of HEP, the kaon programme promises to drive transformative breakthroughs, inviting exploration at the forefront of scientific discovery.

hep-ph

Proposal of the KOTO II experiment

The KOTO II experiment is proposed to measure the branching ratio of the decay $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$ at J-PARC. With a beamline to extract long-lived neutral kaons at 5 degrees from a production target, the single event sensitivity of the decay is $8.5\times 10^{-13}$, which is much smaller than the Standard Model prediction $3\times 10^{-11}$. This allows searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model and the first discovery of the decay with a significance exceeding $5σ$. As the only experiment proposed in the world dedicated to rare kaon decays, KOTO II will be indispensable in the quest for a complete understanding of flavor dynamics in the quark sector. Moreover, by combining efforts from the kaon community worldwide, we plan to develop the KOTO II detector further and expand the physics reach of the experiment to include measurements of the branching ratio of the $K_L\toπ^0\ell^+\ell^-$ decays, studies of other $K_L$ decays, and searches for dark photons, axions, and axion-like particles. KOTO II will therefore obtain a comprehensive understanding of $K_L$ decays, providing further constraints on new physics scenarios with existing $K^+$ results.

hep-ex

The Run Control system of the NA62 experiment at CERN SPS

The NA62 experiment at CERN SPS started physics data taking this year with the aim to measure the ultra-rare decay $K^+\toπ^+ν\barν$. The experiment consists of a large number of subsystems to reach the goal of 10% accuracy and less than 10% background. The Run Control has been designed to link their trigger and data acquisition system in a single central application easily controllable by non-expert shifters. It has been continuously evolving over time, integrating new equipments, following new requirements and feedback from shifters. The next steps of development is a more automatized system that integrates the knowledge acquired during the operation of the experiment.

physics.ins-det

Development of the kaon tagging system for the NA62 experiment at CERN

The NA62 experiment at CERN aims to make a precision measurement of the ultra-rare decay $K^{+} \rightarrow π^{+}ν\overlineν$, and relies on a differential Cherenkov detector (KTAG) to identify charged kaons at an average rate of 50 MHz in a 750 MHz unseparated hadron beam. The experimental sensitivity of NA62 to K-decay branching ratios (BR) of $10^{-11}$ requires a time resolution for the KTAG of better than 100 ps, an efficiency better than 95% and a contamination of the kaon sample that is smaller than $10^{-4}$. A prototype version of the detector was tested in 2012, during the first NA62 technical run, in which the required resolution of 100 ps was achieved and the necessary functionality of the light collection system and electronics was demonstrated.

physics.ins-det

Lepton universality tests with leptonic kaon decays

The NA62 experiment at CERN aims to use rare kaon decays to search for new phenomena beyond the Standard Model. During the current short term phase (data taking completed in years 2007-8), the ratio $R_K = Γ(K^+ \rightarrow e ν_e (γ)) / Γ(K^+ \rightarrow μν_μ (γ))$ of leptonic decay rates is studied, which tests the structure of weak interactions and lepton flavour universality. In this paper, the $R_K$ analysis is summarized, and the preliminary result is discussed, based on 59963 $K^+ \rightarrow e ν_e $ candidates collected in 2007.

hep-ex

Trigger, reconstruction and physics performances in LHCb

LHCb is one of the four major experiments that will take data at the LHC, due to start operation in 2007. The primary aims of LHCb are to perform precision tests of CP violation and to search for new physics in b hadron decays. About 10^12 bb pairs will be produced in LHCb per 10^7 seconds (a nominal year) in pp collisions with a luminosity of 2x10^32 cm^-2 s^-1. A large, high-purity sample of b hadrons, decaying in a variety of channels, will be accumulated. LHCb will perform a detailed study of B meson mixing, precise measurements of the angles of the unitary triangle and investigations of rare decays in b hadrons, looking for new physics in loop-induced processes. The LHCb detector is optimised to reach these physics goals. Here a brief description of the reconstruction performance is given, and the sensitivities in typical channels for the study of Bs mixing, CP violation and rare decays are summarised.

hep-ex