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S. Dey

Publications and source records attributed to S. Dey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Search for dark matter particle interactions in an extended nuclear recoil energy window with the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment

We report on a search for dark matter particles interacting with xenon nuclei in an exposure of 2.84 tonne-years with the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment. An extended nuclear recoil energy window up to approximately 270 keV enables searches for effective field theory and inelastic models of dark matter where high-energy recoils account for a larger fraction of the predicted recoil spectrum compared to the nominal spin independent interaction. We observe one event with characteristics consistent with a nuclear recoil of $248\pm23\,\mathrm{(stat)}\pm23\,\mathrm{(sys)}$ keV, in a region where the known background expectation is low. A profile likelihood ratio test finds tension with the background-only hypothesis at a global significance of 2.6$\sigma$ when accounting for look-elsewhere effects, with a maximum local significance of 3.4$\sigma$ across the models tested. We describe the analysis and event of interest, the background model used in the statistical inference, and detail several of the rare background topologies considered.

hep-ex

Search for the lepton-flavor-violating decay $ \tau^{\pm} \to \mu^{\pm} \gamma$ at Belle II

We present a search for the lepton-flavor-violating decay $\tau^{\pm}\to\mu^{\pm}\gamma$ using a data sample that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 428 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy $e^{+}e^{-}$ collider. We employ a multivariate classifier to suppress the backgrounds from the Standard Model processes, and the signal extraction is performed using an extended maximum-likelihood fit. Since no significant excess over the expected background is observed, we set an upper limit on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(\tau^{\pm}\to\mu^{\pm}\gamma) < 9.5$ $ (12.2)\times10^{-8}$ at the 90\% (95\%) confidence level, using the CL${_s}$ technique.

hep-ex

Search for the $\boldsymbol{B^0 \to K^0_{\rm S} \tau^+ \tau^-}$ decay

We present the first search for $B^0 \to K^0_{\rm S} \tau^+\tau^-$ decays. We look for signal decays in $B^0\bar B^0$ events produced in asymmetric-energy electron-positron collisions. This work uses samples from the Belle and Belle~II detectors, comprising 1.16 billion $\Upsilon(4S)$ events. In $\Upsilon(4S)\to B^0\bar{B}^0$ decays, the non-signal $\bar{B}^0$ meson is fully reconstructed in a hadronic channel. For the signal $B^0$ meson, $\tau$-lepton decays into final states with a single charged particle are selected. A multivariate classifier is used to combine several discriminating inputs into a single fit observable. We observe no evidence for the signal and set an upper limit on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(B^0\to K^0_{\rm S} \tau^+\tau^-) < 8.3 \times 10^{-4}$ at the 90\% confidence level. Combining this with the recent measurement of the isospin-partner decay $B^+\to K^+\tau^+\tau^-$, we determine an upper limit $\mathcal{B}(B\to K\tau^+\tau^-) < 5.4\times10^{-4}$ at the 90\% confidence level.

hep-ex

Search for axion-like particles decaying to two photons at Belle II

Axion-like particles (ALPs) are predicted in many extensions of the Standard Model and provide a well-motivated portal between visible and hidden sectors through their coupling to photons. We search for ALPs produced in the process $e^{+}e^{-}\to\gamma a$, $a\to\gamma\gamma$, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $408~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ recorded by the Belle~II detector at the SuperKEKB $e^{+}e^{-}$ collider. Events containing three photons are used to reconstruct the ALP as a narrow peak in the di-photon invariant mass spectrum over the range $0.17 < m_{a} < 9.80~\mathrm{GeV}/c^{2}$. No significant excess above background is observed. We set 95\% confidence level upper limits on the production cross section and on the ALP-photon coupling $g_{a\gamma\gamma}$, reaching sensitivities at the level of $10^{-4}~\mathrm{GeV}^{-1}$. The limits are the most restrictive to date over nearly the entire mass range $0.17 < m_{a} < 5.00~\mathrm{GeV}/c^{2}$, and improve upon previous results by up to a factor 9.

hep-ex

First measurement of the masses of the $\Upsilon_1(1D)$ and $\Upsilon_3(1D)$ states and the energy dependence of the cross sections for $e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\eta$ and $e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\pi^+\pi^-$

We study the processes $e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\eta$ and $e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\pi^+\pi^-$ at center-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s}$=(10.73 -- 11.02) GeV using a $142.5\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ data sample, including 122~fb$^{-1}$ near the $\Upsilon$(10860) peak ($\sqrt{s}$ = 10.866 GeV), collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^+e^-$ collider. From the peak sample, the products of Born cross section times branching fraction are obtained for $\sigma_{\rm Born}(e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\eta)$ or $\sigma_{\rm Born}(e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\pi^+\pi^-)$ and ${\cal B}(\Upsilon_J(1D)\to\chi_{b1}\gamma)$ or ${\cal B}(\Upsilon_J(1D)\to\chi_{b2}\gamma)$ for each $\Upsilon_J(1D)$ state. The corresponding branching fractions for $\Upsilon(10860)$ decays are also obtained. The significances of the $\Upsilon_1(1D)$, $\Upsilon_2(1D)$, and $\Upsilon_3(1D)$ signals are 4.8$\sigma$, ${>}10\sigma$, and 3.0$\sigma$, respectively, including systematic uncertainties. The mass for $\Upsilon_2(1D)$ is measured to be $(10167.0\pm 1.0\pm 0.2)$ MeV/$c^2$, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic. The mass splittings $\Delta m_{12}=m(\Upsilon_2(1D))-m(\Upsilon_1(1D))$ and $\Delta m_{23}=m(\Upsilon_3(1D))-m(\Upsilon_2(1D))$ are $(11.8\pm1.5\pm0.4)$ MeV/$c^2$ and $(7.6\pm2.4\pm0.6)$ MeV/$c^2$, respectively.~We determine the energy dependence of the cross sections for $e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\eta$ and $e^+e^-\to\Upsilon_J(1D)\pi^+\pi^-$ for the $\Upsilon_1(1D)$, $\Upsilon_2(1D)$, and $\Upsilon_3(1D)$ states, combined.

hep-ex

Star Formation and Accretion in Nearby Galaxies

The appearance of galaxies is strongly dominated by two physical phenomena: star formation and accretion of material onto compact objects, primarily supermassive black holes. Nearby galaxies offer a unique window to study these processes in detail and with high spatial resolution. The $\mu$Jy sensitivity, sub-arcsecond angular resolution and broadband coverage provided by SKA AA4 configuration will enable us to separate morphologically and spectrally the contribution from SMBH accretion and star formation processes, from the most compact nuclear region out to the most diffuse, galaxy-wide components. Disentangling thermal and non-thermal emission using multi-scale spectral index maps (traced by SKA-Mid) and absorption processes (traced mainly by SKA-Low) will allow us to account for the present and past star-formation rate, the AGN activity and the ISM properties. SKA observations of a wide range of galaxy types in the nearby Universe, including quiescent, AGN-dominated and starburst galaxies, will provide a broad view of how star formation and accretion regulate galaxy evolution, while time-domain and spectral-variability information further isolate compact accretion and transient phenomena.

astro-ph.GA

Charged-lepton identification at Belle~II

Effective particle identification capabilities are a strategic priority for the physics program of the Belle~II experiment. We describe the algorithms used at Belle~II for identifying electrons and muons and separating them from charged hadrons. We present the performance obtained by the experiment during Run 1, which consists of 428 fb$^{-1}$ of data collected at the energy-asymmetric $e^+e^-$ collider SuperKEKB between 2019 and 2022 at center-of-mass energies near the mass of the $\Upsilon(4S)$.

hep-ex

First evidence of $X(3872)\to\pi^0\chi_{c0}(1P)$ and search for $X(3915)\to\pi^0\chi_{c1}(1P)$

We search for the pionic transitions $X(3872)\to\pi^0\chi_{cJ}(1P)$ $(J = 0,~1,~2)$ and $X(3915)\to\pi^0\chi_{c1}$ in $B^+\to \pi^0\chi_{cJ}K^+$ decays using the Belle and Belle~II data samples collected at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance, corresponding to integrated luminosities of $711~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ and $492~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$, respectively. We report the first evidence for the decay $X(3872)\to\pi^0\chi_{c0}$ with a significance of $3.4\sigma$, including systematic uncertainties. We measure the product of branching fractions ${\cal B}(B^+\to X(3872)K^+)\times{\cal B}(X(3872)\to\pi^0\chi_{c0})=(20.0\pm6.8\pm2.3)\times10^{-6}$ and the branching fraction ratio ${\cal B}(X(3872)\to\pi^0\chi_{c0})/{\cal B}(X(3872)\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi)=2.3\pm0.8\pm0.4$, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The upper limits at 90\% credibility on the products of branching fractions for the $\pi^0\chi_{c1}$ and $\pi^0\chi_{c2}$ modes are $7.5\times10^{-6}$ and $15.3\times10^{-6}$, respectively. The corresponding upper limits on the branching fraction ratios relative to the $\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi$ decay are $0.9$ and $1.8$. The measured branching fractions for $X(3872)\to\pi^0\chi_{cJ}$ are consistent with several theoretical predictions based on the hadronic molecular interpretation of the $X(3872)$. No significant signal is seen for the $X(3915)\to\pi^0\chi_{c1}$ decay, and we set the 90\% credibility upper limit of ${\cal B}(B^+\to X(3915)K^+)\times{\cal B}(X(3915)\to\pi^0\chi_{c1})<6.6\times10^{-6}$, while the decays for $J=0$ and 2 are forbidden by parity conservation.

hep-ex

Measurement of mixing-induced CP violation in the decay $B^0 \to \pi^0 \pi^0$

Measurements of charge-parity (CP) violation in quark transitions provide stringent tests of the current theory and sensitive probes of particles or interactions beyond it. We report the first measurement of mixing-induced CP violation in $B^0\to\pi^0\pi^0$ decays. The measurement uses 190 million $\Upsilon(4S)\to B^{0}\overline{B}{}^0$ events collected with the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy electron-positron collider. A new approach that exploits the quantum entanglement of the $B^{0}\overline{B}{}^0$ pair enables a decay-time-dependent analysis without reconstructing the $B^0 \to \pi^0\pi^0$ decay position. We measure the mixing-induced CP-violating coefficient to be $S_{\pi^{0}\pi^{0}} = 0.61^{+0.75}_{-0.79}\,(\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.11\,(\mathrm{syst})$, attaining a precision that would require a data set twenty times as large with a conventional analysis. We also measure the direct CP-violating coefficient to be $C_{\pi^{0}\pi^{0}} = 0.05 \pm 0.28\,(\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.07\,(\mathrm{syst})$. These results substantially improve the constraints from $B \to \pi\pi$ decays on the CP-violating phase $\phi_2$ of the quark-mixing matrix using far less data than had previously been assumed necessary.

hep-ex

Observation of the decays $B^{+} \to \Sigma_{c}(2455)^{++} \bar{\Xi}_{c}^{\prime-}$ and $B^{0} \to \Sigma_{c}(2455)^{0} \bar{\Xi}_{c}^{\prime0}$

We report the first observation of the decays $B^{+} \to \Sigma_{c}(2455)^{++} \bar{\Xi}_{c}^{\prime-}$ and $B^{0} \to \Sigma_{c}(2455)^{0} \bar{\Xi}_{c}^{\prime0}$, with significances of $6.4\,\sigma$ and $5.3\, \sigma$, respectively, including systematic uncertainties. This analysis is based on data samples containing $771.6 \times 10^{6}$ $\Upsilon(4S)$ decays collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB collider and $520.6 \times 10^{6}$ $\Upsilon(4S)$ decays collected with the Belle~II detector at the SuperKEKB collider. The branching fractions are measured to be $\mathcal{B}(B^+ \to \Sigma_c(2455)^{++} \bar{\Xi}_c^{\prime -}) = (1.68 \pm 0.31 \pm 0.12^{+1.49}_{-0.54}) \times 10^{-3}$ and $\mathcal{B}(B^0 \to \Sigma_c(2455)^{0} \bar{\Xi}_c^{\prime 0}) = (1.28 \pm 0.32 \pm 0.10^{+0.30}_{-0.21}) \times 10^{-3}$, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively, and the third arises from the uncertainties in the absolute branching fractions of $\bar{\Xi}_{c}^{-}$ and $\bar{\Xi}_{c}^{0}$ decays. This result represents the first observation of $B$-meson decays into a pair of charmed baryon-antibaryon states belonging to the same $SU(3)$ flavor sextet.

hep-ex

Measurement of time-dependent $CP$ violation parameters in $B^{0} \to K_{S}^{0} \pi^{0} \gamma$ decays at Belle and Belle II

We perform a measurement of time-dependent $CP$ violation parameters in $B^{0} \to K_{S}^{0} \pi^{0} \gamma$ decays using a dataset of approximately $772 \times 10^6$ and $521 \times 10^6$ $\Upsilon(4S)$ decays collected by the Belle and Belle II experiments, respectively. The measured parameters for the combined dataset in the $K^{*0}(892)$ dominated region ($M_{K_{S}^{0} \pi^{0}} \in [0.8,1.0] \mathrm{GeV}/c^2$) are $S = 0.09 \pm 0.16 \pm 0.02$ and $C = -0.09 \pm 0.08 \pm 0.04$. For the non-$K^{*0}(892)$ region ($M_{K_{S}^{0} \pi^{0}} \in [1.0,1.8] \mathrm{GeV}/c^2$), the corresponding values are $S = -0.32 \pm 0.33 \pm 0.09$ and $C = -0.07 \pm 0.17 \pm 0.08$. The first quoted uncertainties are statistical, while the second ones are systematic. These results are consistent with Standard Model predictions and more precise than previous measurements.

hep-ex

Search for $\Xi^0p$, $\Omega^- p$, and $\Omega^- n$ dibaryons in $\Upsilon(1S)$ and $\Upsilon(2S)$ decays at Belle

We search for $\Xi^0p$, $\Omega^-p$, and $\Omega^-n$ dibaryon states in $\Upsilon(1S)$ and $\Upsilon(2S)$ decays, probing mass regions near the corresponding baryon-pair thresholds. Multistrange baryon-baryon interactions are relevant to neutron-star matter but remain largely unconstrained. Experimental and theoretical studies supporting attractive $\Xi N$ and $\Omega N$ interactions, where $N$ denotes a nucleon, motivate searches for weakly bound states. We use samples of $102$ million $\Upsilon(1S)$ and $158$ million $\Upsilon(2S)$ decays collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^+e^-$ collider. No significant signals are observed, and the first $90$% confidence-level upper limits are set on the branching fractions of $\Upsilon(1S)$ and $\Upsilon(2S)$ decays to $\Xi^0p$, $\Omega^-p$, and $\Omega^-n$ dibaryon states, at the level of $O(10^{-7})$-$O(10^{-6})$, depending on the channel and the assumed mass difference from the corresponding baryon-pair threshold.

hep-ex

Precision measurement of positron decay modes of Xe-125 in the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment

The radioisotope $^{125}\text{Xe}$ is a short-lived ($T_{1/2}\sim16.9 h$) activation product of the neutron calibrations performed in the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment. Subsequently, $^{125}$Xe decays primarily ($>99\%$) via electron capture, but positron emission has been confirmed by direct measurement to at least the 243 keV level of $^{125}\text{I}$. An additional decay to the 188keV level is expected from triple-coincident measurements of the annihilation and relaxation $\gamma$ rays, but has not been directly confirmed. By utilizing multiple-scatter event analysis and the pre-activation data to constrain backgrounds, this work reports positron emission with a statistical significance of 5.5$\sigma$. This corresponds to a total branching ratio of $0.29\pm0.08_{\text{stat.}}\pm0.04_{\text{sys.}}$ %, and is the first constraint to the individual branching levels of $^{125}\text{I}$.

hep-ex

Pushing the Limits of Pulse Shape Discrimination in a Large Liquid Xenon Detector

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a direct-detection dark matter experiment, optimized to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) through WIMP-nucleon interactions. The main challenge in dark matter detection is differentiating between WIMP signals and background events. In LZ, the ratio of ionization to scintillation signals (charge-to-light) is the primary method for rejecting electronic recoil (ER) background. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) offers a method for additional ER backgrounds rejection in liquid xenon detectors. In this paper, the discrimination power of PSD with the LZ experiment is discussed. To precisely characterize the scintillation pulse shape, an analysis framework is developed to reconstruct the detection time of individual photons. Using LZ calibration data, the photon-timing prompt fraction discriminator is optimized and achieves ER leakage as low as $15\%$. For specific background processes such as $^{124}$Xe double electron capture, the leakage is reduced further to about $5\%$. PSD is combined with charge-to-light to form two-factor discrimination (TFD). The optimized TFD performance is compared with the performance of the charge-to-light method, with the corresponding false positive rate reduced by up to a factor of two for large scintillation pulses. Finally, PSD and TFD are applied to data from LZ's WS2024 run and their performance is summarized.

physics.ins-det

Search for the decay $B^+ \rightarrow K^+\tau^+\tau^-$ using data from the Belle and Belle II experiments

We report a search for the rare decay $B^{+} \rightarrow K^{+} \tau^{+} \tau^{-}$ using $1.2 \times 10^9$ $\Upsilon(4S)$ mesons produced near threshold in electron-positron collisions and collected by the Belle and Belle~II experiments. We fully reconstruct the hadronic decay of one $B$ meson produced in the $\Upsilon(4S)\rightarrow B^{+} B^{-}$ decay, and search for $B^{\pm}\rightarrow K^{\pm} \tau^{+}\tau^{-}$ candidates among the remaining collision products, reconstructing a charged kaon and leptonic decays of the $\tau$ leptons. We optimize the selection for best sensitivity and look for an excess over background at low values of the residual energy detected in the calorimeter after full event reconstruction. We observe no significant excess and set the limit $\mathcal{B}(B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\tau^{+}\tau^{-})< 0.56\times 10^{-3}$ at the 90% confidence level, improving on the only previous result by a factor of four.

hep-ex

Searches for charged-lepton-flavor violation in $\chi_{bJ}(1P)$ decays

We report the first searches for charged-lepton-flavor violation in decays of $\chi_{bJ}(1P)$ ($J=0, 1,$ and $2$) to a pair of charged leptons using 158 million $\Upsilon(2S)$ decays collected with the Belle detector in $e^+e^-$ collisions at the KEKB collider. No significant signal is observed, and we set upper limits on the branching fractions for $\chi_{bJ}(1P)$ decays to $e^\pm\mu^\mp$ at the level of $10^{-6}$ and to $e^\pm\tau^\mp$ or $\mu^\pm\tau^\mp$ at the level of $10^{-5}$. Limits on $\chi_{b0}(1P)$ decays are translated into bounds on the corresponding Wilson coefficients of scalar operators that mediate charged-lepton-flavor violation.

hep-ex

Low-Energy Radon Backgrounds from Electrode Grids in Dual-Phase Xenon TPCs

The dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) is a powerful technology to detect rare interactions such as scatters of dark matter particles on nuclei. In particular, the built-in gain of ionization signals in a dual-phase TPC makes it sensitive to events in the few-electron regime, as expected from low-mass dark matter interactions. The pursuit of this low-energy sensitivity through ionization-only signal detection has so far been hindered by excessive electron backgrounds observed across experiments. Much of this background is attributed to the plate-out of $^{222}$Rn decay chain isotopes on the high voltage electrode grid surfaces that span the full cross section of the TPC. This work presents a first-principle model constructed for this background, the predictions of which are consistent with data from the LZ and LUX experiments. We then discuss mitigation strategies of this background in future dual-phase TPCs and the possibility of applying this grid background model to ionization-only dark matter searches.

hep-ex

Study of $e^+e^- \to \pi^+\pi^-\Upsilon(1D)$ at Belle II

The bottomonium spectrum, consisting of bound states of a $b$ quark and an anti-$b$ quark, provides an excellent laboratory for probing quantum chromodynamics in the non-perturbative regime. While $S$ and $P$-wave bottomonium states are well studied experimentally, information on $D$-wave states remains scarce. We search for $D$-wave bottomonium state via the decay of a vector bottomonium-like state $\Upsilon(10753)$ in the reaction $e^+e^- \to \pi^+\pi^- \Upsilon(1D)$, using $19.6~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of data collected with the Belle II detector at center-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s} = 10.653, 10.701, 10.745$, and $10.805$~GeV, in the vicinity of the $\Upsilon(10753)$ resonance. No significant signals are observed. Upper limits at the 90% credibility level are set on the products of the cross sections and branching fractions, $\sigma[e^+e^- \to \pi^+\pi^- \Upsilon_2(1D)] \times \mathcal{B}[\Upsilon_2(1D) \to \gamma \chi_{b1}]$ and $\sigma[e^+e^- \to \pi^+\pi^- \Upsilon_3(1D)] \times \mathcal{B}[\Upsilon_3(1D) \to \gamma \chi_{b2}]$, at each center-of-mass energy.

hep-ex