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1. Measurement of beauty-quark production in pp collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV via non-prompt D mesons

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP10(2024)110  

   Acharya, S; Adamová, D; Agarwal, A; Aglieri_Rinella, G; Aglietta, L; Agnello, M; Agrawal, N; Ahammed, Z; Ahmad, S; Ahn, S U; et al (October 2024, Journal of High Energy Physics)

   A<sc>bstract</sc> Thep_T-differential production cross sections of non-prompt D⁰, D⁺, and$$ {\textrm{D}}_{\textrm{s}}^{+} $$ $D_s^{+}$mesons originating from beauty-hadron decays are measured in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy$$ \sqrt{s} $$ $\sqrt{s}$= 13 TeV. The measurements are performed at midrapidity, |y|<0.5, with the data sample collected by ALICE from 2016 to 2018. The results are in agreement with predictions from several perturbative QCD calculations. The fragmentation fraction of beauty quarks to strange mesons divided by the one to non-strange mesons,f_s/(f_u+f_d), is found to be 0.114 ± 0.016 (stat.) ± 0.006 (syst.) ± 0.003 (BR) ± 0.003 (extrap.). This value is compatible with previous measurements at lower centre-of-mass energies and in different collision systems in agreement with the assumption of universality of fragmentation functions. In addition, the dependence of the non-prompt D meson production on the centre-of-mass energy is investigated by comparing the results obtained at$$ \sqrt{s} $$ $\sqrt{s}$= 5.02 and 13 TeV, showing a hardening of the non-prompt D-mesonp_T-differential production cross section at higher$$ \sqrt{s} $$ $\sqrt{s}$. Finally, the$$ \textrm{b}\overline{\textrm{b}} $$ $b\overline{b}$production cross section per unit of rapidity at midrapidity is calculated from the non-prompt D⁰, D⁺,$$ {\textrm{D}}_{\textrm{s}}^{+} $$ $D_s^{+}$, and$$ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+} $$ ${\Lambda }_c^{+}$hadron measurements, obtaining$$ \textrm{d}\sigma /\textrm{d}y=75.2\pm 3.2\left(\textrm{stat}.\right)\pm 5.2{\left(\textrm{syst}.\right)}_{-3.2}^{+12.3}\left(\textrm{extrap}.\right) $$ $d\sigma /dy=75.2\pm 3.2\left(\text{stat}.\right)\pm 5.2{\left(\text{syst}.\right)}_{-3.2}^{+12.3}\left(\text{extrap}.\right)$μb. 

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2. Connection between f-electron correlations and magnetic excitations in UTe2

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-024-00720-9  

   Halloran, Thomas; Czajka, Peter; Saucedo_Salas, Gicela; Frank, Corey_E; Kang, Chang-Jong; Rodriguez-Rivera, J_A; Lass, Jakob; Mazzone, Daniel_G; Janoschek, Marc; Kotliar, Gabriel; et al (January 2025, npj Quantum Materials)

   Abstract The detailed anisotropic dispersion of the low-temperature, low-energy magnetic excitations of the candidate spin-triplet superconductor UTe₂is revealed using inelastic neutron scattering. The magnetic excitations emerge from the Brillouin zone boundary at the high symmetryYandTpoints and disperse along the crystallographic$$\hat{b}$$ $\hat{b}$-axis. In applied magnetic fields to at leastμ₀H= 11 T along the$$\hat{c}-{\rm{axis}}$$ $\hat{c}-\mathrm{axis}$, the magnetism is found to be field-independent in the (hk0) plane. The scattering intensity is consistent with that expected from U³⁺/U⁴⁺ f-electron spins with preferential orientation along the crystallographic$$\hat{a}$$ $\hat{a}$-axis, and a fluctuating magnetic moment ofμ_eff=1.7(5)μ_B. We propose interband spin excitons arising fromf-electron hybridization as a possible origin of the magnetic excitations in UTe₂. 

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3. Isotope engineering for spin defects in van der Waals materials

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44494-3  

   Gong, Ruotian; Du, Xinyi; Janzen, Eli; Liu, Vincent; Liu, Zhongyuan; He, Guanghui; Ye, Bingtian; Li, Tongcang; Yao, Norman Y; Edgar, James H; et al (December 2024, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Spin defects in van der Waals materials offer a promising platform for advancing quantum technologies. Here, we propose and demonstrate a powerful technique based on isotope engineering of host materials to significantly enhance the coherence properties of embedded spin defects. Focusing on the recently-discovered negatively charged boron vacancy center ($${{{{{{{{\rm{V}}}}}}}}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{B}}}}}}}}}^{-}$$ $V_B^{-}$) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), we grow isotopically purified h¹⁰B¹⁵N crystals. Compared to$${{{{{{{{\rm{V}}}}}}}}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{B}}}}}}}}}^{-}$$ $V_B^{-}$in hBN with the natural distribution of isotopes, we observe substantially narrower and less crowded$${{{{{{{{\rm{V}}}}}}}}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{B}}}}}}}}}^{-}$$ $V_B^{-}$spin transitions as well as extended coherence timeT₂and relaxation timeT₁. For quantum sensing,$${{{{{{{{\rm{V}}}}}}}}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{B}}}}}}}}}^{-}$$ $V_B^{-}$centers in our h¹⁰B¹⁵N samples exhibit a factor of 4 (2) enhancement in DC (AC) magnetic field sensitivity. For additional quantum resources, the individual addressability of the$${{{{{{{{\rm{V}}}}}}}}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{B}}}}}}}}}^{-}$$ $V_B^{-}$hyperfine levels enables the dynamical polarization and coherent control of the three nearest-neighbor¹⁵N nuclear spins. Our results demonstrate the power of isotope engineering for enhancing the properties of quantum spin defects in hBN, and can be readily extended to improving spin qubits in a broad family of van der Waals materials. 

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4. Length and Velocity Scales in Protoplanetary Disk Turbulence

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad2c89  

   Sengupta, Debanjan; Cuzzi, Jeffrey N; Umurhan, Orkan M; Lyra, Wladimir (April 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract In the theory of protoplanetary disk turbulence, a widely adopted ansatz, or assumption, is that the turnover frequency of the largest turbulent eddy, Ω_L, is the local Keplerian frequency Ω_K. In terms of the standard dimensionless Shakura–Sunyaevαparameter that quantifies turbulent viscosity or diffusivity, this assumption leads to characteristic length and velocity scales given respectively by $\sqrt{\alpha }H$and $\sqrt{\alpha }c$, in whichHandcare the local gas scale height and sound speed. However, this assumption is not applicable in cases when turbulence is forced numerically or driven by some natural processes such as vertical shear instability. Here, we explore the more general case where Ω_L≥ Ω_Kand show that, under these conditions, the characteristic length and velocity scales are respectively $\sqrt{\alpha /R\prime }H$and $\sqrt{\alpha R\prime }c$, where $R\prime \equiv {\mathrm{\Omega }}_L/{\mathrm{\Omega }}_K$is twice the Rossby number. It follows that $\alpha =\tilde{\alpha }/R\prime$, where $\sqrt{\tilde{\alpha }}c$is the root-mean-square average of the turbulent velocities. Properly allowing for this effect naturally explains the reduced particle scale heights produced in shearing box simulations of particles in forced turbulence, and it may help with interpreting recent edge-on disk observations; more general implications for observations are also presented. For $R\prime >1$, the effective particle Stokes numbers are increased, which has implications for particle collision dynamics and growth, as well as for planetesimal formation. 

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5. Observation of a pseudoscalar excess at the top quark pair production threshold

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/adf7d3  

   Collaboration, The_CMS (August 2025, Reports on Progress in Physics)

   Abstract A search for resonances in top quark pair ( $\mathrm{t}\bar{\mathrm{t}}$) production in final states with two charged leptons and multiple jets is presented, based on proton–proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC at $\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$, corresponding to 138 fb⁻¹. The analysis explores the invariant mass of the $\mathrm{t}\bar{\mathrm{t}}$system and two angular observables that provide direct access to the correlation of top quark and antiquark spins. A significant excess of events is observed near the kinematic $\mathrm{t}\bar{\mathrm{t}}$threshold compared to the non-resonant production predicted by fixed-order perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD). The observed enhancement is consistent with the production of a color-singlet pseudoscalar ( ${}^1{\text{S}}_0^{\left[1\right]}$) quasi-bound toponium state, as predicted by non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics. Using a simplified model for ${}^1{\text{S}}_0^{\left[1\right]}$toponium, the cross section of the excess above the pQCD prediction is measured to be $8.8{}_{-1.4}^{+1.2}\text{pb}$. 

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