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We report on a search for sub-GeV dark matter (DM) particles interacting with electrons using the DAMIC-M prototype detector at the Modane Underground Laboratory. The data feature a significantly lower detector single $e^{-}$rate (factor 50) compared to our previous search, while also accumulating a 10 times larger exposure of $\sim 1.3\mathrm{kg}\text{−}\mathrm{day}$. DM interactions in the skipper charge-coupled devices (CCDs) are searched for as groups of two or three adjacent pixels with a total charge between 2 and $4e^{-}$. We find 144 candidates of $2e^{-}$and 1 candidate of $4e^{-}$, where 141.5 and 0.071, respectively, are expected from background. With no evidence of a DM signal, we place stringent constraints on DM particles with masses between 1 and $1000\mathrm{MeV}/c^2$interacting with electrons through an ultralight or heavy mediator. For large ranges of DM masses below $1\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$, we exclude theoretically motivated benchmark scenarios where hidden-sector particles are produced as a major component of DM in the Universe through the freeze-in or freeze-out mechanisms. 

Abstract The DArk Matter In CCDs at Modane (DAMIC-M) experiment is designed to search for light dark matter (m_χ< 10 GeV/c²) at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) in France. DAMIC-M will use skipper charge-coupled devices (CCDs) as a kg-scale active detector target. Its single-electron resolution will enable eV-scale energy thresholds and thus world-leading sensitivity to a range of hidden sector dark matter candidates. A DAMIC-M prototype, the Low Background Chamber (LBC), has been taking data at LSM since 2022. The LBC provides a low-background environment, which has been used to characterize skipper CCDs, study dark current, and measure radiopurity of materials planned for DAMIC-M. It also allows testing of various subsystems like readout electronics, data acquisition software, and slow control. This paper describes the technical design and performance of the LBC. 

A<sc>bstract</sc> An angular analysis ofB⁰→ K^*0e⁺e⁻decays is presented using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb⁻¹. The analysis is performed in the region of the dilepton invariant mass squared of 1.1–6.0 GeV²/c⁴. In addition, a test of lepton flavour universality is performed by comparing the obtained angular observables with those measured inB⁰→ K^*0μ⁺μ⁻decays. In general, the angular observables are found to be consistent with the Standard Model expectations as well as with global analyses of otherb → sℓ⁺ℓ⁻processes, whereℓis either a muon or an electron. No sign of lepton-flavour-violating effects is observed. 

The branching fraction of the decay $B^{+}\to \psi \left(2S\right)\varphi \left(1020\right)K^{+}$, relative to the topologically similar decay $B^{+}\to J/\psi \varphi \left(1020\right)K^{+}$, is measured using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$. The ratio is found to be $0.061\pm 0.004\pm 0.009$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. Using the world-average branching fraction for $B^{+}\to J/\psi \varphi \left(1020\right)K^{+}$, the branching fraction for the decay $B^{+}\to \psi \left(2S\right)\varphi \left(1020\right)K^{+}$is found to be $(3.0\pm 0.2\pm 0.5\pm 0.2)\times {10}^{-6}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third is due to the branching fraction of the normalization channel. © 2025 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration2025CERN 

Abstract This paper presents the first measurement of$$\psi {(2S)}$$ $\psi \left(2S\right)$and$$\chi _{c1}(3872)$$ ${\chi }_{c1}\left(3872\right)$meson production within fully reconstructed jets. Each quarkonium state (tag) is reconstructed via its decay to the$${{J \hspace{-1.66656pt}/\hspace{-1.111pt}\psi }} $$ $J/\psi$($$\rightarrow $$ $\to$$$\mu ^+\mu ^-$$ ${\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$)$$\pi ^+\pi ^-$$ ${\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}$final state in the forward region using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at the center-of-mass-energy of$$13\text {TeV} $$ $13\text{TeV}$in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of$$1.64\,\text {\,fb} ^{-1} $$ $1.64{\text{,fb}}^{-1}$. The fragmentation function, presented as the ratio of the quarkonium-tag transverse momentum to the full jet transverse momentum ($$p_{\textrm{T}} (\text {tag})/p_{\textrm{T}} (\text {jet})$$ $p_{\text{T}}\left(\text{tag}\right)/p_{\text{T}}\left(\text{jet}\right)$), is measured differentially in$$p_{\textrm{T}} (\text {jet})$$ $p_{\text{T}}\left(\text{jet}\right)$and$$p_{\textrm{T}} (\text {tag})$$ $p_{\text{T}}\left(\text{tag}\right)$bins. The distributions are separated into promptly produced quarkonia from proton-proton collisions and quarkonia produced from displacedb-hadron decays. While the displaced quarkonia fragmentation functions are in general well described by parton-shower predictions, the prompt quarkonium distributions differ significantly from fixed-order non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) predictions followed by a QCD parton shower. 

A search for $CP$violation in ${\mathrm{\Lambda }}_b^0\to p{K}^{-}$and ${\mathrm{\Lambda }}_b^0\to p{\pi }^{-}$decays is presented using the full Run 1 and Run 2 data samples of $pp$collisions collected with the LHCb detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. For the Run 2 data sample, the $CP$-violating asymmetries are measured to be $A_{CP}^{p{K}^{-}}=(-1.4\pm 0.7\pm 0.4)\%$and $A_{CP}^{p{\pi }^{-}}=(0.4\pm 0.9\pm 0.4)\%$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. Following significant improvements in the evaluation of systematic uncertainties compared to the previous LHCb measurement, the Run 1 dataset is reanalyzed to update the corresponding results. When combining the Run 2 and updated Run 1 measurements, the final results are found to be $A_{CP}^{p{K}^{-}}=(-1.1\pm 0.7\pm 0.4)\%$and $A_{CP}^{p{\pi }^{-}}=(0.2\pm 0.8\pm 0.4)\%$, constituting the most precise measurements of these asymmetries to date. © 2025 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration2025CERN 

A<sc>bstract</sc> TheΥ(2S) andΥ(3S) production cross-sections are measured relative to that of theΥ(1S) meson, as a function of charged-particle multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measurement uses data collected by the LHCb experiment in 2018 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2 fb⁻¹. Both theΥ(2S)-to-Υ(1S) andΥ(3S)-to-Υ(1S) cross-section ratios are found to decrease significantly as a function of event multiplicity, with theΥ(3S)-to-Υ(1S) ratio showing a steeper decline towards high multiplicity. This hierarchy is qualitatively consistent with the comover model predictions, indicating that final-state interactions play an important role in bottomonia production in high-multiplicity events. 

A study is presented of $B^{+}\to K_{\mathrm{S}}^0{K}^{-}{\pi }^{+}{K}^{+}$and $B^{+}\to K_{\mathrm{S}}^0{K}^{+}{\pi }^{-}{K}^{+}$decays based on the analysis of proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$. The $K_{\mathrm{S}}^{0}K\pi$invariant-mass distributions of both $B^{+}$decay modes show, in the $m\left(K_{\mathrm{S}}^{0}K\pi \right)<1.85\mathrm{GeV}$mass region, large activity which is resolved using an amplitude analysis. A simple model, where $J^{PC}$amplitudes are described by multiple Breit-Wigner functions with appropriate angular distributions, provides a good description of the experimental data. In this approach a complex mixture of $J^{PC}=0^{-+}$, $1^{++}$and $1^{+-}$amplitudes is observed that is dominated by $\eta \left(1405\right)$, $\eta \left(1470\right)$, $\eta \left(1760\right)$, $f_1\left(1285\right)$, $f_1\left(1420\right)$and $h_1\left(1405\right)$resonances. The $K_{\mathrm{S}}^{0}K\pi$Dalitz plots are dominated by asymmetric crossing $K^{*}\overline{K}$bands which are different for the two $B^{+}$decay modes. This is due to a different interference pattern between the $1^{++}$and $1^{+-}$amplitudes in the two channels. Branching fractions are measured for each resonant contribution. © 2025 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration2025CERN 

The first test of lepton flavor universality between muons and electrons using $B^{+}\to K^{+}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\ell }^{+}{\ell }^{-}$( $\ell =e$, $\mu$) decays is presented. The measurement is performed with data from proton-proton collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$. The ratio of branching fractions between $B^{+}\to K^{+}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$and $B^{+}\to K^{+}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$decays is measured in the dilepton invariant-mass-squared range $1.1<q^2<7.0{\mathrm{GeV}}^2/c^4$and is found to be $R_{K\pi \pi }^{-1}=1.31_{-0.17}^{+0.18}\left(\mathrm{stat}){}_{-0.09}^{+0.12}\right(\mathrm{syst})$, in agreement with the standard model prediction. The first observation of the $B^{+}\to K^{+}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$decay is also reported. © 2025 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration2025CERN 

A search for $D^0$meson decays to the ${\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$and $K^{+}{K}^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$final states is reported using a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $6{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$. The decay $D^0\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$is observed for the first time when requiring that the two electrons are consistent with coming from the decay of a $\varphi$or ${\rho }^0/\omega$meson. The corresponding branching fractions are measured relative to the $D^0\to K^{-}{\pi }^{-}[e^{+}{e}^{-}{]}_{{\rho }^0/\omega }$decay, where the two electrons are consistent with coming from the decay of a ${\rho }^0$or $\omega$meson. No evidence is found for the $D^0\to K^{+}{K}^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$decay and world-best limits are set on its branching fraction. The results are compared to, and found to be consistent with, the branching fractions of the $D^0\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$and $D^0\to K^{+}{K}^{-}{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$decays recently measured by LHCb and confirm lepton universality at the current precision. © 2025 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration2025CERN