The particle origin of dark matter (DM) remains elusive despite decades of direct, indirect, and collider searches. Several groups have reported a <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>γ</mi></math>-ray excess toward the Galactic Center commonly referred to as the Galactic Center excess (GCE). Its spectrum is consistent with annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) of mass <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><mi mathvariant="script">O</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>10</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>100</mn><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>GeV</mi></mrow></math> and a thermal-relic cross section. Although many concrete WIMP models reproduce the GCE spectrum, most are now excluded by direct detection experiments that are approaching the neutrino floor. We investigate a class of anomaly-free extensions of the Standard Model featuring gauged differences of lepton number, <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>U</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>1</mn><msub><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>j</mi></msub></mrow></msub></math>, and gauged baryon minus lepton number, <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>U</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>1</mn><msub><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mrow><mi>B</mi><mo>−</mo><mi>L</mi></mrow></msub></math>. We show that these models can reproduce the GCE while remaining compatible with the observed relic abundance. We then impose collider and direct detection constraints, accounting for both tree-level and loop-induced kinetic mixing. The <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>μ</mi></msub><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>e</mi></msub></math> model gives the best fit to the GCE: a DM mass of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>m</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>χ</mi></mrow></msub><mo>∼</mo><mn>40</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>50</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>GeV</mi></mrow></math> remains consistent with the muon and electron magnetic moment anomalies, <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mi>g</mi><mo>−</mo><mn>2</mn><msub><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mrow><mi>μ</mi><mo>,</mo><mi>e</mi></mrow></msub></math>, as well as current collider and direct detection limits, for mediator masses in the range <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>m</mi></mrow><mrow><msup><mrow><mi>A</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>′</mo></mrow></msup></mrow></msub><mo>∼</mo><mn>70</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>86</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>GeV</mi></mrow></math> and a DM mediator coupling of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>5</mn><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math>. By contrast, the <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>e</mi></msub><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>τ</mi></msub></math> and <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>μ</mi></msub><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>τ</mi></msub></math> models yield poorer fits; satisfying both the relic density and experimental bounds forces the DM mass to lie very close to resonance (i.e. approximately half the mediator mass). Finally, while the <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>B</mi><mo>−</mo><mi>L</mi></math> model also matches the GCE well, its parameter space is almost entirely ruled out by strong direct detection limits, except for the narrow resonance region where <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msub><mi>m</mi><mi>χ</mi></msub></math> should be equal to <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msub><mi>m</mi><msup><mi>A</mi><mo>′</mo></msup></msub><mo>/</mo><mn>2</mn></math> requiring a fine-tuning at the few-percent level.

Italy

Jordan Koechler

Mattia Di Mauro

Leptophilic dark matter in <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>U</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>1</mn><msub><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mi>j</mi></msub></mrow></msub></math> models: A solution to the Fermi-LAT Galactic Center excess consistent with cosmological and laboratory observations

The first measurement at midrapidity (|$\textit{y}$|$\textit{ <}$ 0$\textit{.}$5) of the production yield of the strange-charm baryons $${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^{+}$$ and $${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^{0}$$ as a function of transverse momentum ($\textit{p}$ ) in different charged-particle multiplicity classes in proton-proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC is reported. The $${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^{+}$$ baryon is reconstructed via the $${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^{+}\to {\Xi }^{-}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{+}$$ decay channel in the range 4 $\textit{< p}$ $\textit{<}$ 12 GeV$\textit{/c}$, while the $${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^{0}$$ baryon is reconstructed via both the $${\Xi}_{\text{c}}^{0}\to {\Xi}^{-}{\pi }^{+}$$ and $${\Xi}_{\text{c}}^{0}\to {\Xi}^{-}{\text{e}}^{+}{\nu }_{\text{e}}$$ decay channels in the range 2 $\textit{< p}$ $\textit{<}$ 12 GeV$\textit{/c}$. The baryon-to-meson $$\left({\Xi}_{\text{c}}^{0,+}/{\text{D}}^{0}\right)$$ and the baryon-to-baryon $$\left({\Xi}_{\text{c}}^{0,+}/{\Lambda}_{\text{c}}^{+}\right)$$ production yield ratios show no significant dependence on multiplicity. In addition, the observed yield ratios are not described by theoretical predictions that model charm-quark fragmentation based on measurements at e e and e p colliders, indicating differences in the charm-baryon production mechanism in pp collisions. A comparison with different event generators and tunings, including different modelling of the hadronisation process, is also discussed. Moreover, the branching-fraction ratio of $${\text{BR}}\left({\Xi}_{\text{c}}^{0}\to {\Xi }^{-}{\text{e}}^{+}{\nu }_{\text{e}}\right)/{\text{BR}}\left({\Xi}_{\text{c}}^{0}\to {\Xi }^{-}{\pi }^{+}\right)$$ is measured as 0.825 ± 0.094 (stat.) ± 0.081 (syst.). This value supersedes the previous ALICE measurement, improving the statistical precision by a factor of 1.6.

United States

I. Abualrob

S. Acharya

Switzerland

G. Aglieri Rinella

L. Aglietta

M. Agnello

N. Agrawal

India

Z. Ahammed

S. Ahmad

Slovakia

I. Ahuja

Indonesia

ZUL. Akbar

A. Akindinov

Germany

V. Akishina

M. Al-Turany

D. Aleksandrov

B. Alessandro

China

H. Alfanda

Mexico

R. Alfaro Molina

B. Ali

A. Alici

South Korea

A. Alkin

Norway

J. Alme

G. Alocco

T. Alt

A. Altamura

I. Altsybeev

Romania

C. Andrei

United Kingdom

N. Andreou

A. Andronic

E. Andronov

V. Anguelov

F. Antinori

P. Antonioli

N. Apadula

H. Appelshäuser

S. Arcelli

R. Arnaldi

Brazil

J. Arneiro

I. Arsene

M. Arslandok

A. Augustinus

R. Averbeck

M. Azmi

Japan

H. Baba

A. Babu

A. Badalà

J. Bae

Y. Bae

Y. Baek

X. Bai

R. Bailhache

Y. Bailung

R. Bala

France

A. Baldisseri

Poland

B. Balis

S. Bangalia

Z. Banoo

V. Barbasova

F. Barile

L. Barioglio

Greece

M. Barlou

B. Barman

Hungary

G. Barnaföldi

L. Barnby

E. Barreau

V. Barret

L. Barreto

K. Barth

E. Bartsch

N. Bastid

G. Batigne

D. Battistini

B. Batyunya

D. Bauri

Peru

J. Bazo Alba

Denmark

I. Bearden

P. Becht

D. Behera

S. Behera

I. Belikov

V. Bella

F. Bellini

R. Bellwied

L. Beltran

Y. Beltran

G. Bencedi

A. Bensaoula

S. Beole

Y. Berdnikov

A. Berdnikova

L. Bergmann

L. Bernardinis

L. Betev

P. Bhaduri

T. Bhalla

A. Bhasin

B. Bhattacharjee

S. Bhattarai

L. Bianchi

Czechia

J. Bielčík

J. Bielčíková

Multiplicity dependence of $${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^{+}$$ and $${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^{0}$$ production in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ TeV

We revisit the calculation of exclusive <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>J</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>ψ</mi></math> production in electron-proton scattering within the QCD dipole model, employing a refined description of the proton in terms of gluonic hot spots in the dilute regime. In contrast to earlier studies, we incorporate key missing elements; the event-by-event fluctuations in both the number of hot spots and their local saturation scales, as well as the first relativistic corrections to the <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>J</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>ψ</mi></math> wave function. We perform a Bayesian analysis to constrain the model parameters using HERA data. These enhancements significantly improve the agreement with HERA data. Saturation scale fluctuations are found to be more important than fluctuations in the number of hot spots. Including the first relativistic correction is found to be important, especially in order to describe the observed power-law behavior in the incoherent cross section at large <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>t</mi></math>.

Finland

Anh Dung Le

Heikki Mäntysaari

Exclusive <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>J</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>ψ</mi></math> production off a dilute proton within a refined hotspot description

Based on available experimental results on $ \chi _{cJ}(J=0,1,2) $ decays, we investigated the $ \chi_{cJ}\to PP $ , $ VV $ , $ PV $ , and $ PT $ decays using the $\textit{SU}$(3) flavor symmetry/breaking approach, where $\textit{P}$, $\textit{V}$, and $\textit{T}$ denote light pseudoscalar, vector, and tensor mesons, respectively. With the decay amplitude relations determined by $\textit{SU}$(3) flavor symmetry/breaking, we present the branching ratios for all $ \chi_{cJ}\to PP $ and $ \chi_{cJ}\to VV $ modes, including those without experimental data. While theoretical considerations strongly suppress or even forbid most $ \chi_{cJ}\to PV $ and $ PT $ decays, we also provide quantitative predictions constrained by existing experimental data. Our results are expected to be accessible in future experiments at BESIII and the planned Super Tau-Charm Facility.

Bo Lan

Qin-Ze Song

Jin-Huan Sheng

Yi Qiao

Ru-Min Wang

Study of χ$_{cJ}$ ($\textit{J}$ = 0,1,2) decays to light meson pairs based on $\textit{SU}$(3) flavor symmetry/breaking analysis * Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12175088, 12305100, 12365014) and Graduate Innovation Fund Project of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education (YJS2024091)

The production ratio of $\textit{ψ}$(2$\textit{S}$) to $\textit{J/ψ}$ charmonium states is presented as a function of multiplicity in proton-lead collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}=8.16 $$ TeV, for both prompt and nonprompt sources. The total luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment corresponds to 13.6 nb for $\textit{p}$Pb collisions and 20.8 nb for Pb$\textit{p}$ collisions, where the first particle corresponds to the particle traveling towards the detector. Measurements are performed in the dimuon final state at forward (backward) centre-of-mass rapidity, with respect to the proton direction, 1$\textit{.}$5 $\textit{< y}$ $\textit{<}$ 4$\textit{.}$0 (−5$\textit{.}$0 $\textit{< y}$ $\textit{<}$ −2$\textit{.}$5) for $\textit{p}$Pb (Pb$\textit{p}$) collisions. A multiplicity dependence of the prompt production ratio is observed in $\textit{p}$Pb collisions, whereas no dependence is found in nonprompt production, nor in either prompt or nonprompt production in Pb$\textit{p}$ collisions. These results suggest that in the Pb-going direction additional suppression mechanisms beyond comover effects may be present, possibly related to the formation of quark-gluon plasma. This highlights a transition from small to large collision systems and provides important insight into the suppression of charmonia in proton-nucleus collisions.

Netherlands

R. Aaij

A. Abdelmotteleb

C. Abellan Beteta

F. Abudinén

T. Ackernley

A. Adefisoye

Spain

B. Adeva

M. Adinolfi

Sweden

P. Adlarson

C. Agapopoulou

C. Aidala

Z. Ajaltouni

S. Akar

K. Akiba

P. Albicocco

J. Albrecht

F. Alessio

Z. Aliouche

P. Alvarez Cartelle

R. Amalric

S. Amato

J. Amey

Y. Amhis

L. An

L. Anderlini

M. Andersson

P. Andreola

M. Andreotti

A. Anelli

D. Ao

F. Archilli

Z Areg

M. Argenton

Costa Rica

S. Arguedas Cuendis

A. Artamonov

M. Artuso

E. Aslanides

R. Ataíde Da Silva

M. Atzeni

B. Audurier

J. Authier

D. Bacher

I. Bachiller Perea

S. Bachmann

M. Bachmayer

J. Back

P. Baladron Rodriguez

V. Balagura

A. Balboni

W. Baldini

L. Balzani

H. Bao

J. Baptista de Souza Leite

C. Barbero Pretel

M. Barbetti

I. Barbosa

Measurement of $\textit{ψ}$(2$\textit{S}$) to $\textit{J/ψ}$ cross-section ratio as function of multiplicity in $\textit{p}$Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}=8.16 $$ TeV