An important theoretical achievement of the last century was the realization that strict renormalizability can be a powerful criterion to select Lagrangians in the framework of perturbative quantum field theory. The Standard Model Lagrangian (without gravity) is strictly renormalizable from a perturbative point of view. On the other hand, the inclusion of gravity seems not to respect this criterion, since general relativity is perturbatively non-renormalizable. The aim of this work is to provide concrete evidence that strict renormalizability is still a valid criterion even when applied to gravity. First, we show that adding quadratic curvature terms to the Einstein-Hilbert action gives rise to a strictly renormalizable theory known as quadratic gravity. Second, we argue that this unique theory represents the most conservative approach to quantum gravity and, at the same time, is highly predictive, as it can explain new physics beyond general relativity already in the sub-Planckian regime. In particular, it provides one of the best fits to the CMB anisotropies via Starobinsky inflation and makes sharp cosmological predictions that can be tested in the near future. Finally, we comment on the (super-)Planckian regime and conclude with a historical note.

Netherlands

Luca Buoninfante

Strict renormalizability as a paradigm for fundamental physics

<p>A measurement of the <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><mrow><mi>W</mi></mrow><mi>Z</mi><mi>γ</mi></mrow></math> triboson production cross section is presented. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msqrt><mi>s</mi></msqrt><mo>=</mo><mn>13</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>TeV</mi></math> recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mn>138</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><msup><mi>fb</mi><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></math>. The analysis focuses on the final state with three charged leptons, <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><mrow><msup><mrow><mo>ℓ</mo></mrow><mrow><mo>±</mo></mrow></msup></mrow><mi>ν</mi><mrow><msup><mrow><mo>ℓ</mo></mrow><mrow><mo>+</mo></mrow></msup></mrow><mrow><msup><mrow><mo>ℓ</mo></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo></mrow></msup></mrow></mrow></math>, where <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mo>ℓ</mo><mo>=</mo><mi>e</mi></math> or <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><mi>μ</mi></mrow></math>, accompanied by an additional photon. The observed (expected) significance of the <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><mi>W</mi></mrow><mi>Z</mi><mrow><mi>γ</mi></mrow></math> signal is 5.4 (3.8) standard deviations. The cross section is measured in a fiducial region, where events with an ℓ originating from a tau lepton decay are excluded, to be <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mn>5.48</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>1.11</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>fb</mi></math>, which is compatible with the prediction of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mn>3.69</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>0.24</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>fb</mi></math> at next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. Exclusion limits are set on anomalous quartic gauge couplings and on the production cross sections of massive axionlike particles.</p>

Armenia

V. Chekhovsky

A. Hayrapetyan

V. Makarenko

A. Tumasyan

Austria

W. Adam

J.W. Andrejkovic

L. Benato

T. Bergauer

S. Chatterjee

K. Damanakis

M. Dragicevic

P.S. Hussain

M. Jeitler

N. Krammer

A. Li

D. Liko

I. Mikulec

J. Schieck

R. Schöfbeck

D. Schwarz

M. Sonawane

W. Waltenberger

C.E. Wulz

Belgium

T. Janssen

H. Kwon

T. Van Laer

P. Van Mechelen

N. Breugelmans

J. D’Hondt

S. Dansana

A. De Moor

M. Delcourt

F. Heyen

Y. Hong

S. Lowette

I. Makarenko

D. Müller

S. Tavernier

M. Tytgat

G.P. Van Onsem

S. Van Putte

D. Vannerom

B. Bilin

B. Clerbaux

A.K. Das

I. De Bruyn

G. De Lentdecker

H. Evard

L. Favart

P. Gianneios

A. Khalilzadeh

F.A. Khan

A. Malara

M.A. Shahzad

L. Thomas

M. Vanden Bemden

C. Vander Velde

P. Vanlaer

M. De Coen

D. Dobur

G. Gokbulut

J. Knolle

L. Lambrecht

D. Marckx

K. Skovpen

N. Van Den Bossche

J. van der Linden

J. Vandenbroeck

L. Wezenbeek

S. Bein

A. Benecke

A. Bethani

G. Bruno

C. Caputo

J. De Favereau De Jeneret

C. Delaere

I.S. Donertas

A. Giammanco

A.O. Guzel

Sa. Jain

V. Lemaitre

J. Lidrych

P. Mastrapasqua

T.T. Tran

S. Turkcapar

Brazil

G.A. Alves

E. Coelho

G. Correia Silva

C. Hensel

T. Menezes De Oliveira

C. Mora Herrera

P. Rebello Teles

M. Soeiro

E.J. Tonelli Manganote

A. Vilela Pereira

W.L. Aldá Júnior

M. Barroso Ferreira Filho

H. Brandao Malbouisson

W. Carvalho

J. Chinellato

Observation of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi>W</mi><mi>Z</mi><mi>γ</mi></math> production and constraints on new physics scenarios in proton-proton collisions at <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msqrt><mi>s</mi></msqrt><mo>=</mo><mn>13</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>TeV</mi></math>

<p>We report a precise measurement of the ratio of branching fractions <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi mathvariant="script">B</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msubsup><mi>K</mi><mi>S</mi><mn>0</mn></msubsup><msup><mi>π</mi><mn>0</mn></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>/</mo><mi mathvariant="script">B</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>−</mo></msup><msup><mi>π</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo></math> using <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mn>980</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><msup><mi>fb</mi><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></math> of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msup><mi>e</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><msup><mi>e</mi><mo>−</mo></msup></math> data from the Belle experiment. We obtain a value of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi mathvariant="script">B</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msubsup><mi>K</mi><mi>S</mi><mn>0</mn></msubsup><msup><mi>π</mi><mn>0</mn></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>/</mo><mi mathvariant="script">B</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>−</mo></msup><msup><mi>π</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>=</mo><mn>0.339</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>0.002</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>0.009</mn></math>, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. This Belle result is consistent with the previous measurement from the CLEO experiment but has a fivefold improvement in precision. By combining our result with the world average <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi mathvariant="script">B</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>−</mo></msup><msup><mi>π</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo></math>, we obtain the absolute branching fraction <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi mathvariant="script">B</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msubsup><mi>K</mi><mi>S</mi><mn>0</mn></msubsup><msup><mi>π</mi><mn>0</mn></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>=</mo><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>2.12</mn><mo>±</mo><mspace linebreak="goodbreak"></mspace><mn>0.01</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>0.05</mn><mo>±</mo><mn>0.10</mn><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>%</mo></math>, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and the uncertainty in the absolute branching fraction scale <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi mathvariant="script">B</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>−</mo></msup><msup><mi>π</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo></math>, respectively. This measurement can shed light on hadronic decay mechanisms in charmed baryon decays.</p>

I. Adachi

L. Aggarwal

H. Ahmed

J.K. Ahn

H. Aihara

N. Akopov

M. Alhakami

A. Aloisio

N. Althubiti

M. Angelsmark

N. Anh Ky

D.M. Asner

H. Atmacan

T. Aushev

V. Aushev

M. Aversano

R. Ayad

V. Babu

H. Bae

N.K. Baghel

S. Bahinipati

P. Bambade

Sw. Banerjee

M. Barrett

M. Bartl

J. Baudot

A. Baur

A. Beaubien

F. Becherer

J. Becker

J.V. Bennett

F.U. Bernlochner

V. Bertacchi

M. Bertemes

E. Bertholet

M. Bessner

S. Bettarini

V. Bhardwaj

B. Bhuyan

F. Bianchi

T. Bilka

D. Biswas

A. Bobrov

D. Bodrov

A. Bolz

A. Bondar

J. Borah

A. Boschetti

A. Bozek

M. Bračko

P. Branchini

R.A. Briere

T.E. Browder

A. Budano

S. Bussino

Q. Campagna

M. Campajola

L. Cao

G. Casarosa

C. Cecchi

J. Cerasoli

M.C. Chang

P. Chang

P. Cheema

B.G. Cheon

K. Chilikin

K. Chirapatpimol

H.E. Cho

K. Cho

S.J. Cho

S.K. Choi

S. Choudhury

J. Cochran

L. Corona

J.X. Cui

E. De La Cruz-Burelo

S.A. De La Motte

G. De Nardo

G. De Pietro

R. de Sangro

M. Destefanis

S. Dey

R. Dhamija

A. Di Canto

F. Di Capua

J. Dingfelder

Z. Doležal

I. Domínguez Jiménez

T.V. Dong

D. Dossett

Measurement of the branching fraction of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mi><mi>c</mi><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo stretchy="false">→</mo><mi>p</mi><msubsup><mi>K</mi><mi>S</mi><mn>0</mn></msubsup><msup><mi>π</mi><mn>0</mn></msup></math> at Belle