The electronic structure of the chiral helimagnet Cr1/3NbS2 has been studied with core level and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Intercalated Cr atoms are found to be effective in donating electrons to the NbS2 layers but also cause significant modifications of the electronic structure of the host NbS2 material. In particular, the data provide evidence that a description of the electronic structure of Cr1/3NbS2 on the basis of a simple rigid band picture is untenable. The data also reveal substantial inconsistencies with the predictions of standard density functional theory. The relevance of these results to the attainment of a correct description of the electronic structure of chiral helimagnets, magnetic thin films/multilayers, and transition metal dichalcogenides intercalated with 3d magnetic elements is discussed.

The Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway initiates potent immune responses upon recognition of DNA. To initiate signaling, serine 365 (S365) in the C-terminal tail (CTT) of STING is phosphorylated, leading to induction of type I interferons (IFNs). Additionally, evolutionary conserved responses such as autophagy also occur downstream of STING, but their relative importance during in vivo infections remains unclear. Here we report that mice harboring a serine 365-to-alanine (S365A) mutation in STING are unexpectedly resistant to Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)-1, despite lacking STING-induced type I IFN responses. By contrast, resistance to HSV-1 is abolished in mice lacking the STING CTT, suggesting that the STING CTT initiates protective responses against HSV-1, independently of type I IFNs. Interestingly, we find that STING-induced autophagy is a CTT- and TBK1-dependent but IRF3-independent process that is conserved in the STING S365A mice. Thus, interferon-independent functions of STING mediate STING-dependent antiviral responses in vivo.

We describe searches for B meson decays to the charmless vector-vector final states ωK* and ωρ in 89 × 106 BB̄ pairs produced in e+e- annihilation at √s = 10.58 GeV. We measure the following branching fractions in units of 10 -6: B(B0 → ωK*0) = 3.4 -1.6+1.8 ± 0.4(<6.0), B(B+ → ωK*+) = 3.5-2.0+2.5 ± 0.7(<7.4), B(B0 → ωρ0) = 0.6 -1.1+1.3 ± 0.4(<3.3), and B(B+ → ωρ+) = 12.6-3.3+3.7 ± 1.6. The first error quoted is statistical, the second systematic, and the upper limits are defined at 90% confidence level. For B+ → ωρ+ we also measure the longitudinal spin alignment fraction fL = 0.88-0.15+0.12 ± 0.03 and charge asymmetry Ach = (5 ± 26 ± 2)%. © 2005 The American Physical Society.

We present a measurement of the time-dependent CP-violating (CPV) asymmetries in B0-->K(0)(S)pi(0) decays based on 124x10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC. In a sample containing 122+/-16 signal decays, we obtain the magnitudes of the direct CPV asymmetry CK(0)(S)(pi(0))=0.40(+0.27)(-0.28)+/-0.09 and of the CPV asymmetry in the interference between mixing and decay SK(0)(S)(pi(0))=0.48(+0.38)(-0.47)+/-0.06 where the first error is statistical and the second systematic.

We present the result of a search for the charmless two-body baryonic decay B0→ppmacr; in a sample of 88 million Y(4S)→BB̄ decays collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory. We use Cherenkov radiation to identify protons cleanly, and determine the signal yield with a maximum-likelihood fit technique using kinematic and topological information. We find no evidence for a signal and place a 90% confidence-level upper limit of B(B0→ pp̄)<2.7× 10-7. © 2004 The American Physical Society.

We present measurements of the branching fractions for the three-body decays B0 --> D(*)-/+K0pi+/- and their resonant submodes B0 --> D(*)-/+K*+/-using a sample of approximately 88 x 10(6) BB pairs collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric energy storage ring. We measure: B(B0 --> D-/+K0pi+/-) = (4.9 +/- 0.7stat +/- 0.5syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D*-/+K0pi+/-) = (3.0 +/- 0.7stat +/- 0.3syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D-/+K*+/-) = (4.6 +/- 0.6stat +/- 0.5syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D*-/+K*+/-) = (3.2 +/- 0.6stat +/- 0.3syst) x 10(-4). From these measurements we determine the fractions of resonant events to be f(B0 --> D-/+K*+/-) = 0.63 +/- 0.08stat +/- 0.04syst and f(B0 --> D*-/+K*+/-) = 0.72 +/- 0.14stat +/-0.05syst.

We present a measurement of the branching fraction for the decay B -→K0*- using a sample of approximately 86×106 BB̄ pairs collected by the BABAR detector from e+e- collisions near the γ(4S) resonance. The D0 is detected through its decays to K -π+, K-π+π0, and K- π+ π- π+, and the K*- through its decay to KS0π -. We measure the branching fraction to be B(B -→D0K*-) = [6.3±0.7(stat) ±0.5(syst)]×10-4. © 2004 The American Physical Society.

A search for the decay of the τ lepton to seven charged pions and one or zero π0 mesons was performed using the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. The analysis uses 232.2fb-1 of data at center-of-mass energies on or near the Υ(4S) resonance. We observe 24 events with an expected background of 21.6±1.3 events. Without evidence for a signal, we calculate an upper limit of B(τ-→4π-3π+(π0) ντ)<3.0×10-7 at 90% confidence level. This is an improvement by nearly an order of magnitude over the previously established limit. In addition, we set upper limits for the exclusive decays τ-→4π-3π+ντ and τ-→4π-3π+π0ντ. © 2005 The American Physical Society.