New physics searches at kaon and hyperon factories.

Rare meson decays are among the most sensitive probes of both heavy and light new physics. Among them, new physics searches using kaons benefit from their small total decay widths and the availability of very large datasets. On the other hand, useful complementary information is provided by hyperon decay measurements. We summarize the relevant phenomenological models and the status of the searches in a comprehensive list of kaon and hyperon decay channels. We identify new search strategies for under-explored signatures, and demonstrate that the improved sensitivities from current and next-generation experiments could lead to a qualitative leap in the exploration of light dark sectors.

Precise Determination of the Branching Ratio of the Neutral-Pion Dalitz Decay.

We provide a new value for the ratio R=Γ(π^{0}→e^{+}e^{-}γ(γ))/Γ(π^{0}→γγ)=11.978(6)×10^{-3}, which is by 2 orders of magnitude more precise than the current Particle Data Group average. It is obtained using the complete set of the next-to-leading-order radiative corrections in the QED sector, and incorporates up-to-date values of the π^{0}-transition-form-factor slope. The ratio R translates into the branching ratios of the two main π^{0} decay modes: B(π^{0}→γγ)=98.8131(6)% and B(π^{0}→e^{+}e^{-}γ(γ))=1.1836(6)%.