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At least 217 records · Page 12

Search for electroweak production of a vector-like quark decaying to a top quark and a Higgs boson using boosted topologies in fully hadronic final states

A search is performed for electroweak production of a vector-like top quark partner T of charge 2/3 in association with a standard model top or bottom quark, using 2.3 fb$^{−1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The search targets T quarks decaying to a top quark and a Higgs boson in fully hadronic final states. For a T quark with mass above 1 TeV the daughter top quark and Higgs boson are highly Lorentz-boosted and can each appear as a single hadronic jet. Jet substructure and b tagging techniques are used to identify the top quark and Higgs boson jets, and to suppress the standard model backgrounds. An excess of events is searched for in the T quark candidate mass distribution in the data, which is found to be consistent with the expected backgrounds. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the single T quark production cross sections and the branching fraction $ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left(\mathrm{T}\to \mathrm{t}\mathrm{H}\right) $ , and these vary between 0.31 and 0.93 pb for T quark masses in the range 1000-1800 GeV. This is the first search for single electroweak production of a vector-like T quark in fully hadronic final states.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Boosted dark matter from primordial black holes produced in a first-order phase transition

During a cosmological first-order phase transition in a dark sector, fermion dark matter particles χ can form macroscopic Fermi balls that collapse to primordial black holes (PBHs) under certain conditions. The evaporation of the PBHs produces a boosted χ flux, which may be detectable if χ couples to visible matter. We consider the interaction of χ with electrons, and calculate signals of the dark matter flux in the XENON1T, XENONnT, Super-Kamiokande and Hyper-Kamiokande experiments. A correlated gravitational wave signal from the phase transition can be observed at THEIA and μAres. An amount of dark radiation measurable by CMB-S4 is an epiphenomenon of the phase transition.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Search for new particles in final states with a boosted top quark and missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for events with one top quark and missing transverse momentum in the final state is presented. The fully hadronic decay of the top quark is explored by selecting events with a reconstructed boosted top-quark topology produced in association with large missing transverse momentum. The analysis uses 139 fb -1 of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded during 2015-2018 by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models for Dark Matter particle production and the single production of a vector-like T quark. Without significant excess relative to the Standard Model expectations, 95% confidence-level upper limits on the corresponding cross-sections are obtained. The production of Dark Matter particles in association with a single top quark is excluded for masses of a scalar (vector) mediator up to 4.3 (2.3) TeV, assuming m χ = 1 GeV and the model couplings λ q = 0.6 and λ χ = 0.4 (a = 0.5 and g χ = 1). The production of a single vector-like T quark is excluded for masses below 1.8 TeV assuming a coupling to the top quark κ T = 0.5 and a branching ratio for T → Zt of 25%.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for $ \mathrm{t}\overline{\mathrm{t}} $ resonances in highly boosted lepton+jets and fully hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV

A search for the production of heavy resonances decaying into top quark-antiquark pairs is presented. The analysis is performed in the lepton+jets and fully hadronic channels using data collected in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV using the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.6 fb$^{−1}$. The selection is optimized for massive resonances, where the top quarks have large Lorentz boosts. No evidence for resonant $ \mathrm{t}\overline{\mathrm{t}} $ production is found in the data, and upper limits on the production cross section of heavy resonances are set. The exclusion limits for resonances with masses above 2 TeV are significantly improved compared to those of previous analyses at $ \sqrt{s}=8 $ TeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of the jet mass in hadronic decays of boosted W bosons at 13 TeV and extraction of the W boson mass

The jet mass of W bosons decaying to a quark-antiquark pair is measured in W+jets events from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data used were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . Hadronic decays of W bosons with high momenta produce strongly collimated decay products due to the large Lorentz boost, and are reconstructed as single large-radius jets. These jets have a characteristic substructure that is exploited to distinguish them from the large background of quark- and gluon-initiated jets. The jet mass is computed using the soft-drop algorithm, which suppresses soft wide-angle radiation that leads to a broadening of the jet mass distribution. For the first time, unfolded measurements are presented of the double-differential W+jets cross section as a function of the jet transverse momentum and soft-drop mass. From these distributions, the W boson mass is obtained, with a value of 80.83 ± 0.55 GeV in a scheme with mass-dependent width, achieving the smallest uncertainty available today from an all-jets final state at a hadron collider.

hadron-hadron scattering↗

Search for a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson in the boosted $\mu\mu\tau\tau$ final state in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A search for a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson (a) decaying from the 125 GeV (or a heavier) scalar Higgs boson (H) is performed using the 2016 LHC proton-proton collision data at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{−1}$, collected by the CMS experiment. The analysis considers gluon fusion and vector boson fusion production of the H, followed by the decay H → aa → μμττ, and considers pseudoscalar masses in the range 3.6 < m$_{a}$< 21 GeV. Because of the large mass difference between the H and the a bosons and the small masses of the a boson decay products, both the μμ and the ττ pairs have high Lorentz boost and are collimated. The ττ reconstruction efficiency is increased by modifying the standard technique for hadronic τ lepton decay reconstruction to account for a nearby muon. No significant signal is observed. Model-independent limits are set at 95% confidence level, as a function of m$_{a}$, on the branching fraction (ℬ) for H → aa → μμττ, down to 1.5 (2.0) × 10$^{−4}$ for m$_{H}$ = 125 (300) GeV. Model-dependent limits on ℬ(H → aa) are set within the context of two Higgs doublets plus singlet models, with the most stringent results obtained for Type-III models. These results extend current LHC searches for heavier a bosons that decay to resolved lepton pairs and provide the first such bounds for an H boson with a mass above 125 GeV.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for heavy scalar resonances decaying to Lorentz-boosted Higgs and Higgs-like bosons in the $\mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}}4\mathrm{q}$ final state at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

A search is performed for a heavy scalar resonance X decaying to a Higgs boson (H) and a Higgs-like scalar boson (Y) in the two bottom quark (H → $b\bar{b}$) and four quark (Y → VV → 4q) final state, where V denotes a W or Z boson. Masses of the X between 900 and 4000 GeV and the Y between 60 and 2800 GeV are considered. The search is performed in data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC from proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV center-of-mass energy, with a data set corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . It targets the Lorentz-boosted regime, in which the products of the H → $b\bar{b}$ decay can be reconstructed as a single large-area jet, and those from the Y → VV → 4q decay as either one Y → 4q or two jets V → H → $q\bar{q}$. Jet identification and mass reconstruction exploit machine-learning tools, including a novel attention-based “particle transformer” for Y → 4q identification. No significant excess is observed in the data above the standard model background expectation. Upper limits on the product of production cross section and branching fraction as low as 0.2 fb are derived at 95% confidence level for various mass hypotheses. This is the first search at the LHC for scalar resonances in the all-hadronic H → $b\bar{b}$VV decay channel.

Beyond Standard Model↗

Search for pair production of vector-like T and B quarks in single-lepton final states using boosted jet substructure in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

A search for pair production of massive vector-like T and B quarks in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV is presented. The data set was collected in 2015 by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of up to 2.6 fb$^{−1}$. The T and B quarks are assumed to decay through three possible channels into a heavy boson (either a W, Z or Higgs boson) and a third generation quark. This search is performed in final states with one charged lepton and several jets, exploiting techniques to identify W or Higgs bosons decaying hadronically with large transverse momenta. No excess over the predicted standard model background is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level on the T quark pair production cross section are set that exclude T quark masses below 860 GeV in the singlet, and below 830 GeV in the doublet branching fraction scenario. For other branching fraction combinations with ℬ(T → tH) + ℬ(T → bW) ≥ 0.4, lower limits on the T quark range from 790 to 940 GeV. Limits are also set on pair production of singlet vector-like B quarks, which can be excluded up to a mass of 730 GeV. The techniques showcased here for understanding highly-boosted final states are important as the sensitivity to new particles is extended to higher masses.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Inclusive search for highly boosted Higgs bosons decaying to bottom quark-antiquark pairs in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

A search for standard model Higgs bosons (H) produced with transverse momentum (p$_{T}$) greater than 450 GeV and decaying to bottom quark-antiquark pairs ($ \mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}} $) is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{−1}$. The search is inclusive in the Higgs boson production mode. Highly Lorentz-boosted Higgs bosons decaying to $ \mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}} $ are reconstructed as single large-radius jets, and are identified using jet substructure and a dedicated b tagging technique based on a deep neural network. The method is validated with Z →$ \mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}} $ decays. For a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV, an excess of events above the background assuming no Higgs boson production is observed with a local significance of 2.5 standard deviations (σ), while the expectation is 0.7. The corresponding signal strength and local significance with respect to the standard model expectation are μ$_{H}$ = 3.7 ± 1.2(stat)$ {}_{-0.7}^{+0.8} $(syst)$ {}_{-0.5}^{+0.8} $(theo) and 1.9 σ. Additionally, an unfolded differential cross section as a function of Higgs boson p$_{T}$ for the gluon fusion production mode is presented, assuming the other production modes occur at the expected rates.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of boosted Higgs bosons produced via vector boson fusion or gluon fusion in the H →$ \textrm{b}\overline{\textrm{b}} $ decay mode using LHC proton-proton collision data at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A measurement is performed of Higgs bosons produced with high transverse momentum (p$_{T}$) via vector boson or gluon fusion in proton-proton collisions. The result is based on a data set with a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected in 2016–2018 with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$. The decay of a high-p$_{T}$ Higgs boson to a boosted bottom quark-antiquark pair is selected using large-radius jets and employing jet substructure and heavy-flavor taggers based on machine learning techniques. Independent regions targeting the vector boson and gluon fusion mechanisms are defined based on the topology of two quark-initiated jets with large pseudorapidity separation. The signal strengths for both processes are extracted simultaneously by performing a maximum likelihood fit to data in the large-radius jet mass distribution. The observed signal strengths relative to the standard model expectation are $ {4.9}_{-1.6}^{+1.9} $ and $ {1.6}_{-1.5}^{+1.7} $ for the vector boson and gluon fusion mechanisms, respectively. A differential cross section measurement is also reported in the simplified template cross section framework.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Offshore application of landslide susceptibility mapping using gradient-boosted decision trees: a Gulf of Mexico case study

Abstract Among natural hazards occurring offshore, submarine landslides pose a significant risk to offshore infrastructure installations attached to the seafloor. With the offshore being important for current and future energy production, there is a need to anticipate where future landslide events are likely to occur to support planning and development projects. Using the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) as a case study, this paper performs Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (LSM) using a gradient-boosted decision tree (GBDT) model to characterize the spatial patterns of submarine landslide probability over the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where water depths are greater than 120 m. With known spatial extents of historic submarine landslides and a Geographic Information System (GIS) database of known topographical, geomorphological, geological, and geochemical factors, the resulting model was capable of accurately forecasting potential locations of sediment instability. Results of a permutation modelling approach indicated that LSM accuracy is sensitive to the number of unique training locations with model accuracy becoming more stable as the number of training regions was increased. The influence that each input feature had on predicting landslide susceptibility was evaluated using the SHapely Additive exPlanations (SHAP) feature attribution method. Areas of high and very high susceptibility were associated with steep terrain including salt basins and escarpments. This case study serves as an initial assessment of the machine learning (ML) capabilities for producing accurate submarine landslide susceptibility maps given the current state of available natural hazard-related datasets and conveys both successes and limitations.

Dyer, Alec S. (ORCID:0000000219813904)↗

Single-atom materials boosting wearable orthogonal uric acid detection

Abstract Uric acid (UA) is a vital biomarker for the diagnosis and management of various health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, gout, kidney disorders, metabolic syndrome, and wound healing. Despite significant advances in wearable sensor technology, challenges persist in developing wearable sensors that are capable of maintaining high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. In this study, we present an epidermal sensing platform enhanced with single-atom materials (SAMs) designed for flexible and orthogonal electrochemical detection of UA. We designed and synthesized an SAM with Fe-N 5 active sites to boost the electrochemical sensing signals, integrating it with laser-engraved graphene (LEG) to fabricate a wearable SAM-based UA patch sensor. This design provides superior UA detection performance compared to sensors based on conventional nanomaterials. In addition, we enhanced the detection accuracy and range by using an orthogonal approach that combines direct oxidation through differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) along with parallel biocatalytic amperometric detection. The resulting SAM-based UA orthogonal sensor patch demonstrated exceptional performance in wearable applications through tests measuring sweat UA levels in subjects before and after consuming a purine-rich diet. Graphical Abstract

Ding, Shichao↗

Transition-metal doped titanate nanowire photocatalysts boosted by selective ion-exchange induced defect engineering

Defect engineering through elemental doping is an efficient way to boost the performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. For this work, transition-metal (TM) doped titanate nanowires (TNWs) were prepared via ion-exchange over the titanate precursors and demonstrated for the Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. The ion-exchange of selective ions (V 5+ , Cr 3+ , Ni 2+ , and Zn 2+ ) with protons from pristine TNWs resulted in the hierarchical meso-porosity of nanowires with large pores of ~5–20 nm by TM doping and small pores of ~3.6–4.5 nm inherited from pristine TNWs, which facilitates the mass transfer while maintaining high surface area and active sites. Meanwhile, the TM intercalation partially reduces the Ti 4+ to Ti 3+ and narrows the optical bandgap, which, together with oxygen vacancies and superoxide radicals from pristine TNWs, enhance the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation performance of RhB. This work helps to elucidate the effects of transition-metal doping and provides a rational strategy towards high performance titanate-based photocatalysts for efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A novel mineral-acid free biphasic deep eutectic solvent/γ-valerolactone system for furfural production and boosting the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass

The failure of hemicellulose valorization in a deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment has become a bottleneck that challenges its further development. Here, to address this issue, this study developed a DES/GVL (γ-valerolactone) biphasic system for effective hemicellulose-furfural conversion, enhanced cellulose saccharification and lignin isolation. The results indicated that the biphasic system could significantly improve the lignin removal (as high as 89.1%), 86.0% higher than the monophasic DES, accompanied by ~100% hemicellulose degradation. Notably, the GVL in the biphasic solvent restricted the condensation of hemicellulose degradation products, which as a result generated large amount of furfural in the pretreatment liquid with a yield of 68.6%. With the removal of hemicellulose and lignin, cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis yield was boosted and reached near 100%. This study highlighted that the novel DES/GVL is capable of fractionating the biomass and benefiting their individual utilization, which could provide a new biorefinery configuration for a DES pretreatment.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Boosting energy efficiency of Li-rich layered oxide cathodes by tuning oxygen redox kinetics and reversibility

In developing electrode materials for next-generation Li-ion batteries, significant efforts have been given to the energy, power density and cycling stability, with much less (if any) attention paid to the energy efficiency – arguably, the most important practical measure for large-scale applications. This is particularly true for the oxygen-redox active electrodes, such as Li 1.2 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 Mn 0.54 O 2 , the notorious energy-inefficient cathode that has an extremely high capacity but comes with large voltage hysteresis and voltage decay. Herein, we report the rational design of an energy-efficient Li-rich layered cathode along with high energy, power density and cycling stability enabled by tuning oxygen redox activity. Specifically, the target material Li 1.12 Ni 0.22 Co 0.13 Mn 0.52 O 2 exhibits an ultrahigh energy efficiency at 1 C (90.6%), high capacity (> 200 mAh g -1 ) with 98.9% retention and less than 150 mV decay at the extended 200 cycles. Overall, through direct comparison between the material and Li 1.2 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 Mn 0.54 O 2 , we show that the compositional change, although slightly, greatly improves the oxygen redox kinetics and reversibility, thereby boosts energy efficiency. The findings offer a strategy to narrow the gap between scientific interest and practical application of oxygen-redox chemistry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Boosting the performances of protonic solid oxide fuel cells for co-production of propylene and electricity from propane by integrating thermo- and electro- catalysis

Protonic solid oxide fuel cells (p-SOFC) integrated with clean thermal energy sources are promising platforms for decarbonized chemical production in addition to power generation, such as on-purpose propylene production from propane dehydrogenation (PDH). The catalytic performance of the conventional nickel-cermet-based anode materials in p-SOFC for propane conversion is restrained by their low active surface area and proneness to coking. In this work, by integration of a highly efficient industry-relevant thermal catalyst PtGa/ZSM-5 for PDH reaction, we demonstrate that both the electrochemical and catalytic performance of the propane-fueled p-SOFC can be effectively enhanced. The PtGa catalyst integrated p-SOFC exhibits a peak power density of 93 mW cm -2 at 600°C, which is greater by about 100% and 50% than that without catalyst or with a perovskite-based (Pr 0.3 Sr 0.7 ) 0.9 Ni 0.1 Ti 0.9 O 3 (PSNT) catalyst layer, respectively. The PDH activity and olefin selectivity of the PtGa catalyst is also significantly higher than that of the PSNT catalyst. In addition, much improved coke tolerance and propylene selectivity (over 90%) compared to the catalyst-free Ni-cermet anode materials were achieved by integrating the industrial catalyst layer. The propane conversion can be further improved by an applied current density, whereas the olefin selectivity is almost unaltered. The excellent performance of the PtGa catalyst integrated p-SOFC is attributed to the high surface area, intrinsically high catalytic activity, selectivity, and anti-coking properties of the catalytic layer for propane conversion. In conclusion, this work provides a general approach and a case study for boosting the performances of p-SOFCs in chemical production by integrating thermo- and electro- catalysis.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Acute Toxicity and Tumor Response in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer After Preoperative Chemoradiation Therapy With Shortening of the Overall Treatment Time Using Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy With Simultaneous Integrated Boost: A Phase 2 Trial

Background and Purpose: This phase 2 study investigated the efficacy and safety of preoperative intensity modulated radiation therapy with a simultaneous integrated boost (IMRT-SIB) without dose escalation, concomitant with standard capecitabine chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer. Methods and Materials: Between January 2014 and March 2015, 51 patients with operable stage II-III rectal adenocarcinoma received preoperative IMRT with pelvic dose of 41.8 Gy and simultaneously delivered 46.2 Gy to T2/3 and 48.4 Gy to T4 tumor in 22 fractions, concomitant with capecitabine, 825 mg/m{sup 2}/12 hours, including weekends. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR). Results: Fifty patients completed preoperative treatment according to the protocol, and 47 underwent surgical resection. The sphincter preservation rate for the low rectal tumors was 62%, and the resection margins were free in all but 1 patient. Decrease in tumor and nodal stage was observed in 32 (68%) and 39 (83%) patients, respectively, with pCR achieved in 12 (25.5%) patients. There were only 2 G ≥ 3 acute toxicities, with infectious enterocolitis in 1 patient and dermatitis over the sacral area caused by the bolus effect of the treatment table in the second patient. Conclusions: Preoperative IMRT-SIB without dose escalation is well tolerated, with a low acute toxicity profile, and can achieve a high rate of pCR and downstaging.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗