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At least 433 records · Page 24

Connecting Matrix Elements to Multi-Hadron Form-Factors

We discuss developments in calculating multi-hadron form-factors and transition processes via lattice QCD. Our primary tools are finite-volume scaling relations, which map spectra and matrix elements to the corresponding multi-hadron infinite-volume amplitudes. We focus on two hadron processes probed by an external current, and provide various checks on the finite-volume formalism in the limiting cases of perturbative interactions and systems forming a bound state. By studying model-independent properties of the infinite-volume amplitudes, we are able to rigorously define form-factors of resonances.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Fifty ways to build a deuteron: a variational calculation of two-nucleon systems

A variational study of two-nucleon systems with lattice quantum chromodynamics is performed using a wide range of interpolating operators: dibaryon operators built from products of momentum-projected nucleons, hexaquark operators built from six spatially localized quarks, and quasi-local operators inspired by two-nucleon bound-state wavefunctions in nuclear effective field theories. Correlation-function matrices involving products of these operators are constructed by computing timeslice-to-all quark propagators with sparsening techniques. Comparisons between results obtained using the same gauge-field ensemble but different interpolating-operator sets demonstrate that interpolating-operator dependence can lead to significant effects on the two-nucleon energy spectra obtained using both variational and non-variational methods.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Interpolating the ‘t Hooft model between Instant and Light-Front dynamics in the Coulomb Gauge

The 1+1D model of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in the infinite number of colors, or 't Hooft model, can be interpolated between the instant form dynamics (IFD) and the light-front dynamics (LFD) using an interpolation parameter 0 (IFD) ≤ δ ≤ π/4 (LFD). This was realized in the interpolating axial gauge which links the axial gauge (A 1 = 0) in IFD and the light-front gauge (A + = 0) [1]. In this presentation, we discuss the corresponding realization in the interpolating Coulomb gauge which links the temporal gauge (A 0 = 0) in IFD and the light-front gauge (A + = 0) and its benefit of resolving the issue associated with the absence of the conjugate field to the gauge field A 0 in the axial gauge. In both gauges, all degrees of freedom are physical making these gauge choices ideal for finding the bound-state equations and for renormalizability. Although the gauge independence of the physical observables such as the meson mass spectra following Regge trajectories may be guaranteed due to the gauge symmetry of QCD, the realization and interpretation of the identical physical results may depend on the gauge choices. Here, we discuss such difference in the realization of the confinement phenomena ala linear potential in the two different gauges, Coulomb vs. Axial, and highlight the gauge independent physical results expected. We also comment on the utility of the interpolation which leads to an alternative quasi-PDF that can be implemented in the lattice QCD without suffering from the large momentum boost.

Duggin, Hunter↗

SEARCHING FOR MESONIC DARK MATTER WITH THE HEAVY PHOTON SEARCH EXPERIMENT

Several highly-sensitive astrophysical experiments over the past couple of decades have demonstrated that the current abundance of visible Standard Model matter cannot explain galactic rotation curves, the expansion history of the Universe, or the apparent warping of light in empty space. Instead, one finds strong agreement with this body of experimental results upon positing the existence of an invisible particulate field, dark matter. Namely, a cold, weakly interacting dark matter component can explain all these phenomena. A number of accelerator-based experiments have been developed to search for the weak couplings/interactions of these particles, many of them concentrating on particle models with masses of tens to thousands of GeV. A relatively new, well-motivated model is a dark sector coupled to the Standard Model via a dark photon. The current abundance of dark matter can be obtained if one assumes that dark matter is coupled to light by a MeV to GeV particle with a U(1) symmetry. The parameter space of these models remains largely unexplored because they are difficult to probe experimentally. In this thesis, I analyze data from the Heavy Photon Search (HPS) detector, whose two detector halves closely surround the electron beam, providing acceptance to far-forward boosted interactions. This forward acceptance to highly boosted particles yields unprecedented sensitivity to MeV-scale invariant masses. I exhaustively optimize the offline reconstruction of the HPS detector. Each reconstruction object, from Silicon Vertex Tracker hits to tracks, is studied to maximize acceptance of dark matter events. I then use the 2021 run data to search for one model of dark-photon-mediated matter, the Strongly Interacting Massive Particle (SIMP). SIMP models provide self-interacting dark matter candidates that can form bound states resembling dark mesons. HPS can detect SIMPs through the decay of a dark vector boson (either a dark ¿ or ¿) into e+e- pairs. I obtain exclusion contours for SIMPs using both an optimized cuts-based selection and a machine-learning-based selection, advancing our knowledge of the nature of dark matter.

O'Dwyer, Rory [Stanford Univ., CA (United States).↗

THE STRUCTURE FUNCTION OF THE FREE NEUTRON AT HIGH X-BJORKEN

Understanding the internal structure of nucleons is one of the primary goal of nuclear physicists. As protons and neutrons are only the bound state solution of the QCD lagrangian (at least inside atomic nuclei), studying protons and neutrons helps uncover nuclear struc ture. Due to its easy availability, many studies on protons have been done on a wide range of kinematics. However, free neutron targets are not readily achievable. So, any information on neutrons has to be extracted from neutron-rich nuclei, and some nuclear models have to be used to subtract the contributions from other nucleons to extract the information on neutrons. So, the Barely Off-shell Nucleon Structure (BONuS12) experiment at Jefferson Lab was conducted to overcome these challenges by using spectator tagging. The experiment effectively created a quasi-free neutron target by scattering electrons off a deuterium target and detecting low-momentum, backward-moving protons using a custom-built Radial Time Projection Chamber (RTPC). Selecting the low momentum and backward-moving spectators would enable us to minimize the model-dependent effects due to final state interactions and target fragmentation. The RTPC was a 40 cm-long cylindrical detector that works on the principle of gaseous ionization. It had three layers of Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) for charge amplification and a surrounding readout pad. The scattered electrons were measured using the CLAS12 detector, and data were collected using a 10.4 GeV electron beam dur ing Spring and Summer 2020. Using spectator tagging, we extracted the structure function ratio Fn 2 of the quasi-free neutron in the deep inelastic scattering at high x, upto x ~ 0.8. The result was extracted in the region with the invariant mass W > 1.8 GeV/c2, and Q2 in the range 1.3 to 11 GeV2. This dissertation presents the methodology, event selection criteria and refinements, estimation and subtraction of backgrounds, and complete analysis of extraction of Fn 2/Fp 2 in a model-independent way. Also, systematic uncertainties in our final analysis will be discussed in detail.

Pokhrel, Madhusudhan [Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk,↗

3N potentials in the Faddeev coordinate space approach to Nd scattering

For studying 3N bound states and Nd scattering, the Tucson-Melbourne (TM) and Urbana 3N forces have been derived from the chiral EFT in the momentum representation. Here, the Faddeev equations in configuration space have attractive properties when applied for nd and pd scattering above the two-body threshold. For that reason, we derived components of the TM 3N potential in the coordinate representation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Performing Bayesian Analyses With AZURE2 Using BRICK: An Application to the 7 Be System

Phenomenological R-matrix has been a standard framework for the evaluation of resolved resonance cross section data in nuclear physics for many years. It is a powerful method for comparing different types of experimental nuclear data and combining the results of many different experimental measurements in order to gain a better estimation of the true underlying cross sections. Yet a practical challenge has always been the estimation of the uncertainty on both the cross sections at the energies of interest and the fit parameters, which can take the form of standard level parameters. Frequentist (χ 2 -based) estimation has been the norm. In this work, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler, emcee, has been implemented for the R-matrix code AZURE2, creating the Bayesian R-matrix Inference Code Kit (BRICK). Bayesian uncertainty estimation has then been carried out for a simultaneous R-matrix fit of the 3 He (α,γ) 7 Be and 3 He (α,α) 3 He reactions in order to gain further insight into the fitting of capture and scattering data. Both data sets constrain the values of the bound state α-particle asymptotic normalization coefficients in 7 Be. The analysis highlights the need for low-energy scattering data with well-documented uncertainty information and shows how misleading results can be obtained in its absence.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Learning from knockout reactions using a dispersive optical model

We present the empirical dispersive optical model (DOM) as applied to direct nuclear reactions. The DOM links both scattering and bound-state experimental data through a dispersion relation, which allows for fully consistent, data-informed predictions for nuclei where such data exist. In particular, we review investigations of the electron-induced proton knockout reaction from both 40 Ca and 48 Ca in a distorted-wave impulse approximation (DWIA) utilizing the DOM for a fully consistent description. Viewing these reactions through the lens of the DOM allows us to connect the documented quenching of spectroscopic factors with the increased high-momentum proton content in neutron-rich nuclei. A similar DOM-DWIA description of the proton-induced knockout from 40 Ca, however, does not currently fit in the consistent story of its electron-induced counterpart. With the main difference in the proton-induced case being the use of an effective proton–proton interaction, we suggest that a more sophisticated in-medium interaction would produce consistent results.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Ion Binding Properties of a Naturally Occurring Metalloantibody

LT1009 is a humanized version of murine LT1002 IgG1 that employs two bridging Ca2+ ions to bind its antigen, the biologically active lipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). We crystallized and determined the X-ray crystal structure of the LT1009 Fab fragment in 10 mM CaCl2 and found that it binds two Ca2+ in a manner similar to its antigen-bound state. Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) confirmed that murine LT1002 also binds Ca2+ in solution and inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealed that, although Ca2+ is preferred, LT1002 can bind Mg2+ and, to much lesser extent, Ba2+. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) indicated that LT1002 binds two Ca2+ ions endothermically with a measured dissociation constant (KD) of 171 μM. Protein and genome sequence analyses suggested that LT1002 is representative of a small class of confirmed and potential metalloantibodies and that Ca2+ binding is likely encoded for in germline variable chain genes. To test this hypothesis, we engineered, expressed, and purified a Fab fragment consisting of naïve murine germline-encoded light and heavy chain genes from which LT1002 is derived and observed that it binds Ca2+ in solution. We propose that LT1002 is representative of a class of naturally occurring metalloantibodies that are evolutionarily conserved across diverse mammalian genomes.

Farokhi, Elinaz↗

Hybrid Basis and Multi-Center Grid Method for Strong-Field Processes

We present a time-dependent framework that combines a hybrid basis, consisting of Gaussian-type orbitals (GTOs) and finite-element discrete-variable representation (FEDVR) functions, with a multicenter grid to simulate strong-field and attosecond dynamics in atoms and molecules. The method incorporates the construction of the orthonormal hybrid basis, the evaluation of electronic integrals, a unitary time-propagation scheme, and the extraction of optical and photoelectron observables. Its accuracy and robustness are benchmarked on one-electron systems such as atomic hydrogen and the dihydrogen cation (H$^+_2$) through comparisons with essentially-exact reference results for bound-state energies, high-harmonic generation spectra, photoionization cross sections, and photoelectron momentum distributions. This work establishes the groundwork for its integration with quantum-chemistry methods, which is already operational but will be detailed in future work, thereby enabling ab initio simulations of correlated polyatomic systems in intense ultrafast laser fields.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Long-Range Allosteric Communication Modulated by Active Site Mn(II) Coordination Drives Catalysis in Xanthobacter autotrophicus Acetone Carboxylase

Acetone carboxylase (AC) from Xanthobacter autotrophicus is a 360 KDa α2β2γ2 heterohexamer that catalyzes the ATP-dependent formation of phosphorylated acetone and bicarbonate intermediates that react at Mn(II) metal active sites to form acetoacetate. Structural models of X. autotrophicus AC (XaAC) with and without nucleotides reveal that the binding and phosphorylation of the two substrates occurs ~40 Å from the Mn(II) active sites where acetoacetate is formed. Based on the crystal structures, a significant conformational change was proposed to open and close a tunnel that facilitates the passage of reaction intermediates between the sites for nucleotide binding and phosphorylation of substrates and Mn(II) sites of acetoacetate formation. We have employed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), kinetic assays, and hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) of poised ligand-bound states and site-specific amino acid variants to complete an in-depth analysis of Mn(II) coordination and allosteric communication throughout the catalytic cycle. In contrast with the established paradigms for carboxylation, our analyses of XaAC suggested a carboxylate shift that couples both local and long-range structural transitions. Shifts in the coordination mode of a single carboxylic acid residue (αE89) mediate both catalysis proximal to a Mn(II) center and communication with an ATP active site in a separate subunit of a 180 kDa α2β2γ2 complex at a distance of 40 Å. This work demonstrates the power of combining structural models from X-ray crystallography with solution-phase spectroscopy and biophysical techniques to elucidate functional aspects of a multi-subunit enzyme.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗

Measurements of J/ ψ Production vs. Event Multiplicity in Forward Rapidity in p + p Collisions in the PHENIX Experiment

J / Ψ, a charmonium bound state made of a charm and an anti-charm quark, was discovered in the 1970s and confirmed the quark model. Because the mass of charm quarks is significantly above the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) scale Λ QCD , charmonia are considered excellent probes to test perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) calculations. In recent decades, they have been studied extensively at different high-energy colliders. However, their production mechanisms, which involve multiple scales, are still not very well understood. Recently, in high-multiplicity p + p collisions at RHIC and at the LHC, a significant enhancement of J / Ψ production yield has been observed, which suggests a strong contribution of multi-parton interaction (MPI). This is different from the traditional pQCD picture, where charm quark pairs are produced from a single hard scattering between partons in p + p collisions. In this work, we will report the J / Ψ normalized production yield as a function of normalized charged particle multiplicity over a board range of rapidity and event multiplicity in the J / Ψ → μ + μ – channel with PHENIX Run 15 p + p data at $\sqrt s$ =200 GeV. The results are compared with PYTHIA 8 simulations with the MPI option turned on and off. Finally, the outlooks of J / Ψ in p + Au and Au + p collisions, along with color glass condensate (CGC) predictions and the multiplicity-dependent Ψ(2S) /J / Ψ ratio in p + p data, will be briefly discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Fuzzball Paradigm

We describe the puzzles that arise in the quantum theory of black holes, and explain how they are resolved in string theory. We review how the Bekenstein entropy is obtained through the count of brane bound states. We describe the fuzzball construction of black hole microstates. These states have no horizon and radiate from their surface like a normal body, so there is no information puzzle. We explain how the semiclassical approximation is violated in gravitational collapse even though curvatures are low at the classical horizon. This violation happens because the collapse leads to a stretching of space that is {\it fast}: light does not have time to travel across the collapsing region to establish the `vecro' correlations needed in the quantum gravitational vacuum. These vecro correlations arise from the existence of virtual fuzzball fluctuations in the gravitational vacuum, and are significant because of the large degeneracy of fuzzball states implied by the Bekenstein entropy. It is plausible that similar effects of fast expansion may be responsible for effects like dark energy and the Early Dark Energy postulated to explain the Hubble tension.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

Wino and Real Minimal Dark Matter Excluded by Fermi Gamma-Ray Observations

We show that minimal, fermionic dark matter (DM) models in the $n$-dimensional representation of the weak force with zero hypercharge that make up 100% of the DM under the standard cosmological history are strongly excluded for $n < 9$. This includes the thermal wino, which we show is ruled out even allowing for DM core sizes up to $\sim$6.7 kpc with the preferred local DM density or $\sim$3.7 kpc in addition to the local DM density being half the preferred value, at less than $0.2$ GeV/cm$^3$. We reach these conclusions through dedicated searches with 14 years of Fermi gamma-ray data in the inner Galaxy between 30 GeV and 2 TeV for the continuum gamma-rays produced in the decays of unstable particles produced in DM annihilation and bound-state formation processes. We consider a variety of Milky Way DM profiles in our analyses, including those motivated by modern hydrodynamic cosmological simulations, and show that all the $n < 9$ minimal DM models are disfavored even under the most conservative assumptions for these density profiles. While wino, quintuplet ($n=5$), and $n = 7$ DM models are strongly disfavored by our analyses under the standard cosmology, we discuss how non-standard cosmological histories or DM sub-fractions could still allow for these particles to be realized in nature, with discovery opportunities at next-generation particle colliders and gamma-ray telescopes.

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.C↗

Structural insight into the dual function of LbpB in mediating Neisserial pathogenesis

Lactoferrin-binding protein B (LbpB) is a lipoprotein present on the surface of Neisseria that has been postulated to serve dual functions during pathogenesis in both iron acquisition from lactoferrin (Lf), and in providing protection against the cationic antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin (Lfcn). While previous studies support a dual role for LbpB, exactly how these ligands interact with LbpB has remained unknown. Here, we present the structures of LbpB from N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae in complex with human holo-Lf, forming a 1:1 complex and confirmed by size-exclusion chromatography small-angle X-ray scattering. LbpB consists of N- and C-lobes with the N-lobe interacting extensively with the C-lobe of Lf. Our structures provide insight into LbpB’s preference towards holo-Lf, and our mutagenesis and binding studies show that Lf and Lfcn bind independently. Our studies provide the molecular details for how LbpB serves to capture and preserve Lf in an iron-bound state for delivery to the membrane transporter LbpA for iron piracy, and as an antimicrobial peptide sink to evade host immune defenses.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

MEASUREMENT OF THE GENERALIZED POLARIZABILITIES OF THE PROTON IN VIRTUAL COMPTON SCATTERING

Understanding how the visible matter in the universe arises from its elementary quark and gluon constituents is a central question for science. The visible world is founded on the proton, the only composite building block of matter that is stable in nature. Consequently, understanding the formation of matter relies on explaining the dynamics and the properties of the proton?s bound state. A fundamental property of the proton involves the system?s response to an external electromagnetic (EM) field. It is characterized by the EM polarizabilities that describe how easily the charge and magnetization distributions inside the system are distorted by the EM field. When the polarizabilities are generalized to finite momentum transfer, their Fourier transform can map out the spatial distribution of the polarization densities in a proton subject to an EM field. This thesis focuses on the measurement of the proton generalized polarizabilities (GPs) at low four-momentum transfer in experimental Hall C at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF). Among the six independent GPs, we will focus on the electric (aE1) and the magnetic (bM1) scalar GPs. The GPs can be accessed through measurements of the Virtual Compton Scattering reaction, by replacing the incoming real photon of the Compton scattering process with a space-like virtual photon. The outgoing real photon provides the EM perturbation to the system. In addition, the Dispersion Relation Formalism is used for generalized polarizability extraction. In this work, the two scalar GPs measured with unprecedented precision, and the measurements help explore a momentum transfer region where an anomalous enhancement of the electric GP that contradicts the predictions of nuclear theory has been observed.

Li, Ruonan↗

Nambu and Compositeness

The Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model is the simplest field theory of a composite scalar boson, consisting of a pair of chiral fermions. A bound state emerges from an assumed point-like 4-fermion interaction and is described by local effective field, $\Phi(x)$. We review this in the context of the renormalization group and show some its phenomenological successes, such as the QCD chiral dynamics and the prediction of stable heavy-light resonances that reveal the single light quark chiral dynamics. We also review some NJL--inspired composite Higgs models. We then describe a novel UV completion of the NJL model, to an extended interaction, where the solution is described by a bilocal effective, Yukawa field, $\Phi(x,y)$. I conclude with a personal recollection of Yoichiro Nambu.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Entanglement of excitons by acoustic guiding

A system is described that exhibits the functionality of a beam-splitter, typically an optical device that splits a beam of light in two. In this case, the beams are acoustic pulses and can lead to the creation of a Wannier-Mott exciton: a bound state of an electron and an electron hole whose attraction to each other is maintained by the electrostatic Coulomb force. This exciton beam-splitter is lossy (i.e., involves the dissipation of electrical or electromagnetic energy). Half of the time the exciton is radiated away. Nevertheless, if the exciton is not lost, the exciton is now in a superposition of two states that can be well separated in position. Four such beam-splitters can be used to make an exciton interferometer that uses the interference patterns from the interacting acoustic pulses to extract information.

Yurke, Bernard↗