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At least 433 records · Page 24

Twistor space origins of the Newman-Penrose map

Recently, we introduced the “Newman-Penrose map”, a novel correspondence between a certain class of solutions of Einstein’s equations and self-dual solutions of the vacuum Maxwell equations, which we showed was closely related to the classical double copy. Here, we give an alternative definition of this correspondence in terms of quantities that are defined naturally on twistor space, and a shear-free null geodesic congruence on Minkowski space whose twistorial character is articulated by the Kerr theorem. The advantage of this reformulation is that it is purely geometrical in nature, being manifestly invariant under both spacetime diffeomorphisms and projective transformations on twistor space. While the original formulation of the map may be more convenient for most explicit calculations, the twistorial formulation we present here may be of greater theoretical utility.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Properties of Medium Nuclei from First Principles

During this project we have extended the Auxiliary Field Diffusion Monte Carlo (AFDMC) to calculate several properties of light/medium nuclei. In particular, we have included and tested several models of three-body forces and the associated approximations required, and the comparison with other exact calculations for simpler problems demonstrated the accuracy of the AFDMC method. In this project we have also developed new subroutines to solve for the ground-state of open shell nuclei. This case requires very complex wave function with respect to the case of closed-shell nuclei. We have used the AFDMC code to calculate many properties of nuclei up to the Oxygen, including energies, radii, spatial and momentum distributions and others.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Development of a New Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment at LANL [Slides]

Conclusion: New timing filter amps and power supplies for the PMTs have been procured. The second switcher is built and will be tested with UCN soon. The second simultaneous spin analyzer is being built at Indiana University and will be tested this year. We plan to start taking production data from next year

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for Neutrino-Induced Neutral Current Delta Radiative Decay in MicroBooNE and a First Test of the MiniBooNE Low Energy Excess Under a Single Photon Hypothesis (submitted to PRL)

We report results from a search for neutrino-induced neutral current (NC) resonant Δ(1232) baryon production followed by Δ radiative decay, with a h0.8i GeV neutrino beam. Data corresponding to MicroBooNE’s first three years of operations (6.80×10 20 protons on target) are used to select single-photon events with one or zero protons and without charged leptons in the final state (1γ1p and 1γ0p, respectively). The background is constrained via an in-situ high-purity measurement of NC π 0 events, made possible via dedicated 2γ1p and 2γ0p selections. A total of 16 and 153 events are observed for the 1γ1p and 1γ0p selections, respectively, compared to a constrained background prediction of 20.5 ± 3.65(sys.) and 145.1 ± 13.8(sys.) events. The data lead to a bound on an anomalous enhancement of the normalization of NC Δ radiative decay of less than 2.3 times the predicted nominal rate for this process at the 90% confidence level (CL). The measurement disfavors a candidate photon interpretation of the MiniBooNE low-energy excess as a factor of 3.18 times the nominal NC Δ radiative decay rate at the 94.8% CL, in favor of the nominal prediction, and represents a greater than 50-fold improvement over the world’s best limit on single-photon production in NC interactions in the sub-GeV neutrino energy range.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Fundamental symmetry tests in the lepton sector [Slides]

The observation of neutrino oscillation confirms neutrinos have mass. The discovery of neutrino oscillation implies nonzero neutrino mass. Search for neutrinoless double beta decay is a probe of Majorana mass.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Understanding the Origin of the Hadron Mass within the Standard Model

Understanding the origin of the hadron mass, which constitutes 99% of our visible universe, is one of the central goals of nuclear physics. Although the Higgs mechanism provides mass for the fundamental building blocks of matter, it can only contribute less than 2% of the proton mass. The vast majority of the proton mass is believed to come from the strong force that tightly binds quarks and gluons (collectively called partons) together as described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). The mass that emerges as a consequence of the strong interactions within QCD is commonly denoted as Emergent Hadronic Mass (EHM). Understanding how the nucleon mass emerges in QCD is a prerequisite to an explanation of how the Universe came into being, therefore it is of utmost importance and one of the key questions to be addressed by the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). When it comes to light mesons, particularly pions, the mass decomposition is drastically different. Since the pion is naturally massless in the chiral limit, the majority of its observed mass needs to come from other mechanisms within QCD. Any successful explanation for the EHM needs to be able to reconcile both the heavy proton mass and the very light pion mass (~15% of proton mass) simultaneously. The EHM theories have direct measurable implications on the description of the internal structure of the hadron, i.e., how the partons distribute inside the hadron. Precise measurement of the parton distribution functions (PDFs) will provide necessary experimental verifications and constraints of potential EHM mechanisms. We propose to carry out a comprehensive study of the poorly known pion PDFs at the AMBER experiment at CERN. The measurement will provide vital input to constrain the global analysis of the pion PDFs, which are still based on limited data obtained more than 30 years ago. The proposed pion measurement is the only direct measurement achievable within this decade, which could lead to a future major meson structure program parallel to the EIC’s proton structure measurement.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Calculation of β- and double β-decay rates in nuclei [Poster]

The knowledge of how neutrinos interact in nuclei is critical to an understanding of finite nuclei, neutrino physics and also to astrophysical environments like neutron stars and supernovae. Within this project we studied how nuclei decay through the emission of a neutrino and a lepton, i.e. β-decay. We implemented realistic treatments of many-nucleon correlations and currents to enable high-precision studies of neutrino physics.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Neutron Interferometric methods and quantum sensing

Advances in material science and engineering make it possible to access artificial materials or ‘metamaterial’ properties and structures on the length scale comparable to the wavelength of ultracold neutrons ~ 100 nm. Strong neutron scattering effects such as Anderson localization, resonance scattering may be studied in the laboratory according to our recent theoretical studies. UCN interferometry and high-resolution spectroscopy (sub-pico-electronvolt resolution) in neutronic metamaterials are examples of new experimental possibilities that can probe quantum gravitational states of neutrons, and quantum sensing based on ultracold neutrons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Theoretical tools for neutrino scattering: interplay between lattice QCD, EFTs, nuclear physics, phenomenology, and neutrino event generators

Neutrino physics is entering a precision era in which measurements of neutrino oscillations, astrophysical neutrinos from supernovae and other sources, and coherent neutrino scattering will provide insight on the nature of neutrino masses, the presence of CP violation, and perhaps more exotic new physics in the neutrino sector. Maximizing the discovery potential of increasingly precise neutrino experiments will require an improved theoretical understanding of neutrino-nucleus cross sections over a wide range of energies that uses a combination of lattice QCD, nuclear effective theories, phenomenological models, and neutrino event generators to make reliable theory predictions for experimentally relevant nuclei.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Measurement of ambient radon daughter decay rates and energy spectra in liquid argon using the MicroBooNE detector

We report measurements of radon daughters in liquid argon within the MicroBooNE time projection chamber (LArTPC). The presence of radon in MicroBooNE’s 85 metric tons of active liquid argon bulk is probed with newly developed charge-based low-energy reconstruction tools and analysis techniques to detect correlated 214 Bi- 214 Po radioactive decays. Special datasets taken during periods of active radon doping enable new demonstrations of the calorimetric capabilities of singlephase neutrino LArTPCs for β and α particles with electron-equivalent energies ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 MeV. By applying 214 Bi- 214 Po detection algorithms to beam-external physics data recorded over a 46-day period, no statistically significant presence of radon is detected, corresponding to a limit of < 0.38 mBq/kg at the 95% confidence level. The obtained radon radiopurity limit – the first ever reported for a noble element detector incorporating liquid-phase purification – is well below the target value of the future DUNE neutrino detector.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

The Gallium Anomaly and the BEST Experiment [Slides]

The measurements of the charged-current capture rate of neutrinos on 71 Ga from strong radioactive sources have yielded results below those expected, based on the known strength of the principal transition supplemented by theory.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Neutron moderation at IPF

We discuss here the possibility of using the Isotope Production Facility (IPF) at LANSCE to test the feasibility and performance of a graphite cube to create a neutron target. The idea of a neutron target enables the measurement of neutron induced reactions in inverse kinematics. This idea is part of the LANSCE strategy to stay a worldwide leader for neutron-induced research. The proof of-principle is the core of the LDRD project 20240004DR. The first steps are a series of activation experiments with different neutron energy distributions. Figs. 1 and 2 show a graphite cube built and simulated from pieces available at LANSCE. First activation experiments have already been performed at lower neutron energies utilizing (p,n) reactions on Li and Be.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

SU(3) Gauge Symmetry: An Experimental Review of Diffractive Physics in e+p, p+p, p+ A, and A+A Collision Systems

This review focuses on diffractive physics, which involves the long-range interactions of strong nuclear force at high energies described by SU(3) gauge symmetry. It is expected that diffractive processes account for nearly 40% of the total cross-section at LHC energies. These processes consist of soft-scale physics where perturbation theory cannot be applied. Although highly successful and often described as a perfect theory, quantum chromodynamics relies heavily on perturbation theory, a model best suited for hard-scale physics. The study of pomerons could help bridge the soft and hard processes and provide a complete description of the theory of the strong interaction across the full momentum spectrum. Here, we will discuss some of the features of diffractive physics, experimental results from SPS, HERA, and the LHC, and where the field could potentially lead. With the recent publication of the odderon discovery in 2021 by the D0 and TOTEM collaborations and the new horizon of physics that lies ahead with the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory, interest is seemingly piquing in high energy diffractive physics.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗