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At least 559 records · Page 31

S&TR September 2025: Computing Grand Challenge Turns 20

Livermore’s Computing Grand Challenge Program enters its 20th year with more unclassified high-performance computing (HPC) power than ever before. This unique, peer-reviewed competition awards HPC allocations on top supercomputers to multidisciplinary teams with high-impact projects. The Grand Challenge encourages researchers to innovate, pushes scientific discovery to new heights, improves the Laboratory’s HPC capabilities, and extends HPC accessibility to collaborators. Awardees must adapt to successive generations of HPC hardware and learn to run simulations at scale. The feature article spotlights three Grand Challenge teams whose research broke new ground in key scientific pursuits—the essence of dark matter, explosion-generated seismic waves, and protein interactions linked to cancer—while underscoring the importance of academic partnerships and considering the program’s future.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Gravity waves from non-minimal quadratic inflation

We discuss non-minimal quadratic inflation in supersymmetric (SUSY) and non-SUSY models which entails a linear coupling of the inflaton to gravity. Imposing a lower bound on the parameter c{sub R}, involved in the coupling between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar curvature, inflation can be attained even for subplanckian values of the inflaton while the corresponding effective theory respects the perturbative unitarity up to the Planck scale. Working in the non-SUSY context we also consider radiative corrections to the inflationary potential due to a possible coupling of the inflaton to bosons or fermions. We find ranges of the parameters, depending mildly on the renormalization scale, with adjustable values of the spectral index n{sub s}, tensor-to-scalar ratio r≃(2−4)⋅10{sup −3}, and an inflaton mass close to 3⋅10{sup 13} GeV. In the SUSY framework we employ two gauge singlet chiral superfields, a logarithmic Kähler potential including all the allowed terms up to fourth order in powers of the various fields, and determine uniquely the superpotential by applying a continuous R and a global U(1) symmetry. When the Kähler manifold exhibits a no-scale-type symmetry, the model predicts n{sub s}≃0.963 and r≃0.004. Beyond no-scale SUGRA, n{sub s} and r depend crucially on the coefficient involved in the fourth order term, which mixes the inflaton with the accompanying non-inflaton field in the Kähler potential, and the prefactor encountered in it. Increasing slightly the latter above (−3), an efficient enhancement of the resulting r can be achieved putting it in the observable range. The inflaton mass in the last case is confined in the range (5−9)⋅10{sup 13} GeV.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Halo-independent direct detection analyses without mass assumptions

Results from direct detection experiments are typically interpreted by employing an assumption about the dark matter velocity distribution, with results presented in the m{sub χ}−σ{sub n} plane. Recently methods which are independent of the DM halo velocity distribution have been developed which present results in the v{sub min}−g-tilde plane, but these in turn require an assumption on the dark matter mass. Here we present an extension of these halo-independent methods for dark matter direct detection which does not require a fiducial choice of the dark matter mass. With a change of variables from v{sub min} to nuclear recoil momentum (p{sub R}), the full halo-independent content of an experimental result for any dark matter mass can be condensed into a single plot as a function of a new halo integral variable, which we call h-til-tilde(p{sub R}). The entire family of conventional halo-independent g-tilde(v{sub min}) plots for all DM masses are directly found from the single h-tilde(p{sub R}) plot through a simple rescaling of axes. By considering results in h-tilde(p{sub R}) space, one can determine if two experiments are inconsistent for all masses and all physically possible halos, or for what range of dark matter masses the results are inconsistent for all halos, without the necessity of multiple g-tilde(v{sub min}) plots for different DM masses. We conduct a sample analysis comparing the CDMS II Si events to the null results from LUX, XENON10, and SuperCDMS using our method and discuss how the results can be strengthened by imposing the physically reasonable requirement of a finite halo escape velocity.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Dark decay of the top quark

We suggest top quark decays as a venue to search for light dark force carriers. Top quark is the heaviest particle in the standard model whose decays are relatively poorly measured, allowing sufficient room for exotic decay modes from new physics. A very light (GeV scale) dark gauge boson (Z') is a recently highlighted hypothetical particle that can address some astrophysical anomalies as well as the 3.6 σ deviation in the muon g-2 measurement. We present and study a possible scenario that top quark decays as t → b W + Z's. This is the same as the dominant top quark decay (t → b W) accompanied by one or multiple dark force carriers. The Z' can be easily boosted, and it can decay into highly collimated leptons (lepton-jet) with large branching ratio. In addition, we discuss the implications for the Large Hadron Collider experiments including the analysis based on the lepton-jets.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

An instability of hyperbolic space under the Yang-Mills flow

We consider the Yang-Mills flow on hyperbolic 3-space. The gauge connection is constructed from the frame-field and (not necessarily compatible) spin connection components. The fixed points of this flow include zero Yang-Mills curvature configurations, for which the spin connection has zero torsion and the associated Riemannian geometry is one of constant curvature. We analytically solve the linearized flow equations for a large class of perturbations to the fixed point corresponding to hyperbolic 3-space. These can be expressed as a linear superposition of distinct modes, some of which are exponentially growing along the flow. The growing modes imply the divergence of the (gauge invariant) perturbative torsion for a wide class of initial data, indicating an instability of the background geometry that we confirm with numeric simulations in the partially compactified case. There are stable modes with zero torsion, but all the unstable modes are torsion-full. This leads us to speculate that the instability is induced by the torsion degrees of freedom present in the Yang-Mills flow.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Exploring the Cosmic Frontier, Task A - Direct Detection of Dark Matter, Task B - Experimental Particle Astrophysics

This report summarizes the work of Task A and B for the period 2013-2016. For Task A the work is for direct detection of dark matter with the single-phase liquid argon experiment Mini-CLEAN. For Task B the work is for the search for new physics in the analysis of fluorescence events with the Auger experiment and for the search for the indirect detection of dark matter with the HAWC experiment.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The Era of Gravitational Astronomy and Gravitational Field of Non-Rotating Single Point Particle in General Relativity

Utilizing various gauges of the radial coordinate, we give a General Relativistic (GR) description of static spherically symmetric spacetimes with a massive point source and vacuum outside this singularity. We show that in GR there exists a two-parameter family of such solutions to the Einstein equations which are physically distinguishable and describe the gravitational field of a single massive point particle with positive proper mass M{sub 0} and positive Keplerian mass M < M{sub 0}. In particular, we show that the widespread Hilbert form of the Schwarzschild solution, which depends only on the Keplerian mass M and describes Black Holes (BH), does not solve the Einstein equations with a massive point particle stress-energy tensor. Novel normal coordinates for the gravitational field and a new physical class of gauges are proposed, thus achieving a correct description of a point mass source in GR. We also introduce a gravitational mass defect of a point particle and determine the dependence of the solutions on this mass defect. The result can be described as a change of the Newton potential φ{sub N} = – G{sub N} M / r to a modified one φ{sub G} = – G{sub N} M / (r+G{sub N}M/ c{sup 2}ln ((M{sub 0})/M)) and the corresponding modification of the four-interval. We show that the proper 3D flat space, where these two potentials can be compared, is the tangent space above the position of the massive point source. In addition, we present invariant characteristics of the physically and geometrically different classes of spherically symmetric static spacetimes created by a point mass. Our findings are important for description of Extremely Compact Objects (ECOs) studied in relation with possible echoes in Gravitational Waves (GW) recently discovered by the LIGO/VIRGO collaboration.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Energy Reconstruction and Calibration of the MicroBooNE LArTPC

The Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) is increasingly becoming the chosen technology for current and future precision neutrino oscillation experiments due to its superior capability in particle tracking and energy calorimetry. In LArTPCs, calorimetric information is critical for particle identification, which is the foundation for the neutrino cross-section and oscillation measurements as well as searches for beyond standard model physics. One of the primary challenges in employing LArTPC technology is characterizing its performance and quantifying the associated systematic uncertainties. MicroBooNE, the longest operating LArTPC to date, has performed numerous such measurements, including studies of detector physics and electromagnetic shower reconstruction. Here we present results on the operation and performance of the detector during its data taking, highlighting accomplishments toward calorimetric reconstruction, calibration, and detector physics.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Z-portal dark matter

We propose to generalize the extensions of the Standard Model where the Z boson serves as a mediator between the Standard Model sector and the dark sector χ. We show that, like in the Higgs portal case, the combined constraints from the recent direct searches restrict severely the nature of the coupling of the dark matter to the Z boson and set a limit m{sub χ}≳200 GeV (except in a very narrow region around the Z-pole region). Using complementarity between spin dependent, spin independent and FERMI limits, we predict the nature of this coupling, more specifically the axial/vectorial ratio that respects a thermal dark matter coupled through a Z-portal while not being excluded by the current observations. We also show that the next generation of experiments of the type LZ or XENON1T will test Z-portal scenario for dark matter mass up to 2 TeV. The condition of a thermal dark matter naturally predicts the spin-dependent scattering cross section on the neutron to be σ{sub χn}{sup SD}≃10{sup −40} cm{sup 2}, which then becomes a clear prediction of the model and a signature testable in the near future experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Cogenerating and pre-annihilating dark matter by a new gauge interaction in a unified model

Grand unified theories based on large groups (with rank ≥6) are a natural context for dark matter models. They contain Standard-Model-singlet fermions that could be dark matter candidates, and can contain new non-abelian interactions whose sphalerons convert baryons, leptons, and dark matter into each other, “cogenerating' a dark matter asymmetry comparable to the baryon asymmetry. In this paper it is shown that the same non-abelian interactions can “pre-annihilate' the symmetric component of heavy dark matter particles χ, which then decay late into light stable dark matter particles ζ that inherit their asymmetry. We derive cosmological constraints on the parameters of such models. The mass of χ must be <3000 TeV and their decays must happen when 2×10{sup −7}<T{sub dec}/m{sub χ}<10{sup −4}. It is shown that such decays can come from d=5 operators with coefficients of order 1/M{sub GUT} or 1/M{sub Pℓ}. We present a simple realization of our model based on the group SU(7).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Highlights from the ATLAS experiment

This report provides an overview of the new results obtained by the ATLAS Collaboration at the LHC, which were presented at the Quark Matter 2018 conference. Furthermore these measurements were covered in 12 parallel talks, one flash talk and 11 posters. In this document, a discussion of results is grouped into four areas: electromagnetic interactions, jet quenching, quarkonia and heavy-flavour production, and collectivity in small and larger systems. Measurements from the xenon-xenon collisions based on a short run collected in October 2017 are reported for the first time.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

High Energy Physics Network Requirements Review: Final Report, July 2024–December 2024

The world-class research infrastructure at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) provides the research community with premier observational, experimental, computational, and network capabilities. Each user facility is designed to provide unique capabilities to advance the core DOE mission in science and technology for its SC program to stimulate rich scientific discoveries and enhance its innovation ecosystem. Research communities gather and flourish around each user facility, bringing together new and enhanced perspectives. The continual reinvention of the practice of science — as users and staff forge novel approaches expressed in research workflows — unlocks new discoveries and propels scientific progress. Within this research ecosystem, the high-performance computing (HPC) and networking user facilities stewarded by the SC’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program play a dynamic cross-cutting role, enabling complex workflows demanding high-performance data, networking, and computing solutions. The ASCR facilities enterprise seeks to understand and meet the needs and requirements across SC and DOE domain science programs and priority efforts, highlighted by the formal requirements review methodology. Between July and December 2024, the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and the Office of High Energy Physics (HEP) of the DOE-SC organized an ESnet requirements review of HEP-supported program activities. Preparation for these events included identification of key stakeholders: program and facility management, research groups, and technology providers. Each stakeholder group was asked to prepare formal case study documents about its relationship to the HEP program to build a complete understanding of the current, near-term, and long-term status, expectations, and processes that will support the science going forward.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Axion-gauge coupling quantization with a twist

The possible couplings of an axion to gauge fields depend on the global structure of the gauge group. If the Standard Model gauge group is minimal, or equivalently if fractionally charged color-singlet particles are forbidden, then the QCD axion’s Chern-Simons couplings to photons and gluons obey correlated quantization conditions. Specifically, the photon coupling can have a fractional part which is a multiple of 1/3, but which is determined by the gluon coupling. A consequence of this result is that, among all theories with a minimal gauge group and minimal axion coupling to gluons, the smallest possible axion-photon amplitude |g aγγ | arises for E/N = 8/3. This provides a new motivation for experiments targeting this axion-photon coupling.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Localization and mass spectra of various matter fields on scalar-tensor brane

Recently, a new scalar-tensor braneworld model was presented in [http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.86.127502]. It not only solves the gauge hierarchy problem but also reproduces a correct Friedmann-like equation on the brane. In this new model, there are two different brane solutions, for which the mass spectra of gravity on the brane are the same. In this paper, we investigate localization and mass spectra of various bulk matter fields (i.e., scalar, vector, Kalb-Ramond, and fermion fields) on the brane. It is shown that the zero modes of all the matter fields can be localized on the positive tension brane under some conditions, and the mass spectra of each kind of bulk matter field for the two brane solutions are different except for some special cases, which implies that the two brane solutions are not physically equivalent. When the coupling constants between the dilaton and bulk matter fields take special values, the mass spectra for both solutions are the same, and the scalar and vector zero modes are localized on the negative tension brane, while the KR zero mode is still localized on the positive tension brane.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗