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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Plasma instabilities dominate radioactive transients magnetic fields: the self-confinement of leptons in Type Ia and core-collapse supernovae, and kilonovae

The light curves of radioactive transients, such as supernovae and kilonovae, are powered by the decay of radioisotopes, which release high-energy leptons through $\beta ^+$ and $\beta ^-$ decays. These leptons deposit energy into the expanding ejecta. As the ejecta density decreases during expansion, the plasma becomes collisionless, with particle motion governed by electromagnetic forces. In such environments, strong or turbulent magnetic fields are thought to confine particles, though the origin of these fields and the confinement mechanism have remained unclear. Using fully kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we demonstrate that plasma instabilities can naturally confine high-energy leptons. These leptons generate magnetic fields through plasma streaming instabilities, even in the absence of pre-existing fields. The self-generated magnetic fields slow lepton diffusion, enabling confinement, and transferring energy to thermal electrons and ions. Our results naturally explain the positron trapping inferred from late-time observations of thermonuclear and core-collapse supernovae. Furthermore, they suggest potential implications for electron dynamics in the ejecta of kilonovae. We also estimate synchrotron radio luminosities from positrons for Type Ia supernovae and find that such emission could only be detectable with next-generation radio observatories from a Galactic or local-group supernova in an environment without any circumstellar material.

instabilities↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessing the link between aerosol mixing state, structure and composition and their optical properties: Ascension Island as a testbed for the South‐East Atlantic aerosol regimes

Forest and savanna fires are a major source of pollution over the globe. Such fire events emit to the atmosphere a considerable amount of “fluffy” fractal black looking particles that are often referred to as black carbon (BC) or soot aerosols. In fact, BC particles (aerosols) emitted from savanna and agricultural fires over the African continent play an important role in the region’s and the global climate. These fires occur each year between July and October, which is referred to as the biomass burning (BB) season and are considered among the globe's largest man-made emission sources of BC particles. However, during these fire events, not only BC particles are emitted, but also other types of particles and gases that can interact with each other to create new particles, generating a slew of particles often generally referred to as BB aerosols. Although the majority of the fire emissions occur inland in the sub-Saharan part of Africa, their effect reaches far beyond the continent due to the prevailing easterly winds, which transport those aerosols over the South-East Atlantic (SEA) ocean, off the west-coast of Africa. The reason why these particles are so important to the regional and global climate is that they absorb sunlight radiation, which overall warms the climate. However, the magnitude of this warming effect is highly uncertain and depends upon a multitude of aspects. Our overarching goal for this project was to better understand the changes in the aerosol properties as they transport from fire sources downstream toward the ocean and how this can eventually affect the earth's radiative budget in terms of warming or cooling. Following the above, our work here was focused on the investigation of the African BB aerosol plumes mixing state (mixing of BB aerosols and other aerosol types), composition and size distribution as they transport from the African continent towards the SEA ocean, and their link with some of the commonly measurable bulk optical properties such as mass absorption coefficient (MAC) and single scattering albedo (SSA). We utilized three field missions that were conducted over the SEA ocean between 2016 and 2018. Specifically, we used (1) ground-based measurements from the DOE ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1), which was deployed at Ascension Island (ASI) for the LASIC (Layered Atlantic Smoke Interactions with Clouds) campaign between June 2016 and October 2017, (2) airborne measurements from the UK CLARIFY (Clouds and Aerosol Radiative impacts and Forcing) campaign during Aug-Sep-2017, and (3) airborne measurements from the ORACLES (Observations of Aerosols above Clouds and their interactions) campaign during Aug-2017, and Sep-Oct-2018. The three campaigns cover a relatively large region, from the western African coast on the east towards Ascension Island in the middle of the SEA to the west. We used the data gathered by these campaigns to find how BB properties and composition change from near emission sources (the ORACLES campaign flights) downstream (the CLARIFY flights and the ground based LASIC measurements). We used particle trajectory following methodologies to connect the measurements from the different campaigns, which allowed us to follow a certain aerosol plume (airmass) from near-source towards Ascension Island. We found out that atmospheric aging processes governed by the UV light from the sun (photochemistry) and cloud processes (aqueous chemistry) govern the changes seen in the particle composition during the transport were more dominant in dictating aerosol composition than specific emission composition or source types. We assessed how aerosol optical properties change during the BB season and what are the main drivers of this change. We found that the enhanced ratio of BC to CO is well correlated with single scattering albedo (SSA) and mass absorption coefficient (MACBC), providing a simple way to estimate the aerosol optical characteristics in the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean. From the analysis of the location of BB, the primary source fuel, the water content in the fuel, combined with the mean cloud cover and precipitation in the transport areas of the BB plume, we conclude that the increase in BC/CO from June to August is likely to be caused by burning becoming more flaming (hot fires), and the decrease in BC/CO in September and October may be caused by smoldering (colder) fires. We found that aerosol hygroscopicity increases with decreasing altitude below 2km, and that enhanced BB hygroscopicity at lower altitudes is mainly due to a lower organic aerosol (OA) fraction, increased sulfate fraction, and greater hygroscopicity parameter of OA at lower altitudes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Performance of novel VUV-sensitive Silicon Photo-Multipliers for nEXO

Liquid xenon time projection chambers are promising detectors to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ), due to their response uniformity, monolithic sensitive volume, scalability to large target masses, and suitability for extremely low background operations. The nEXO collaboration has designed a tonne-scale time projection chamber that aims to search for 0νββ of 136 Xe with projected half-life sensitivity of 1.35 x 10 28 yr. To reach this sensitivity, the design goal for nEXO is ≤1% energy resolution at the decay Q-value (2458.07 ± 0.31 keV). Reaching this resolution requires the efficient collection of both the ionization and scintillation produced in the detector. The nEXO design employs Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPMs) to detect the vacuum ultra-violet, 175 nm scintillation light of liquid xenon. This paper reports on the characterization of the newest vacuum ultra-violet sensitive Fondazione Bruno Kessler VUVHD3 SiPMs specifically designed for nEXO, as well as new measurements on new test samples of previously characterised Hamamatsu VUV4 Multi Pixel Photon Counters (MPPCs). Various SiPM and MPPC parameters, such as dark noise, gain, direct crosstalk, correlated avalanches and photon detection efficiency were measured as a function of the applied over voltage and wavelength at liquid xenon temperature (163 K). The results from this study are used to provide updated estimates of the achievable energy resolution at the decay Q-value for the nEXO design.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Boosting background suppression in the NEXT experiment through Richardson-Lucy deconvolution

Next-generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiments aim for half-life sensitivities of ~ 10 27 yr, requiring suppressing backgrounds to < 1 count/tonne/yr. For this, any extra background rejection handle, beyond excellent energy resolution and the use of extremely radiopure materials, is of utmost importance. The NEXT experiment exploits differences in the spatial ionization patterns of double beta decay and single-electron events to discriminate signal from background. While the former display two Bragg peak dense ionization regions at the opposite ends of the track, the latter typically have only one such feature. Thus, comparing the energies at the track extremes provides an additional rejection tool. The unique combination of the topology-based background discrimination and excellent energy resolution (1% FWHM at the Q-value of the decay) is the distinguishing feature of NEXT. Previous studies demonstrated a topological background rejection factor of ~ 5 when reconstructing electron-positron pairs in the 208Tl 1.6 MeV double escape peak (with Compton events as background), recorded in the NEXT-White demonstrator at the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc, with 72% signal efficiency. This was recently improved through the use of a deep convolutional neural network to yield a background rejection factor of ~ 10 with 65% signal efficiency. Here, we present a new reconstruction method, based on the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm, which allows reversing the blurring induced by electron diffusion and electroluminescence light production in the NEXT TPC. The new method yields highly refined 3D images of reconstructed events, and, as a result, significantly improves the topological background discrimination. When applied to real-data 1.6 MeV e - e + pairs, it leads to a background rejection factor of 27 at 57% signal efficiency.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Searches for CE ν NS and physics beyond the standard model using Skipper-CCDs at CONNIE

The Coherent Neutrino-Nucleus Interaction Experiment (CONNIE) aims to detect the coherent scattering ( CE ν NS ) of reactor antineutrinos off silicon nuclei using thick fully depleted high-resistivity silicon CCDs. Two Skipper-CCD sensors with subelectron readout noise capability were installed at the experiment next to the Angra-2 reactor in 2021, making CONNIE the first experiment to employ Skipper-CCDs for reactor neutrino detection. We report on the performance of the Skipper-CCDs, the new data processing, data quality, and event selection for CE ν NS interactions, which enable CONNIE to reach a record low detection threshold of 15 eV. The data were collected over 300 days in 2021–2022 and correspond to exposures of 14.9 g-days with the reactor-on and 3.5 g-days with the reactor-off. The difference between the reactor-on and off event rates shows no excess and yields upper limits for the neutrino interaction rates, comparable with previous CONNIE limits from standard CCDs and higher exposures. Searches for new neutrino interactions beyond the Standard Model improve the previous CONNIE limit on a simplified model with light vector mediators. A first dark matter (DM) search by diurnal modulation by CONNIE obtains the best limits on the DM-electron scattering cross section by a surface-level experiment. These promising results, obtained using a very small-mass sensor, illustrate the potential of Skipper-CCDs to probe rare neutrino interactions and motivate the plans to increase the detector mass in the near future.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Search for lepton-flavor-violating τ decays into a lepton and a vector meson using the full Belle data sample

Charged-lepton-flavor-violation is predicted in several new physics scenarios. We update the analysis of τ lepton decays into a light charged lepton (ℓ = e ± or μ ± ) and a vector meson (V 0 = ρ 0 , Φ, ω, K *0 , or $\overline{K}$ *0 ) using 980 fb -1 of data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB collider. No significant excess of such signal events is observed, and thus 90% credibility level upper limits are set on the τ → ℓV 0 branching fractions in the range of (1.7–4.3) × 10 -8 . These limits are improved by 30% on average from the previous results.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Constraints on the Decay of 180⁢𝑚 Ta

180m Ta is a rare nuclear isomer whose decay has never been observed. Its remarkably long lifetime surpasses the half-lives of all other known β and electron capture decays due to the large K-spin differences and small energy differences between the isomeric and lower energy states. Detecting its decay presents a significant experimental challenge but could shed light on neutrino-induced nucleosynthesis mechanisms, the nature of dark matter and K-spin violation. For this study, we repurposed the Majorana Demonstrator, an experimental search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76 Ge using an array of high-purity germanium detectors, to search for the decay of 180m Ta. More than 17 kilograms, the largest amount of tantalum metal ever used for such a search was installed within the ultra-low background Majorana Demonstrator detector array. In this paper we present results from the first year of Ta data taking and provide an updated limit for the 180m Ta half-life on the different decay channels. With new limits up to 1.5 × 10 19 years, we improved existing limits by one to two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, this result is the most sensitive search for a single β and electron capture decay ever achieved.

150 ≤ A ≤ 189↗
DOE OSTI2025

Creating Favorable Pt/Co Interfaces via a Two‐Step Approach for Constructing Highly Durable PtCo Intermetallic Fuel Cell Catalysts

Structurally ordered PtCo intermetallics are one of the most promising oxygen-reduction catalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) due to their intrinsically improved catalytic activity and stability relative to PtCo solid-solution alloys. However, increasing the heating temperature to achieve a desirable high degree of ordering results in severe particle agglomeration and low mass activity and stability. Herein, a two-step synthesis approach is developed to create an L1 2 -Pt 3 Co intermetallic structure with an increased ordering degree and well-dispersed ultrafine particles. The first step of the synthesis yields ultrafine Pt nanoparticles that are well-dispersed on the ZIF-8-derived carbon support. The second adsorption step enables us to fine-tune the Pt and Co interfaces, assisted by optimal amino acids, to establish a favorable Co-rich environment around fine Pt nanoparticles, facilitating Co diffusion into the Pt crystalline under mild thermal conditions (<800 °C). In conclusion, this two-step ordered L1 2 -Pt 3 Co catalyst is systematically evaluated using membrane electrode assemblies under heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) conditions and demonstrated exceptional performance and durability, retaining 1.35 A cm -2 only a 7% loss in current density at 0.7 V after an extensive accelerated stress test of 150,000 voltage cycles.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Understanding the Performance Gap between Polycrystalline and Single-Crystal Nickel-Rich Layered Oxide Cathodes

Singe-crystal (SC) nickel-rich layered oxide cathodes, composed of boundary-free particles with high tap density, offer significant advantages in volumetric energy density and mechanical strength compared with polycrystalline (PC) cathode materials. However, as the nickel content increases (≥80%), SC Ni-rich cathodes often suffer from faster performance degradation than PC cathodes of the same composition, and the underlying causes of this discrepancy remain poorly understood. Herein, we reveal the distinct Ni redox behaviors that govern the electrochemical performance of SC and PC Ni-rich cathodes using multiscale and operando characterization techniques. Our results indicate that the increasingly heterogeneous Ni oxidation process in SC cathodes leads to the additional irreversible oxygen redox activity that deteriorates both the mechanical and chemical structures. In contrast, PC cathodes, despite with more pronounced surface reconstruction, exhibit greater chemomechanical stability due to homogeneous redox reactions during charging. Consequently, we find that bulk degradation, more than surface reactions, ultimately leads to fast capacity decay of SC Ni-rich cathodes during cycling. In conclusion, this work offers a comprehensive view on the impact of Ni redox evolutions on the chemomechanical stability in Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes, providing new insights into the longstanding performance gap between SC and PC cathodes, and guiding the rational design of Ni-rich cathode architectures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

The meV-resolved Inelastic X-ray Scattering Beamline at NSLS-II: Design and Performance

The ultrahigh resolution inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) beamline at NSLS-II is designed and built to achieve sub-meV resolution at a moderate energy of 9.13 keV for IXS experiments with high momentum resolution and high spectral contrast. The key instrument is a novel spectrometer featuring a new type of analyzer optics, which combines post-sample collimation with angular dispersive crystal optics. As the first user instrument of its kind, the spectrometer has demonstrated unique research capabilities in exploring low momentum transfer (Q), THz dynamics in soft material systems characterized by mesoscopic heterogeneity and complexity, such as liquid crystals and bio-membranes. Ongoing efforts to improve performance since the start of user operations have resulted in a state-of-the-art energy resolution in routine operations of less than 1.4 meV, with sharp Gaussian-like tails, making it a premier IXS spectrometer for studying the dynamics of soft materials, while also delivering competitive performance for investigating phonon dynamics in hard condensed matter systems, including a broad range of quantum materials.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Bound states of Ω baryons in light nuclei

Here, we investigate bound states of light Ω 3⁢𝑥 clusters (𝑥=𝑠,𝑐), motivated by the Ω 3⁢𝑠 ⁢𝑁 potential recently developed by the HAL QCD collaboration. To regularize this potential, we remove the deeply attractive core at 𝑟 < 0.4 fm and parametrize the long-range component (𝑟 > 0.4 fm) using a two-range Gaussian form. This procedure preserves the relevant two-body bound-state energy while having a negligible effect on the Ω 3⁢𝑠⁢ 𝑁⁢𝑁 and Ω 3⁢𝑠⁢ Ω 3⁢𝑠 ⁢𝑁 systems. An effective Ω 3⁢𝑠 ⁢𝛼 potential is then constructed by fitting a two-range Gaussian function to the long-range component of the folding potential, enabling calculations of the bound-state energies of the Ω 3⁢𝑠⁢ 𝛼, Ω 3⁢𝑠⁢ 𝛼⁢𝛼, and Ω 3⁢𝑠 ⁢Ω 3⁢𝑠 ⁢𝛼 systems. The regularization procedure leads to a substantial reduction in bound-state energies compared to those obtained with the original potential. We further extend the analysis to Ω 3⁢𝑐 -cluster systems by introducing an Ω 3⁢𝑐 ⁢𝑁 interaction, derived by comparing the existing Ω 3⁢𝑠⁢ Ω 3⁢𝑠 and Ω 3⁢𝑐 ⁢Ω 3⁢𝑐 potentials. Our results suggest that several parametrizations predict bound states in Ω 3⁢𝑐 -containing clusters. Finally, the Ω 3⁢𝑠 ⁢Ω 3⁢𝑠 interaction is described using a contactlike potential approach, motivated by the effective field theory.

binding energy & masses↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sensitivity projections for a dual-phase argon TPC optimized for light dark matter searches through the ionization channel

Dark matter lighter than 10 GeV / c 2 encompasses a promising range of candidates. A conceptual design for a new detector, DarkSide-LowMass, is presented, based on the DarkSide-50 detector and progress toward DarkSide-20k, optimized for a low-threshold electron-counting measurement. Sensitivity to light dark matter is explored for various potential energy thresholds and background rates. These studies show that DarkSide-LowMass can achieve sensitivity to light dark matter down to the solar neutrino fog for GeV-scale masses and significant sensitivity down to 10 MeV / c 2 considering the Migdal effect or interactions with electrons. Requirements for optimizing the detector’s sensitivity are explored, as are potential sensitivity gains from modeling and mitigating spurious electron backgrounds that may dominate the signal at the lowest energies.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

SENSEI at SNOLAB: Single-Electron Event Rate and Implications for Dark Matter

We present results from data acquired by the SENSEI experiment at SNOLAB after a major upgrade in May 2023, which includes deploying 16 new sensors and replacing the copper trays that house the CCDs with a new light-tight design. We observe a single-electron event rate of (1.39±0.11)×10^{-5} e^{-}/pix/day, corresponding to (39.8±3.1) e^{-}/gram/day. This is an order-of-magnitude improvement compared to the previous lowest single-electron rate in a silicon detector and the lowest for any photon detector in the wavelength range between near-infrared and ultraviolet. We use these data to obtain a 90% confidence level upper bound of 1.53×10^{-5} e^{-}/pix/day and to set constraints on sub-GeV dark matter candidates that produce single-electron events. We hypothesize that the data taken at SNOLAB in the previous run, with an older tray design for the sensors, contained a larger rate of single-electron events due to light leaks. We test this hypothesis using data from the SENSEI detector located in the MINOS cavern at Fermilab.

dark matter↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hadronic Vacuum Polarization for the Muon 𝑔 − 2 from Lattice QCD: Long-Distance and Full Light-Quark Connected Contribution

We present results for the dominant light-quark connected contribution to the long-distance window of the hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) contribution to the muon 𝑔 − 2 from lattice quantum chromodynamics. Specifically, with a new determination of the lattice scale on MILC’s physical-mass HISQ ensembles, using the Ω− baryon mass, we obtain a result of 𝑎$^{𝑙⁢𝑙,LD}_{𝜇}$⁡(conn) = 400.2⁢(2.3) stat ⁢(3.7) syst ⁢[4.3] total × 10 −10 . Summing this result with our recent determinations of the light-quark connected contributions to the short- and intermediate-distance windows, we obtain a subpercent precision determination of the light-quark-connected contribution to HVP of 𝑎$^{𝑙⁢𝑙}_{𝜇}$⁡(conn) = 655.2⁢(2.3) stat ⁢(3.9) syst ⁢[4.5]total×10 −10 . Finally, as a consistency check, we verify that an independent analysis of the full contribution is in agreement with the sum of individual windows. We discuss our future plans for improvements of our HVP calculations to meet the target precision of the Fermilab 𝑔 − 2 experiment.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nuclear Recoil Calibration at Sub-keV Energies in LUX and Its Impact on Dark Matter Search Sensitivity

Dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) detectors offer heightened sensitivities for dark matter detection across a spectrum of particle masses. To broaden their capability to low-mass dark matter interactions, we investigated the light and charge responses of liquid xenon (LXe) to sub-keV nuclear recoils. Using neutron events from a pulsed Adelphi Deuterium-Deuterium neutron generator, an in situ calibration was conducted on the LUX detector. We demonstrate direct measurements of light and charge yields down to 0.45 keV and 0.27 keV, respectively, both approaching single quanta production, the physical limit of LXe detectors. Furthermore, these results hold significant implications for the future of dual-phase xenon TPCs in detecting low-mass dark matter via nuclear recoils.

Dark matter detectors↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pt Particles on a Dynamic TiO 2 Support in Near-Ambient Conditions−Disentangling Size, Pressure, and Support Effects

Platinum particles on reducible oxides are known to form complex and highly dynamic catalyst systems at elevated pressures and temperatures, often adopting active structures that differ from those found at room temperature and under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). Here, we study the oxidation and structural evolution of subnanometer Pt clusters and nanoparticles supported on rutile TiO 2 (110) across an oxygen pressure range from UHV to 0.1 mbar, using near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under UHV and NAP conditions, and low-energy ion scattering (LEIS). Our results reveal distinct differences in oxidation behavior and thermal stability between Pt nanoparticles and clusters, which are further modulated by the support stoichiometry and oxygen pressure. Small Pt clusters become oxidized even at room temperature but are susceptible to accelerated sintering in 0.1 mbar O 2 at elevated temperatures. In contrast, well-crystallized Pt nanoparticles on near-stoichiometric TiO 2 show weaker oxidation. On a reduced, defective TiO 2 support, Pt instead quickly becomes deeply buried by new titania layers, which are formed during support reoxidation. This process appears to result primarily from interactions of the support with the gas phase, unlike the classical, selflimited encapsulation that is induced by the strong metal−support interaction (SMSI). Finally, we address the full complexity of real catalysts in a direct side-by-side comparison of the single-crystalline model system with a Pt-loaded TiO 2 powder catalyst (P25). We conclude that the stoichiometry of the model supports must be carefully chosen and controlled to accurately reproduce the expected state of powder supports during redox reactions.

metal nanoparticles↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhancing nanoscale charged colloid crystallization near a metastable liquid binodal

Achieving predictive control over crystallization using non-classical nucleation while avoiding kinetic traps would be a step towards designing materials with new functionalities. We address these challenges by inducing the bottom-up assembly of nanocrystals into ordered arrays, or superlattices. Using electrostatics—rather than density—to tune the interactions between particles, we watch self-assembly proceed through a metastable liquid phase. Here, we systematically investigate the phase behaviour as a function of quench conditions in situ and in real time using small-angle X-ray scattering. By fitting to colloid, liquid and superlattice models, we extract the time evolution of each phase and the system phase diagram, which we find to be consistent with short-range attractive interactions. Using the predictive power of the phase diagram, we establish control of the self-assembly rate over three orders of magnitude, and we identify one- and two-step self-assembly regimes, with only the latter implicating the metastable liquid as an intermediate. The presence of the metastable liquid increases the superlattice formation rate relative to the equivalent one-step pathway, and the superlattice order increases with the rate, revealing a generalizable kinetic strategy for promoting and enhancing ordered assembly.

Tanner, Christian P. N. [University of California,↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nuclear modification factor of light neutral-meson spectra up to high transverse momentum in p–Pb collisions at s NN = 8.16 TeV

Neutral pion (π 0 ) and η meson production cross sections were measured up to unprecedentedly high transverse momenta (p T ) in p–Pb collisions at √ s NN = 8.16 TeV. The mesons were reconstructed via their two-photon decay channel in the rapidity interval –1.3 < y < 0.3 in the ranges of 0.4 < p T < 200 GeV/c and 1.0 < p T < 50 GeV/c, respectively. The respective nuclear modification factor (R pPb ) is presented for p T up to of 200 and 30 GeV/c, where the former was achieved by extending the π 0 measurement in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV using the merged cluster technique. The values of R pPb are below unity for p T < 10 GeV/c, while they are consistent with unity for p T > 10 GeV/c, leaving essentially no room for final state energy loss. The new data provide strong constraints for nuclear parton distribution and fragmentation functions over a broad kinematic range and are compared to model predictions as well as previous results at √ s NN = 5.02 TeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗