Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “vector mesons”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of the near-threshold 𝐽/𝜓 photoproduction cross section with the CLAS12 experiment

We present measurements of the total and differential cross sections for near-threshold 𝐽/𝜓 photoproduction obtained with the CLAS12 detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The results are based on data collected during the fall 2018 and spring 2019 running periods, using electron beams with energies of 10.6 and 10.2 GeV, respectively, scattered off a liquid-hydrogen target. Near-threshold 𝐽/𝜓 photoproduction offers a unique sensitivity to the strong interaction in the nonperturbative regime of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The energy dependence of the cross section constrains the underlying 𝐽/𝜓 production mechanisms, including multigluon exchange and potential baryonic excitations. Additionally, the 𝑡 dependence of the differential cross section can be related to the transverse spatial distribution of gluons in the proton, providing critical input for theoretical descriptions of the gluonic structure of the proton. An interpretation of the results in terms of the gluon content of the proton is presented, providing new experimental constraints on QCD-inspired models of the proton structure and the role of gluonic degrees of freedom in hadronic mass generation.

form factors↗
DOE OSTI2026

Global Bayesian analysis of J/𝜓 photoproduction on proton and lead targets

We perform a global Bayesian analysis of diffractive J/𝜓 production in 𝛾 + 𝑝 and 𝛾 + Pb collisions using a color glass condensate (CGC) based calculation framework. As past calculations have shown that CGC-based models typically overpredict the J/𝜓 production in 𝛾 + Pb collisions at high center of mass energy, we address the question of whether it is possible to describe coherent and incoherent diffractive J/𝜓 data from 𝛾 + 𝑝 collisions at Hadron–Electron Ring Accelerator (HERA) and the LHC, and from 𝛾 + Pb collisions at the LHC simultaneously. Our results indicate that a simultaneous description of 𝛾 + 𝑝 and 𝛾 + Pb data is challenging, with results improving when an overall 𝐾-factor—scaling 𝛾 + 𝑝 and 𝛾 + Pb cross sections to absorb model uncertainties—is introduced.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Exclusive J / ψ , ψ ( 2 s ) , and e + e - pair production in Au + Au ultraperipheral collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Measurements of exclusive J/ψ, ψ(2⁢s), and electron-positron (e + ⁢e - ) pair photoproduction in Au+Au ultraperipheral collisions are reported by the STAR experiment at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200GeV. Here, we report several first measurements at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which are (i) J/ψ photoproduction with large momentum transfer up to 2.2⁢(GeV/c) 2 , (ii) coherent J/ψ photoproduction associated with neutron emissions from nuclear breakup, (iii) the rapidity dependence of incoherent J/ψ photoproduction, (iv) the ψ⁡(2⁢s) photoproduction cross section at midrapidity, and (v) e + ⁢e - pair photoproduction up to high invariant mass of 6GeV/c 2 . For measurement (ii), the coherent J/ψ total cross section of γ + Au → J/ψ + Au as a function of the center-of-mass energy W γN has been obtained without photon energy ambiguities. The data are quantitatively compared with the Monte Carlo models STARlight, Sartre, BeAGLE, and theoretical calculations of gluon saturation with color glass condensate, nuclear shadowing with leading twist approximation, quantum electrodynamics, and the next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD. At the photon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 25.0 GeV, the coherent and incoherent J/ψ cross sections of Au nuclei are found to be 71% ± 10% and 36% ± 7%, respectively, of that of free protons. These data provide an important experimental constraint for nuclear parton distribution functions and a unique opportunity to advance the understanding of the nuclear modification effect at the top RHIC energy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

$η(') → π0γγ$ decays: Test of meson exchange models and searches of leptophobic $B$ bosons

We analyze the vector and scalar meson exchange contributions to the doubly radiative decays $η(') → π0γγ$ and $η → ηγγ$, and study the sensitivity of these decays to a leptophobic B boson in the sub-GeV mass range. Our results are relevant for studies of these decays at existing (A2, BESIII, KLOE-2) and forthcoming $η/η'$-factories, such as the JEF and REDTOP experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Light and Strange Vector Resonances from Lattice QCD at Physical Quark Masses

We present the first ab initio calculation at physical quark masses of scattering amplitudes describing the lightest pseudoscalar mesons interacting via the strong force in the vector channel. Using lattice quantum chromodynamics, we postdict the defining parameters for two short-lived resonances, the ρ(770) and K*(892) which manifest as complex energy poles in ππ and Kπ scattering amplitudes, respectively. The calculation proceeds by first computing the finite-volume energy spectrum of the two-hadron systems and then determining the amplitudes from the energies using the Lüscher formalism. The error budget includes a data-driven systematic error, obtained by scanning possible fit ranges and fit models to extract the spectrum from Euclidean correlators, as well as the scattering amplitudes from the latter. The final results, obtained by analytically continuing multiple parametrizations into the complex energy plane, are M ρ = 796(5)(50)MeV, Γ ρ = 192(10)(31) MeV, M K* = 893(2)(54) MeV, and Γ K = 51(2)(11) MeV, where the subscript indicates the resonance and M and Γ stand for the mass and width, respectively, and where the first bracket indicates the statistical and the second bracket the systematic uncertainty.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Exploring Resonance Structures in the Partial-Wave Analysis of ¿p0 Photoproduction at GlueX

This thesis studies what happens when a photon (¿) collides with a proton (p) and produces a neutral omega (¿) and pion (p0) pair, with a recoiling proton (p'), expressed as ¿p ¿ ¿p0p'. We study this and other reactions to better understand the strong nuclear force; one of the four fundamental forces that govern all the physics of the universe. This force is specifically responsible for the binding and decay of subatomic particles, such as the ones here. While we understand the ¿ and p0, what we are actually interested in is a short-lived unknown particle X that decays via X ¿ ¿p0. There are a multitude of possible particles X can be, and so our focus in this work is to find out what X is by determining its properties from the particles we measure. We do this via an intricate analysis procedure known as “partial-wave analysis”. By analogy, one can think of our particle detector as a buoy, and the particles we want to analyze (X) as pebbles hitting a pond. The waves created by the pebble will move our buoy, giving us information about the pebble that produced the wave. However, when multiple pebbles hit our pond, the waves overlap and interfere with each other. Our buoy only can measure the complicated interfering result of all the waves. To disentangle this, our partial-wave analysis works by modeling this interference pattern so that we may infer the properties of the pebbles (particles) we produced. In this thesis, we review the relevant experimental history in photoproduction and related production mechanisms, as well as the theoretical foundations that motivate our measurement. We describe the methods used to collect our data at the GlueX experiment stationed at the Jefferson Lab accelerator facility in Newport News, Virginia. We then detail the selections we apply to ensure our events are almost exclusively ¿p ¿ ¿p0p'. We cover the intensity model, how we verify its capabilities, and finally present our results together with systematic studies. Our primary result is the detection of a b1(1235) meson interfering with a wide JPC = 1-- vector state, measured via a mass-independent partial-wave analysis. It provides precise experimental results that can be used as input for theoretical models of the reaction, yielding conclusions about the procedures responsible for how our universe behaves at its most basic level.

Scheuer, Kevin [College of William and Mary, Willi↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the Photoproduction Cross-Section of f1(1285) in the Exclusive Reactions p¿ p'K±KSp± AT 7.5 < E¿ < 11.5 GeV with GlueX at Jefferson Lab

The f1(1285) meson is commonly understood to belong to the axial-vector nonet as the low-mass isoscalar partner to the f1(1420) but has been suggested as a candidate for a KK?+c.c molecule. A nearly mass-degenerate 0?+ state has been observed in ? p scattering that calls into question the established branching ratios of the f1(1285) decays. Recently, the differential cross-section for the photoproduction of f1(1285) was measured by the CLAS experiment and the results disagreed with theoretical predictions. Additionally, the CLAS experiment did not observe a mass-degenerate 0?+ state. We present the results of the first photoproduction cross-section measurement d?/dt of f1(1285) at 7.5 < E? < 11.5 GeV from the GlueX experiment at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in the reactions ? p ? p?K?Ks?+ and ? p ? p?K+Ks??. We find that the production mechanism of f1(1285) is consistent with t-channel exchange. We also observe a difference in the differential cross-section of f1(1285) as a function of ?t as measured in the charge conjugated K?Ks?± decay modes that we hypothesize to be due to baryonic N? interference. The observed distributions of M(KK) and M(K?) are consistent with both a q ¯ q state and predictions for a KK?+c.c molecular state. Additionally, we find that the cross-section at low M(KK?) is dominated by the 1++ state.

Viducic, Tyler↗
DOE OSTI2025

Amplitude Analysis of ωπ0 Photoproduction at GlueX

spectrum of light mesons produced from a linearly polarized photon beam. The production and decays of a light meson resonance X such as γp → Xp′ →ωπ0p′ can be modeled with polarized vector-pseudoscalar ampli- tudes, which can describe the contribution of individual amplitudes to the total measured intensity. The status of mass-independent fits to the ωπ0 mass spectrum over a wide range of mass and momentum transfer−twill be presented, with an emphasis on interactions with the b1(1235) meson. We will also present in parallel an analysis of moments of the angular dis- tributions for the same process, as a means of verifying the stability of the amplitude-based results. These results will help to improve the broader knowledge of light meson states and how they are produced.

Scheuer, Kevin [College of William and Mary, Willi↗
DOE OSTI2026

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).↗
DOE OSTI2024

Timelike meson form factors beyond the elastic region from lattice QCD

We present a calculation of the vector-isovector timelike form factors of the pion and the kaon using lattice quantum chromodynamics. We calculate two-point correlation functions with m π ∼ 280 MeV , extracting both the finite-volume spectrum and matrix elements for these states created from the vacuum by a vector current. After determining the coupled-channel π π , K K ¯ scattering amplitudes, we perform the necessary correction for the significant finite-volume effects present in the current matrix elements, leading to the timelike form factors. We find these to be dominated by the presence of the ρ resonance, and we extract its decay constant by an analytic continuation of the amplitudes to the resonance pole. In addition, the spacelike pion form factor is determined on the same lattice configurations, and a dispersive parametrization is used to simultaneously describe the spacelike and elastic timelike regions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

New physics particles mixing with mesons: Production in the fragmentation chain

A class of extensions to the Standard Model adds hypothetical long-lived particles (LLPs) that have mass- or kinetic-mixing with neutral mesons, such as pions or rho mesons. The mixing can contribute significantly to the production of LLPs at proton accelerator experiments, and no consistent description of these production modes exists in the literature. In this paper, we develop a framework for studying different LLPs—dark photons, vector mediators coupled to the baryon current, and axionlike particles with different coupling patterns. In particular, we implement the production mechanisms in PYTHIA 8, study how the overall flux and kinematic distributions depend on the LLP’s mass, and compare various subprocesses where the mixing contributes—proton bremsstrahlung, meson decay, and production in the fragmentation chain. We find that our new description of LLP production predicts an integrated flux that differs from current approaches by one to two orders of magnitude, and highlight the unavoidable theoretical uncertainties coming from poor knowledge of the properties of heavy mesons.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Limits on W R from Meson Decays

In this Letter we show that pseudoscalar meson leptonic decay data can be used to set stringent limits on the mass $m$ W$_{R}$ of a right-handed vector boson, such as the one that appears in left-right symmetric models. We have shown that for a heavy neutrino with a mass $m_N$ in the range 50 < $m_N$/MeV < 1900 one can constraint $m$ W$_{R}$ ≳ (4–19) TeV at 90% CL. This provides the most stringent experimental limits on the $W_R$ mass to date for this heavy neutrino mass range.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

$B \to π$, $B_{(s)} \to D_{(s)}$ from 2+1+1 Flavor Lattice QCD

We present a lattice-QCD calculation of the hadronic form factors for $B$-meson semileptonic decays computed using the highly improved staggered quark action for both valence and sea quarks on the MILC collaborations 2+1+1-flavor ensembles with lattice spacing ranging from 0.09 fm to 0.03 fm, many with physical pion masses On our finest ensembles, we compute the form factors directly at the physical $b$-quark mass. We discuss the computational setup and analysis strategies for two- and three-point correlation functions. For $B_{(s)} \to D_{(s)}$ we present preliminary results of chiral-continuum fits for the scalar and vector form factors. The goal of this project is a percent-level determination of the scalar and vector form factors to enable high-precision determinations of $|V_{ub}|$ and $|V_{cb}|$. This work fits into a broader program of lattice-QCD studies of weak $B$-meson decays by the Fermilab Lattice and MILC Collaborations.

Cassar, Nicholas [Colorado State U.]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the impact-parameter dependent azimuthal anisotropy in coherent $ρ$ 0 photoproduction in Pb–Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV

This Letter presents the first measurement of the impact-parameter dependent angular anisotropy in the decay of coherently photoproduced $ρ$ 0 mesons. The $ρ$ 0 mesons are reconstructed through their decay into pion pairs. The measured anisotropy corresponds to the amplitude of the cos(2φ) modulation, where φ is the angle between the two vectors formed by the sum and the difference of the transverse momenta of the pions, respectively. The measurement was performed by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC using data from ultraperipheral Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair. Different impact-parameter regions are selected by classifying the events in nuclear-breakup classes. The amplitude of the cos(2φ) modulation is found to increase by about one order of magnitude from large to small impact parameters. Theoretical calculations describe the measured cos(2φ) anisotropy and its impact-parameter dependence as the result of a quantum interference effect at the femtometer scale, arising from the ambiguity regarding which of the nuclei is the photon source in the interaction.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Coupled-channel J − − meson resonances from lattice QCD

We extend an earlier calculation within lattice QCD of excited light meson resonances with J P C = 1 − − , 2 − − , 3 − − at the S U ( 3 ) flavor point in the representation, by considering the representation. In this case the resonances appear in coupled-channel amplitudes, which we determine, establishing the relative strength of pseudoscalar-pseudoscalar to pseudoscalar-vector decays. Combining the new octet results with the prior results for the singlet, we perform a plausible extrapolation to the physical quark mass, and compare to experimental ρ J ⋆ , K J ⋆ , ω J ⋆ and ϕ J ⋆ resonances. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for emerging jets in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV with the ATLAS experiment

A search for emerging jets is presented using 51.8 fb −1 of proton–proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV, collected by the ATLAS experiment during 2022 and 2023. The search explores a hypothetical dark sector featuring ‘dark quarks’ that are charged under a confining gauge group and couple to the standard model (SM) via a new mediator particle. These dark quarks undergo showering and hadronisation within the dark sector, forming long-lived dark mesons that decay back into SM particles. This results in jets that contain multiple displaced vertices known as emerging jets. The analysis targets events with pairs of emerging jets, produced either through a vector mediator, Z′, in the s-channel, or a scalar mediator, Φ, in the t-channel. No significant excess over the SM background is observed. Assuming a dark pion proper decay length between 5 mm and 50 mm, Z′ mediator masses between 600 GeV and 2550 GeV are excluded for quark and dark quark coupling values of 0.01 and 0.1, respectively. For a quark dark-quark coupling of 0.1, Φ mediator masses between 600 GeV and 1375 GeV are excluded. These results represent the first direct search targeting emerging jet pair production via a Z′ mediator, as well as the first study of emerging jet production mediated by a scalar particle exchanged in the t-channel.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Exploring the hidden valley at MATHUSLA

Hidden valley models naturally predict numerous long-lived particles, the distinctive signatures of which would be compelling evidence for a hidden valley scenario. As these are typically low-energy particles, they pose a challenge in terms of passing energy triggers in traditional searches at the Large Hadron Collider. The MATHUSLA (MAssive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra-Stable neutraL pArticles) experiment is specifically designed for the purpose of detecting long-lived particles. It also has the capability of detecting lower energy particles relative to ATLAS and CMS. In this paper, we assess MATHUSLA's potential for effectively probing hidden valley models. As a benchmark, we assume the hidden valley sector communicates with Standard Model sectors via a heavy vector propagator that couples to Standard Model quarks as well as hidden valley quarks. We model the showering and hadronization in the hidden valley sector using PYTHIA and study the detector acceptance as a function of the hidden valley meson's lifetime. We find that MATHUSLA possesses significant capabilities to explore previously uncharted parameter space within hidden valley models.

Hidden sector↗
DOE OSTI2025

Amplitude Analysis of $\omega\pi^0$ Photoproduction at GlueX

Excited meson states can often lie hidden within mass spectra beneath more dominant resonances, making it difficult to extract their physical properties. We can unveil these states through amplitude analysis, which disentangles the overlapping states via fits to their unique production and decay angular distributions. Understanding the light-meson spectrum is essential for confirming Lattice QCD predictions, especially in regards to the search for possible hybrid mesons. The Gluonic Excitation (GlueX) experiment at Jefferson Lab aids this search by studying the production of excited light mesons in $\gamma p$ interactions in the 8.2 - 8.8 GeV photon-beam energy range. We show in these proceedings preliminary results of an amplitude analysis of a large $\omega\pi^0$ dataset, concentrating on measuring the interference between the $b_1(1235)$ and an excited $J^{PC}=1^{--}$ vector resonance.

Scheuer, Kevin↗