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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.

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At least 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Anomalous losses of energetic particles in the presence of an oscillating radial electric field in fusion plasmas

The confinement of energetic particles in nuclear fusion devices is studied in the presence of an oscillating radial electric field and an axisymmetric magnetic equilibrium. Here, it is shown that, despite the poloidal and toroidal symmetries, initially integrable orbits turn into chaotic regions that can potentially intercept the wall of the tokamak, leading to particle losses. It is observed that the losses exhibit algebraic time decay different from the expected exponential decay characteristic of radial diffusive transport. A dynamical explanation of this behaviour is presented, within the continuous time random walk theory. The central point of the analysis is based on the fact that, contrary to the radial displacement, the poloidal angle is not bounded and a proper statistical analysis can therefore be made, showing for the first time that energetic particle transport can be super-diffusive in the poloidal direction and characterised by asymmetric poloidal displacement. The connection between poloidal and radial positions ensured by the conservation of the toroidal canonical momentum, implies that energetic particles spend statistically more time in the inner region of the tokamak than in the outer one, which explains the observed algebraic decay. This indicates that energetic particles might be efficiently slowed down by the thermal population before leaving the system. Also, the asymmetric transport reveals a new possible mechanism of self-generation of momentum.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Test of Light-Lepton Universality in the Rates of Inclusive Semileptonic B-Meson Decays at Belle II

We present the first measurement of the ratio of branching fractions of inclusive semileptonic B -meson decays, R ( X e / μ ) = B ( B → X e ν ) / B ( B → X μ ν ) , a precision test of electron-muon universality, using data corresponding to 189 fb - 1 from electron-positron collisions collected with the Belle II detector. In events where the partner B meson is fully reconstructed, we use fits to the lepton momentum spectra above 1.3 GeV / c to obtain R ( X e / μ ) = 1.007 ± 0.009 ( stat ) ± 0.019 ( syst ) , which is the most precise lepton-universality test of its kind and agrees with the standard-model expectation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Constraints on lepton number violation with the 2 tonne · year CUORE dataset

Matter-antimatter asymmetry underlines the incompleteness of the current understanding of particle physics. Neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) may help explain this asymmetry while unveiling the Majorana nature of the neutrino. The CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment searches for 0νββ of 130 Te using a tonne-scale cryogenic calorimeter operated at milli-kelvin temperatures. We report no evidence of 0νββ and place a lower limit on the half-life of T 1/2 > 3.5 × 10 25 years (90% credibility interval) with over 2 tonne·years of TeO 2 exposure. Finally, the tools and techniques developed for this result and the 5-year stable operation of nearly 1000 detectors demonstrate crucial infrastructure for future-generation experiments capable of searching for 0νββ across multiple isotopes.

Adams, D. Q. [Department of Physics and Astronomy,↗
DOE OSTI2023

Simulation-based anomaly detection for multileptons at the LHC

Decays of Higgs boson-like particles into multileptons is a well-motivated process for investigating physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). A unique feature of this final state is the precision with which the SM is known. As a result, simulations are used directly to estimate the background. Current searches consider specific models and typically focus on those with a single free parameter to simplify the analysis and interpretation. In this paper, we explore recent proposals for signal model agnostic searches using machine learning in the multilepton final state. These tools can be used to simultaneously search for many models, some of which have no dedicated search at the Large Hadron Collider. We find that the machine learning methods offer broad coverage across parameter space beyond where current searches are sensitive, with a necessary loss of performance compared to dedicated searches by only about one order of magnitude.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Generalized eikonal identities for charged currents

Abstract We discuss QED radiative corrections to contact operators coupling two heavy fields and one light field. These operators appear ubiquitously in weak interactions with nuclei such as beta decay and neutrino nucleus scattering. New eikonal identities are derived in the static limit (i.e., neglecting nuclear recoil) that allow for manifest power counting of enhancements proportional to the charge of the nucleus. We apply these new identities to nuclear beta decays and find that the “independent particle model” used by Jaus, Rasche, Sirlin & Zucchini is closely related, though not identical, to a model independent effective field theorcalculation.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Simulating the effects of warm O + ions on the growth of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are believed to play a crucial role in the dynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere. It has been widely accepted that plasma compositions can influence the growth rate of EMIC waves in the inner magnetosphere, but how warm O + ions change the wave growth rate is not well known. In this study, we investigate the impact of ring current O + concentration on the EMIC growth rate during a specific storm when the O + ion flux significantly increases. We calculate the growth rate of EMIC waves by using physics-based ion distributions output from the Ring current–Atmosphere interactions Model with Self-Consistent magnetic (B) and Electric (E) fields (RAM-SCBE) model. The percentage of warm O + is parametrically varied to examine how the maximum EMIC growth rate changes over time and how the global distribution of the maximum EMIC growth rate is affected. We found that the maximum growth rate of H-band appears in the dusk-to-midnight sector near the plasmapause, while O-band is excited at a slightly outer region. The maximum growth rate of He-band is closely related to the cold plasma density. With the increase of warm O + density, the maximum growth rate of H-band and He-band EMIC wave is reduced, while that of O-band EMIC wave is increased, and the region with this wave excitation is widened. Furthermore, such variation in the maximum EMIC growth rate implies a potential impact on the associated wave–particle interactions and change of the decay rate in the ring current.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of 17 N as a time-tagged neutron source for calibration of large antineutrino detectors

Large antineutrino detectors hold the potential for remote nuclear reactor monitoring and discovery, which is of great interest for nonproliferation and treaty verification applications. Correlated-particle calibration sources are especially useful for large-volume designs based on detection of inverse beta-decay events, as the timing information of the coincident particles improves background rejection and event reconstruction. 17 N is a promising calibration source since it emits beta-correlated delayed neutrons and can be produced relatively easily using high-energy neutrons. In this work, we examine the feasibility of 17 N as a time-tagged calibration source for large antineutrino detectors. 17 N was produced using a DT neutron generator from a water sample enriched in 17 O, and the observed production rates were found to be consistent with previous measurements of the 17 O(n,p) 17 N reaction cross-section. As a result, time-tagging of 17 N delayed neutrons is demonstrated via beta-neutron coincidence measurements conducted using a specialized beta detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the $K^{+} → π^{+} γγ$ decay

A sample of 3984 candidates of the $K^{+} → π^{+} γγ$ decay, with an estimated background of 291 ± 14 events, was collected by the NA62 experiment at CERN during 2017–2018. In order to describe the observed di-photon mass spectrum, the next-to-leading order contribution in chiral perturbation theory was found to be necessary. The decay branching ratio in the full kinematic range is measured to be (9.61 ± 0.17) x 10 -7 . The first search for production and prompt decay of an axion-like particle with gluon coupling in the process $K^{+} → π^{+} a$, $a → γγ$ is also reported.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Review of top quark mass measurements in CMS

The top quark mass is one of the most intriguing parameters of the standard model (SM). Its value indicates a Yukawa coupling close to unity, and the resulting strong ties to Higgs physics make the top quark mass a crucial ingredient for understanding essential aspects of the electroweak sector of the SM. This review offers the first comprehensive overview of the top quark mass measurements performed by the CMS Collaboration using the data collected at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. Moreover, a detailed description of the top quark event reconstruction is provided and dedicated studies of the dominant uncertainties in the modelling of the signal processes are discussed. The interpretation of the experimental results on the top quark mass in terms of the SM Lagrangian parameter is challenging and is a focus of an ongoing discussion in the theory community. The CMS Collaboration has performed two main types of top quark mass measurements, addressing this challenge from different perspectives: highly precise ‘direct’ measurements, based on reconstructed top quark decay products and relying exclusively on Monte-Carlo simulations, as well as ‘indirect’ measurements, where the simulations are employed to determine parton-level cross sections that are compared to fixed-order perturbative calculations. Recent mass extractions using Lorentz-boosted top quarks open a new avenue of measurements based on top quark decay products contained in a single particle jet, with promising prospects for accurate theoretical interpretations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhanced resistance to decay of imprinted nanopatterns in thin films by bare nanoparticles compared to polymer-grafted nanoparticles

We extend a previous study on the influence of nanoparticles on the decay of nanoimprinted polymer film patterns to compare the effects of “bare” silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles and SiO 2 nanoparticles with grafted polymer layers having the same chemical composition as the polymer matrix. This method involves nanoimprinting substrate-supported polymer films using a pattern replicated from a digital versatile disc (DVD), and then annealing the patterned polymer nanocomposite films at elevated temperatures to follow the decay of the topographic surface pattern with time by atomic force microscopy imaging after quenching. We quantified the relaxation of the pattern height (“slumping”) and determined the relaxation time τ for this pattern decay process as a function of nanoparticle filler type and concentration to determine how nanoparticle additives influence relative film stability. Attractive interactions between the bare nanoparticles and the polymer matrix significantly enhance the thermal resilience of the nanopatterns to decay, compared to those of the particle brushes, wherein the particle core interactions are screened from the matrix via the brush layer. A novel aspect of this method is that it readily lends itself to in situ film relaxation measurements in a manufacturing context. We observe that the relaxation time of the pattern relaxation exhibits entropy–enthalpy compensation in the free energy parameters governing the pattern relaxation process as a function of temperature, irrespective of the NP system used, consistent with our previous experimental and computational studies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Low-energy physics in neutrino LArTPCs

Here, in this paper, we review scientific opportunities and challenges related to detection and reconstruction of low-energy (less than 100 MeV) signatures in liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detectors. LArTPC neutrino detectors designed for performing precise long-baseline oscillation measurements with GeV-scale accelerator neutrino beams also have unique sensitivity to a range of physics and astrophysics signatures via detection of event features at and below the few tens of MeV range. In addition, low-energy signatures are an integral part of GeV-scale accelerator neutrino interaction final-states, and their reconstruction can enhance the oscillation physics sensitivities of LArTPC experiments. New physics signals from accelerator and natural sources also generate diverse signatures in the low-energy range, and reconstruction of these signatures can increase the breadth of Beyond the Standard Model scenarios accessible in LArTPC-based searches. A variety of experimental and theory-related challenges remain to realizing this full range of potential benefits. Neutrino interaction cross-sections and other nuclear physics processes in argon relevant to sub-hundred-MeV LArTPC signatures are poorly understood, and improved theory and experimental measurements are needed; pion decay-at-rest sources and charged particle and neutron test beams are ideal facilities for improving this understanding. There are specific calibration needs in the low-energy range, as well as specific needs for control and understanding of radiological and cosmogenic backgrounds. Low-energy signatures, whether steady-state or part of a supernova burst or larger GeV-scale event topology, have specific triggering, DAQ and reconstruction requirements that must be addressed outside the scope of conventional GeV-scale data collection and analysis pathways. Novel concepts for future LArTPC technology that enhance low-energy capabilities should also be explored to help address these challenges.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solar mass primordial black holes in moduli dominated universe

In this report we explore the prospect of producing primordial black holes around the solar mass region during an early matter domination epoch. The early matter-dominated epoch can arise when a moduli field comes to dominate the energy density of the Universe prior to big bang nucleosynthesis. The absence of radiation pressure during a matter-dominated epoch enhances primordial black hole formation from the gravitational collapse of primordial density fluctuations. In particular, we find that primordial black holes are produced in the 0.1 - 10M ⊙ mass range with a favorable choice of parameters in the theory. However, they cannot explain all of the merger events detected by the LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave search. In such a case, primordial black holes form about 4% of the total dark matter abundance, of which 95% belongs to the LIGO/Virgo consistent mass range. The rest of the dark matter could be in the form of particles that are produced from the decay of the moduli field during reheating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Muon energy reconstruction for applications in neutrino astronomy in the DUNE far detector

Abstract DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) is a proposed long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment located in the United States. The main physics objectives of DUNE are to measure neutrino oscillations and interactions, search for nucleon decay, observe supernova neutrino bursts and beyond Standard Model (BSM) effects. The DUNE far detector will be located 4850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. It will house the world's largest liquid-argon time projection chambers (TPC). The DUNE far detector can detect high-energy leptons that arise from interactions of cosmogenic neutrinos and search for neutrinos originating from the decay of weakly-interactive massive particles (WIMPs) annihilations occurring inside the Sun. Selecting upward-going muons reduces the background from cosmic-ray muons. The muon energy is estimated from the electromagnetic showers accompanying the muon, a technique that allows energy reconstruction up to a few hundred TeV.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the time-integrated 𝐶⁢𝑃 asymmetry in 𝐷 0 → 𝐾$^{0}_{S}$𝐾$^{0}_{S}$ decays using opposite-side flavor tagging at Belle and Belle II

We measure the time-integrated 𝐶⁢𝑃 asymmetry in 𝐷 0 → 𝐾$^{0}_{S}$𝐾$^{0}_{S}$ decays reconstructed in 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − → $c\bar{c}$ events collected by the Belle and Belle II experiments. The corresponding data samples have integrated luminosities of 980 and 428 fb −1 , respectively. To infer the flavor of the 𝐷 0 meson, we exploit the correlation between the flavor of the reconstructed decay and the electric charges of particles reconstructed in the rest of the 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − → $c\bar{c}$ event. This results in a sample which is independent from any other previously used at Belle or Belle II. The result, 𝐴 𝐶⁢𝑃 ⁡(𝐷 0 → 𝐾$^{0}_{S}$𝐾$^{0}_{S}$)=(1.3±2.0±0.2)%, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, is consistent with previous determinations and with 𝐶⁢𝑃 symmetry.

CP violation↗
DOE OSTI2022

Shape of atomic nuclei in heavy ion collisions

In the hydrodynamic model description of heavy ion collisions, the final-state anisotropic flows v n are linearly related to the strengths of the multipole shape of the distribution of nucleons in the transverse plane, ε n : v n ∝ε n . The ε n , for n=1, 2, 3, 4, are sensitive to the shapes of the colliding ions, characterized by the quadrupole β 2 , octupole β 3 , and hexadecapole β 4 deformations. This sensitivity is investigated analytically and also in a Monte Carlo Glauber model. One observes a robust linear relation, $\langleε^{2}_{n}\rangle$ = $a^{'}_{n} + b^{'}_{n}β^{2}_{n}$, for events in a fixed centrality. The $\langleε^{2}_{1}\rangle$ has a contribution from β 3 and β 4 , and $\langleε^{2}_{3}\rangle$ from β 4 . In ultracentral collisions, there are little cross contributions between β 2 and ε 3 and between β 3 and ε 2 , but clear cross contributions are present in noncentral collisions. Additionally, $\langleε^{2}_{n}\rangle$ are insensitive to nonaxial shape parameters such as the triaxiality. This is good news because the measurements of v 2 , v 3 , and v 4 can be used to constrain simultaneously the β 2 , β 3 , and β 4 values. This is best done by comparing two colliding ions with similar mass numbers and therefore nearly identical $a^{'}_{n}$, to obtain a simple equation that relates the β n of the two species. Finally, this opens up the possibility to map the shape of the atomic nuclei at a timescale (<10 –24 s) much shorter than probed by low-energy nuclear structure physics (<10 –21 s), which ultimately may provide information complementary to that obtained in the nuclear structure experiments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

φ meson production in ρ + Al, ρ + Au, d + Au , and 3 He + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV

We report small nuclear collisions are mainly sensitive to cold-nuclear-matter effects; however, the collective behavior observed in these collisions shows a hint of hot-nuclear-matter effects. The identified-particle spectra, especially the φ mesons which contain strange and antistrange quarks and have a relatively small hadronic-interaction cross section, are a good tool to study these effects. The PHENIX experiment has measured φ mesons in a specific set of small collision systems p+Al, p+Au, and 3 He+Au, as well as d+Au at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 GeV. The transverse-momentum spectra and nuclear-modification factors are presented and compared to theoretical-model predictions. The comparisons with different calculations suggest that quark-gluon plasma may be formed in these small collision systems at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 GeV. However, the volume and the lifetime of the produced medium may be insufficient for observing strangeness-enhancement and jet-quenching effects. The comparison with calculations suggests that the main production mechanisms of φ mesons at midrapidity may be different in p+Al versus p/d/ 3 He+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 GeV. While thermal quark recombination seems to dominate in p/d/ 3 He+Au collisions, fragmentation seems to be the main production mechanism in p+Al collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗