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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Search for Low mass Higgs Portal Scalars at the MicroBooNE Detector in the NuMI Beam

The MicroBooNE experiment exploits Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) technology to detect neutrinos from two beams at Fermilab, Chicago: on-axis Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) and the off-axis Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam. While the aim of the experiment is to study the low-energy excess of electron neutrino events observed by the MiniBooNE experiment, to search for eV-scale sterile neutrinos and to characterise neutrino interactions on argon, it could also be exploited to probe Beyond Standard Model (BSM) Physics. This thesis presents a BSM search for low-mass Higgs Portal Scalars at MicroBooNE in the NuMI beam using data collected during the Run 1 and Run 3 data-taking periods with a total exposure corresponding to $7.01 \times 10^{20}$ protons on target (POT). The Higgs Portal Model is an extension to the Standard Model in which a dark-sector scalar, $S$, mixes with the Higgs boson with mixing angle $\theta$ and acquires a coupling to the Standard Model fermions via the Higgs Yukawa coupling. We search for low-mass Higgs Portal scalars, in the mass range $100-200$ MeV, at MicroBooNE via the production channel $K \rightarrow \pi + S$, where scalars are produced from kaons decaying at rest in the NuMI target and beam dump, as well as kaons decaying in flight in the decay pipe of the NuMI beam. In the MicroBooNE detector, we search for the decay channel $S \rightarrow e^+e^-$, which is the only decay channel available to the scalars in the mass range of our search. The results are expressed as limits, at the 95\% confidence level, on the scalar-Higgs mixing angle $\theta$ for scalars in the mass range $100-200$ MeV.Date of Award1 Aug 2023Original languageEnglishAwarding InstitutionThe University of ManchesterSupervisorStefan Soldner-Rembold (Supervisor) & Justin Evans (Supervisor)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Accelerating Resonance Searches via Signature-Oriented Pre-training

The search for heavy resonances beyond the Standard Model (BSM) is a key objective at the LHC. While the recent use of advanced deep neural networks for boosted-jet tagging significantly enhances the sensitivity of dedicated searches, it is limited to specific final states, leaving vast potential BSM phase space underexplored. We introduce a novel experimental method, Signature-Oriented Pre-training for Heavy-resonance ObservatioN (Sophon), which leverages deep learning to cover an extensive number of boosted final states. Pre-trained on the comprehensive JetClass-II dataset, the Sophon model learns intricate jet signatures, ensuring the optimal constructions of various jet tagging discriminates and enabling high-performance transfer learning capabilities. We show that the method can not only push widespread model-specific searches to their sensitivity frontier, but also greatly improve model-agnostic approaches, accelerating LHC resonance searches in a broad sense.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low-Energy Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering and New Physics

The interactions of low-energy neutrinos with nuclei provide a unique window to explore various Standard Model (SM) and Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) processes. In particular, the recent observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS), predicted over five decades ago, has generated significant interest across disciplines. With its high cross section and suitability for compact detectors, particularly with stopped pion neutrinos, CEvNS offers a powerful probe for light, weakly coupled new physics. Ongoing global experimental efforts now aim to leverage CEvNS to test SM predictions and search for BSM signals, where deviations in event rates or spectra could reveal new physics. We present here an estimate of the number of recoil events obtained from CEvNS using the current and upcoming liquid argon based experiments. Furthermore, the event rate due to the inclusion of neutrino magnetic moment is also discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A data-driven method to estimate the antiproton background in the Mu2e experiment

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab will search for the Charged Lepton Flavour Violating (CLFV) process of coherent, neutrinoless µ− → e − conversion in the field of an aluminum nucleus. The expected signal is a monochromatic electron with the energy of 104.97 MeV, slightly below the muon rest mass. Observation of a CLFV process would provide unambiguous evidence for Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics. Mu2e is sensitive to a wide range of BSM models and has the capability to distinguish between them, guiding us towards the most accurate models. The key features of the Mu2e experiment are: (1) a high intensity pulsed negative muon beam with about 1010 stopped µ −/s, and (2) a sophisticated superconducting solenoid system with a gradient magnetic field to form and guide the intense muon beam to the target. The Mu2e physics data taking is expected to begin in 2027. For Run I, the expected 5σ discovery sensitivity is Rµe = 1.2 × 10−15, with a total expected background of 0.11 ± 0.03 events. In the absence of a signal, the expected upper limit is Rµe < 6.2 × 10−16 at 90% CL. The success of this experiment hinges on the accurate estimation of the background from various SM processes that could provide signal-like electrons. One of the background processes is antiprotons annihilating in the stopping target to produce signal like electrons through π0 → γγ decays followed by γ conversions, and π− → µ−ν¯ decays followed by µ− decay. It is a relatively small background with large uncertainty (100%) due to the lack of antiproton production cross section information for the Mu2e proton beam energy of 8 GeV. We have developed a novel methodology to estimate the antiproton background in-situ. This forms the main theme of the thesis. We observed that at Mu2e energies, antiproton annihilation in the stopping target is the only source of events with multiple, simultaneous particle trajectories. From Geant4 simulations, only about 0.2% of the simulated antiproton annihilation events have a signal-like electron. Meanwhile, ∼ 5% of events have multiple reconstructible particle tracks per event. Therefore, we have devised a methodology to reconstruct the multi-track events and estimate the antiproton background by exploiting the large ratio of the production rates of the two final states.

Chithirasreemadam, Namitha [Pisa U.] (ORCID:000000↗
DOE OSTI2026

MeVPrtl: An Event Generator for Dark Sector Particles in the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program

MeVPrtl is a modular event generator of beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics particles developed for use in the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Program. A large class of BSM physics models predict that new particles could be produced in the intense Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) and Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beams at Fermilab, travel to the SBN Program detectors, and decay into Standard Model (SM) particles. These new physics models are motivated by dark matter, the neutrino mass scale, and a solution to the strong CP problem. MeVPrtl provides an interface to implement the overlapping phenomenology of these models, and to connect them with meson flux inputs and object outputs used by the SBN Program's LArSoft-based detector simulation. Implementations for the Higgs portal, heavy neutral lepton, and heavy QCD axion models exist within MeVPrtl. In this paper these implementations and their validation, as well as details of the MeVPrtl interface, are specified.

Abratenko Ao, P.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Wasserstein Normalized Autoencoder for Anomaly Detection in ProtoDUNE Vertical-Drift Detector

ProtoDUNE Vertical Drift needs a selective triggering algorithm. The detector sits on Earth's surface, so cosmic activity dominates its data. Our goal in this paper is to trigger on neutrino events more robustly than the current deployed Analog-to-Digital Converter Simple Window (ADCSW) model and, eventually, search for signals of Beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics at DUNE as our ultimate North Star objective. As a step towards this goal, we evaluate a Wasserstein Normalized Autoencoder (WNAE) on simulated collection-plane only windows of shape $1\times10\times10$ where Neutrinos act as our BSM-proxy and Cosmic-ray Muons serve as our learned background. The network parameters are fitted using only cosmic-ray muon events as background in order to maintain an unsupervised pipeline. Training uses finite-step Langevin $x^-$ samples, positive-sample reconstruction energy, and an empirical sliced $2$-Wasserstein objective to learn a normalized Boltzmann energy model. We then calibrate on a nominal $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$ operating threshold calculated from cosmic validation data. Both WNAE and ADCSW accept 311 of 194,083 held-out cosmic background events at this $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$ threshold. We found that WNAE accepts 9,677 of 34,634 neutrino-proxy events $(27.9\pm0.24)\%$, compared with 10,076 $(29.1\pm0.24)\%$ for ADCSW, an observed WNAE-minus-ADCSW difference of $-1.15\%$. At another nominal $2\,\mathrm{Hz}$ target threshold, the corresponding efficiencies are $(20.5\pm0.22)\%$ and $(22.6\pm0.22)\%$, respectively. Of the WNAE-selected neutrino proxies at $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$, $(20.8\pm0.4)\%$ of the classified neutrino-proxy events are unique to WNAE, where the uncertainty is an absolute binomial standard error of $0.4\%$.

Zheng, Jake [Chicago U.] (ORCID:0009000218901379)↗
DOE OSTI2024

The new physics case for beam-dump experiments with accelerated muon beams

As the field examines a future muon collider as a possible successor to the LHC, we must consider how to fully utilize not only the high-energy particle collisions, but also any lower-energy staging facilities necessary in the R&D process. An economical and efficient possibility is to use the accelerated muon beam from either the full experiment or from cooling and acceleration tests in beam-dump experiments. Beam-dump experiments are complementary to the main collider as they achieve sensitivity to very small couplings with minimal instrumentation. We demonstrate the utility of muon beam-dump experiments for new physics searches at energies from 10 GeV to 5 TeV. We find that, even at low energies like those accessible at staging or demonstrator facilities, it is possible to probe new regions of parameter space for a variety of generic BSM models, including muonphilic, leptophilic, L μ − L τ , and dark photon scenarios. Such experiments could therefore provide opportunities for discovery of new physics well before the completion of the full multi-TeV collider.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Accidental suppression of Wilson coefficients in Higgs coupling

Higgs couplings are essential probes for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) since they can be modified by new physics, such as through the Higgs portal interaction |H| 2 Ο. These modifications influence Higgs interactions via dimension-6 operators of the form (∂|H| 2 ) 2 and |H| 6 , which are generally expected to be of comparable size. This paper discusses a phenomenon of accidental suppression, where the |H| 6 coupling is significantly smaller than (∂|H| 2 ) 2 . This suppression, arising from the truncation of the tree-level effective potential, lacks a clear symmetry explanation but persists in portal models. This paper aims to inspire further studies on additional instances of accidental suppression without symmetry explanations or a general framework to characterize such suppression. We also discuss constraints, at the HL-LHC and future colliders, on the Wilson coefficients of the two dimension-6 operators for various benchmark scenarios of the concrete model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bioeconomy Scenario Analysis

The Bioeconomy Scenario Analysis (BSA) project uses systems thinking and analysis to assess how techno economics, research and development, deployment strategies, policy, and market conditions affect the potential development trajectories of the developing bioenergy industry. This project informs researchers, decision makers, and industry by identifying opportunities for and constraints to industrial development and quantifying important industry metrics (e.g., energy, economic, environmental) towards a sustainable domestic bioenergy system. One of the tools used in this project, the Bioenergy Scenario Model (BSM) is a publicly-available, unique, validated, state-of-the-art, award-winning, fourth-generation model of the domestic biofuels supply chain which explicitly focuses on how and under what conditions biofuel technologies might be deployed to contribute to the U.S. transportation energy sector. Analysis products from this effort enable the development of the bioenergy industry by (1) encouraging policy-makers to explore multiple levers simulating outside impacts on biofuels production, identifying policy actions; (2) improving industry's understanding of growth potential under different market conditions, better targeting their development efforts; and (3) providing universities and other interested stakeholders with analysis tools and analyses that can be adapted to meet research and teaching objectives, thus connecting students with careers that build the industry.

bioenergy↗
DOE OSTI2026

Filling the gap: hunting for vector bosons at the MUonE experiment with displaced decay signature

The upcoming MUonE experiment aims to precisely measure the running of the fine structure constant via elastic muon-electron scattering, to shed light on the current tension in the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment. In addition to its primary function as a precision experiment, MUonE also offers a unique testing ground to probe long-lived vector bosons. Such vector bosons can be produced via μe → μeV or μN → μNV scattering and decay into an electron/positron pair a few centimeters away from the interaction point. With its high-resolution tracking system and unique geometric design, MUonE is well-suited to reconstruct displaced vertices close to the target, allowing it to probe parameter space previously unattainable at colliders and longer-baseline beam dump experiments. We present a comprehensive study of the discovery potential of BSM vector boson mediators at the MUonE experiment. We show that MUonE can fill the long-standing gap in the parameter space of vector boson mediators with masses up to around 100 MeV.

Models for Dark Matter↗
DOE OSTI2024

Probing Higgs-muon interactions at a multi-TeV muon collider

Abstract We study the capabilities of a muon collider, at 3 and 10 TeV center-of-mass energy, of probing the interactions of the Higgs boson with the muon. We consider all the possible processes involving the direct production of EW bosons (W, ZandH) with up to five particles in the final state. We study these processes both in the HEFT and SMEFT frameworks, assuming that the dominant BSM effects originate from the muon Yukawa sector. Our study shows that a Muon Collider has sensitivity beyond the high-luminosity LHC, especially as it does not rely on the Higgs-decay branching fraction to muons. A 10 TeV muon collider provides a unique sensitivity on muon and (multi-) Higgs interactions, significantly better than the 3 TeV option. Particularly, we find searches based purely on multi-Higgs production to be particularly effective in probing these couplings.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Aligned yet large dipoles: a SMEFT study

We study a non-universal flavor scenario at the level of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory, according to which the matrix of Wilson coefficients cuW of an up-type electroweak quark dipole operator is aligned with the up-type Yukawa coupling. Such an alignment usually follows from the assumption of Minimal Flavor Violation (MFV), away from which we step by allowing the entries of cuW to be sizable along the first quark generations. A particular example, which we refer to as “inverse hierarchy MFV”, features Wilson coefficients inversely proportional to quark masses, and arises from BSM models respecting MFV and containing heavy fields that replicate the mass hierarchy of SM quarks. We then analyze the phenomenology driven by cuW at colliders and at lower-energy flavor experiments. We show that precision measurements of the process pp → Wh → γγℓν at FCC-hh could set an upper bound on |cuW| ≲ O (10 -2 )(Λ/TeV) 2 , with Λ the cutoff of the effective field theory. This bound is an order of magnitude stronger than the existing LHC bounds. Moreover, we estimate that Wh → b$\overline{b}$ℓν at HL-LHC could also give competitive bounds. In the low-energy regime, we consider bounds arising from rare kaon decays, which turn out to be loose, |c$_{uW}^{11}$ | < O (1)(Λ/TeV) 2 . We finally demonstrate that our flavor and operator assumptions can be derived from a weakly-coupled UV model, which we choose to simultaneously illustrate the UV origin of inverse hierarchy MFV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The gallium isotopic composition of the Moon

Here, in this study, we present new Ga isotope data from a suite of 28 mare basalts and lunar highland rocks. The δ 71 Ga values of these samples range from -0.10 to +0.66‰ (where δ 71 Ga is the relative difference between the 71 Ga/ 69 Ga ratio of a sample and the Ga-IPGP standard), which is an order of magnitude more heterogeneous than δ 71 Ga values in terrestrial magmatic rocks. The cause of this isotopic heterogeneity must be established to estimate the bulk δ 71 Ga value of the Moon. In general, low-Ti basalts and ferroan anorthosite suite (FAS) rocks have δ 71 Ga values that are lower than high-Ti basalts and KREEP-rich rocks. The observation that rocks derived from later forming LMO cumulates have higher δ 71 Ga values suggests that Ga isotopes are fractionated by processes that operate within the chemically evolving LMO, rather than localized degassing or volatile redistribution. Correlations between indices of plagioclase removal from the LMO (e.g. Eu/Eu*) with Ga isotope ratios suggest that a Δ 71 Ga plagioclase-melt of -0.3‰, (where Δ 71 Ga plagioclase-melt is the isotopic fractionation associated with crystallization of plagioclase from a melt), could drive the observed isotopic fractionation in high-Ti mare basalts and KREEP-rich rocks. This would be consistent with the observation that FAS rocks have δ 71 Ga values that are lower than mare basalts. However, the addition of KREEP-like material into the mare basalt source regions would not contribute enough Ga to perturb the isotopic composition outside of analytical uncertainty. Thus, basalts derived from early formed LMO cumulates such as those from Apollo 15, would preserve light Ga isotopic compositions despite containing modest amounts of urKREEP. We estimate that the δ 71 Ga value of the LMO was ~0.14‰ prior to the onset of plagioclase crystallization and extraction. Whether this δ 71 Ga value is representative of the initial BSM cannot be ascertained from the current dataset. It remains plausible that the Moon accreted with a heavier Ga isotopic composition than the Earth. Alternatively, the Moon and Earth could have accreted with similar isotopic compositions (BSE = 0.00 ± 0.06‰, Kato et al., 2017) and volatile loss drove the LMO to higher δ 71 Ga values prior to formation of the lunar crust.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Status of the Mu2e experiment

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab searches for the coherent, neutrino-less conversion of a μ − to e − in the Coulomb field of Al nuclei, that represents one of the cleanest Charged Lepton Flavor Violating (CLFV) processes for exploring Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics. Mu2e aims to improve previous sensitivity by four orders of magnitude, with a distinctive signature provided by identifying mono-energetic electrons with energy slightly below the muon rest mass. To reach this goal, the experiment will use the highest intensity pulsed muon beam in the world, with up to 6 × 1 0 9 stopped muons/sec. This is achieved using the Fermilab proton beam and the design and realization of a unique 25 m long superconducting solenoidal system. The high beam intensity relies upon minimizing beam losses in the slow extraction region, indicating an opportunity of using bent crystals for shadowing. A high-resolution straw tracker and a fast CsI crystal calorimeter identify the conversion electron. Both detectors are inserted behind the Stopping Target in the last solenoid section. A Cosmic Ray Veto covers a large part of the solenoids to suppress background produced by cosmic rays. In this paper, we report the details of the experimental layout, the construction status of the magnetic system and detectors, and a short description of the simulation and realization of the bent crystals. Performing crystal channeling in front of the first slow extraction septa will allow beam shadowing and largely reduce beam losses. •Charge Lepton Flavor Violation processes: μ − → e − conversion.•Large Superconducting Solenoid system.•High-Intensity beams•High precision detectors.•Crystal channeling.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

A novel, steerable, low-energy proton source for detector characterization

We report on the conversion of the Manitoba II mass spectrometer into a versatile low-energy proton beam facility. This infrastructure is adaptable to any detector-under-test (DUT), and has proven itself effective with the characterization of silicon detectors used in subatomic beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) searches, namely the Nab experiment. A pencil beam of mono-energetic protons can be produced in a range from 25 keV to 35 keV, achieving a beam current of ~1 x 10 -18 A. Electrostatic steering plates were constructed to direct the Gaussian-profile proton beam over a 117 mm diameter area-of-interest with full-width at half-maxima (FWHM) ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.26 mm. This work discusses the modifications and subsequent tests to confirm the beam specifications met the demands of the aforementioned detectors.

Fundamental neutron physics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Xenon doping of liquid argon in ProtoDUNE single phase

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will be the next generation long-baseline neutrino experiment. The far detector is designed as a complex of four LAr-TPC (Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber) modules with 17 kt of liquid argon each. The development and validation of the first far detector technology is pursued through ProtoDUNE Single Phase (ProtoDUNE-SP), a 770 t LAr-TPC at CERN Neutrino Platform. Crucial in DUNE is the photon detection system that will ensure the trigger of non-beam events — proton decay, supernova neutrino burst and BSM searches — and will improve the timing and calorimetry for neutrino beam events. Doping liquid argon with xenon is a known technique to shift the light emitted by argon (128 nm) to a longer wavelength (178 nm) to ease its detection. The largest xenon doping test ever performed in a LAr-TPC was carried out in ProtoDUNE-SP. From February to May 2020, a gradually increasing amount of xenon was injected to also compensate for the light loss due to air contamination. The response of such a large TPC has been studied using the ProtoDUNE-SP Photon Detection System (PDS) and a dedicated setup installed before the run. With the first it was possible to study the light collection efficiency with respect to the track position, while with the second it was possible to distinguish the xenon light (178 nm) from the LAr light (128 nm). The light shifting mechanism proved to be highly efficient even at small xenon concentrations (<20 ppm in mass) furthermore it allowed recovering the light quenched by pollutants. The light collection improved far from the detection plane, enhancing the photon detector response uniformity along the drift direction and confirming a longer Rayleigh scattering length for 178 nm photons, with respect to 128 nm ones. The charge collection by the TPC was monitored proving that xenon up to 20 ppm does not impact its performance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
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 OSTI2024

First direct 7 Be electron-capture $\mathrm{Q}$-value measurement toward high-precision searches for neutrino physics beyond the Standard Model

Here, we report the first direct measurement of the nuclear electron-capture (EC) decay Q value of 7 Be → 7 Li via high-precision Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS). This was performed using the LEBIT Penning trap located at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory/Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (NSCL/FRIB) using the newly commissioned Batch-Mode Ion-Source (BMIS) to deliver the unstable 7 Be + samples. With a measured value of Q EC = 861.963(23) keV, this result is three times more precise than any previous determination of this quantity. This improved precision and accuracy of the 7 Be EC decay Q value is critical for ongoing experiments that measure the recoiling nucleus in this system as a signature to search for beyond the Standard Model (BSM) neutrino physics using 7 Be-doped superconducting sensors. This experiment has extended LEBIT capabilities, using the first low-energy beam delivered by BMIS at FRIB for PTMS, as well as measuring the lightest-mass isotopes so far with LEBIT.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗