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At least 1,009 records · Page 56

Exclusive π 0 p electroproduction off protons in the resonance region at photon virtualities 0.4 GeV 2 ≤ Q 2 ≤ 1 GeV 2

The limited electroproduction process e p → e ' p ' π 0 was measured in the range of photon virtualities Q 2 = 0.4 – 1.0 GeV 2 and the invariant mass range of the p π 0 system of W = 1.1 – 1.8 GeV. These kinematics are covered in exclusive π 0 electroproduction off the proton with nearly complete angular coverage in the p π 0 center-of-mass system and with high statistical accuracy. Nearly 36 000 cross-section points were measured, and the structure functions σ T + ε σ L , σ L T , and σ T T , were extracted via fitting the φ π 0 dependence of the cross section. A Legendre polynomial expansion analysis demonstrates the sensitivity of our data to high-lying N * and Δ * resonances with M > 1.6 GeV. As part of a broad effort to determine the electrocouplings of the N * and Δ * resonances using both single- and double-pion electroproduction, this dataset is key for the reliable extraction of the high-lying resonance electrocouplings from the combined isospin analysis of the N π and π + π - p channels.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Two-photon exchange from intermediate state resonances in elastic electron-proton scattering

In this paper, we use a recently developed dispersive approach to compute the two-photon exchange (TPE) correction to elastic electron-proton scattering, including contributions from hadronic $J^P=1/2^\pm$ and $3/2^\pm$ resonant intermediate states below~1.8~GeV. For the transition amplitudes from the proton ground state to the resonant excited states we employ new exclusive meson electroproduction data from CLAS at $Q^2 \lesssim 5$~GeV$^2$, and we explore the effects of both fixed and dynamic widths for the resonances. Among the resonant states, the $N(1520)~\!3/2^-$ becomes dominant for $Q^2 \gtrsim 2$~GeV$^2$, with a sign opposite to the comparably sized $\Delta(1232)~\!3/2^+$ contribution, leading to an overall increase in the size of the TPE correction to the cross section relative to the nucleon only contribution at higher $Q^2$ values. The results are in good overall agreement with recent $e^+ p$ to $e^- p$ cross section ratio and polarization transfer measurements, and provide compelling evidence for a resolution of the electric to magnetic form factor ratio discrepancy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

First measurement of the asymmetry and the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integrand from the 3 $\vec{H}$e ($\vec{γ},p$) 2 H reaction at an incident photon energy of 29 MeV

The first measurement of the 3 $\vec{H}$e ($\vec{γ},p$) 2 H process was performed at the High Intensity γ-ray Source ( HIγS ) facility at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory using a circularly polarized, monoenergetic γ -ray beam and a longitudinally polarized 3 He target. The spin-dependent asymmetry and the contribution from the two-body photodisintegration to the 3 He Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integrand are extracted and compared with state-of-the-art three-nucleon system calculations at the incident photon energy of 29 MeV. The data are in general agreement with the various theoretical predictions based on the Siegert theorem or on explicit inclusion of meson-exchange currents.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Extending light WIMP searches to single scintillation photons in LUX

© 2020 American Physical Society. We present a novel analysis technique for liquid xenon time projection chambers that allows for a lower threshold by relying on events with a prompt scintillation signal consisting of single detected photons. The energy threshold of the LUX dark matter experiment is primarily determined by the smallest scintillation response detectable, which previously required a twofold coincidence signal in its photomultiplier arrays, enforced in data analysis. The technique presented here exploits the double photoelectron emission effect observed in some photomultiplier models at vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths. We demonstrate this analysis using an electron recoil calibration dataset and place new constraints on the spin-independent scattering cross section of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) down to 2.5 GeV/c2 WIMP mass using the 2013 LUX dataset. This new technique is promising to enhance light WIMP and astrophysical neutrino searches in next-generation liquid xenon experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Astrometry in two-photon interferometry using an Earth rotation fringe scan

Optical interferometers may not require a phase-stable optical link between the stations if instead sources of quantum-mechanically entangled pairs could be provided to them, enabling long baselines. We developed a new variation of this idea, proposing that photons from two different astronomical sources could be interfered at two decoupled stations. Interference products can then be calculated in post-processing or requiring only a slow, classical connection between stations. In this work, we investigated practical feasibility of this approach. We developed a Bayesian analysis method for the earth rotation fringe scanning technique and showed that in the limit of high signal-to-noise ratio it reproduced the results from a simple Fisher matrix analysis. Here we identify candidate stair pairs in the northern hemisphere, where this technique could be applied. With two telescopes with an effective collecting area of ~ 2 m 2 , we could detect fringing and measure the astrometric separation of the sources at ~100 μas precision in a few hours of observations, in agreement with previous estimates.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Search for stealth supersymmetry in final states with two photons, jets, and low missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

The results of a search for stealth supersymmetry in final states with two photons and jets, targeting a phase space region with low missing transverse momentum ( p T miss ), are reported. The study is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb - 1 . As LHC results continue to constrain the parameter space of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, the low p T miss regime is increasingly valuable to explore. To estimate the backgrounds due to standard model processes in such events, we apply corrections derived from simulation to an estimate based on a control selection in data. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified stealth supersymmetry models with gluino and squark pair production. The observed data are consistent with the standard model predictions, and gluino (squark) masses of up to 2150 (1850) GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for low-mass resonances decaying into two jets and produced in association with a photon or a jet at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for localized excesses in the low-mass dijet invariant mass distribution, targeting a hypothetical new particle decaying into two jets and produced in association with either a high transverse momentum photon or a jet. The search uses the full Run 2 data sample from LHC proton-proton collisions collected by the ATLAS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV during 2015–2018. Two variants of the search are presented for each type of initial-state radiation: one that makes no jet flavor requirements and one that requires both of the jets to have been identified as containing b-hadrons. No excess is observed relative to the Standard Model prediction, and the data are used to set upper limits on the production cross section for a benchmark Z' model and, separately, for generic, beyond the Standard Model scenarios which might produce a Gaussian-shaped contribution to dijet invariant mass distributions. The results extend the current constraints on dijet resonances to the mass range between 200 and 650 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Photonic Refrigeration from Time-Modulated Thermal Emission

We develop theoretical and computational formalisms to describe thermal radiation from temporally modulated systems. We demonstrate that such a modulation results in a photon-based active cooling mechanism. This mechanism has a high thermodynamic performance that can approach the Carnot limit. Our work points to exciting new avenues in active, time-modulated control of thermal emission for cooling and energy harvesting applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Spontaneous Creation of Circularly Polarized Photons in Chiral Astrophysical Systems

This work establishes a relation between chiral anomalies in curved spacetimes and the radiative content of the gravitational field. In particular, we show that a flux of circularly polarized gravitational waves triggers the spontaneous creation of photons with net circular polarization from the quantum vacuum. Using waveform catalogs, we identify precessing binary black holes as astrophysical configurations that emit such gravitational radiation and then solve the fully nonlinear Einstein’s equations with numerical relativity to evaluate the net effect. The quantum amplitude for a merger is comparable to the Hawking emission rate of the final black hole and small to be directly observed. However, the implications for the inspiral of binary neutron stars could be more prominent, as argued on symmetry grounds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Form Factors and Two-Photon Exchange in High-Energy Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering

We report new precision measurements of the elastic electron-proton scattering cross section for momentum transfer squared (Q$^2$) up to 15.75 (GeV/c)$^2$. These data allow for improved extraction of the proton magnetic form factor at high Q$^2$ and nearly double the Q$^2$ range of direct longitudinal/transverse separated cross sections. A comparison of our results to polarization measurements establishes the presence of hard two-photon exchange in the $e$-$p$ elastic scattering cross section at > 95 % confidence level for Q$^2$ up to 8 (GeV/c)$^2$.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Evidence for the Higgs Boson Decay to a $Z$ Boson and a Photon at the LHC

The first evidence for the Higgs boson decay to a Z boson and a photon is presented, with a statistical significance of 3.4 standard deviations. The result is derived from a combined analysis of the searches performed by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations with proton-proton collision datasets collected at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) from 2015 to 2018. These correspond to integrated luminosities of around 140 fb –1 for each experiment, at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measured signal yield is 2.2 ± 0.7 times the standard model prediction, and agrees with the theoretical expectation within 1.9 standard deviations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Particle Dynamics in a Diblock-Copolymer-Based Dodecagonal Quasicrystal and Its Periodic Approximant by X-Ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy

Temperature-dependent X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) measurements are reported for a binary diblock copolymer blend that self-assembles into an aperiodic dodecagonal quasicrystal (DDQC) and a periodic Frank-Kasper σ phase approximant. The measured structural relaxation times are Bragg scattering wavevector-independent and are five times faster in the DDQC than the σ phase, with minimal temperature dependence. Further, the underlying dynamical relaxations are ascribed to differences in particle motion at the grain boundaries within each of these tetrahedrally close-packed assemblies. These results identify unprecedented particle dynamics measurements of tetrahedrally-coordinated micellar block polymers, thus expanding the application of XPCS to ordered soft materials.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of the Isolated Nuclear Two-Photon Decay in Ge 72

The nuclear two-photon or double-gamma (2 γ ) decay is a second-order electromagnetic process whereby a nucleus in an excited state emits two gamma rays simultaneously. To be able to directly measure the 2⁢ γ decay rate in the low-energy regime below the electron-positron pair-creation threshold, we combined the isochronous mode of a storage ring with Schottky resonant cavities. The newly developed technique can be applied to isomers with excitation energies down to ~100 keV and half-lives as short as ~10 ms. The half-life for the 2⁢ γ decay of the first-excited 0 + state in bare 72 Ge ions was determined to be 23.9(6) ms, which strongly deviates from expectations.

59 ≤ A ≤ 89↗

Measurement of In-Medium Jet Modification Using Direct Photon + Jet and 𝜋 0 + Jet Correlations in 𝑝 + 𝑝 and Central Au + Au Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV

The STAR Collaboration presents measurements of the semi-inclusive distribution of charged-particle jets recoiling from energetic direct-photon (𝛾 dir ) and neutral-pion (𝜋 0 ) triggers in 𝑝 + 𝑝 and central Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ =2 00 GeV over a broad kinematic range, for jet resolution parameters 𝑅 = 0.2 and 0.5. Medium-induced jet yield suppression is observed to be larger for 𝑅 = 0.2 than for 0.5, reflecting the angular range of jet energy redistribution due to quenching. The predictions of model calculations incorporating jet quenching are not fully consistent with the observations. Furthermore, these results provide new insight into the physical origins of jet quenching.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Photon energy and polarization-dependent electronic structure of Cr-doped Bi 2 Se 3

In this article, we report a comparative study of the electronic structure of Cr-doped and pristine Bi 2 Se 3 . Circular dichroism and photon-energy-dependent angle-resolved photoemission experiments were performed. Even though the surface states seen on the Cr-doped samples are gapped, they exhibit strong circular dichroism, for which we provide its origin in accordance with the nontrivial band structure of the bulk. We note the surface electronic structure measurements with linear and circular polarized light show signatures that the orbital composition of the surface states is changed with Cr doping. Our observations not only provide further spectroscopic information about topological materials, but also promotes an alternative experimental tool to control their spin-orbital texture.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Distinguishing erbium dopants in Y 2 O 3 by site symmetry: Ab initio theory of two spin-photon interfaces

Here, we present a first-principles study of the defect formation and electronic structure of erbium (Er)–doped yttria (Y 2 O 3 ). This is an emerging material for spin-photon interfaces in quantum information science due to the narrow-linewidth optical emission from Er dopants at standard telecommunication wavelengths and their potential for quantum memories and transducers. We calculate formation energies of neutral and negatively and positively charged Er dopants and find the charge-neutral configuration to be the most stable, consistent with experiment. Of the two substitutional sites of Er for Y, the C 2 (more relevant for quantum memories) and C 3i (more relevant for quantum transduction), we identify the former as possessing the lowest formation energy. The electronic properties are calculated using the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof functional along with the Hubbard U parameter and spin-orbit coupling, which yields a ~ 6 μ B orbital and a ~ 3 μ B spin magnetic moment, and 11 electrons in the Er 4 f shell, confirming the formation of charge-neutral Er 3+ . This standard density functional theory approach underestimates the band gap of the host and lacks a first-principles justification for U . To overcome these issues we performed screened hybrid functional calculations, including a negative U for the 4 f orbitals, with mixing (α) and screening (w) parameters. These produced robust electronic features with slight modifications in the band gap and the 4 f splittings depending on the choice of tuning parameters. We also computed the many-particle electronic excitation energies and compared them with experimental values from photoluminescence.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Probing electromagnetic nonreciprocity with quantum geometry of photonic states

Reciprocal and nonreciprocal effects in dielectric and magnetic materials provide crucial information about the microscopic properties of electrons. However, experimentally distinguishing the two has proven to be challenging, especially when the associated effects are extremely small. To this end, we propose a contactless detection using a cross-cavity device where a material of interest is placed at its center. We show that the optical properties of the material, such as Kerr and Faraday rotation, or birefringence, manifest in the coupling between the cavity's electromagnetic modes and in the shift of their resonant frequencies. By calculating the dynamics of a geometrical photonic state, we formulate a measurement protocol based on the quantum metric and quantum process tomography that isolates the individual components of the material's complex refractive index and minimizes the quantum mechanical Cramér-Rao bound on the variance of the associated parameter estimation. Our approach is expected to be applicable across a broad spectrum of experimental platforms including Fock states in optical cavities, or coherent states in microwave and THz resonators. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Petrides, Ioannis (ORCID:0000000174842444)↗

Optimizing MeV photon dose generation in laser-solid interactions via stable beam propagation

Bremsstrahlung MeV x rays with high doses are essential for radiography of dense objects. Intense, short-pulse laser-driven MeV x-ray sources offer a promising solution, but understanding how the dose scales with laser intensity is crucial for their development. While theory predicts a square root scaling with laser intensity, experimental verification has been hindered by significant shot-to-shot variations, often exacerbated by long preplasma scale lengths from low laser contrast. Here, we demonstrate low shot-to-shot dose variation and confirm the theoretical scaling using high-contrast OMEGA EP laser interactions with millimeter-thick tantalum foils, achieving MeV x-ray doses up to 5.4 rad at 1 m for E photon > 500 keV. Simulations reveal that the unique focal spot of the OMEGA EP laser enables efficient x-ray generation and reduced variability by facilitating deeper laser penetration into dense plasma, even with shorter preplasma scale lengths. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗