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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Rare K 40 Decay with Implications for Fundamental Physics and Geochronology

Potassium-40 is a widespread, naturally occurring isotope whose radioactivity impacts subatomic rare-event searches, nuclear structure theory, and estimated geological ages. A predicted electron-capture decay directly to the ground state of argon-40 has never been observed. Here, the KDK (potassium decay) collaboration reports strong evidence of this rare decay mode. A blinded analysis reveals a nonzero ratio of intensities of ground-state electron-captures (I EC 0 ) over excited-state ones (I EC $\star$ ) of I EC 0 /I EC $\star$ = 0.0095 $^{stat}_{±}$ 0.0022 $^{sys}_{±}$ 0.0010 (68% C.L.), with the null hypothesis rejected at 4σ. In terms of branching ratio, this signal yields I EC 0 = 0.098 % $^{stat}_{±}$ 0.023 % $^{sys}_{±}$ 0.010 % , roughly half of the commonly used prediction, with consequences for various fields [L. Hariasz et al., companion paper, Phys. Rev. C 108, 014327 (2023)].

39 ≤ A ≤ 58↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electron capture of superheavy nuclei with realistic lepton wave functions

The superheavy nuclei push the periodic table of the elements and the chart of the nuclides to their limits, providing a unique laboratory for studies of the electron-nucleus interactions. The most important weak decay mode in known superheavy nuclei is electron capture (EC). In the standard calculations of EC, the lepton wave functions are usually considered in the lowest-order approximation. In this work, we investigate the sensitivity of EC rates on the choice of the electron wave functions by (i) assuming the single-particle approximation for the electron wave functions, and (ii) carrying out Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) calculations. The nuclear response is generated based on the state-of-the-art quasiparticle random phase approximation employing relativistic nuclear energy density functional theory. Here, we show that using the improved lepton wave functions reduces the EC rates up to 40% in the superheavy nucleus oganesson (𝑍=118). Interestingly, because of screening effects, the difference between the EC rates obtained with the DHF and single-particle calculations is fairly small.

Atomic orbital↗
NASA NTRS1990

Resonant decay of global MHD modes at 'thick' interfaces

A global surface mode can exist on a 'surface' which is not a true discontinuity, but without sufficient dissipation it is not a normal mode and it decays in time via resonance absorption. The decay rate can be calculated analytically when the 'surface' is thin. The goal of this paper is to numerically estimate the decay rate when the surface is not thin. A cold plasma in a uniform magnetic field is considered in which density varies linearly across the 'surface'. In this linearized calculation, the global surface mode is driven in steady state by an antenna located in one of the uniform regions external to the surface. The frequency is a free parameter, and resonance curves are computed numerically without approximations. The widths of the resonance curves are used to estimate the free decay times of undriven surface modes, via the uncertainty principle. When applied to the active solar corona, the decay rates are large enough to account for the coronal heating, but it should be kept in mind that the role of nonlinearity in resonance absorption is still undetermined.

Hollweg, Joseph V.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Exploring 𝛽 decay and 𝛽-delayed neutron emission in exotic 46,47 Cl isotopes

In this paper, 𝛽 − and 𝛽-delayed neutron decays of 46,47 Cl are reported from an experiment carried out at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory using the Beta Counting System. The half-lives of both 46 Cl and 47 Cl were extracted. Based on the delayed 𝛾-ray transitions observed, the level structure of 𝑁=28 46 Ar was determined. Completely different sets of excited states above the first 2 + state in 46 Ar were populated in the 46 Cl 𝛽⁢0⁢𝑛 and 47 Cl 𝛽⁢1⁢𝑛 decay channels. Two new 𝛾-ray transitions in 47 Ar were identified from the very weak 47 Cl 𝛽⁢0⁢𝑛 decay. Furthermore, 46 Cl 𝛽⁢1⁢𝑛 and 47 Cl 𝛽⁢2⁢𝑛 were also observed to yield different population patterns for levels in 45 Ar, including states of different parities. Here, the experimental results allow us to address some of the open questions related to the delayed neutron emission process. For isotopes with large neutron excess and high 𝑄 𝛽 values, delayed neutron emission remains an important decay mode and can be utilized as a powerful spectroscopic tool. Experimental results were compared with shell-model calculations using the FSU and 𝑉 MU effective interactions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon via vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of b -quarks in the ATLAS detector

A search for Standard Model Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon and decaying to $b\bar{b}$ is performed using 133 fb −1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The photon requirement reduces the multijet background, and the H → $b\bar{b}$ decay is the dominant decay mode. Event selection requirements target events produced by vector-boson fusion, the dominant production mode in this channel. Several improvements enhance the search sensitivity compared to previous measurements. These improvements include better background modelling and characterization, the use of a neural-network classifier, and an updated signal extraction strategy adopting a direct binned-likelihood fit to the classifier output. With these improvements, the Higgs boson signal strength is measured to be 0.2 ± 0.7 relative to the Standard Model prediction. This corresponds to an observed significance of 0.3 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 1.5 standard deviations assuming the Standard Model.

ATLAS experiment↗
DOE OSTI2023

Search for the rare hadronic decay $B^0_s → p\overline{p}$

A search for the rare hadronic decay B s 0 → p p ¯ is performed using proton-proton collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb - 1 . No evidence of the decay is found and an upper limit on its branching fraction is set at B ( B s 0 → p p ¯ ) < 4.4 ( 5.1 ) × 10 - 9 at 90% (95%) confidence level; this is currently the world’s best upper limit. The decay mode B 0 → p p ¯ is measured with very large significance, confirming the first observation by the LHCb experiment in 2017. The branching fraction is determined to be B ( B 0 → p p ¯ ) = ( 1.27 ± 0.15 ± 0.05 ± 0.04 ) × 10 - 8 , where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third is due to the external branching fraction of the normalization channel B 0 → K + π - . The combination of the two LHCb measurements of the B 0 → p p ¯ branching fraction yields B ( B 0 → p p ¯ ) = ( 1.27 ± 0.13 ± 0.05 ± 0.03 ) × 10 - 8 .

Bottom mesons↗
DOE OSTI2024

New physics in single resonant top quarks

Abstract Searches for new physics in the top quark sector are of great theoretical interest, yet some powerful avenues for discovery remain unexplored. We characterize the expected statistical power of the LHC dataset to constrain the single production of heavy top partnersTdecaying to a top quark and a photon or a top quark and a gluon. We describe an effective interaction which could generate such production, though the limits apply to a range of theoretical models. We find sensitivity to cross sections in the 10 2 − 10 5 fb range, forTmasses between 300 and 1000 GeV, depending on decay mode.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

“Unification” of BSM searches and SM measurements: the case of lepton+E T and m W

We develop the idea that the unprecedented precision in Standard Model (SM) measurements, with further improvement at the HL-LHC, enables new searches for physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). As an illustration, we demonstrate that the measured kinematic distributions of the ℓ + E T final state not only determine the mass of the W boson, but are also sensitive to light new physics. Such a search for new physics thus requires a simultaneous fit to the BSM and SM parameters, “unifying” searches and measurements at the LHC and Tevatron. In this paper, we complete the program initiated in our earlier work [1]. In particular, we analyze (i) novel decay modes of the W boson with a neutrinophilic invisible scalar or with a heavy neutrino; (ii) modified production of W bosons, namely, associated with a hadrophilic invisible Z′ gauge boson; and (iii) scenarios without an on-shell W boson, such as slepton-sneutrino production in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). Here, we complement our previous MSSM analysis in [1] by considering a different kinematic region. Our results highlight that new physics can still be directly discovered at the LHC, including light new physics, via SM precision measurements. Furthermore, we illustrate that such BSM signals are subtle, yet potentially large enough to affect the precision measurements of SM parameters themselves, such as the W boson mass.

Electroweak Precision Physics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Systematically testing singlet models for $(g - 2)_{μ}$

We comprehensively study all viable new-physics scenarios that resolve the muon $(g - 2)_{μ}$ anomaly with only Standard Model singlet particles coupled to muons via renormalizable interactions. Since such models are only viable in the MeV–TeV mass range and require sizable muon couplings, they predict abundant accelerator production through the same interaction that resolves the anomaly. We find that a combination of fixed-target $(\text {NA64}μ, M^{3})$, B-factory (BABAR, Belle II), and collider (LHC, muon collider) searches can cover nearly all viable singlets scenarios, independently of their decay modes. In particular, future muon collider searches offer the only certain test of singlets above the GeV scale, covering all higher masses up to the TeV-scale unitarity limit for these models. Intriguingly, we find that $ \mathcal{O}\left(100\ \mathrm{GeV}\right) $ muon colliders may yield better coverage for GeV-scale singlets compared to TeV-scale concepts, which has important implications for the starting center-of-mass energy of a staged muon collider program.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Testing CP properties of the Higgs boson coupling to τ leptons with heterogeneous graphs

In this paper we explore the possibility of utilizing Deep Learning in measuring the CP properties of the coupling of Higgs boson to τ leptons at the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider. We employ three Deep Learning (DL) networks, Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), Graph Convolution Network (GCN), and Graph Transformer Network (GTN) to enhance signal-to-background separation. The angle between τ lepton decay planes at the detector level is CP-sensitive observables, and we develop Heterogeneous Graphs that integrate diverse node and edge structures to incorporate the CP-sensitive observable efficiently. Using simplified detector simulations we estimate the reconstruction accuracy of the angle between τ lepton planes at the detector level, considering hadronic τ decay modes and standard model backgrounds. With $\sqrt{s}$ = 14 TeV and $\mathcal{L}$ = 100 fb -1 , MLP excludes CP mixing angles above 20° at 68% confidence level (CL), while GCN and GTN achieve exclusions at 90% CL and 95% CL, respectively. The networks also achieve a 3σ significance in excluding a pure CP-odd state.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the inclusive cross sections for W and Z boson production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{\textrm{s}}$ = 5.02 and 13 TeV

Measurements of fiducial and total inclusive cross sections for W and Z boson production are presented in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 5.02 and 13 TeV. Electron and muon decay modes (ℓ = e or μ) are studied in the data collected with the CMS detector in 2017, in dedicated runs with reduced instantaneous luminosity. The data sets correspond to integrated luminosities of 298 ± 6 pb$^{−1}$ at 5.02 TeV and 206 ± 5 pb$^{−1}$ at 13 TeV. Measured values of the products of the total inclusive cross sections and the branching fractions at 5.02 TeV are σ(pp → W + X)$ \mathcal{B} $(W → ℓν) = 7300 ± 10 (stat) ± 60 (syst) ± 140 (lumi) pb, and σ(pp → Z+X)$ \mathcal{B} $(Z → ℓ$^{+}$ℓ$^{−}$) = 669 ± 2 (stat) ± 6 (syst) ± 13 (lumi) pb for the dilepton invariant mass in the range of 60–120 GeV. The corresponding results at 13 TeV are 20480 ± 10 (stat) ± 170 (syst) ± 470 (lumi) pb and 1952 ± 4 (stat) ± 18 (syst) ± 45 (lumi) pb. The measured values agree with cross section calculations at next-to-next-to-leading-order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. Fiducial and total inclusive cross sections, ratios of cross sections of W$^{+}$ and W$^{−}$ production as well as inclusive W and Z boson production, and ratios of these measurements at 5.02 and 13 TeV are reported.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurements of the branching fraction ratio $$ \mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)/\mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {\textrm{e}}^{+}{\textrm{e}}^{-}\right) $$ with charm meson decays

Abstract Measurements of the branching fraction ratio$$ \mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)/\mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\right) $$ B ϕ → μ + μ − / B ϕ → e + e − with$$ {D}_s^{+}\to {\pi}^{+}\phi $$ D s + → π + ϕ andD + → π + ϕdecays, denoted$$ {R}_{\phi \pi}^s $$ R ϕπ s and$$ {R}_{\phi \pi}^d $$ R ϕπ d , are presented. The analysis is performed using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb −1 ofppcollision data collected with the LHCb experiment. The branching fractions are normalised with respect to theB + →K + J/ψ(→e + e − ) andB + →K + J/ψ(→μ + μ − ) decay modes. The combination of the results yields$$ {R}_{\phi \pi}=1.022\pm 0.012\left(\textrm{stat}\right)\pm 0.048\left(\textrm{syst}\right). $$ R ϕπ = 1.022 ± 0.012 stat ± 0.048 syst . The result is compatible with previous measurements of theϕ→ℓ + ℓ − branching fractions and predictions based on the Standard Model.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for vector-like leptons coupling to first- and second-generation Standard Model leptons in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for pair production of vector-like leptons coupling to first- and second-generation Standard Model leptons is presented. The search is based on a dataset of proton-proton collisions at s$$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. Events are categorised depending on the flavour and multiplicity of leptons (electrons or muons), as well as on the scores of a deep neural network targeting particular signal topologies according to the decay modes of the vector-like leptons. In each of the signal regions, the scalar sum of the transverse momentum of the leptons and the missing transverse momentum is analysed. The main background processes are estimated using dedicated control regions in a simultaneous fit with the signal regions to data. No significant excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed and limits are set at 95% confidence level on the production cross-sections of vector-like electrons and muons as a function of the vector-like lepton mass, separately for SU(2) doublet and singlet scenarios. The resulting mass lower limits are 1220 GeV (1270 GeV) and 320 GeV (400 GeV) for vector-like electrons (muons) in the doublet and singlet scenarios, respectively.

Aad, G↗
DOE OSTI2023

A search for new resonances in multiple final states with a high transverse momentum Z boson in $\sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A generic search for resonances is performed with events containing a Z boson with transverse momentum greater than 100 GeV, decaying into e + e – or μ + μ – . The analysed data collected with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 . Two invariant mass distributions are examined for a localised excess relative to the expected Standard Model background in six independent event categories (and their inclusive sum) to increase the sensitivity. No significant excess is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are derived for two cases: a model-independent interpretation of Gaussian-shaped resonances with the mass width between 3% and 10% of the resonance mass, and a specific heavy vector triplet model with the decay mode W' → ZW → ℓℓqq.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurements of electroweak W ± Z boson pair production in association with two jets in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of integrated and diferential cross-sections for electroweak W ± Z production in association with two jets (W ± Zjj) in proton-proton collisions are presented. The data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider from 2015 to 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb -1 . The W ± Zjj candidate events are reconstructed using leptonic decay modes of the gauge bosons. Events containing three identifed leptons, either electrons or muons, and two jets are selected. Processes involving pure electroweak W ± Zjj production at Born level are separated from W ± Zjj production involving a strong coupling. The measured integrated fducial cross-section of electroweak W ± Zjj production per lepton favour is σ W Zjj-EW→ℓ' νℓℓjj = 0.368 ± 0.037 (stat.) ± 0.059 (syst.) ± 0.003 (lumi.) fb, where ℓ and ℓ' are either an electron or a muon. Respective cross-sections of electroweak and strong W ± Zjj production are measured separately for events with exactly two jets or with more than two jets, and in three bins of the invariant mass of the two jets. The inclusive W ± Zjj production cross-section, without separating electroweak and strong production, is also measured to be σ W Zjj→ℓ ' νℓℓjj = 1.462 ± 0.063 (stat.) ± 0.118 (syst.) ± 0.012 (lumi.) fb, per lepton favour. The inclusive W ± Zjj production cross-section is measured diferentially for several kinematic observables. Finally, the measurements are used to constrain anomalous quartic gauge couplings by extracting 95% confdence level intervals on dimension-8 operators.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of Υ production in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5 TeV

The production cross-sections of Υ mesons, namely Υ(1S), Υ(2S) and Υ(3S), in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5 TeV are measured with a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.13 ± 0.18 pb –1 collected by the LHCb detector. The Υ mesons are reconstructed in the decay mode Υ → μ + μ – . Double differential cross-sections times branching fractions, as functions of the transverse momentum p T and the rapidity y of the Υ mesons, are measured in the range p T < 20 GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. The results integrated over these p T and y ranges are $\sigma \left(\textrm{Y}(1S)\right)\times \mathcal{B}\left(\textrm{Y}(1S)\to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)=2101\pm 33\pm 83\ \textrm{pb},$ $\sigma \left(\textrm{Y}(2S)\right)\times \mathcal{B}\left(\textrm{Y}(2S)\to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)=526\pm 20\pm 21\ \textrm{pb},$ $\sigma \left(\textrm{Y}(3S)\right)\times \mathcal{B}\left(\textrm{Y}(3S)\to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)=242\pm 16\pm 10\ \textrm{pb},$ where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The ratios of cross-sections between measurements of two different Υ states and between measurements at different centre-of-mass energies are determined. The nuclear modification factor of Υ(1S) at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5 TeV is updated as well using the directly measured cross-section results from this analysis.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Search for CP violation in t$\overline{\textrm{t}}$H and tH production in multilepton channels in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The charge-parity (CP) structure of the Yukawa interaction between the Higgs (H) boson and the top quark is measured in a data sample enriched in the t$\overline{t}$H and tH associated production, using 138 fb -1 of data collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The study targets events where the H boson decays via H → WW or H → ττ and the top quarks decay via t → Wb: the W bosons decay either leptonically or hadronically, and final states characterized by the presence of at least two leptons are studied. Machine learning techniques are applied to these final states to enhance the separation of CP -even from CP -odd scenarios. Two-dimensional confidence regions are set on $κ$ t and $\widetilde{k}$t, which are respectively defined as the CP -even and CP -odd top-Higgs Yukawa coupling modifiers. No significant fractional CP -odd contributions, parameterized by the quantity |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| are observed; the parameter is determined to be |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| = 0.59 with an interval of (0.24, 0.81) at 68% confidence level. The results are combined with previous results covering the H → ZZ and H → γγ decay modes, yielding two- and one-dimensional confidence regions on $κ$ t and $\widetilde{k}$t, while |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| is determined to be |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| = 0.28 with an interval of |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| < 0.55 at 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model CP -even prediction of |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| = 0.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for lepton-flavor-violating ${\tau }^{-}\to {{\ell}}^{-}{K}_{s}^{0}$ decays at Belle and Belle II

We present the results of a search for charged-lepton-flavor violating decays ${\tau }^{-}\to {{\ell}}^{-}{K}_{s}^{0}$, where ℓ − is either an electron or a muon. We combine e + e − data samples recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider (428 fb −1 ) with samples recorded by the Belle experiment at the KEKB collider (980 fb −1 ) to obtain a sample of 1.3 billion e + e − → τ + τ − events. We observe 0 and 1 events and set 90% confidence level upper limits of 0.8 × 10 −8 and 1.2 × 10 −8 on the branching fractions of the decay modes ${\tau }^{-}\to {e}^{-}{K}_{S}^{0}$ and ${\tau }^{-}\to {\mu }^{-}{K}_{S}^{0}$, respectively. These are the most stringent upper limits to date.

beyond Standard Model↗