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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Hidden-sectors search and probe of discrete symmetries at the REDTOP experiment

The $η$ and $η^{\prime}$ mesons are nearly unique in the particle universe since they are nearly Goldstone bosons, and their decay dynamics are strongly constrained. While earlier experiments collected samples of order $\sim 10^{9}η$, the proposed REDTOP (Rare Eta Decays To Observe Physics Beyond the Standard Model) facility targets $\mathcal{O}(10^{14})η$ and $\mathcal{O}(10^{12})η^\prime$, enabling broad searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. In this work, we present studies evaluating REDTOP sensitivity to processes that couple the Standard Model to New Physics through four portals: the Vector (dark photon), the Scalar (Higgs-mixing), the Axion-like, and the Heavy Lepton. In parallel, the proposed statistics allow precise tests of $CP$ and $T$ invariance and lepton universality and improve determinations of the $η/η'$ transition form factors, which are crucial inputs to the hadronic light-by-light contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment $(g-2)_μ$.

Gatto, C. [INFN, Naples; Northern Illinois U.]↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Mu2e Experiment and Progress in the Year 2024

The Mu2e Experiment is a search for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) in the process of a coherent neutrinoless mu- N -> e- N transition. This process is allowed under the Standard Model in the presence of neutrino mixing; albeit, at unobservable rates (branching ratio below 10-50). The sensitivity of the Mu2e experiment is a factor of 104 improvement over the current limit. This search both compliments and extends current searches for muon to electron+gamma at MEG and new physics searches at the LHC. Another interesting process that Mu2e will search for is the neutrionless conversion of stopped negative muons into positrons: mu- N -> e+ N'. This process violates both lepton flavor and lepton number (LNV) and would provide proof that neutrinos are Majorana particles. Progress has been made in many areas in preparation for beam. A description of the Mu2e Experiment and a synopsis of this experiment s progress in the year 2024 towards data collection will be presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Using Boosted Decision Trees to Select High Quality Measurements in the Mu2e Experiment at Fermilab

This thesis presents the implementation and evaluation of a Boosted Decision Tree (BDT) model to improve the selection of high-quality track measurements in the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab. The Mu2e experiment is a high-energy physics experiments seeking to observe a rare theoretical physics process known as Charged Lepton Flavor Violation. A significant challenge faced by the Mu2e experiment are so-called background events, which are events whose data mimics that of the rare physics process the experiment seeks to observe. Without a mechanism to reduce background, it would be impossible to know whether Charged Lepton Flavor Violation occurred or not. To this end, high-quality track measurements must be distinguished from low-quality track measurements. A track can be conceived of as the reconstructed path of a particle that traveled through the Mu2e detector. In addition to other data, data about such tracks is stored using a C++-based framework, specific to the domain of high-energy physics, known as ROOT. A boosted decision tree model was trained using ROOT’s Toolkit For Multivariate Analysis by leveraging variables ancillary to track quality. In evaluation, the BDT achieves a ROC-AUC of 0.927 in discriminating good-quality tracks from poor-quality tracks. Such a score is indicative of both strong discrimination and strong generalization. Subsequently, it is shown that applying a BDT-based quality cut to the distribution of particle momenta significantly enhances the signal-to-background distinction for signal electrons, paving the way for improved sensitivity to Charged Lepton Flavor Violation.

Mullany, Brendan T. [Drew U.] (ORCID:0009000818888↗
DOE OSTI2020

Validation of MCNP Critical Benchmark Models of Moderated Highly Enriched Uranium Slabs

A new centralized repository of high-quality MCNP models of critical benchmark experiments is currently under development at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The benchmark experiments are described in the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) Handbook, and the initial set of benchmark models are derived from the Whisper Suite provided with MCNP6.2. This effort is a collaboration among the Nuclear Criticality Safety, Nuclear Data, and Monte Carlo code development/application organizations at LANL. The goal is to build a single LANL benchmark collection that is up to date with the latest ICSBEP revision, has a formal review and revision process, is contained in an open-source repository, and utilizes new Python tools for improved input and output file review. This paper describes the validation of the models associated with HEU-MET-FAST-007, “Uranium Metal Slabs Moderated with Polyethylene, Plexiglas, and Teflon”. The Monte Carlo n-Particle (MCNP) models were compared to the second revision of HEU-MET-FAST-007. The experiment considered critical configurations of highly enriched uranium (HEU) metal slabs and various moderators in 43 unique cases. The slabs of uranium were separated by layers of moderating material, forming an assembly. The assembly was separated in two halves with one half placed on a stationary table and the other attached to a moveable table that could be raised and lowered via pulleys connected to the ceiling of the shielded room. To reach criticality, the two halves were brought together with a negligible gap between the assemblies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Review of opportunities for new long-lived particle triggers in Run 3 of the Large Hadron Collider

Long-lived particles (LLPs) are highly motivated signals of physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) with great discovery potential and unique experimental challenges. The LLP search programme made great advances during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), but many important regions of signal space remain unexplored. Dedicated triggers are crucial to improve the potential of LLP searches, and their development and expansion is necessary for the full exploitation of the new data. The public discussion of triggers has therefore been a relevant theme in the recent LLP literature, in the meetings of the LLP@LHC Community workshop and in the respective experiments. This paper documents the ideas collected during talks and discussions at these Workshops, benefiting as well from the ideas under development by the trigger community within the experimental collaborations. We summarise the theoretical motivations of various LLP scenarios leading to highly elusive signals, reviewing concrete ideas for triggers that could greatly extend the reach of the LHC experiments. We thus expect this document to encourage further thinking for both the phenomenological and experimental communities, as a stepping stone to further develop the LLP@LHC physics programme.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

ProtoDUNE-SP's Performance, Physics status, and Future Plans

The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber measuring$ 7.2 \times 6.1 \times 7.0 m^3$ in active volume. It is designed as a test bed and full-scale prototype for the elements of the first far detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Located at the CERN Neutrino Platform, the detector was exposed to a tagged and momentum-analyzed particle beam with momentum settings ranging from 0.3 GeV/c to 7 GeV/c and collected more than four million beam events. Additionally, the detector operated for approximately two years, continuously collecting cosmic ray events. We present the performance of the detector which has met or surpassed the specifications set for the DUNE far detector. The status of physics analyses including hadron-Ar cross sections and measurements of liquid argon properties will be summarized. Talk will conclude with plans for the coming Run2 with ProtoDUNE-HD (horizontal drift).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

R -parity violation axiogenesis

We show that the rotation of the QCD axion field, aided by B–L violation from supersymmetric R-parity violating couplings, can yield the observed baryon abundance. Strong sphaleron processes transfer the angular momentum of the axion field into a quark chiral asymmetry, which R-parity violating couplings convert to the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. We focus on the case of dimensionless R-parity violating couplings with textures motivated by grand unified theories and comment on more general scenarios. The axion decay constant and mass spectrum of supersymmetric particles are constrained by Big Bang nucleosynthesis, proton decay from the R-parity violation, and successful thermalization of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking field. Axion dark matter may be produced by the axion rotation via the kinetic misalignment mechanism for axion decay constants below 10 10 GeV, or by the conventional misalignment mechanism for 10 11-12 GeV. The viable parameter region can be probed by proton decay and axion searches. This scenario may also have connections with collider experiments, including searches for long-lived particles, and observations of gravitational waves.

Beyond Standard Model↗
DOE OSTI2024

INSPIRED: Inelastic neutron scattering prediction for instantaneous results and experimental design

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) has unique advantages in probing how atoms vibrate and how the vibrations propagate and interact. Such dynamic information is crucial in understanding various material properties, from heat capacity, thermal conductivity, phase transitions, and chemical reactions to more exotic quantum behavior. The analysis and interpretation of the INS spectra often start from a model structure of the sample, followed by a series of calculations to obtain the simulated spectra to compare with experiments. The conventional way to perform such calculations usually requires significant time, computing resources, and specialized expertise. Here, we present a new program named INSPIRED (Inelastic Neutron Scattering Prediction for Instantaneous Results and Experimental Design), which enables users to perform rapid INS simulations in several different ways on their personal computers in just a few clicks, with the crystal structure as the only input file. Specifically, the users can choose a pre-trained symmetry-aware neural network (coupled with an autoencoder) to predict the phonon density of states (DOS), 1D S(E) and 2D S(|Q|,E) spectra for any given structure. One can also choose an existing density functional theory (DFT) calculation from a database (containing over 12,000 crystals), and quickly obtain the simulated INS spectra for single crystals and powders. It is also possible to use pre-trained universal machine learning force fields to relax a given crystal structure, calculate the phonon dispersion and DOS, and, subsequently, the INS spectra. All these functions are implemented with a PyQt graphic user interface. Finally, we expect these new tools will benefit broad user communities and significantly improve the efficiency of experiment design, execution, and data analysis for INS.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Error Analysis Toolkit for Binned Counting Experiments

We introduce the MINERvA Analysis Toolkit (MAT), a utility for centralizing the handling of systematic uncertainties in HEP analyses. The fundamental utilities of the toolkit are the MnvHnD, a powerful histogram container class, and the systematic Universe classes, which provide a modular implementation of the many universe error analysis approach. These products can be used stand-alone or as part of a complete error analysis prescription. They support the propagation of systematic uncertainty through all stages of analysis, and provide flexibility for an arbitrary level of user customization. This extensible solution to error analysis enables the standardization of systematic uncertainty definitions across an experiment and a transparent user interface to lower the barrier to entry for new analyzers.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Directly driven magnetized fast-ignition targets with steep density gradients for inertial fusion energy

The development of advanced targets capable of achieving ignition with improved energy gain at lower driver energies is one of four key technical challenges to be solved in order to realize economical inertial fusion energy. We report the minimum energy necessary for a small hemispherical mass of fast-ignited high-density deuterium–tritium fuel to explosively ignite a significantly larger hemispherical mass of assembled cold fuel with much lower mass density, both with and without a flux-compressed magnetic field connecting the two regions. With the magnetic field, the burn rate improves, and lower energy states become more effective. The imploded fuel reservoir available in the lower-density, larger-mass region of the steep density gradient determines whether the fusion yield is several hundred MJ or up to a few GJ. We report a case wherein the cold reservoir ignited and produced high gain with the assistance of only ~700 kJ of hotspot yield, an amount that has already been demonstrated as feasible in laboratory experiments using indirect-drive targets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Addressing R D(*) , R K(*) , muon g -2 and ANITA anomalies in a minimal R-parity violating supersymmetric framework

We analyze the recent hints of lepton flavor universality violation in both charged-current and neutral-current rare decays of B mesons in an R -parity-violating supersymmetric scenario. Motivated by simplicity and minimality, we had earlier postulated the third-generation superpartners to be the lightest (calling the scenario “RPV3”) and explicitly showed that it preserves gauge coupling unification and of course has the usual attribute of naturally addressing the Higgs radiative stability. Here we show that both R D ( * ) and R K ( * ) flavor anomalies can be addressed in this RPV3 framework. Interestingly, this scenario may also be able to accommodate two other seemingly disparate anomalies, namely, the longstanding discrepancy in the muon ( g - 2 ), as well as the recent anomalous upgoing ultrahigh-energy Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna events. Based on symmetry arguments, we consider three different benchmark points for the relevant RPV3 couplings and carve out the regions of parameter space where all (or some) of these anomalies can be simultaneously explained. We find it remarkable that such overlap regions exist, given the plethora of precision low-energy and high-energy experimental constraints on the minimal model parameter space. The third-generation superpartners needed in this theoretical construction are all in the 1–10 TeV range, accessible at the LHC and/or next-generation hadron colliders. We also discuss some testable predictions for the lepton-flavor-violating decays of the tau lepton and B mesons for the current and future B -physics experiments, such as LHCb and Belle II. Complementary tests of the flavor anomalies in the high- p T regime in collider experiments such as the LHC are also discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Throughput Custom Monitoring for the Mu2e TDAQ System

In this project we are studying the application of programmable network hardware to provide a custom monitoring capability for the Mu2e Trigger and Data Acquisition System (TDAQ) system. The goal of the Mu2e experiment is to search for a charged-lepton flavor violating processes where a negative muon converts into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus. This experiment is intended to improve by four orders of magnitude the search sensitivity reached so far. We have a working prototype of a system that provides high-throughput, custom monitoring for the Mu2e TDAQ system. The custom Mu2e network packet header format is parsed as it crosses the network switch. Parsing extracts bits that convey information about error states at read-out controllers (ROCs). This information is periodically relayed to the switch controller, which in turn alerts experiment operators.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-performance Generic Neutrino Detection in a LArTPC near the Earth's Surface with the MicroBooNE Detector

Large Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs) are being increasingly adopted in neutrino oscillation experiments because of their superb imaging capabilities through the combination of both tracking and calorimetry in a fully active volume. Active LArTPC neutrino detectors at or near the Earth's surface, such as the MicroBooNE experiment, present a unique analysis challenge because of the large flux of cosmic-ray muons and the slow drift of ionization electrons. We present a novel Wire-Cell-based high-performance generic neutrino-detection technique implemented in MicroBooNE. The cosmic-ray background is reduced by a factor of 1.4$\times10^{5}$ resulting in a 9.7% cosmic contamination in the selected neutrino candidate events, for visible energies greater than 200~MeV, while the neutrino signal efficiency is retained at 88.4% for $\nu_{\mu}$ charged-current interactions in the fiducial volume in the same energy region. This significantly improved performance compared to existing reconstruction algorithms, marks a major milestone toward reaching the scientific goals of LArTPC neutrino oscillation experiments operating near the Earth's surface.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Throughput Custom Monitoring for the Mu2e TDAQ System

In this project we are studying the application of programmable network hardware to provide a custom monitoring capability for the Mu2e Trigger and Data Acquisition System (TDAQ) system. The goal of the Mu2e experiment is to search for a charged-lepton flavor violating processes where a negative muon converts into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus. This experiment is intended to improve by four orders of magnitude the search sensitivity reached so far. We have a working prototype of a system that provides high-throughput, custom monitoring for the Mu2e TDAQ system. The custom Mu2e network packet header format is parsed as it crosses the network switch. Parsing extracts bits that convey information about error states at read-out controllers (ROCs). This information is periodically relayed to the switch controller, which in turn alerts experiment operators.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Performance Analysis and Radiation Damage Estimation of the Stopping Target Monitor Detectors in Mu2e

The Mu2e experiment aims to search for the charged lepton flavour violating (CLFV) process of a coherent, neutrinoless, conversion of a muon into an electron within the proximity of an aluminium nucleus. Mu2e seeks to measure the ratio (R μe ) of the rate of this conversion process, relative to that of ordinary muon capture. Mu2e will achieve world-leading sensitivity, improving the current limit of Rμe < 7 ×10 -13 (90% C.L.),set by the SINDRUM-II experiment, by an order of 104. This corresponds to a single-event sensitivity of Rμe < 2.87 × 10 -17 (90% C.L.). Many beyond Standard Model (BSM) theories require CLFV to occur at a rate accessible by Mu2e. Any observation of CLFV at Mu2e would have profound implications on particle physics. The Stopping Target Monitor (STM) will be comprised of both a HPGe and a LaBr3 detector which will monitor the signals of photons produced in stopped-muon processes to a required accuracy of 10%. To achieve the desired sensitivity, it is imperative that the detectors perform at their optimal level. The STM detectors are placed within a harsh radiation environment in the form of a high energy ‘flash’ of gamma radiation as well as a flux of fast neutrons. Estimations of radiation damage to HPGe in literature is limited. This thesis reports an approach which utilizes the Kinetic-Energy Released in Matter (KERMA) parameter that considers the energy dependence of the incident flux and the cross-section information for the incident particle. Resampling schemes have been adopted to give a realistic rate over the experiment run time. The results have then been normalized to the radiation damage caused by a 252 Cf source. The estimated time before annealing of the detector is necessary is found to be 75 and 78 months in the case of neutron damage and τ ~ 24 years, 11 months in the case of electron/positron induced damage. This shows significant improvement on the previous estimations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Physics and applications of dusty plasmas: The Perspectives 2023

Dusty plasmas are electrically quasi-neutral media that, along with electrons, ions, neutral gas, radiation, and electric and/or magnetic fields, also contain solid or liquid particles with sizes ranging from a few nanometers to a few micrometers. These media can be found in many natural environments as well as in various laboratory setups and industrial applications. As a separate branch of plasma physics, the field of dusty plasma physics was born in the beginning of 1990s at the intersection of the interests of the communities investigating astrophysical and technological plasmas. An additional boost to the development of the field was given by the discovery of plasma crystals leading to a series of microgravity experiments of which the purpose was to investigate generic phenomena in condensed matter physics using strongly coupled complex (dusty) plasmas as model systems. Finally, the field has gained an increasing amount of attention due to its inevitable connection to the development of novel applications ranging from the synthesis of functional nanoparticles to nuclear fusion and from particle sensing and diagnostics to nano-contamination control. The purpose of the present perspectives paper is to identify promising new developments and research directions for the field. As such, dusty plasmas are considered in their entire variety: from classical low-pressure noble-gas dusty discharges to atmospheric pressure plasmas with aerosols and from rarefied astrophysical plasmas to dense plasmas in nuclear fusion devices. Both fundamental and application aspects are covered.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1998

300 GeV Observations of Unidentified EGRET Sources. A Search for TeV Counterparts to BATSE Gamma-ray Bursts

There are few things more intriguing in high energy astrophysics than the study of the highest energy particles in the universe. Where and how these particles achieve their extreme energies is of interest not only to the astrophysicist but also to the particle physicist. At GeV and TeV energies the problem is manageable since the physics is known and the acceleration processes feasible. But the energy spectrum extends to 10(exp 20)Ev and there the problem of their origin is both more difficult and interesting; in fact at these high energies we do not even know what the particles are. The study of the origin and distribution of relativistic particles in the universe has been a challenge for more than 80 years but it is only in recent years that the technology has become available to really address the question. Although something can be learned from studies of composition and energy spectrum, the origins (and thence the acceleration mechanisms) can only come from the direct study of the neutral particle component (in this respect the highest energy particles are effectively neutral since they are virtually undeflected). The feasible channels of investigation are therefore the study of the arrival directions of: (1) TeV photons (covered by the following U.S. experiments: STACEE, Whipple/VERITAS, MILAGRO and, to some extent, by EGRET/GLAST); (2) neutrinos of TeV energy and above (AMANDA/KM3); (3) the highest energy cosmic rays (HiRes, Auger). While these studies represent a form of astronomy they are the astronomy of the extraordinary universe, the universe populated by the most dynamic and physically exciting objects, the universe of the high energy astrophysicist whose cosmic laboratories represent conditions beyond anything that can be duplicated in a terrestrial laboratory. This extraordinary astronomy may say little about the normal evolution of stars and galaxies but it opens windows into cosmic particle acceleration where new and strange physical processes take place.

Weekes, Trevor C.↗