Search

Baryon number conservation is not guaranteed by any fundamental symmetry within the standard model, and therefore has been a subject of experimental and theoretical scrutiny for decades. So far, no evidence for baryon number violation has been observed. Large underground detectors have long been used for both neutrino detection and searches for baryon number violating processes. The next generation of large neutrino detectors will seek to improve upon the limits set by past and current experiments and will cover a range of lifetimes predicted by several Grand Unified Theories. In this White Paper, we summarize theoretical motivations and experimental aspects of searches for baryon number violation in neutrino experiments.

We present a public catalog of transients from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Bright Transient Survey, a magnitude-limited (m < 19 mag in either the g or r filter) survey for extragalactic transients in the ZTF public stream. We introduce cuts on survey coverage, sky visibility around peak light, and other properties unconnected to the nature of the transient, and show that the resulting statistical sample is spectroscopically 97% complete at -16 mag), 10% in red-sequence galaxies, and 1% in massive ellipticals. We find no significant difference in the luminosity or color distributions between the host galaxies of SNe Type II and SNe Type Ib/c, suggesting that line-driven wind stripping does not play a major role in the loss of the hydrogen envelope from their progenitors. Future large-scale classification efforts with ZTF and other wide-area surveys will provide highquality measurements of the rates, properties, and environments of all known types of optical transients and limits on the existence of theoretically predicted but as yet unobserved explosions.

The Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) LSQ14fmg exhibits exaggerated properties that may help to reveal the origin of the "super-Chandrasekhar"(or 03fg-like) group. The optical spectrum is typical of a 03fg-like SN Ia, but the light curves are unlike those of any SNe Ia observed. The light curves of LSQ14fmg rise extremely slowly. At -23 rest-frame days relative to B-band maximum, LSQ14fmg is already brighter than MV = -19 mag before host extinction correction. The observed color curves show a flat evolution from the earliest observation to approximately 1 week after maximum. The near-infrared light curves peak brighter than -20.5 mag in the J and H bands, far more luminous than any 03fg-like SNe Ia with near-infrared observations. At 1 month past maximum, the optical light curves decline rapidly. The early, slow rise and flat color evolution are interpreted to result from an additional excess flux from a power source other than the radioactive decay of the synthesized 56Ni. The excess flux matches the interaction with a typical superwind of an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star in density structure, mass-loss rate, and duration. The rapid decline starting at around 1 month past B-band maximum may be an indication of rapid cooling by active carbon monoxide (CO) formation, which requires a low-temperature and high-density environment. These peculiarities point to an AGB progenitor near the end of its evolution and the core degenerate scenario as the likely explosion mechanism for LSQ14fmg.

Machine learning is an important applied research area in particle physics, beginning with applications to high-level physics analysis in the 1990s and 2000s, followed by an explosion of applications in particle and event identification and reconstruction in the 2010s. In this document we discuss promising future research and development areas in machine learning in particle physics with a roadmap for their implementation, software and hardware resource requirements, collaborative initiatives with the data science community, academia and industry, and training the particle physics community in data science. The main objective of the document is to connect and motivate these areas of research and development with the physics drivers of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider and future neutrino experiments and identify the resource needs for their implementation. Additionally we identify areas where collaboration with external communities will be of great benefit.

We present detailed ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared light curves of the Type Ia supernova (SN) 2012fr, which exploded in the Fornax cluster member NGC 1365. These precise high-cadence light curves provide a dense coverage of the flux evolution from -12 to +140 days with respect to the epoch of B-band maximum (). Supplementary imaging at the earliest epochs reveals an initial slow and nearly linear rise in luminosity with a duration of ∼2.5 days, followed by a faster rising phase that is well reproduced by an explosion model with a moderate amount of 56Ni mixing in the ejecta. From our analysis of the light curves, we conclude that: (i) the explosion occurred 1800) luminosity was 16.5 ±0.6 days, (iii) the supernova suffered little or no host-galaxy dust reddening, (iv) the peak luminosity in both the optical and near-infrared was consistent with the bright end of normal Type Ia diversity, and (v) 0.60 ±0.15 M o of 56Ni was synthesized in the explosion. Despite its normal luminosity, SN 2012fr displayed unusually prevalent high-velocity Ca ii and Si ii absorption features, and a nearly constant photospheric velocity of the Si ii λ6355 line at ∼12,000 that began ∼5 days before . We also highlight some of the other peculiarities in the early phase photometry and the spectral evolution. SN 2012fr also adds to a growing number of Type Ia supernovae that are hosted by galaxies with direct Cepheid distance measurements.

We present a comprehensive review of keV-scale sterile neutrino Dark Matter, collecting views and insights from all disciplines involved - cosmology, astrophysics, nuclear, and particle physics - in each case viewed from both theoretical and experimental/observational perspectives. After reviewing the role of active neutrinos in particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, we focus on sterile neutrinos in the context of the Dark Matter puzzle. Here, we first review the physics motivation for sterile neutrino Dark Matter, based on challenges and tensions in purely cold Dark Matter scenarios. We then round out the discussion by critically summarizing all known constraints on sterile neutrino Dark Matter arising from astrophysical observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical considerations. In this context, we provide a balanced discourse on the possibly positive signal from X-ray observations. Another focus of the paper concerns the construction of particle physics models, aiming to explain how sterile neutrinos of keV-scale masses could arise in concrete settings beyond the Standard Model of elementary particle physics. The paper ends with an extensive review of current and future astrophysical and laboratory searches, highlighting new ideas and their experimental challenges, as well as future perspectives for the discovery of sterile neutrinos.

We measure the evolution of the quiescent fraction and quenching efficiency of satellites around star-forming and quiescent central galaxies with stellar mass at . We combine imaging from three deep near-infrared-selected surveys (ZFOURGE/CANDELS, Ultra Deep Survey, and UltraVISTA), which allows us to select a stellar-mass complete sample of satellites with . Satellites for both star-forming and quiescent central galaxies ("centrals") have higher quiescent fractions compared to field galaxies matched in stellar mass at all redshifts. We also observe "galactic conformity": satellites around quiescent centrals are more likely to be quenched compared to the satellites around star-forming centrals. In our sample, this conformity signal is significant at for , whereas it is only weakly significant at and . Therefore, conformity (and thus satellite quenching) has been present for a significant fraction of the age of the universe. The satellite quenching efficiency increases with increasing stellar mass of the central, but does not appear to depend on the stellar mass of the satellite to the mass limit of our sample. When we compare the satellite quenching efficiency of star-forming centrals with stellar masses 0.2 dex higher than quiescent centrals (which should account for any difference in halo mass), the conformity signal decreases, but remains statistically significant at . This is evidence that satellite quenching is connected to the star formation properties of the central galaxy as well as to the mass of the halo. We discuss physical effects that may contribute to galactic conformity, and emphasize that they must allow for continued star formation in the central galaxy even as the satellites are quenched.

We report the first direct and robust measurement of the faint-end slope of the Lyα emitter (LAE) luminosity function (LF) at z = 5.7. Candidate LAEs from a low-spectral-resolution blind search with IMACS on Magellan-Baade were targeted at higher resolution to distinguish high-redshift LAEs from foreground galaxies. All but 2 of our 42 single-emission-line systems have flux ergs s-1 cm-2, making these the faintest emission-lines observed for a z = 5.7 sample with known completeness, an essential property for determining the faint end slope of the LAE LF. We find 13 LAEs as compared to 29 foreground galaxies, in very good agreement with the modeled foreground counts predicted in Dressler et al. that had been used to estimate a faint-end slope of α = -2.0 for the LAE LF. A 32% LAE fraction, LAE/(LAE+foreground) within the flux interval ergs s-1 cm-2 constrains the faint end slope of the LF to (1σ). We show how this steep LF should provide, to the limit of our observations, -16, more than 20% of the flux necessary to maintain ionization at z = 5.7, with a factor of 10 extrapolation in flux reaching more than 50%. This is in addition to the comparable contribution by brighter Lyman Break Galaxies -18. We suggest that this bodes well for a sufficient supply of Lyman continuum photons by similar, low-mass star-forming galaxies within the reionization epoch at , only 250 Myr earlier.

We investigate the orbital motion of the Quintuplet cluster near the Galactic center with the aim of constraining formation scenarios of young, massive star clusters in nuclear environments. Three epochs of adaptive optics high-angular resolution imaging with the Keck/NIRC2 and Very Large Telescope/NAOS-CONICA systems were obtained over a time baseline of 5.8 yr, delivering an astrometric accuracy of 0.5-1 mas yr-1. Proper motions were derived in the cluster reference frame and were used to distinguish cluster members from the majority of the dense field star population toward the inner bulge. Fitting the cluster and field proper motion distributions with two-dimensional (2D) Gaussian models, we derive the orbital motion of the cluster for the first time. The Quintuplet is moving with a 2D velocity of 132 ± 15 km s-1 with respect to the field along the Galactic plane, which yields a three-dimensional orbital velocity of 167 ± 15 km s-1 when combined with the previously known radial velocity. From a sample of 119 stars measured in three epochs, we derive an upper limit to the velocity dispersion of σ1D < 10 km s-1 in the core of the Quintuplet cluster. Knowledge of the three velocity components of the Quintuplet allows us to model the cluster orbit in the potential of the inner Galaxy. Under the assumption that the Quintuplet is located in the central 200 pc at the present time, these simulations exclude the possibility that the cluster is moving on a circular orbit. Comparing the Quintuplet's orbit with our earlier measurements of the Arches' orbit, we discuss the possibility that both clusters originated in the same area of the central molecular zone (CMZ). According to the model of Binney et al., two families of stable cloud orbits are located along the major and minor axes of the Galactic bar, named x1 and x2 orbits, respectively. The formation locus of these clusters is consistent with the outermost x2 orbit and might hint at cloud collisions at the transition region between the x1 and x2 orbital families located at the tip of the minor axis of the Galactic bar. The formation of young, massive star clusters in circumnuclear rings is discussed in the framework of the channeling in of dense gas by the bar potential. We conclude that the existence of a large-scale bar plays a major role in supporting ongoing star and cluster formation, not only in nearby spiral galaxies with circumnuclear rings, but also in the Milky Way's CMZ. © 2014. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

We present a measurement of the Type I quasar luminosity function at z = 5 using a large sample of spectroscopically confirmed quasars selected from optical imaging data. We measure the bright end (M 1450 < -26) with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data covering ∼6000 deg2, then extend to lower luminosities (M 1450 < -24) with newly discovered, faint z ∼ 5 quasars selected from 235 deg2 of deep, coadded imaging in the SDSS Stripe 82 region (the celestial equator in the Southern Galactic Cap). The faint sample includes 14 quasars with spectra obtained as ancillary science targets in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, and 59 quasars observed at the MMT and Magellan telescopes. We construct a well-defined sample of 4.7 < z < 5.1 quasars that is highly complete, with 73 spectroscopic identifications out of 92 candidates. Our color selection method is also highly efficient: of the 73 spectra obtained, 71 are high-redshift quasars. These observations reach below the break in the luminosity function (). The bright-end slope is steep (β ≲ -4), with a constraint of β < -3.1 at 95% confidence. The break luminosity appears to evolve strongly at high redshift, providing an explanation for the flattening of the bright-end slope reported previously. We find a factor of ∼2 greater decrease in the number density of luminous quasars (M 1450 < -26) from z = 5 to z = 6 than from z = 4 to z = 5, suggesting a more rapid decline in quasar activity at high redshift than found in previous surveys. Our model for the quasar luminosity function predicts that quasars generate ∼30% of the ionizing photons required to keep hydrogen in the universe ionized at z = 5. © 2013. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

M15 is a globular cluster with a known spread in neutron-capture elements. This paper presents abundances of neutron-capture elements for 62 stars in M15. Spectra were obtained with the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System spectrograph, covering a wavelength range from ∼4430 to 4630 Å. Spectral lines from Fe i, Fe ii, Sr i, Zr ii, Ba ii, La ii, Ce ii, Nd ii, Sm ii, Eu ii, and Dy ii were measured, enabling classifications and neutron-capture abundance patterns for the stars. Of the 62 targets, 44 are found to be highly Eu-enhanced r-II stars, another 17 are moderately Eu-enhanced r-I stars, and one star is found to have an s-process signature. The neutron-capture patterns indicate that the majority of the stars are consistent with enrichment by the r-process. The 62 target stars are found to show significant star-to-star spreads in Sr, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Dy, but no significant spread in Fe. The neutron-capture abundances are further found to have slight correlations with sodium abundances from the literature, unlike what has been previously found; follow-up studies are needed to verify this result. The findings in this paper suggest that the Eu-enhanced stars in M15 were enhanced by the same process, that the nucleosynthetic source of this Eu pollution was the r-process, and that the r-process source occurred as the first generation of cluster stars was forming.

One of the main goals of most future CMB experiments is the precise measurement of CMB B-mode polarization, whose major obstacle is the Galactic foregrounds. In this paper, we evaluate the foreground cleaning performance of the variants of the ILC method on partial sky B-modes and analyze the main sources of biases on the BB power spectrum. Specially, we compare the NILC, the cILC (in three domains) and the cMILC methods for AliCPT-1 simulations. We find that the cILC methods implemented in harmonic space and needlet space are both competent to clean different models of foregrounds, which bias the tensor-to-scalar ratio about 0.008 at maximum, and constrain the tensor-to-scalar ratio to r < 0.043(95%CL) for the AliCPT-1 configuration. We also note that the deviation of the estimated noise bias from the actual one for ILC, dubbed the noise bias error (NBE) in this paper, might make significant effects on the power spectrum for a small footprint and low signal-to-noise ratio CMB experiment. We finally obtain its relation with respect to the noise residual which fits well with the simulated results.

Abstract : We find a general formula for the two-loop renormalization counterterms of a scalar quantum field theory with interactions containing up to two derivatives, extending ’t Hooft’s one-loop result. The method can also be used for theories with higher derivative interactions, as long as the terms in the Lagrangian have at most one derivative acting on each field. We show that diagrams with factorizable topologies do not contribute to the renormalization group equations. The results in this paper will be combined with the geometric method in a subsequent paper to obtain the counterterms and renormalization group equations for the scalar sector of effective field theories (EFT) to two-loop order.

Collecting feedback from people in indoor and outdoor environments is traditionally challenging and complex to achieve in a reliable, longitudinal, and non-intrusive way. This paper introduces Cozie Apple, an open-source mobile and smartwatch application for iOS devices. This platform allows people to complete a watch-based micro-survey and provide real-time feedback about environmental conditions via their Apple Watch. It leverages the inbuilt sensors of the smartwatch to collect physiological (e.g., heart rate, activity) and environmental (sound level) data. This paper outlines data collected from 48 research participants who used the platform to report perceptions of urban-scale environmental comfort (noise and thermal) and contextual factors such as who they were with and what activity they were doing. The results of 2,400 micro-surveys across various urban settings are illustrated in this paper, showing the variability of noise-related distractions, thermal comfort, and associated context. The results show that participants experienced at least a little noise distraction 58% of the time, with people talking being the most common reason (46%). This effort is novel due to its focus on spatial and temporal scalability and the collection of noise, distraction, and associated contextual information. These data set the stage for larger deployments, deeper analysis, and more helpful prediction models toward better understanding the occupants’ needs and perceptions. These innovations could result in real-time control signals to building systems or nudges for people to change their behavior.

A search for events with two displaced vertices from long-lived particle (LLP) pairs using data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. This analysis uses 139 fb-1 of proton-proton collision data at s=13 TeV recorded in 2015-2018. The search employs techniques for reconstructing vertices of LLPs decaying to jets in the muon spectrometer displaced between 3 and 14 m with respect to the primary interaction vertex. The observed numbers of events are consistent with the expected background and limits for several benchmark signals are determined. For the Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV, the paper reports the first exclusion limits for branching fractions into neutral long-lived particles below 0.1%, while branching fractions above 10% are excluded at 95% confidence level for LLP proper lifetimes ranging from 4 cm to 72.4 m. In addition, the paper present the first results for the decay of LLPs into tt¯ in the ATLAS muon spectrometer.

This paper discovers new quantum physics, and gives solutions to puzzles of Wheeler's delayed choice and a particle's passing many slits simultaneously by exact quantum physics expressions. We further show new quantum control, new quantum oscillation, new quantum control experiments and new quantum oscillator being able to be installed in quantum communication network etc. We discover that the ability of a photon to hit electrons out in photoelectric effect is complementarily equivalent to the ability of wave of a photon to simultaneously pass through many slits in wave-particle duality. Objective criterion for distinguishing classical and quantum particles is found, and this paper gives applicable realm of quantum theories and new quantum physics expressions of wave-particle duality. All these studies above should be classified as classical and quantum particles, then classical particle and quantum particle wave cannot and can pass many slits, respectively. This paper discovers wave-particle duality's origin of displaying both wave property from plane wave part of the general Fourier expansion and particle property from the general Fourier expansion coefficients with the particle's global property and spins etc. We give the superposition state representation of wave-particle duality, further find the collapse of the duality superposition state to wave or particle state. The collapsed wave or particle state is related to the measure of wave or particle property. Then, we explain why sometimes it's a wave or a particle. Our achieved results are truly tested, and we discover new measured attractive state and quantum wave collapse velocity expression.

Abstract This paper is the second in a series aimed at examining the gaseous environments of z ≤ 0.3 quasars and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) as a function of AGN/host galaxy properties across the merger sequence. This second paper focuses on the Lyα emission and O vi 1032, 1038 and N v 1238, 1243 absorption features, tracers of highly ionized gas outflows, in ULIRGs observed with HST/COS. Lyα emission is detected in 15 out of 19 ULIRGs, and 12 of the 14 clear Lyα detections show emission with blueshifted velocity centroids and/or wings. The equivalent widths of the Lyα emission increase with increasing AGN luminosities and AGN bolometric fractions. The blueshifts of the Lyα emission correlate positively with those of the [O iii] λ5007 emission, where the latter traces the ionized gas outflows. The Lyα escape fractions tend to be slightly larger in objects with stronger AGN and larger outflow velocities, but they do not correlate with nebular line reddening. Among the 12 ULIRGs with good continuum signal-to-noise ratios, O vi and/or N v absorption features are robustly detected in six of them, all of which are blueshifted, indicative of outflows. In the combined ULIRG + quasar sample, the outflows are more frequently detected in the X-ray weak or absorbed sources. The absorption equivalent widths, velocities, and velocity dispersions of the outflows are also higher in the X-ray weak sources. No other strong correlations are visible between the properties of the outflows and those of the AGN or host galaxies.

This paper documents the seventeenth data release (DR17) from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys; the fifth and final release from the fourth phase (SDSS-IV). DR17 contains the complete release of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey, which reached its goal of surveying over 10,000 nearby galaxies. The complete release of the MaNGA Stellar Library accompanies this data, providing observations of almost 30,000 stars through the MaNGA instrument during bright time. DR17 also contains the complete release of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 survey that publicly releases infrared spectra of over 650,000 stars. The main sample from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), as well as the subsurvey Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey data were fully released in DR16. New single-fiber optical spectroscopy released in DR17 is from the SPectroscipic IDentification of ERosita Survey subsurvey and the eBOSS-RM program. Along with the primary data sets, DR17 includes 25 new or updated value-added catalogs. This paper concludes the release of SDSS-IV survey data. SDSS continues into its fifth phase with observations already underway for the Milky Way Mapper, Local Volume Mapper, and Black Hole Mapper surveys.

This paper presents updated Monte Carlo configurations used to model the production of single electroweak vector bosons (W, Z/γ∗) in association with jets in proton-proton collisions for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Improvements pertaining to the electroweak input scheme, parton-shower splitting kernels and scale-setting scheme are shown for multi-jet merged configurations accurate to next-to-leading order in the strong and electroweak couplings. The computational resources required for these set-ups are assessed, and approximations are introduced resulting in a factor three reduction of the per-event CPU time without affecting the physics modelling performance. Continuous statistical enhancement techniques are introduced by ATLAS in order to populate low cross-section regions of phase space and are shown to match or exceed the generated effective luminosity. This, together with the lower per-event CPU time, results in a 50% reduction in the required computing resources compared to a legacy set-up previously used by the ATLAS collaboration. The set-ups described in this paper will be used for future ATLAS analyses and lay the foundation for the next generation of Monte Carlo predictions for single vector-boson plus jets production. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

Abstract: Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) are promising probes for clustering measurements at high redshift, z > 2, a region only covered so far by Lyman-α forest measurements. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of selecting LBGs by exploiting the existence of a strong deficit of flux shortward of the Lyman limit, due to various absorption processes along the line of sight. The target selection relies on deep imaging data from the HSC and CLAUDS surveys in the g, r, z and u bands, respectively, with median depths reaching 27 AB in all bands. The selections were validated by several dedicated spectroscopic observation campaigns with DESI. Visual inspection of spectra has enabled us to develop an automated spectroscopic typing and redshift estimation algorithm specific to LBGs. Based on these data and tools, we assess the efficiency and purity of target selections optimised for different purposes. Selections providing a wide redshift coverage retain 57% of the observed targets after spectroscopic confirmation with DESI, and provide an efficiency for LBGs of 83±3%, for a purity of the selected LBG sample of 90±2%. This would deliver a confirmed LBG density of ~ 620 deg-2 in the range 2.3 < z < 3.5 for a r-band limiting magnitude r < 24.2. Selections optimised for high redshift efficiency retain 73% of the observed targets after spectroscopic confirmation, with 89±4% efficiency for 97±2% purity. This would provide a confirmed LBG density of ~ 470 deg-2 in the range 2.8 < z < 3.5 for a r-band limiting magnitude r < 24.5. A preliminary study of the LBG sample 3d-clustering properties is also presented and used to estimate the LBG linear bias. A value of b LBG = 3.3 ± 0.2  (stat.) is obtained for a mean redshift of 2.9 and a limiting magnitude in r of 24.2, in agreement with results reported in the literature.

This paper reports cross-section measurements of ZZ production in pp collisions at s=13.6TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The data were collected by the ATLAS detector in 2022, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 29 fb−1. Events in the ZZ→4ℓ (ℓ=e, μ) final states are selected and used to measure the inclusive and differential cross-sections in a fiducial region defined close to the analysis selections. The inclusive cross-section is further extrapolated to the total phase space with a requirement of 66

Abstract: This study investigates the properties of symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter using the relativistic Brueckner–Hartree–Fock formalism, examining both zero and finite temperatures up to 70 MeV. Employing the full Dirac space, we incorporate three Bonn potentials (A, B, and C), which account for meson masses, coupling strengths, cutoff parameters, and form factors. The calculated properties of asymmetric nuclear matter form the basis for constructing equation-of-state (EOS) models tailored for neutron stars. These models, in turn, enable the computation of bulk properties for nonrotating, uniformly rotating, and differentially rotating neutron stars. Notably, the EOS models studied in this paper are sufficiently versatile to accommodate the mass of the most massive neutron star ever detected, PSR J0952–0607, estimated to be 2.35 ± 0.17 M ⊙. Furthermore, they yield masses and radii for PSR J0030+451 that align with the confidence intervals established for this pulsar.

This White Paper presents an overview of the current status and future perspective of QCD research, based on the community inputs and scientific conclusions from the 2022 Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting. We present the progress made in the last decade toward a deep understanding of both the fundamental structure of the sub-atomic matter of nucleon and nucleus in cold QCD, and the hot QCD matter in heavy ion collisions. We identify key questions of QCD research and plausible paths to obtaining answers to those questions in the near future, hence defining priorities of our research over the coming decades.

The field of dark matter detection is a highly visible and highly competitive one. In this paper, we propose recommendations for presenting dark matter direct detection results particularly suited for weak-scale dark matter searches, although we believe the spirit of the recommendations can apply more broadly to searches for other dark matter candidates, such as very light dark matter or axions. To translate experimental data into a final published result, direct detection collaborations must make a series of choices in their analysis, ranging from how to model astrophysical parameters to how to make statistical inferences based on observed data. While many collaborations follow a standard set of recommendations in some areas, for example the expected flux of dark matter particles (to a large degree based on a paper from Lewin and Smith in 1995), in other areas, particularly in statistical inference, they have taken different approaches, often from result to result by the same collaboration. We set out a number of recommendations on how to apply the now commonly used Profile Likelihood Ratio method to direct detection data. In addition, updated recommendations for the Standard Halo Model astrophysical parameters and relevant neutrino fluxes are provided. The authors of this note include members of the DAMIC, DarkSide, DARWIN, DEAP, LZ, NEWS-G, PandaX, PICO, SBC, SENSEI, SuperCDMS, and XENON collaborations, and these collaborations provided input to the recommendations laid out here. Wide-spread adoption of these recommendations will make it easier to compare and combine future dark matter results.

When quoting the final cross section result in the text of the paper (Eur. Phys. J. C 80 (2020) 957), the theory component of the uncertainty was incorrectly set to 0.04 pb while the correct value of 0.03 pb was given in Table 8 and in all other results reported in this paper.

When quoting the final cross section result in the text of the paper (Eur. Phys. J. C 80 (2020) 957), the theory component of the uncertainty was incorrectly set to 0.04 pb while the correct value of 0.03 pb was given in Table 8 and in all other results reported in this paper.

SignificanceAutomated understanding of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) videos is essential for the quantified analysis and classification of various states of hESCs and their health for diverse applications in regenerative medicine.AimThis paper aims to develop an ensemble method and bagging of deep learning classifiers as a model for hESC classification on a video dataset collected using a phase contrast microscope.ApproachThe paper describes a deep learning-based random network (RandNet) with an autoencoded feature extractor for the classification of hESCs into six different classes, namely, (1) cell clusters, (2) debris, (3) unattached cells, (4) attached cells, (5) dynamically blebbing cells, and (6) apoptotically blebbing cells. The approach uses unlabeled data to pre-train the autoencoder network and fine-tunes it using the available annotated data.ResultsThe proposed approach achieves a classification accuracy of 97.23  ±  0.94  %   and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. Additionally, the approach has a very low training cost compared with the other deep-learning-based approaches, and it can be used as a tool for annotating new videos, saving enormous hours of manual labor.ConclusionsRandNet is an efficient and effective method that uses a combination of subnetworks trained using both labeled and unlabeled data to classify hESC images.

Solar flares are explosive releases of magnetic energy. Hard X-ray (HXR) flare emission originates from both hot (millions of Kelvin) plasma and nonthermal accelerated particles, giving insight into flare energy release. The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) utilizes direct-focusing optics to attain much higher sensitivity in the HXR range than that of previous indirect imagers. This paper presents 11 NuSTAR microflares from two active regions (AR 12671 on 2017 August 21 and AR 12712 on 2018 May 29). The temporal, spatial, and energetic properties of each are discussed in context with previously published HXR brightenings. They are seen to display several "large flare" properties, such as impulsive time profiles and earlier peak times in higher-energy HXRs. For two events where the active region background could be removed, microflare emission did not display spatial complexity; differing NuSTAR energy ranges had equivalent emission centroids. Finally, spectral fitting showed a high-energy excess over a single thermal model in all events. This excess was consistent with additional higher-temperature plasma volumes in 10/11 microflares and only with an accelerated particle distribution in the last. Previous NuSTAR studies focused on one or a few microflares at a time, making this the first to collectively examine a sizable number of events. Additionally, this paper introduces an observed variation in the NuSTAR gain unique to the extremely low livetime (

Cosmological probes pose an inverse problem where the measurement result is obtained through observations, and the objective is to infer values of model parameters that characterize the underlying physical system-our universe, from these observations and theoretical forward-modeling. The only way to accurately forward-model physical behavior on small scales is via expensive numerical simulations, which are further “emulated” due to their high cost. Emulators are commonly built with a set of simulations covering the parameter space with Latin hypercube sampling and an interpolation procedure; the aim is to establish an approximately constant prediction error across the hypercube. In this paper, we provide a description of a novel statistical framework for obtaining accurate parameter constraints. The proposed framework uses multi-output Gaussian process emulators that are adaptively constructed using Bayesian optimization methods with the goal of maintaining a low emulation error in the region of the hypercube preferred by the observational data. In this paper, we compare several approaches for constructing multi-output emulators that enable us to take possible inter-output correlations into account while maintaining the efficiency needed for inference. Using a Lyα forest flux power spectrum, we demonstrate that our adaptive approach requires considerably fewer-by a factor of a few in the Lyα P(k) case considered here-simulations compared to the emulation based on Latin hypercube sampling, and that the method is more robust in reconstructing parameters and their Bayesian credible intervals.

Hydrogen (H2) combustion and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can potentially reduce aviation-produced greenhouse gas emissions compared to kerosene propulsion. This paper outlines a methodology for evaluating performance and emission tradeoffs when retrofitting conventional kerosene-powered aircraft with lower-emissionH2 combustion and SOFC hybrid alternatives. The proposed framework presents a constant-range approach for designing liquid hydrogen fuel tanks, considering insulation, sizing, center of gravity, and power constraints. A lifecycle assessment evaluates greenhouse gas emissions and contrail formation effects for carbon footprint mitigation, while a cost analysis examines retrofit implementation consequences. A Cessna Citation 560XLS+ case study shows a 5% mass decrease for H2 combustion and a 0.4% mass decrease for the SOFC hybrid, at the tradeoff of removing three passengers. The lifecycle analysis of green hydrogen in aviation reveals a significant reduction in CO2 emissions for H2 combustion and SOFC systems, except for natural-gas-produced H2 combustion, when compared to Jet-A fuel. However, this environmental benefit is contrasted by an increase in fuel cost per passenger-km for green H2 combustion and a rise for natural-gas-produced H2 SOFC compared to kerosene. The results suggest that retrofitting aircraft with alternative fuels could lower carbon emissions, noting the economic and passenger capacity tradeoffs.

This paper is a write-up of the ideas that were presented, developed and discussed at the third International Workshop on QCD Challenges from pp to A–A, which took place in August 2019 in Lund, Sweden (Workshop link: https://indico.lucas.lu.se/event/1214/). The goal of the workshop was to focus on some of the open questions in the field and try to come up with concrete suggestions for how to make progress on both the experimental and theoretical sides. The paper gives a brief introduction to each topic and then summarizes the primary results.

This paper presents the measurements of π±, K ±, p and p ¯ transverse momentum (pT) spectra as a function of charged-particle multiplicity density in proton–proton (pp) collisions at s=13TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. Such study allows us to isolate the center-of-mass energy dependence of light-flavour particle production. The measurements reported here cover a pT range from 0.1 to 20 GeV / c and are done in the rapidity interval | y| < 0.5. The pT-differential particle ratios exhibit an evolution with multiplicity, similar to that observed in pp collisions at s=7TeV, which is qualitatively described by some of the hydrodynamical and pQCD-inspired models discussed in this paper. Furthermore, the pT-integrated hadron-to-pion yield ratios measured in pp collisions at two different center-of-mass energies are consistent when compared at similar multiplicities. This also extends to strange and multi-strange hadrons, suggesting that, at LHC energies, particle hadrochemistry scales with particle multiplicity the same way under different collision energies and colliding systems.

This paper presents the measurements of π±, K ±, p and p ¯ transverse momentum (pT) spectra as a function of charged-particle multiplicity density in proton–proton (pp) collisions at s=13TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. Such study allows us to isolate the center-of-mass energy dependence of light-flavour particle production. The measurements reported here cover a pT range from 0.1 to 20 GeV / c and are done in the rapidity interval | y| < 0.5. The pT-differential particle ratios exhibit an evolution with multiplicity, similar to that observed in pp collisions at s=7TeV, which is qualitatively described by some of the hydrodynamical and pQCD-inspired models discussed in this paper. Furthermore, the pT-integrated hadron-to-pion yield ratios measured in pp collisions at two different center-of-mass energies are consistent when compared at similar multiplicities. This also extends to strange and multi-strange hadrons, suggesting that, at LHC energies, particle hadrochemistry scales with particle multiplicity the same way under different collision energies and colliding systems.

In this paper, we investigate different non-orthogonal generalizations of the configuration interaction with single substitutions (CIS) method for the calculation of core-excited states. Fully non-orthogonal CIS (NOCIS) has been described previously for species with singlet and doublet ground states, and this paper reports the extension to molecules in their triplet ground state. In addition to NOCIS, we present a novel method, one-center NOCIS (1C-NOCIS), for open-shell molecules which is intermediate between NOCIS and the computationally less demanding static exchange approximation (STEX). We explore this hierarchy of spin-pure methods for core excitations of molecules with singlet, doublet, and triplet ground states. We conclude that, while NOCIS provides the best results and preserves the spatial symmetry of the wavefunction, 1C-NOCIS retains much of the accuracy of NOCIS at a dramatically reduced cost. For molecules with closed-shell ground states, STEX and 1C-NOCIS are identical.

This paper introduces cosmoDC2, a large synthetic galaxy catalog designed tosupport precision dark energy science with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope(LSST). CosmoDC2 is the starting point for the second data challenge (DC2)carried out by the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration (LSST DESC). Thecatalog is based on a trillion-particle, 4.225 Gpc^3 box cosmological N-bodysimulation, the `Outer Rim' run. It covers 440 deg^2 of sky area to a redshiftof z=3 and is complete to a magnitude depth of 28 in the r-band. Each galaxy ischaracterized by a multitude of properties including stellar mass, morphology,spectral energy distributions, broadband filter magnitudes, host haloinformation and weak lensing shear. The size and complexity of cosmoDC2requires an efficient catalog generation methodology; our approach is based ona new hybrid technique that combines data-driven empirical approaches withsemi-analytic galaxy modeling. A wide range of observation-based validationtests has been implemented to ensure that cosmoDC2 enables the science goals ofthe planned LSST DESC DC2 analyses. This paper also represents the officialrelease of the cosmoDC2 data set, including an efficient reader thatfacilitates interaction with the data.

Kinetic Sunyaev Zel'dovich (kSZ) tomography provides a powerful probe of the radial velocity field of matter in the Universe. By cross-correlating a high resolution cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment like CMB-S4 and a galaxy survey like Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) or Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), one can measure the radial velocity field with a very high signal-to-noise ratio over a large volume of the universe. In this paper we show how this measurement can be used to improve constraints on primordial non-Gaussianities of the local type. The velocity field provides a measurement of the unbiased matter perturbations on large scales, which can be cross-correlated with the biased large-scale galaxy density field. This results in sample variance cancellation for a measurement of scale-dependent bias due to a nonzero fNL. Using this method we forecast that CMB-S4 and LSST combined reach a sensitivity σfNL∼0.5, which is a factor of 3 improvement over the sensitivity using LSST alone (without internal sample variance cancellation). We take into account critical systematics like photometric redshifts, the kSZ optical depth degeneracy, and systematics affecting the shape of the galaxy auto-power spectrum and find that these have negligible impact, thus making kSZ tomography a robust probe for primordial non-Gaussianities. We also forecast the impact of mass binning on our constraints. The techniques proposed in this paper could be an important component of achieving the theoretically important threshold of σfNL 1 with future surveys.

Mechanobiology helps us to decipher cell and tissue functions by looking at changes in their mechanical properties that contribute to development, cell differentiation, physiology, and disease. Mechanobiology sits at the interface of biology, physics and engineering. One of the key technologies that enables characterization of properties of cells and tissue is microscopy. Combining microscopy with other quantitative measurement techniques such as optical tweezers and scissors, gives a very powerful tool for unraveling the intricacies of mechanobiology enabling measurement of forces, torques and displacements at play. We review the field of some light based studies of mechanobiology and optical detection of signal transduction ranging from optical micromanipulation─optical tweezers and scissors, advanced fluorescence techniques and optogenentics. In the current perspective paper, we concentrate our efforts on elucidating interesting measurements of forces, torques, positions, viscoelastic properties, and optogenetics inside and outside a cell attained when using structured light in combination with optical tweezers and scissors. We give perspective on the field concentrating on the use of structured light in imaging in combination with tweezers and scissors pointing out how novel developments in quantum imaging in combination with tweezers and scissors can bring to this fast growing field.

Abstract: The atmospheric dynamics of tidally locked hot Jupiters is characterized by strong equatorial winds. Understanding the interaction between global circulation and chemistry is crucial in atmospheric studies and interpreting observations. Two-dimensional (2D) photochemical transport models shed light on how the atmospheric composition depends on circulation. In this paper, we introduce the 2D photochemical (horizontal and vertical) transport model, VULCAN 2D, which improves on the pseudo-2D approaches by allowing for nonuniform zonal winds. We extensively validate our VULCAN 2D with analytical solutions and benchmark comparisons. Applications to HD 189733 b and HD 209458 b reveal a transition in mixing regimes: horizontal transport predominates below ∼0.1 mbar, while vertical mixing is more important at higher altitudes above 0.1 mbar. Motivated by the previously inferred carbon-rich atmosphere, we find that HD 209458 b with supersolar carbon-to-oxygen ratio (C/O) exhibits pronounced C2H4 absorption on the morning limb but not on the evening limb, due to horizontal transport from the nightside. We discuss when a pseudo-2D approach is a valid assumption and its inherent limitations. Finally, we demonstrate the effect of horizontal transport in transmission observations and its impact on the morning−evening limb asymmetry with synthetic spectra, highlighting the need to consider global transport when interpreting exoplanet atmospheres.

This paper presents for the first time a precise measurement of the production properties of the Z boson in the full phase space of the decay leptons. This is in contrast to the many previous precise unfolded measurements performed in the fiducial phase space of the decay leptons. The measurement is obtained from proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2012 at s=8 TeV at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb-1. The results, based on a total of 15.3 million Z-boson decays to electron and muon pairs, extend and improve a previous measurement of the full set of angular coefficients describing Z-boson decay. The double-differential cross-section distributions in Z-boson transverse momentum pT and rapidity y are measured in the pole region, defined as 80

The identification of jets originating from quarks and gluons, often referred to as quark/gluon tagging, plays an important role in various analyses performed at the Large Hadron Collider, as Standard Model measurements and searches for new particles decaying to quarks often rely on suppressing a large gluon-induced background. This paper describes the measurement of the efficiencies of quark/gluon taggers developed within the ATLAS Collaboration, using √s = 13 TeV proton–proton collision data with an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS experiment. Two taggers with high performances in rejecting jets from gluon over jets from quarks are studied: one tagger is based on requirements on the number of inner-detector tracks associated with the jet, and the other combines several jet substructure observables using a boosted decision tree. A method is established to determine the quark/gluon fraction in data, by using quark/gluon-enriched subsamples defined by the jet pseudorapidity. Differences in tagging efficiency between data and simulation are provided for jets with transverse momentum between 500 GeV and 2 TeV and for multiple tagger working points.

Corrections to two figures, one table and the corresponding numbers in the text are noted for the paper. Systematic uncertainties arising from the comparison of the nominal tt¯tt¯ simulation with alternative samples generated with Sherpa and with MadGraph5_aMC@NLO+Herwig7 were not applied when deriving limits on the top-quark Yukawa coupling, Higgs oblique parameter and EFT operators. This affects Figs. 8 and 9, and Table 8. (Figure presented.) (Figure presented.) (Table presented.) Two-dimensional negative log-likelihood contours for |κtcos(α)| versus |κtsin(α)| at 68% and 95%, where κt is the top-Higgs Yukawa coupling strength parameter and α is the mixing angle between the CP-even and CP-odd components. The gradient-shaded area represents the observed likelihood value as a function of κt and α. Both the tt¯tt¯ signal and tt¯H background yields in each fitted bin are parameterised as a function of κt and α. The blue cross shows the SM expectation, while the black cross shows the best fit value The negative log-likelihood values as a function of the Higgs oblique parameter H^. The solid line represents the observed likelihood while the dashed line corresponds to the expected one. The dashed region shows the non-unitary regime Expected and observed 95% CL intervals on EFT coupling parameters assuming one EFT parameter variation in the fit Operators Expected Ci/Λ2 [TeV -2] Observed Ci/Λ2 [TeV -2] OQQ1 [-2.5,3.2] [-4.0,4.5] OQt1 [-2.6,2.1] [-3.8,3.4] Ott1 [-1.2,1.4] [-1.9,2.1] OQt8 [-4.3,5.1] [-6.9,7.6] The changes in the text are noted for Sects. 9.1, 9.2 and 10. In Sect. 9.1, for the case when the tt¯tt¯ and tt¯H yields in each bin of the GNN distribution are parameterised as a function of κt and α and fixing the top-quark Yukawa coupling to be CP-even only, the observed limit is |κt|

Recent theory of tachyon neutrinos, providing an explanation for Dark Matter, leads to two sets of experiments for testing that theory. One predicts an enhanced signal in detection of the Cosmic Neutrino Background. The other compares models of Dark Matter used to fit data on galaxy rotation curves and also gravitational lensing. This paper starts with a semi-review of the previous theoretical work. One sees new symmetries in comparing the theory of tachyons to that of ordinary particles. In addition, we present a debunking of the false claim that tachyons would produce a causal paradox; and an apparent contradiction within the new theory, related to Dark Energy, is identified and addressed.

Abstract : Complete anomaly detection strategies that are both signal sensitive and compatible with background estimation have largely focused on resonant signals. Non-resonant new physics scenarios are relatively under-explored and may arise from off-shell effects or final states with significant missing energy. In this paper, we extend a class of weakly supervised anomaly detection strategies developed for resonant physics to the non-resonant case. Machine learning models are trained to reweight, generate, or morph the background, extrapolated from a control region. A classifier is then trained in a signal region to distinguish the estimated background from the data. The new methods are demonstrated using a semi-visible jet signature as a benchmark signal model, and are shown to automatically identify the anomalous events without specifying the signal ahead of time.

Noble element time projection chambers are a leading technology for rare event detection in physics, such as for dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay searches. Time projection chambers typically assign event position in the drift direction using the relative timing of prompt scintillation and delayed charge collection signals, allowing for reconstruction of an absolute position in the drift direction. In this paper, alternate methods for assigning event drift distance via quantification of electron diffusion in a pure high pressure xenon gas time projection chamber are explored. Data from the NEXT-White detector demonstrate the ability to achieve good position assignment accuracy for both high- and low-energy events. Using point-like energy deposits from 83mKr calibration electron captures (E∼45 keV), the position of origin of low-energy events is determined to 2 cm precision with bias

This paper presents a study of Z→llγ decays with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis uses a proton–proton data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb-1 collected at a centre-of-mass energy s = 8 TeV. Integrated fiducial cross-sections together with normalised differential fiducial cross-sections, sensitive to the kinematics of final-state QED radiation, are obtained. The results are found to be in agreement with state-of-the-art predictions for final-state QED radiation. First measurements of Z→llγγ decays are also reported.

Abstract: This paper presents a mechanism for enhanced regulation of drift wave turbulence by zonal flows in the presence of a fast ion population. It demonstrates that dilution effects due to the energetic particles (EPs) have a far-reaching impact on all aspects of the nonlinear dynamics. The modulational growth of zonal flow shear and the corresponding evolution of drift wave energy are calculated with dilution effects. The coupled zonal flow growth and drift wave energy equations are reduced to a predator–prey model. This is solved for the fixed points, which represents the various states of the system. Results display a strong dependence on dilution, which leads to greatly reduced levels of saturated turbulence and transport. Implications for the FIRE mode plasma of KSTAR are discussed in detail. This model is perhaps the simplest dynamical one which captures the beneficial effects of EPs on confinement.

Analyses of 15,314 electron velocity distribution functions (VDFs) within ±2 hr of 52 interplanetary (IP) shocks observed by the Wind spacecraft near 1 au are introduced. The electron VDFs are fit to the sum of three model functions for the cold dense core, hot tenuous halo, and field-aligned beam/strahl component. The best results were found by modeling the core as either a bi-kappa or a symmetric (or asymmetric) bi-self-similar VDF, while both the halo and beam/strahl components were best fit to bi-kappa VDF. This is the first statistical study to show that the core electron distribution is better fit to a self-similar VDF than a bi-Maxwellian under all conditions. The self-similar distribution deviation from a Maxwellian is a measure of inelasticity in particle scattering from waves and/or turbulence. The ranges of values defined by the lower and upper quartiles for the kappa exponents are κec ~ 5.40-10.2 for the core, κeh ~ 3.58-5.34 for the halo, and κeb ~ 3.40-5.16 for the beam/strahl. The lower-to-upper quartile range of symmetric bi-self-similar core exponents is sec ~ 2.00-2.04, and those of asymmetric bi-self-similar core exponents are pec ~ 2.20-4.00 for the parallel exponent and qec ~ 2.00-2.46 for the perpendicular exponent. The nuanced details of the fit procedure and description of resulting data product are also presented. The statistics and detailed analysis of the results are presented in Paper II and Paper III of this three-part study.

Constraints on selected mediator-based dark matter models and a scalar dark energy model using up to 37 fb−1s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015-2016 are summarised in this paper. The results of experimental searches in a variety of final states are interpreted in terms of a set of spin-1 and spin-0 single-mediator dark matter simplified models and a second set of models involving an extended Higgs sector plus an additional vector or pseudo-scalar mediator. The searches considered in this paper constrain spin-1 leptophobic and leptophilic mediators, spin-0 colour-neutral and colour-charged mediators and vector or pseudo-scalar mediators embedded in extended Higgs sector models. In this case, also s = 8 TeV pp collision data are used for the interpretation of the results. The results are also interpreted for the first time in terms of light scalar particles that could contribute to the accelerating expansion of the universe (dark energy).[Figure not available: see fulltext.].

Constraints on selected mediator-based dark matter models and a scalar dark energy model using up to 37 fb−1s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015-2016 are summarised in this paper. The results of experimental searches in a variety of final states are interpreted in terms of a set of spin-1 and spin-0 single-mediator dark matter simplified models and a second set of models involving an extended Higgs sector plus an additional vector or pseudo-scalar mediator. The searches considered in this paper constrain spin-1 leptophobic and leptophilic mediators, spin-0 colour-neutral and colour-charged mediators and vector or pseudo-scalar mediators embedded in extended Higgs sector models. In this case, also s = 8 TeV pp collision data are used for the interpretation of the results. The results are also interpreted for the first time in terms of light scalar particles that could contribute to the accelerating expansion of the universe (dark energy).[Figure not available: see fulltext.].