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At least 37 records · Page 2

The Italian Summer Students Program at Fermilab and other US Laboratories: 40 years of education in particle physics and technology

Since 1983 the Italian groups collaborating with Fermilab (US) have been running a 2-month summer training program for Master students. While in the first year the program involved only 4 physics students, in the following years it was extended to engineering students. Many students have extended their collaboration with Fermilab with their Master Thesis and PhD. The program has involved more than 600 Italian students from more than 20 Italian universities. Each intern is supervised by a Fermilab Mentor responsible for the training program. Training programs spanned from Tevatron, CMS, Muon (g-2), Mu2e and SBN (MicroBooNE, Icarus, and SBND) and DUNE design and data analysis, development of particle detectors, design of electronic and accelerator components, development of infrastructures and software for tera-data handling, quantum computing and research on superconductive elements and accelerating cavities. In 2015 the University of Pisa included the program within its own educational programs. Summer Students are enrolled at the University of Pisa for the duration of the internship and at the end of the internship they write summary reports on their achievements. After positive evaluation by a University of Pisa Examining Board, interns are acknowledged 6 ECTS credits for their Diploma Supplement. The program was paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it resumed in 2022. From 2022 to 2024, a total of 60 students participated in the nine-week training at Fermilab. We are currently organizing the 2025 program. This paper provides an overview of the program, which can serve as a model for other interested laboratories.

Barzi, Emanuela [Ohio State U.]↗

Current advances on Talbot–Lau x-ray imaging diagnostics for high energy density experiments (invited)

Talbot–Lau x-ray interferometry is a refraction-based diagnostic that can map electron density gradients through phase-contrast methods. The Talbot–Lau x-ray deflectometry (TXD) diagnostics have been deployed in several high energy density experiments. To improve diagnostic performance, a monochromatic TXD was implemented on the Multi-Tera Watt (MTW) laser using 8 keV multilayer mirrors (Δθ/θ = 4.5%-5.6%). Copper foil and wire targets were irradiated at 10 14 –10 15 W/cm 2 . Laser pulse length (~10 to 80 ps) and backlighter target configurations were explored in the context of Moiré fringe contrast and spatial resolution. Foil and wire targets delivered increased contrast <30%. The best spatial resolution (<6 μm) was measured for foils irradiated 80° from the surface. Further TXD diagnostic capability enhancement was achieved through the development of advanced data postprocessing tools. The Talbot Interferometry Analysis (TIA) code enabled x-ray refraction measurements from the MTW monochromatic TXD. Additionally, phase, attenuation, and dark-field maps of an ablating x-pinch load were retrieved through TXD. The images show a dense wire core of ~60 μm diameter surrounded by low-density material of ~40 μm thickness with an outer diameter ratio of ~2.3. Attenuation at 8 keV was measured at ~20% for the dense core and ~10% for the low-density material. Instrumental and experimental limitations for monochromatic TXD diagnostics are presented. Enhanced postprocessing capabilities enabled by TIA are demonstrated in the context of high-intensity laser and pulsed power experimental data analysis. Significant advances in TXD diagnostic capabilities are presented. Furthermore, these results inform future diagnostic technique upgrades that will improve the accuracy of plasma characterization through TXD.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Testing lepton flavor universality at future Z factories

As one of the hypothetical principles in the Standard Model (SM), lepton flavor universality (LFU) should be tested with a precision as high as possible such that the physics violating this principle can be fully examined. The run of a Z factory at a future e + e − collider, such as the Circular Electron-Positron Collider or Future Circular Collider (electron/positron), provides a great opportunity to perform this task because of the large statistics and high reconstruction efficiencies for b hadrons at the Z pole. In this paper, we present a systematic study on the LFU test in future Z factories. The goal is threefold. First, we study the sensitivities of measuring the LFU-violating observables of b → c τ ν , i.e., R J / ψ , R D s , R D s * , and R Λ c , where τ decays muonically. For this purpose, we develop the strategies for event reconstruction, based on the track information significantly. Second, we explore the sensitivity robustness against detector performance and its potential improvement with the message of event shape or beyond the b -hadron decays. A picture is drawn on the variation of analysis sensitivities with the detector tracking resolution and soft photon detectability, and the impact of Fox-Wolfram moments is studied on the measurement of relevant flavor events. Finally, we interpret the projected sensitivities in the SM effective field theory, by combining the LFU tests of b → c τ ν and the measurements of b → s τ + τ − and b → s ν ¯ ν . We show that the limits on the LFU-violating energy scale can be pushed up to ∼ O ( 10 ) TeV for ≲ O ( 1 ) Wilson coefficients at Tera- Z . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

High-precision measurement of the W boson mass with the CDF II detector

The mass of the W boson, a mediator of the weak force between elementary particles, is tightly constrained by the symmetries of the standard model of particle physics. The Higgs boson was the last missing component of the model. After observation of the Higgs boson, a measurement of the W boson mass provides a stringent test of the model. We measure the W boson mass, M W , using data corresponding to 8.8 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected in proton-antiproton collisions at a 1.96 tera–electron volt center-of-mass energy with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. A sample of approximately 4 million W boson candidates is used to obtain M W = 80,433.5 ± 6.4 stat ± 6.9 syst = 80,433.5 ± 9.4 MeV/c 2 , the precision of which exceeds that of all previous measurements combined (stat, statistical uncertainty; syst, systematic uncertainty; MeV, mega–electron volts; c, speed of light in a vacuum). This measurement is in significant tension with the standard model expectation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

New opportunities for rare charm from $Z\rightarrow c\bar{c}$ decays

We analyze the potential of rare charm decays as probes of new physics at a high-luminosity flavor facility operating at the Z pole, such as the FCC-ee or CEPC. In particular, we identify clean null-test observables in $D^0 → π^+ π^- v\bar{v}$ and in polarized $Λ^+_c → p ℓ^+ ℓ^-$ decays with $ℓ = e, μ$. Complementarity with the LHC and HL-LHC flavor programs arises from the characteristic features of a Tera-Z environment: the capability to study missing-energy modes and charm production with significant polarization. We improve the theoretical description of $D^0 → π^+ π^- v\bar{v}$ decays and work out the phenomenology of polarization-induced null-test observables in $Λ^+_c → p ℓ^+ ℓ^-$ decays. In regions of dilepton mass near the φ resonance, polarization asymmetries can reach $O$(5%) for muons and $O$(14%) for electrons times the $Λ^+_c$ polarization. We also point out synergies between the dineutrino and the dilepton modes using the SMEFT framework of heavy new physics. Using the IDEA detector concept at FCC-ee, we find in simulation studies that dineutrino branching fractions as low as ~ 2 x 10 -7 can be probed, which reaches well into the parameter space of new physics, and also allows for discrimination of lepton flavor structures. Furthermore, the measurement of asymmetries in $Λ^+_c → p ℓ^+ ℓ^-$ at $O$(1%) will be possible. Similar sensitivities are expected for dielectron final states, although robust predictions will require further dedicated studies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Italian Summer Students Program at Fermilab and other US Laboratories: 40 years of education in particle physics and technology

Since 1983 the Italian groups collaborating with Fermilab (US) have been running a 2-month summer training program for Master students. While in the first year the program involved only 4 physics students, in the following years it was extended to engineering students. Many students have extended their collaboration with Fermilab with their Master Thesis and PhD. The program has involved almost 600 Italian students from more than 20 Italian universities. Each intern is supervised by a Fermilab Mentor responsible for the training program. Training programs spanned from Tevatron, CMS, Muon (g-2), Mu2e and SBN and DUNE design and data analysis, development of particle detectors, design of electronic and accelerator components, development of infrastructures and software for tera-data handling, quantum computing and research on superconductive elements and accelerating cavities. In 2015 the University of Pisa included the program within its own educational programs. Summer Students are enrolled at the University of Pisa for the duration of the internship and at the end of the internship they write summary reports on their achievements. After positive evaluation by a University of Pisa Examining Board, interns are acknowledged 6 ECTS credits for their Diploma Supplement. In the years 2020 and 2021 the program was canceled due to the sanitary emergency but in 2022 it was restarted and allowed a cohort of 21 students in 2022, and a cohort of 27 students in 2023 to be trained for nine weeks at Fermilab. We are now organizing the 2024 program.

Barzi, Emanuela↗

Ultrafast Laser Material Damage Simulation—A New Look at an Old Problem

The chirped pulse amplification technique has enabled the generation of pulses of a few femtosecond duration with peak powers multi-Tera and Peta–Watt in the near infrared. Its implementation to realize even shorter pulse duration, higher energy, and higher repetition rate laser systems relies on overcoming the limitations imposed by laser damage of critical components. In particular, the laser damage of coatings in the amplifiers and in post-compression optics have become a bottleneck. The robustness of optical coatings is typically evaluated numerically through steady-state simulations of electric field enhancement in multilayer stacks. However, this approach cannot capture crucial characteristics of femtosecond laser induced damage (LID), as it only considers the geometry of the multilayer stack and the optical properties of the materials composing the stack. This approach neglects that in the interaction of an ultrashort pulse and the materials there is plasma generation and associated material modifications. Here, we present a numerical approach to estimate the LID threshold of dielectric multilayer coatings based on strong field electronic dynamics. In this dynamic scheme, the electric field propagation, photoionization, impact ionization, and electron heating are incorporated through a finite-difference time-domain algorithm. We applied our method to simulate the LID threshold of bulk fused silica, and of multilayer dielectric mirrors and gratings. The results are then compared with experimental measurements. The salient aspects of our model, such as the implementation of the Keldysh photoionization model, the impact ionization model, the electron collision model for ‘low’-temperature, dense plasma, and the LID threshold criterion for few-cycle pulses are discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Search for 10–1000 GeV Neutrinos from Gamma-Ray Bursts with IceCube

We present the results of a search for 10–1000 GeV neutrinos from 2268 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) over 8 yr of IceCube-DeepCore data. This work probes burst physics below the photosphere where electromagnetic radiation cannot escape. Neutrinos of tens of giga electronvolts are predicted in sub-photospheric collision of free-streaming neutrons with bulk-jet protons. In a first analysis, we searched for the most significant neutrino-GRB coincidence using six overlapping time windows centered on the prompt phase of each GRB. In a second analysis, we conducted a search for a group of GRBs, each individually too weak to be detectable, but potentially significant when combined. No evidence of neutrino emission is found for either analysis. The most significant neutrino coincidence is for Fermi-GBM GRB bn 140807500, with a p-value of 0.097 corrected for all trials. The binomial test used to search for a group of GRBs had a p-value of 0.65 after all trial corrections. The binomial test found a group consisting only of GRB bn 140807500 and no additional GRBs. The neutrino limits of this work complement those obtained by IceCube at tera electronvolt to peta electronvolt energies. We compare our findings for the large set of GRBs as well as GRB 221009A to the sub-photospheric neutron-proton collision model and find that GRB 221009A provides the most constraining limit on baryon loading. For a jet Lorentz factor of 300 (800), the baryon loading on GRB 221009A is lower than 3.85 (2.13) at a 90% confidence level.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Pre-mare cratering and early solar system history

An evaluation of the application of the high extralunar flux in pre-mare times to more general problems of early solar system history is attempted by combining the results of dynamic studies with lunar chronological data. There is a twofold to fourfold contrast in the integral impact flux between the Apollo 14 and 16 sites and the older mare surfaces. This is judged insufficient to account for the contrasting lithology between these two sites: basalts and soil breccias in the maria, annealed breccias and impact melts in the highlands. Therefore, these rocks and their ages (3.9-4.0 b.y.) are thought to predate the surfaces in which they are found. Estimation of the flux needed to produce these lithologies, and difficulties associated with extrapolating this further back in lunar history give support to the "cataclysm" hypothesis of Tera, Papanastassiou, and Wasserburg. Dynamical studies permit separate evaluation of the possible sources for both the "normal" flux during the first 600 million years of lunar history and the "peak" that apparently occurred 4.0 billion years ago. The most likely sources for the normal flux are comets from the vicinity of Uranus and Neptune. The most promising source for the peak is tidal disruption by Earth or Venus of a Ceres-size asteroid initially in a Mars-crossing orbit. Alternative possibilities are suggested.

Wetherill, G. W.↗

Os, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope systematics of southern African peridotite xenoliths - Implications for the chemical evolution of subcontinental mantle

Isotope analyses of Os, Sr, Nd, and Pb elements were caried out on twelve peridotite xenoliths from the Jagersfontein, Letseng-la-terae, Thaba Patsoa, Mothae, and Premier kimberlites of southern Africa, to investigate the timing and the nature of melt extraction from the continental lithosphere and its relation to the continent formation and stabilization. The distinct Os and Pb isotopic characteristics found in these samples suggested that both the low- and the high-temperature peridotites reside in an ancient stable lithospheric 'keel' to the craton that has been isolated from chemical exchange with the sublithospheric mantle for time periods in excess of 2 Ga.

Walker, R. J.↗

Report of the heterodyne submillimeter-wave sensors panel

After reviewing the science goals of the Astrotech 21 mission set, and comparing the resulting receiver performance requirements with existing technology, the panel determined that there were significant unmet requirements in four areas: local oscillator power and mixer sensitivity in the Tera-Hz regime, infrared spectrometer channel count, and array technology in any form. A comprehensive development plan has been prepared to provide these capabilities in the time frame needed before technology freeze dates of the respective missions. It was also noted that development of these capabilities has immense payoff for future astrophysics missions, as it opens entire new areas of spectroscopy and imaging in the critical submillimeter wave regime rich in molecular transitions.

Wilson, Robert↗

High performance compression of science data

In the future, NASA expects to gather over a tera-byte per day of data requiring space for levels of archival storage. Data compression will be a key component in systems that store this data (e.g., optical disk and tape) as well as in communications systems (both between space and Earth and between scientific locations on Earth). We propose to develop algorithms that can be a basis for software and hardware systems that compress a wide variety of scientific data with different criteria for fidelity/bandwidth tradeoffs. The algorithmic approaches we consider are specially targeted for parallel computation where data rates of over 1 billion bits per second are achievable with current technology.

Storer, James A.↗

Optical information processing at NASA Ames Research Center

The combination of analog optical processors with digital electronic systems offers the potential of tera-OPS computational performance, while often requiring less power and weight relative to all-digital systems. NASA is working to develop and demonstrate optical processing techniques for on-board, real time science and mission applications. Current research areas and applications under investigation include optical matrix processing for space structure vibration control and the analysis of Space Shuttle Main Engine plume spectra, optical correlation-based autonomous vision for robotic vehicles, analog computation for robotic path planning, free-space optical interconnections for information transfer within digital electronic computers, and multiplexed arrays of fiber optic interferometric sensors for acoustic and vibration measurements.

Reid, Max B.↗

High performance compression of science data

In the future, NASA expects to gather over a tera-byte per day of data requiring space for levels of archival storage. Data compression will be a key component in systems that store this data (e.g., optical disk and tape) as well as in communications systems (both between space and Earth and between scientific locations on Earth). We propose to develop algorithms that can be a basis for software and hardware systems that compress a wide variety of scientific data with different criteria for fidelity/bandwidth tradeoffs. The algorithmic approaches we consider are specially targeted for parallel computation where data rates of over 1 billion bits per second are achievable with current technology.

Storer, James A.↗

Vigilante: Ultrafast Smart Sensor for Target Recognition and Precision Tracking in a Simulated CMD Scenario

VIGILANTE is an ultrafast smart sensor testbed for generic Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) applications with a series of capability demonstration focussed on cruise missile defense (CMD). VIGILANTE's sensor/processor architecture is based on next-generation UV/visible/IR sensors and a tera-operations per second sugar-cube processor, as well as supporting airborne vehicle. Excellent results of efficient ATR methodologies that use an eigenvectors/neural network combination and feature-based precision tracking have been demonstrated in the laboratory environment.

TARGET RECOGNITION↗

Primary Production in Antarctic Sea Ice

A numerical model shows that in Antarctic sea ice, increased flooding in regions with thick snow cover enhances primary production in the infiltration (surface) layer. Productivity in the freeboard (sea level) layer is also determined by sea ice porosity, which varies with temperature. Spatial and temporal variation in snow thickness and the proportion of first-year ice thus determine regional differences in sea ice primary production. Model results show that of the 40 tera-grams of carbon produced annually in the Antarctic ice pack, 75 percent was associated with first-year ice and nearly 50 percent was produced in the Weddell Sea.

Arrigo, Kevin R.↗

A Low-Power High-Speed Smart Sensor Design for Space Exploration Missions

A low-power high-speed smart sensor system based on a large format active pixel sensor (APS) integrated with a programmable neural processor for space exploration missions is presented. The concept of building an advanced smart sensing system is demonstrated by a system-level microchip design that is composed with an APS sensor, a programmable neural processor, and an embedded microprocessor in a SOI CMOS technology. This ultra-fast smart sensor system-on-a-chip design mimics what is inherent in biological vision systems. Moreover, it is programmable and capable of performing ultra-fast machine vision processing in all levels such as image acquisition, image fusion, image analysis, scene interpretation, and control functions. The system provides about one tera-operation-per-second computing power which is a two order-of-magnitude increase over that of state-of-the-art microcomputers. Its high performance is due to massively parallel computing structures, high data throughput rates, fast learning capabilities, and advanced VLSI system-on-a-chip implementation.

Fang, Wai-Chi↗

Parallel Conjugate Gradient: Effects of Ordering Strategies, Programming Paradigms, and Architectural Platforms

The Conjugate Gradient (CG) algorithm is perhaps the best-known iterative technique to solve sparse linear systems that are symmetric and positive definite. A sparse matrix-vector multiply (SPMV) usually accounts for most of the floating-point operations within a CG iteration. In this paper, we investigate the effects of various ordering and partitioning strategies on the performance of parallel CG and SPMV using different programming paradigms and architectures. Results show that for this class of applications, ordering significantly improves overall performance, that cache reuse may be more important than reducing communication, and that it is possible to achieve message passing performance using shared memory constructs through careful data ordering and distribution. However, a multi-threaded implementation of CG on the Tera MTA does not require special ordering or partitioning to obtain high efficiency and scalability.

Oliker, Leonid↗