Upper limit on the axion-photon coupling from magnetic white dwarf polarization
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We report a search for a heavier partner of the recently observed Z cs (3985) - state, denoted as $Z^{'-}_{cs}$, in the process e + e - → $K$ + $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 + c.c., based on e + e - collision data collected at the center-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s}$ = 4.661, 4.682 and 4.699 GeV with the BESIII detector. The $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ is of interest as it is expected to be a candidate for a hidden-charm and open-strange tetraquark. A partial-reconstruction technique is used to isolate K + recoil-mass spectra, which are probed for a potential contribution from $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ → $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 + (c.c.). We find an excess of $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ → $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 + (c.c.) candidates with a significance of 2.1σ, after considering systematic uncertainties, at a mass of 4123.5 ± 0.7 stat. ± 4.7 syst. ) MeV/c 2 . As the data set is limited in size, the upper limits are evaluated at the 90% confidence level on the product of the Born cross sections (σ BORN ) and the branching fraction ($\mathcal{B}$) of $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ → $D^{*}_{s}$ - $D$ *0 , under different assumptions of the $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ mass from 4.120 to 4.140 MeV and of the width from 10 to 50 MeV at the three center-of-mass energies. The upper limits of σ BORN ∙ $\mathcal{B}$ are found to be at the level of $\mathcal{O}$(1) pb at each energy. Larger data samples are needed to confirm the $Z^{'-}_{cs}$ state and clarify its nature in the coming years.
A search is performed for charged-lepton flavor violating processes in top quark (𝑡) production and decay. The data were collected by the CMS experiment from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . The selected events are required to contain one opposite-sign electron-muon pair, a third charged lepton (electron or muon), and at least one jet of which no more than one is associated with a bottom quark. Boosted decision trees are used to distinguish signal from background, exploiting differences in the kinematics of the final states particles. The data are consistent with the standard model expectation. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are placed in the context of effective field theory on the Wilson coefficients, which range between 0.024–0.424 TeV −2 depending on the flavor of the associated light quark and the Lorentz structure of the interaction. These limits are converted to upper limits on branching fractions involving up (charm) quarks, 𝑡 → 𝑒𝜇𝑢 (𝑡 → 𝑒𝜇𝑐), of 0.032(0.498) × 10 −6 , 0.022(0.369) × 10 −6 , and 0.012(0.216) × 10 −6 for tensorlike, vectorlike, and scalarlike interactions, respectively.
In this work, we construct foreground-marginalised versions of the SPT-3G D1 and SPTpol cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode polarisation likelihoods. The compression is performed using the CMB-lite framework and we use the resulting data sets to constrain anisotropic cosmic birefringence, parametrised by the amplitude of a scale-invariant anisotropic birefringence spectrum, A CB . Using the new SPT-3G data we report a upper limit on of 95% upper limit on A CB of 1.2 x 10 -4 , which tightens to 0.53 x 10 -4 when imposing a prior on the amplitude of gravitational lensing based on CMB lensing reconstruction analyses. These are the tightest constraints on anisotropic birefringence from BB power spectrum measurements to-date, demonstrating the constraining power of the South Pole Telescope. The likelihoods used in this work are made publicly available at https://github.com/lbalkenhol/candl_data
This report summarizes the performance limits of the LANSCE Coupled-Cavity Linac (CCL). These results are captured or summarized directly from the references cited. This report was written in support of the LANSCE Modernization Project (LAMP). This brief report summarizes the emittance budget for the LANSCE Modernization Project (LAMP). While the project Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) specify threshold and objective requirements for charge delivered to each experimental area, no upper limits on beam emittances are specified. To maintain low losses in the high-energy section of the LANSCE linac and hands-on maintenance, some upper limits on beam emittance need to be specified for the new LAMP front-end performance. The scope of the LAMP project replaces the injector section and drift-tube linac (DTL) up to 100 MeV of the existing LANSCE linac. This new design replacement will be integrated with the remaining coupled cavity linac (CCL) which makes up most of the accelerator at LANSCE and accelerates the beam to a final energy of 800 MeV. The initial approach that has been used to define an emittance budget for the new LAMP front end is based on recent and historical measured beam emittances at 100 MeV for the three beam types accelerated at LANSCE: H+ (protons for isotope production), LBEG (H- beam for delivery to proton radiography and to the Lujan neutron spallation target, and MPEG (H- beam for delivery to the Weapons Neutron Research facility). The emittance budget (upper limit) for each beam type has been selected to maintain the losses in the CCL to a level approximately equivalent to those observed in present operations to first order. However, the goal of the LAMP project is to improve the quality of the beams injected into the CCL, if possible, thus allowing for higher average current operation while also lowering beam losses and activation at high beam energies. The table below summarizes the beam measurements evaluated and used to establish a conservative emittance budget for LAMP based on known historical beam losses and activation. However, based on estimates of the CCL admittance and the Isotope Production Facility (IPF) beamline acceptance, a more relaxed transverse emittance upper limit of 0.095 π-cm-mrad, rms, normalized may be acceptable at 100 MeV while still meeting the LAMP performance requirements for charge delivery to each LANSCE experimental area and maintaining hands-on maintenance. This upper limit is supported by a recent analysis of operational data. Additionally, the present conceptual LAMP front-end design meets this requirement.
Abstract As plant species expand their upper limits of distribution under current warming, some retain both traditional climate space and biotic environment while others encounter novel conditions. The latter is the case for Rhododendron campanulatum , a woody shrub that grows both above and below treeline at our study site in the Eastern Himalayas where a very conspicuous, stable treeline was defined by a nearly contiguous canopy of tall Abies spectabilis trees, many of which are over a century old. Prior work showed that treeline had remained static in this region while R. campanulatum expanded its elevational range limit. We tested local adaptation of R. campanulatum by performing reciprocal transplants between the species' current elevational range limit (4023 m above sea level [asl]) and just above treeline (3876 m asl). Contrary to expectation, the coldest temperatures of late winter and early mid‐spring were experienced by plants at the lower elevation: R. campanulatum at species' limit (upper site) were covered by snow for a longer period (40 more days) and escaped the coldest temperatures suffered by conspecifics at treeline (lower site). The harsher spring conditions at treeline likely explain why leaves were smaller at treeline (15.3 cm 2 ) than at species limit (21.3 cm 2 ). Contrary to results from equivalent studies in other regions, survival was reduced more by downslope than by upslope movement, again potentially due to extreme cold temperatures observed at treeline in spring. Upslope transplantation had no effect on mortality, but mortality of species limit saplings transplanted downslope was three times higher than that of residents at both sites. A general expectation is that locals should survive better than foreign transplants, but survival of locals and immigrants at our species limit site was identical. However, those species limit saplings that survived the transplant to treeline grew faster than both locals at treeline and the transplants at species limit. Overall, we found asymmetric adaptation: Compared with treeline saplings, those at species limit (147 m above treeline) were more tolerant of extremes in the growing season but less tolerant of extremes in winter and early mid‐spring, displaying local adaptation in a more complex manner than simply home advantage, and complicating predictions about impacts of future regional climate change.
We reanalize data collected with the DarkSide-50 experiment and recently used to set limits on the spin-independent interaction rate of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) on argon nuclei with an effective field theory framework. The dataset corresponds to a total (16660 ± 270) kg d exposure using a target of low-radioactivity argon extracted from underground sources. We obtain upper limits on the effective couplings of the 12 leading operators in the nonrelativistic systematic expansion. For each effective coupling we set constraints on WIMP-nucleon cross sections, setting upper limits between 2.4×10-45 cm2 and 2.3×10-42 cm2 (8.9 ×10-45 cm2 and 6.0 ×10-42 cm2) for WIMPs of mass of 100 GeV/c2 (1000 GeV/c2) at 90% confidence level.
The results of a search for the production of two scalar bosons in final states with two photons and two tau leptons are presented. The search considers both nonresonant production of a Higgs boson pair, HH, and resonant production via a new boson X which decays either to HH or to H and a new scalar Y. The analysis uses up to 138 fb −1 of proton-proton collision data, recorded between 2016 and 2018 by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No evidence for signal is found in the data. For the nonresonant production, the observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level (CL) on the HH production cross section is set at 930 (740) fb, corresponding to 33 (26) times the standard model prediction. At 95% CL, HH production is observed (expected) to be excluded for values of κ λ outside the range between −12 (−9.4) and 17 (15). Observed (expected) upper limits at 95% CL for the X → HH cross section are found to be within 160 to 2200 (200 to 1800) fb, depending on the mass of X. In the X → Y(ττ)H(γγ) search, the observed (expected) upper limits on the product of the production cross section and decay branching fractions vary between 0.059–1.2 fb (0.087–0.68 fb). For the X → Y(γγ)H(ττ) search the observed (expected) upper limits on the product of the production cross section and Y → γγ branching fraction vary between 0.69–15 fb (0.73–8.3 fb) in the low Y mass search, tightening constraints on the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, and between 0.64–10 fb (0.70–7.6 fb) in the high Y mass search.
The results of a search for the production of two scalar bosons in final states with two photons and two tau leptons are presented. The search considers both nonresonant production of a Higgs boson pair, HH, and resonant production via a new boson X which decays either to HH or to H and a new scalar Y. The analysis uses up to 138 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data, recorded between 2016 and 2018 by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No evidence for signal is found in the data. For the nonresonant production, the observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level (CL) on the HH production cross section is set at 930 (740) fb, corresponding to 33 (26) times the standard model prediction. At 95% CL, HH production is observed (expected) to be excluded for values of $κ_λ$ outside the range between $-$12 ($-$9.4) and 17 (15). Observed (expected) upper limits at 95% CL for the XHH cross section are found to be within 160 to 2200 (200 to 1800) fb, depending on the mass of X. In the X $\to$ Y($γγ$)H($ττ$) search, the observed (expected) upper limits on the product of the production cross section and decay branching fractions vary between 0.059$-$1.2 fb (0.087$-$0.68 fb). For the X $\to$ Y($γγ$)H($ττ$) search the observed (expected) upper limits on the product of the production cross section and Y $to$ $γγ$ branching fraction vary between 0.69$-$15 fb (0.73$-$8.3 fb) in the low Y mass search, tightening constraints on the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, and between 0.64$-$10 fb (0.70$-$7.6 fb) in the high Y mass search.
A search for heavy right-handed Majorana neutrinos is performed with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, using the 140 fb -1 of proton–proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV collected during Run 2. This search targets $t\overline{t}$ production, in which both top quarks decay into a bottom quark and a W boson, where one of the W bosons decays hadronically and the other decays into an electron or muon and a heavy neutral lepton. The heavy neutral lepton is identified through a decay into an electron or muon and another W boson, resulting in a pair of same-charge same-flavor leptons in the final state. This paper presents the first search for heavy neutral leptons in the mass range of 15–75 GeV using $t\overline{t}$ events. No significant excess is observed over the background expectation, and upper limits are placed on the signal cross sections. Assuming a benchmark scenario of the phenomenological type-I seesaw model, these cross section limits are then translated into upper limits on the mixing parameters of the heavy Majorana neutrino with Standard Model neutrinos.
Significant gamma-ray emission between 1 TeV and 20 TeV from a point source, 1LHAASO J1219+2915, consistent with the location of the LINER/LLAGN galaxy NGC 4278 was recently reported by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) collaboration. These data were later split into active and quasi-quiet states, with most of the LHAASO significance coming from the active state (MJD 59449-59589). Subsequent analysis of Fermi-LAT and Swift-XRT observations have been used to explore the double-peaked broadband emission. Models of the spectral energy distribution (SED) are currently unconstrained due to the lack of contemporaneous multiwavelength data at either peak. Here, we report serendipitous observations of NGC 4278 with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS), made possible by the contemporaneous observations of the nearby blazars 1ES 1218+304, 1ES 1215+303, and W Comae, each of which are located within 2° of NGC 4278. VERITAS did not detect any gamma-ray emission, and a flux upper limit was calculated. The flux upper limits constrain the photon spectrum of the quasi-quiet period, and together with Fermi-LAT, indicate a peak in the SED between 100 GeV and 2 TeV. We present an interpretation of the broadband SED that is based on acceleration of protons in the corona of the active galactic nuclei, followed by p–γ interactions and optically thin γ-ray emission. Within this framework, the implied neutrino signal is slightly below the current sensitivity of IceCube.
A search for the rare decays $W^+ → D^+_s \gamma$ and $Z → D^0 \gamma$ is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0fb -1 . No significant signal is observed for either decay mode and upper limits on their branching fractions are set using W⁺ → μ⁺v and Z → μ⁺μ⁻ decays as normalization channels. The upper limits are 6.5 x 10 -4 and 2.1 x 10 -3 at 95% confidence level for the $W^+ → D^+_s \gamma$ and $Z → D^0 \gamma$ decay modes, respectively. This is the first reported search for the $Z → D^0 \gamma$ decay, while the upper limit on the branching fraction $W^+ → D^+_s \gamma$ improves upon the previous best limit.
We present results of an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves which can be produced by spinning neutron stars with an asymmetry around their rotation axis, using data from the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. Four different analysis methods are used to search in a gravitational-wave frequency band from 10 to 2048 Hz and a first frequency derivative from -10 -8 to 10 -9 Hz/s. No statistically significant periodic gravitational-wave signal is observed by any of the four searches. As a result, upper limits on the gravitational-wave strain amplitude ℎ 0 are calculated. The best upper limits are obtained in the frequency range of 100 to 200 Hz and they are ~1.1 ×10 -25 at 95% confidence level. The minimum upper limit of 1.10 ×10 -25 is achieved at a frequency 111.5 Hz. In conclusion, we also place constraints on the rates and abundances of nearby planetary- and asteroid-mass primordial black holes that could give rise to continuous gravitational-wave signals.
A search for decays to invisible particles of Higgs bosons produced in association with a top-antitop quark pair or a vector boson, which both decay to a fully hadronic final state, has been performed using proton-proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138fb -1 . The 95% confidence level upper limit set on the branching fraction of the 125 GeV Higgs boson to invisible particles, B(H → inv), is 0.54 (0.39 expected), assuming standard model production cross sections. The results of this analysis are combined with previous B(H → inv) searches carried out at $\sqrt{s} = 7$, 8, and 13 TeV in complementary production modes. The combined upper limit at 95% confidence level on B(H → inv) is 0.15 (0.08 expected).
Neutron transport methods used to establish subcriticality require validation by comparison to critical experiments considered to be benchmarks. Whisper is a sensitivity/uncertainty analysis tool developed to assist with the task of validation in nuclear criticality safety. Details on the Whisper methodology can be found in References 1-3 on the MCNP ® reference collection website at https://mcnp.lanl.gov. Whisper-1.0 was originally developed in 2014 and used to assist with nuclear criticality safety validation at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Whisper was upgraded in 2016 to Whisper-1.1 and prepared for release with MCNP6.2. Whisper contains a library of over 1100 critical experiment benchmarks and quantifies neutronic similarity of an application to benchmarks in the library. Using highest similarity benchmarks, Whisper computes a calculational margin (CM) encompassing of the worst-case bias and bias uncertainty at a 99% confidence level for each application. In addition, portions of the margin of subcriticality (MOS) for nuclear data uncertainty and potential code errors are computed. The baseline upper subcritical limit (USL) computed by Whisper is comprised of the CM, MOS nuclear data , and MOS code errors . The Whisper baseline USL is absent a portion of the MOS due to the area of application, which is applied based upon judgment by the criticality safety analyst. An objective of this paper is to present the baseline USL, CM and portions of the MOS as computed by Whisper for comparison with similar sensitivity/uncertainty tools, such as those used by IRSN and ORNL. The initial comparison involves four critical experiment benchmarks: HEU-MET-FAST-013-001, HEU-SOLTHERM-001-008, PU-MET-FAST-022-001, AND PU-SOL-THERM-001-001, which have been: 1. modeled independently by LANL, IRSN, and ORNL based upon information provided in the ICSBEP Handbook, 2. are common in S/U libraries for LANL, IRSN, and ORNL, 3. span a range of energy spectrum and fissile material, and 4. taken as applications for the purposes of this study and therefore excluded from use as a benchmark for calculating the upper subcritical limit. Results presented in this paper have been computed using covariance data for all isotopes in ENDF/BVII.0 using a 44-group energy structure. Benchmarks in the Whisper library were run in MCNP6.2 using 100,000 neutrons per cycle, skipping 100 cycles for 500 active cycles. Reference 10 also compares the results for baseline USL with an order of magnitude greater neutrons, using the same total number of cycles with 1,000,000 neutrons per cycle. Subsequent to the results presented in Reference 10 changes were made to the benchmark library, as discussed in Reference 11. Newer results using the revised benchmark library are presented herein.
A search for flavour-changing neutral current (FCNC) $tqH$ interactions involving a top quark, another up-type quark ($q = u, c$), and a Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson decaying into a $τ$-lepton pair ($H$ → $τ$ + $τ$ - ) is presented. The search is based on a dataset of pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Two processes are considered: single top quark FCNC production in association with a Higgs boson ($pp$ → $tH$), and top quark pair production in which one of top quarks decays into $Wb$ and the other decays into $qH$ through the FCNC interactions. The search selects events with two hadronically decaying $τ$-lepton candidates ($τ$ had ) or at least one $τ$ had with an additional lepton ($e, µ$), as well as multiple jets. Event kinematics is used to separate signal from the background through a multivariate discriminant. A slight excess of data is observed with a significance of 2.3$σ$ above the expected SM background, and 95% CL upper limits on the $t → qH$ branching ratios are derived. The observed (expected) 95% CL upper limits set on the $t → cH$ and $t → uH$ branching ratios are 9.4 × 10 -4 (${4.8}^{+2.2}_{-1.4}$ × 10 -4 ) and 6.9 × 10 -4 (${3.5}^{+1.5}_{-1.0}$ × 10 -4 ), respectively. The corresponding combined observed (expected) upper limits on the dimension-6 operator Wilson coefficients in the effective $tqH$ couplings are $C$ $c$φ < 1.35 (0.97) and $C$ $u$φ < 1.16 (0.82).
The one-electron redox potentials for aqueous metal couples Co 2+/+ and Ni 2+/+ have been investigated by using pulse radiolysis using their reactions with a series of reference compounds to establish the most positive upper limits of E 0 . Experiments with Zn + were also carried out to confirm the characteristic shape of the expected reduction kinetics. Both formate ions and t-BuOH were employed to scavenge ˙OH radicals and ˙H atoms. Kinetics and fitted first and second order reaction rates have been reported for reactions with methyl viologen, fluorescein, Ru(NH 3 ) 6 3+ , Co(en) 3 2+ , Co(sepulcrate) 3+ , Ru(bpy) 3 2+ , Cr(bpy)33+, and Ni(Me 6 [14]4,11-dieneN4) 2+ . Previous work demonstrated that both Co 2+ and Ni 2+ can be reduced by CO 2 ˙- radicals, giving a negative E 0 limit of -1.9 V vs. SHE. A definite reaction of Ni + with fluorescein di-anions provides a new upper limit of the Ni 2+/+ couple as -0.906 V vs. SHE. The reaction of Co + with Ru(bpy) 3 2+ has been confirmed, giving E 0 = -1.3 V vs. SHE as a rigorous upper limit of the Co 2+/+ couple. In the case of Co 2+/+ , kinetics were complicated by a self-catalyzed metal clustering phenomenon. Initiation rate constants of this process have also been reported.