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DOE OSTI2024

Complete 6D tracking of a single electron in the IOTA ring

We present the results of the first experiments on 6-dimensional phase-space tracking of a single electron in a storage ring, using a linear multi-anode photomultiplier tube for simultaneously measuring transverse coordinates and arrival times of synchrotron-radiation pulses. This technology makes it possible to fully reconstruct turn-by-turn positions and momentums in all three planes for a single particle. Complete experimental particle tracking enables the first direct measurements of dynamical properties, including invariants, amplitude and energy dependence of tunes with exceptional precision, and chaotic behavior.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Threshold photoproduction of J/ψ with the GlueX experiment

The GlueX experiment uses a linearly-polarized tagged-photon beam produced by electrons from the 12 GeV CEBAF machine. The detector system is based on a 2 T solenoid and includes e.m. calorimeters and drift chambers providing full acceptance coverage. The experiment allows us, for the first time, to study J/ψ photoproduction from the threshold, at 8.2 GeV, up to a photon energy of 12 GeV. Results from the recent commissioning run, where we took 25 billion triggers, will be presented. The precise knowledge of the beam energy, combined with the recoil proton reconstruction and the identification of the J/ψ decay products, e + /e - , allows us to achieve a high mass resolution. With the data from the upcoming physics runs, we expect to have enough statistics to be able to distinguish between different production mechanisms.

Pentchev, Lubomir↗

DOE OSTI2024

Complete 6D Tracking of a Single Electron in the IOTA Ring

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Resonant tunneling assisted propagation and amplification of plasmons in high electron mobility transistors

A rigorous theoretical and computational model is developed for the plasma-wave propagation in high electron mobility transistor structures with electron injection from a resonant tunneling diode at the gate. We discuss the conditions in which low-loss and sustainable plasmon modes can be supported in such structures. The developed analytical model is used to derive the dispersion relation for these plasmon-modes. A non-linear full-wave-hydrodynamic numerical solver is also developed using a finite difference time domain algorithm. The developed analytical solutions are validated via the numerical solution. We also verify previous observations that were based on a simplified transmission line model. It is shown that at high levels of negative differential conductance, plasmon amplification is indeed possible. The proposed rigorous models can enable accurate design and optimization of practical resonant tunnel diode-based plasma-wave devices for terahertz sources, mixers, and detectors, by allowing a precise representation of their coupling when integrated with other electromagnetic structures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2025

Direct experimental constraints on the spatial extent of a neutrino wavepacket

Despite their high relative abundance in our Universe, neutrinos are the least understood fundamental particles of nature. In fact, the quantum properties of neutrinos emitted in experimentally relevant sources are theoretically contested and the spatial extent of the neutrino wavepacket is only loosely constrained by reactor neutrino oscillation data with a spread of 13 orders of magnitude. Here we present a method to directly access this quantity by precisely measuring the energy width of the recoil daughter nucleus emitted in the radioactive decay of beryllium-7. The final state in the decay process contains a recoiling lithium-7 nucleus, which is entangled with an electron neutrino at creation. The lithium-7 energy spectrum is measured to high precision by directly embedding beryllium-7 radioisotopes into a high-resolution superconducting tunnel junction that is operated as a cryogenic sensor. Under this approach, we set a lower limit on the Heisenberg spatial uncertainty of the recoil daughter of 6.2 pm, which implies that the final-state system is localized at a scale more than a thousand times larger than the nucleus itself. From this measurement, the first, to our knowledge, direct lower limit on the spatial extent of a neutrino wavepacket is extracted. These results may have implications in several areas including the theoretical understanding of neutrino properties, the nature of localization in weak nuclear decays and the interpretation of neutrino physics data.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2024

First direct 7 Be electron-capture $\mathrm{Q}$-value measurement toward high-precision searches for neutrino physics beyond the Standard Model

Here, we report the first direct measurement of the nuclear electron-capture (EC) decay Q value of 7 Be → 7 Li via high-precision Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS). This was performed using the LEBIT Penning trap located at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory/Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (NSCL/FRIB) using the newly commissioned Batch-Mode Ion-Source (BMIS) to deliver the unstable 7 Be + samples. With a measured value of Q EC = 861.963(23) keV, this result is three times more precise than any previous determination of this quantity. This improved precision and accuracy of the 7 Be EC decay Q value is critical for ongoing experiments that measure the recoiling nucleus in this system as a signature to search for beyond the Standard Model (BSM) neutrino physics using 7 Be-doped superconducting sensors. This experiment has extended LEBIT capabilities, using the first low-energy beam delivered by BMIS at FRIB for PTMS, as well as measuring the lightest-mass isotopes so far with LEBIT.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Mass ordering sum rule for the neutrino disappearance channels in T2K, NOvA, and JUNO

We revisit, reformulate, and extend a method for determining the neutrino mass ordering by using precision measurements of the atmospheric Δ m 2 s in both electron and muon neutrino disappearance channels, first proposed by the authors in 2005 [H. Nunokawa , Phys. Rev. D 72, 013009 (2005)]. The mass ordering is a very important outstanding question for our understanding of the elusive neutrino and determination of the mass ordering has consequences to particle physics, nuclear physics, and cosmology. The JUNO reactor experiment will start data taking this year, and the precision of the atmospheric Δ m 2 s from electron antineutrino measurements will improve by a factor of 3 from Daya Bay’s 2.4% to 0.8% within a year. This measurement, when combined with the atmospheric Δ m 2 ’s measurements from T2K and NOvA for muon neutrino disappearance, will contribute substantially to the Δ χ 2 between the two remaining neutrino mass orderings. In this paper we derive for the first time a mass ordering sum rule that can be used to address the possibility that JUNO’s atmospheric Δ m 2 ’s measurement, when combined with other experiments in particular T2K and NOvA, can determine the neutrino mass ordering at the 3 σ confidence level within one year of operation. For a confidence level of 5 σ in a single experiment, we will have to wait until the middle of the next decade when the DUNE experiment is operating.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Prospects of Neutrino Cross Section Measurements Using the NuMI off axis at ICARUS [Poster]

ICARUS, a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber, will serve as the Far Detector of the short-baseline neutrino program using the Booster beamline at Fermilab. It is 103 mrad off-axis of the NuMI beamline. Prospects for cross-section measurements and the status of the trigger system using the PMT system to collect electron and muon neutrinos from NuMI will be shown. Accurate neutrino cross-section measurements on argon are required for precise measurements of neutrino oscillation physics such as CP- violation and the ordering of the neutrino masses.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for New Physics through a Long-Lived Di-Muon Resonance in the NuMI Beam with the ICARUS Detector

Many of the unexplained phenomena in particle physics and cosmology today, such as the microphysical nature of dark matter, the strong CP problem, and the origin of the neutrino masses, can be resolved by the existence of a light (~GeV), weakly-coupled hidden sector of new physics. Such hidden sectors often predict the existence of “long-lived” particles (LLPs) that travel a far distance from production before decaying into Standard Model particles. Neutrino oscillation experiments, which combine intense particle beams with precise imaging detectors, are well equipped to probe LLP models with new sensitivity. This thesis details a search for a long-lived particle decaying to two muons with the ICARUS liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector in the Short-Baseline Neutrino program at Fermilab. The calibration of the ICARUS time projection chamber (TPC) which enables the search is also presented. Notably, the calibration measures an angular dependence in electron-ion recombination in argon, a novel effect in the detector physics of LArTPCs. The search is performed using data taken with the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam, with an exposure of 2.41e20 protons on target. No significant excess over background is observed, and we set world-leading limits on two new physics models that predict this process: the Higgs portal scalar and a heavy axion model. We also present the sensitivity in a model-independent way applicable to any new physics model predicting the process K → π + S(→μμ), for a long-lived particle S.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

An Online Dynamic Amplitude-Correcting Gradient Estimation Technique to Align X-ray Focusing Optics

High-brightness X-ray pulses, as generated at synchrotrons and X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs), are used in a variety of scientific experiments. At these facilities, measurements often require optical equipment, e.g Compound Refractive Lenses (CRLs) to be precisely aligned and focused. The lateral alignment of CRLs to a beamline requires precise positioning along four axes: two translational, and the two rotational. At a synchrotron, alignment is often accomplished manually. However, XFEL beamlines present a beam brightness that fluctuates stochastically, making manual alignment a time-consuming endeavor. Automation using simplex or classic stochastic descent often fails, given the errant gradient estimates. Herein we present a dynamic-amplitude correction to the usual gradient based on the combination of a generalized finite difference stencil and a time-dependent sampling pattern. Intensity is recorded periodically, then used to normalize numerical derivatives against fluctuations. Error expectation is analyzed, and efficacy is demonstrated on classic benchmarks. We provide a proof of concept by laterally aligning optics on a simulated XFEL beamline using data recorded at both synchrotron and XFEL facilities.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2016

Direct tests of a pixelated microchannel plate as the active element of a shower maximum detector

One possibility to make a fast and radiation resistant shower maximum detector is to use a secondary emitter as an active element. We report our studies of microchannel plate photomultipliers (MCPs) as the active element of a shower-maximum detector. We present test beam results obtained using Photonis XP85011 to detect secondary particles of an electromagnetic shower. We focus on the use of the multiple pixels on the Photonis MCP in order to find a transverse two-dimensional shower distribution. A spatial resolution of 0.8 mm was obtained with an 8 GeV electron beam. As a result, a method for measuring the arrival time resolution for electromagnetic showers is presented, and we show that time resolution better than 40 ps can be achieved.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2021

Measurement of the top quark mass using events with a single reconstructed top quark in pp collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV

A measurement of the top quark mass is performed using a data sample enriched with single top quark events produced in the t channel. The study is based on proton- proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb -1 , recorded at √s = 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016. Candidate events are selected by requiring an isolated high-momentum lepton (muon or electron) and exactly two jets, of which one is identified as originating from a bottom quark. Multivariate discriminants are designed to separate the signal from the background. Optimized thresholds are placed on the discriminant outputs to obtain an event sample with high signal purity. The top quark mass is found to be $172.13^{+0.76}_{-0.77}$ GeV, where the uncertainty includes both the statistical and systematic components, reaching sub-GeV precision for the first time in this event topology. The masses of the top quark and antiquark are also determined separately using the lepton charge in the final state, from which the mass ratio and difference are determined to be $0.9952^{+0.0079}_{-0.0104}$ and $0.83^{+1.79}_{-1.35}$ GeV, respectively. The results are consistent with CPT invariance.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2015

DETECTION OF OH{sup +} IN TRANSLUCENT INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS: NEW ELECTRONIC TRANSITIONS AND PROBING THE PRIMARY COSMIC RAY IONIZATION RATE

We present the detection of rotationally resolved electronic transitions in the OH{sup +} A{sup 3}Π–X{sup 3}Σ{sup −} (0, 0) and (1, 0) bands toward CD-32 4348, HD 63804, HD 78344, and HD 80077. These four translucent clouds have been studied in a recent Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph observational run. In total, seven absorption features of OH{sup +} are detected, and six of them are identified here for the first time, providing a precise tool to trace OH{sup +} in translucent interstellar clouds. An improved set of line positions and oscillator strengths is compiled to support our data interpretation. A dedicated analysis of the observed features in individual targets yields an accurate determination of OH{sup +} column densities. The results are applied to estimate the primary cosmic ray ionization rate in the investigated translucent clouds, which yields a typical value of ∼1.0 × 10{sup −16} s{sup −1}. In addition, following this work, two of the new interstellar features recently reported by Bhatt and Cami, at ∼3572.65 and 3346.96 Å, can be identified as OH{sup +} absorption lines now.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

The Dynamic Assimilation Technique measures photosynthetic CO 2 response curves with similar fidelity to steady-state approaches in half the time

The net CO 2 assimilation (A) response to intercellular CO 2 concentration (C i ) is a fundamental measurement in photosynthesis and plant physiology research. The conventional A/C i protocols rely on steady-state measurements and take 15–40 min per measurement, limiting data resolution or biological replication. Additionally, there are several CO 2 protocols employed across the literature, without clear consensus as to the optimal protocol or systematic biases in their estimations. We compared the non-steady-state Dynamic Assimilation Technique (DAT) protocol and the three most used CO 2 protocols in steady-state measurements, and tested whether different CO 2 protocols lead to systematic differences in estimations of the biochemical limitations to photosynthesis. The DAT protocol reduced the measurement time by almost half without compromising estimation accuracy or precision. The monotonic protocol was the fastest steady-state method. Estimations of biochemical limitations to photosynthesis were very consistent across all CO 2 protocols, with slight differences in Rubisco carboxylation limitation. The A/C i curves were not affected by the direction of the change of CO 2 concentration but rather the time spent under triose phosphate utilization (TPU)-limited conditions. Our results suggest that the maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylation (V cmax ), linear electron flow for NADPH supply (J), and TPU measured using different protocols within the literature are comparable, or at least not systematically different based on the measurement protocol used.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

Adaptive method for electron bunch profile prediction

Not Available

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2014

Permanent magnet electron beam ion source/trap systems with bakeable magnets for improved operation conditions

The magnetic system of a Dresden electron beam ion source (EBIS) generating the necessary magnetic field with a new type of permanent magnet made of high energy density NdFeB-type material operable at temperatures above 100 °C has been investigated and tested. The employment of such kind of magnets provides simplified operation without the time-consuming installation and de-installation procedures of the magnets for the necessary baking of the ion source after commissioning and maintenance work. Furthermore, with the use of a new magnetization technique the geometrical filling factor of the magnetic Dresden EBIS design could be increased to a filling factor of 100% leading to an axial magnetic field strength of approximately 0.5 T exceeding the old design by 20%. Simulations using the finite element method software Field Precision and their results compared with measurements are presented as well. It could be shown that several baking cycles at temperatures higher than 100 °C did not change the magnetic properties of the setup.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Final Technical Report

The capture of CO2 and its simultaneously conversion to useful chemical fuels driven by solar energy represents one of the best solutions to resolve our growing energy and environmental concerns. The most critical challenge to this endeavor is the rational design of a photocatalytic architecture that can effectively couple a given photosensitizer (PS) with an appropriate catalyst, thereby enabling efficient photosensitization of a multi-electron reduction catalysis. This research program aims to address this challenge using an interdisciplinary approach that combines innovative material design and synthesis, fundamental mechanistic studies, and photocatalytic performance evaluation. The strategies include 1) constructing and investigating a novel class of 2D COF hybrid photocatalysts with an effective photoactive organic building block as PS and a precisely incorporated CO2 reduction molecular catalyst (MC); and 2) mechanistic origins of CO2 photoreduction using a set of complementary time-resolved and in situ spectroscopic techniques. The novelty of the proposed hybrid system lies in the unprecedented combination of the unique advantage of porous crystalline COF PS with the precise catalytic function of MC for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. In the periods of the support (09/01/2019-12/31/2022), we have made research progress in four projects: 1) Exploring 2D COFs with incorporated Mn complex for light driven CO2 reduction; 2) The dependence of excited state and charge transfer dynamics on monomer structure of 2D COFs; and 3) Control over Charge Separation by Imine Structural Isomerization in Covalent Organic Frameworks with Implications on CO2 Photoreduction; and 4) The impact of monomer structure on the photoluminescence properties of COFs. We found that both monomer structure and linker chemistry can effectively impact the excited state dynamics, charge transfer properties, and photoluminescence quantum yields, the important properties that dictate their applications in photocatalysis. In addition, we found that the direction of imine linker determines charge transfer direction and thus controls the types of catalytic reactions (e.g. water oxidation or CO2 reduction reactions). The result from these fundamental studies provides important information for correlating the structure of the COF photocatalysts with their photophysical properties and catalytic functions, paving the way for their novel application in photocatalysis. We expect that our findings will contribute to addressing current shortcomings of semiconductor- and molecular-based photocatalytic systems that suffer from inefficient light harvesting and charge separation and poor adsorption and activation of reactants. In turn, this research will contribute towards the development of novel photocatalytic systems for CO2 reduction to generate renewable chemical fuels and simultaneously address the problem of mitigating climate change due to CO2 accumulation. In addition, the experimental approaches employed in this research can be easily transferred to other energy technologies and are expected to broadly impact fields involving photocatalysis, optoelectronic devices, and solar energy conversion. The proposed research has also been integrated with educational activities and serve as a basis to raise awareness around the critical issues of global energy production and consumption, and to develop the next generation of solar energy scientists.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Mapping Rare Earths and Toxics in E-Waste via Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning

Electronic waste (e-waste) presents a mounting challenge to environmental sustainability due to its complex composition, which includes high-value rare earth elements, hazardous organic compounds, and non-recyclable plastics. Accurate and scalable material classification is essential for enabling efficient resource recovery and safe recycling practices. This study introduces a confidence-aware classification pipeline that combines mid-infrared hyperspectral imaging (HSI), spectral angle mapping (SAM), and iterative machine learning to perform pixel-level material identification across e-waste devices. A curated spectral library encompassing artificial materials (e.g., plastic iron oxide, galvanized metals), minerals (e.g., allanite, hematite), and organic compounds (e.g., benzanthracene, toluene) was used to generate pseudo-labels, each assigned a confidence score based on SAM-derived spectral similarity. High-confidence samples from seven consumer electronics—digital cameras, keyboards, laptop fans, modems, motherboards, TV remotes, and speakers—were iteratively expanded and classified using models such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest, Gradient Boosting Classifier, Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLSDA) and Logistic Regression. The best-performing classifiers achieved macro F1 scores approaching 1.0. Results revealed widespread plastic content (dominated by plastic iron oxide), the presence of rare earth-bearing minerals like cerium-containing allanite, and pervasive detection of hazardous organics such as benzanthracene. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) visualizations and confusion matrices confirmed high separability and robust classification performance. This methodology enables precise, non-destructive, and scalable classification of heterogeneous e-waste streams. It supports automated, hazard-aware sorting in recycling workflows, facilitating selective recovery of critical materials and compliance with circular economy goals. The confidence-aware framework provides a foundation for real-time deployment in industrial settings, offering significant implications for smart e-recycling infrastructure and policy-driven material stewardship.

Circular economy↗