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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

The separatrix electron density in JET, ASDEX upgrade and alcator C-Mod H-mode plasmas: A common evaluation procedure and correlation with engineering parameters

The separatrix electron density is an important parameter for core-edge scenario integration in tokamak devices, as it influences plasma confinement, divertor detachment and disruption avoidance. This quantity has been measured in H-mode discharges on JET, ASDEX Upgrade and Alcator C-Mod by applying the same fitting function to Thomson scattering measurements, and by employing the same analysis technique based on scrape-off layer power balance. To estimate the power crossing the separatrix, the inter-ELM time derivative of the plasma energy d W /d t has been experimentally evaluated and found to be approximately a constant fraction of the absorbed heating power. Correlations between n e,sep and engineering parameters have been investigated, revealing that n e,sep scales with the divertor neutral pressure p 0,div in a similar manner across all devices. Additionally, when n e,sep is normalized to the obtained n e,sep dependency, no clear correlation with the plasma current is found. These observations are in agreement with the 2-point model, which suggests that the upstream separatrix density is mainly set by the recycling at the divertor target.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessment of irradiation embrittlement effect on fatigue life of a pressurized-water reactor pressure vessel using the fracture toughness master curve approach

The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is a critical structural component in pressurized-water reactors, and it is designed to withstand extreme conditions, such as high pressures, elevated temperatures, and prolonged radiation exposure. Ensuring RPV integrity is essential for the safe and reliable long-term operation of nuclear power plants, especially as aging mechanisms such as fatigue and irradiation embrittlement pose increased risks. Fatigue, caused by cyclic thermal and mechanical loading, can lead to crack initiation in localized high-stress regions. Simultaneously, neutron irradiation, particularly in the beltline region, progressively reduces fracture toughness, increasing susceptibility to brittle fracture. These combined effects of fatigue and irradiation embrittlement potentially impact the RPV structural integrity, necessitating fitness-for-service assessments. This study applies the fracture toughness master curve approach to evaluate the impact of irradiation embrittlement on RPV fatigue life. A coupled thermo-mechanical stress analysis identifies critical stress locations under normal service transients, pinpointing regions most vulnerable to fatigue crack initiation and growth. Stress intensity factors for postulated flaws at these locations are calculated, enabling an assessment of fatigue life under irradiated and unirradiated conditions. The results indicate that neutron irradiation embrittlement accelerates the conditions in which a critical crack can form and lead to failure, particularly at lower temperatures. The failure occurs where reduced fracture toughness limits the material’s resistance to crack growth. Axial cracks at nozzle corners are the most life limiting without irradiation, while circumferential cracks demonstrate longer fatigue lives. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating irradiation effects into fatigue life predictions to ensure the long-term structural integrity of RPVs.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transverse Λ polarization in unpolarized $pp$ → jet Λ ↑ X

In this Letter, we investigate the spontaneous transverse polarization of Λ hyperons produced in unpolarized pp collisions inside a jet, by adopting a TMD approach where transverse momentum effects are included only in the fragmentation process. We will present predictions based on the parametrizations of the Λ polarizing fragmentation function as extracted from fits to Belle e + e – data. These estimates will be compared against preliminary STAR data. We will then be able to explore the universality properties of the quark polarizing fragmentation function and, for the first time, the role of its gluon counterpart.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigating the composition of the $K$$^{*}_{0}$(700) state with π ± $K$$^{0}_{S}$ correlations at the LHC

The first measurements of femtoscopic correlations with the particle pair combinations π ± $K$$^{0}_{S}$ in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are reported by the ALICE experiment. Using the femtoscopic approach, it is shown that it is possible to study the elusive $K$$^{*}_{0}$(700) particle that has been considered a tetraquark candidate for over forty years. Source and final-state interaction parameters are extracted by fitting a model assuming a Gaussian source to the experimentally measured two-particle correlation functions. The final-state interaction in the π ± $K$$^{0}_{S}$ system is modeled through a resonant scattering amplitude, defined in terms of a mass and a coupling parameter, The extracted mass and Breit–Wigner width, derived from the coupling parameter, of the final-state interaction are found to be consistent with previous measurements of the $K$$^{*}_{0}$ (700). The small value and increase of the correlation strength with increasing source size support the hypothesis that the $K$$^{*}_{0}$(700) is a four-quark state, i.e. a tetraquark state of the form (q 1 , $\bar{q}$ 2 , q 3 , $\bar{q}$ 3 ) in which q 1 , q 2 and q 3 indicate the flavor of the valence quarks of the π and $K$$^{0}_{S}$. This latter trend is also confirmed via a simple geometric model that assumes a tetraquark structure of the $K$$^{*}_{0}$(700) resonance.

13 TeV pp collisions↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of 3 Λ H production in Pb–Pb collisions at √ s NN = 5.02 TeV

The first measurement of 3 Λ H and $^{3}_{\overline{Λ}}$$\overline{H}$ differential production with respect to transverse momentum and centrality in Pb–Pb collisions at √ s NN = 5.02 TeV is presented. The 3 Λ H has been reconstructed via its two-charged-body decay channel, i.e., 3 Λ H → 3 He → π - . A Blast-Wave model fit of the p T -differential spectra of all nuclear species measured by the ALICE collaboration suggests that the kinetic freeze-out surface is consistent with that of other nuclei. The ratio between the integrated yields of 3 Λ H and 3 He is compared to predictions from the statistical hadronisation model and the coalescence model, with the latter being favoured by the presented measurements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Exploration of mass splitting and muon/tau mixing parameters for an eV-scale sterile neutrino with IceCube

We present the first three-parameter fit to a 3+1 sterile neutrino model using 7.634 years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory on $ν$ μ + $\overline{ν}$ μ charged-current interactions in the energy range 500–9976 GeV. Our analysis is sensitive to the mass-squared splitting between the heaviest and lightest mass state (Δm$^{2}_{41}$), the mixing matrix element connecting muon flavor to the fourth mass state (|U μ4 | 2 ), and the element connecting tau flavor to the fourth mass state (|U $\tau$4 | 2 ). Predicted propagation effects in matter enhance the signature through a resonance as atmospheric neutrinos from the Northern Hemisphere traverse the Earth to the IceCube detector at the South Pole. The remaining sterile neutrino matrix elements are left fixed, with |U e4 | 2 = 0 and δ 14 = 0, as they have a negligible effect, and δ 24 = π is set to give the most conservative limits. The result is consistent with the no-sterile neutrino hypothesis with a probability of 4.3%. Profiling the likelihood of each parameter yields the 90% confidence levels: 2.4eV 2 < Δm$^{2}_{41}$) < 9.6eV 2 , 0.0081< |U μ4 | 2 < 0.10, and |U $\tau$4 | 2 < 0.035, which narrows the allowed parameter-space for |U $\tau$4 | 2 . However, the primary result of this analysis is the first map of the 3+1 parameter space exploring the interdependence of Δm$^{2}_{41}$, |U μ4 | 2 , and |U $\tau$4 | 2 .

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating the weak charge of 48 Ca using a dispersive optical model

A new nonlocal dispersive-optical-model analysis has been carried out for neutrons and protons in 48 Ca that reproduces the weak-form-factor measurement of CREX. In addition to elastic-scattering angular distributions, total and reaction cross sections, single-particle energies, the neutron and proton numbers, and the charge distribution, the CREX-measured weak form factor has been fit to extract the neutron and proton self-energies both above and below the Fermi energy. The resulting single-particle propagators yield a weak form factor of F w = 0.125 ± 0.05 and a neutron skin of R skin = 0.152 ± 0.05 fm, in good agreement with CREX. The rearrangement of the neutron distribution to accommodate such a thin neutron skin results in the high-momentum content of the neutrons exceeding that of the protons, in contrast to what is expected from high-energy two-nucleon knockout measurements by the CLAS collaboration and ab initio asymmetric matter calculations. The present analysis also emphasizes the importance of neutron experimental data in constraining weak charge observables necessary for a precise description of neutron densities. Notably, the neutron reaction cross section and further parity-violating experiments weak form factor measurements are essential to generate a unique way to determine the 48 Ca neutron distribution in this framework.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Light nuclei femtoscopy and baryon interactions in 3 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC

We report the measurements of proton-deuteron (𝑝-𝑑) and deuteron-deuteron (𝑑-𝑑) correlation functions in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 3 GeV using fixed-target mode with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). For the first time, the source size (𝑅 𝐺 ), scattering length (𝑓 0 ), and effective range (𝑑 0 ) are extracted from the measured correlation functions with a simultaneous fit. The spin-averaged 𝑓 0 for 𝑝-𝑑 and 𝑑-𝑑 interactions are determined to be -5.28 ± 0.11(stat.) ± 0.82(syst.) fm and -2.62 ± 0.02(stat.) ±0.24(syst.) fm, respectively. The measured 𝑝-𝑑 interaction is consistent with theoretical calculations and low energy scattering experiment results, demonstrating the feasibility of extracting interaction parameters using the femtoscopy technique. The reasonable agreement between the experimental data and the calculations from the transport model indicates that deuteron production in these collisions is primarily governed by nucleon coalescence.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the Drell–Yan forward-backward asymmetry and of the effective leptonic weak mixing angle in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ 13 TeV

The forward-backward asymmetry in Drell-Yan production and the effective leptonic electroweak mixing angle are measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The measurement uses both dimuon and dielectron events, and is performed as a function of the dilepton mass and rapidity. The unfolded angular coefficient $A_4$ is also extracted, as a function of the dilepton mass and rapidity. Using the CT18Z set of parton distribution functions, we obtain $\sin^{2}\theta^\ell_\text{eff}$ = 0.23152 $\pm$ 0.00031, where the uncertainty includes the experimental and theoretical contributions. The measured value agrees with the standard model fit result to global experimental data. This is the most precise $\sin^{2}\theta^\ell_\text{eff}$ measurement at a hadron collider, with a precision comparable to the results obtained at LEP and SLD.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ab initio informed 20 Ne(p, pα) 16 O reaction elucidates the emergence of alpha clustering from chiral potentials

We report on the first ab initio informed α knock-out reaction in the intermediate-mass region, with the aim to probe the underlying chiral potential and its impact on the emergence of alpha clustering in this mass region. The theoretical predictions of the α+ 16 O clustering in the 20 Ne ground state, based on the ab initio symmetry-adapted no-core shell model with continuum, yield a triple differential cross section for 20 Ne(p, pα) 16 O that is in a remarkable agreement with the data. This allows us to examine predictions of surface and in-medium α-cluster features that emerge from the underlying realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction with no parameters fitted to nuclear data beyond the two-body system, and to compare these to the successful antisymmetrized molecular dynamics approach.

Sargsyan, G. H. [Michigan State Univ., East Lansin↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the top quark mass with the ATLAS detector using $t\bar{t}$ events with a high transverse momentum top quark

Journal article.The mass of the top quark is measured using top-quark-top-antiquark pair events with high transverse momentum top quarks. The dataset, collected with the ATLAS detector in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb −1 . The analysis targets events in the lepton-plus-jets decay channel, with an electron or muon from a semi-leptonically decaying top quark and a hadronically decaying top quark that is sufficiently energetic to be reconstructed as a single large-radius jet. The mean of the invariant mass of the reconstructed large-radius jet provides the sensitivity to the top quark mass and is simultaneously fitted with two additional observables to reduce the impact of the systematic uncertainties. The top quark mass is measured to be m t = 172.95 ± 0.53 GeV, which is the most precise ATLAS measurement from a single channel.

Aad, G. (ORCID:0000000266654934)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for Higgs boson decays into a Z boson and a light hadronically decaying resonance in pp collisions at s =13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for decays of the Higgs boson into a Z boson and a light resonance, with a mass of 0.5–3.5 GeV, is performed using the full 140 fb−1 dataset of 13 TeV proton–proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector during LHC Run 2. Leptonic decays of the Z boson and hadronic decays of the light resonance are considered. The resonance can be interpreted as a J / ψ or η c meson, an axion-like particle, or a light pseudoscalar predicted in two-Higgs-doublet models. Due to its low mass, this resonance is produced with a high Lorentz boost in the laboratory frame and therefore reconstructed as a single small-radius jet of hadrons. A neural network is used to correct the Monte Carlo simulation of the total expected background using data from sideband regions. Two additional neural networks are used to distinguish signal from background, enhancing the purity of the signal region. A binned profile-likelihood fit is performed on the final-state invariant mass distribution. No significant excess of events relative to the expected background is observed, and upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the Higgs boson's branching fraction to a Z boson and a light resonance. The exclusion limit is ∼10% for the lower masses, and increases for higher masses. Upper limits on the effective coupling C Z H eff / Λ of an axion-like particle to a Higgs boson and Z boson are also set at 95% confidence level, and range from 0.9 to 2 TeV−1.

Aad, G↗
DOE OSTI2025

Femtoscopic study of the proton-proton and proton-deuteron systems in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC

This work reports femtoscopic correlations of p – – p ($\overline{p}$ – – $\overline{p}$) and p – – d ($\overline{p}$ – – $\overline{d}$) pairs measured in Pb–Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV in the ALICE Collaboration. A fit to the measured proton-proton correlation functions allows one to extract the dependence of the nucleon femtoscopic radius of the particle-emitting source on the pair transverse mass (m T ) and on the average charge particle multiplicity $\langle$dN ch /dη$\rangle$ 1/3 for three centrality intervals (0–10%, 10 – – 30 %, 30 – – 50 %). In both cases, the expected power-law and linear scalings are observed, respectively. The measured p–d correlations can be described by both two- and three-body calculations, indicating that the femtoscopy observable is not sensitive to the short-distance features of the dynamics of the p-(p-n) system, due to the large inter-particle distances in Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC. Indeed, in this study, the minimum measured femtoscopic source sizes for protons and deuterons have a minimum value at 2.73$^{+0.05}_{–0.05}$ and 3.10$^{+1.04}_{–0.86}$ fm, respectively, for the 30–50% centrality collisions. Moreover, the m T -scaling obtained for the p–p and p–d systems is compatible within 1σ of the uncertainties. These findings provide new input for fundamental studies on the production of light (anti)nuclei under extreme conditions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Alpha-decay width of a near proton-threshold resonance in the 7 Li( α, α ) channel

We investigate the alpha-decay width of a near proton-threshold resonance in 11 B by the excitation functions of 7 Li(α, α) and 7 Li(α, α’) reactions. This resonance is an example of loosely bound atomic nuclei, understood as small open quantum systems, that exhibit properties significantly influenced by their coupling to the continuum. The present experiment focuses on the formation of a specific state in 11 B at excitation energy in the region near 11.4 MeV by bombarding a 7 Li target with a 4 He beam at energies ranging from 3.92 to 4.56 MeV in the laboratory frame. The study provides data complementary to previous observations of the proton emission in the β-decay of the neutron-rich halo nucleus 11 Be. An R-matrix fit to the data provides resonance energy and partial widths consistent with J π =1/2 + for a narrow near-threshold state in 11 B at 11.400(20) MeV, that is 171(20) keV above the proton emission threshold, with partial α-decay width Γ α =2.5$^{+3.5}_{–1.5}$ keV in elastic scattering and Γ α' =15.8$^{+1.9}_{–0.4}$ keV in inelastic scattering. These findings contribute to the understanding of the structure of this open quantum system resonance.

11B↗
DOE OSTI2026

First nucleon gluon PDF from large momentum effective theory

We report the first nucleon gluon parton distribution function (PDF) using Large-Momentum Effective Theory (LaMET). We focus on the gluon operator which was demonstrated to have the best signal-to-noise in the previous attempt [1] in computing gluon PDFs using LaMET. We compute the corresponding Wilson coefficients needed for the hybrid-renormalized matrix elements and the matching kernel to convert the quasi-PDF to the lightcone one at the one-loop level. We demonstrate that with the proper Wilson coefficients in place, the counterterms for the renormalization are independent of the hadron and mass within statistical error. Using the resulting renormalization, we then compute the nucleon PDF using a HISQ ensemble generated by the MILC collaboration with N f = 2 + 1 +1, a ≈ 0.12 fm, with valence pion masses of 310 and 690 MeV and two gauge link smearing techniques. Despite the physics effects of the heavier than physical pion masses and gauge link smearing, this calculation provides excellent proof of principle and compares reasonably with selected global fit results.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Decoding the proton’s gluonic density with lattice QCD-informed machine learning

We present a first machine learning-based decoding of the gluonic structure of the proton from lattice QCD using a variational autoencoder inverse mapper (VAIM). Harnessing the power of generative AI, we predict the parton distribution function (PDF) of the gluon given information on the reduced pseudo-Ioffe-time distributions (RpITDs) as calculated from an ensemble with lattice spacing a ≈ 0.09 fm and a pion mass of M π ≈ 310 MeV. The resulting gluon PDF is consistent with phenomenological global fits within uncertainties, particularly in the intermediate-to-high-x region where lattice data are most constraining. A subsequent correlation analysis confirms that the VAIM learns a meaningful latent representation, highlighting the potential of generative AI to bridge lattice QCD and phenomenological extractions within a unified analysis framework.

Gluon parton distribution function↗
DOE OSTI2026

Search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon via vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of b -quarks in the ATLAS detector

A search for Standard Model Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon and decaying to $b\bar{b}$ is performed using 133 fb −1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The photon requirement reduces the multijet background, and the H → $b\bar{b}$ decay is the dominant decay mode. Event selection requirements target events produced by vector-boson fusion, the dominant production mode in this channel. Several improvements enhance the search sensitivity compared to previous measurements. These improvements include better background modelling and characterization, the use of a neural-network classifier, and an updated signal extraction strategy adopting a direct binned-likelihood fit to the classifier output. With these improvements, the Higgs boson signal strength is measured to be 0.2 ± 0.7 relative to the Standard Model prediction. This corresponds to an observed significance of 0.3 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 1.5 standard deviations assuming the Standard Model.

ATLAS experiment↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pseudo-viscous modeling of transport in dense granular flows for thermal energy storage applications

Dense, granular flows were examined to effectively capture and model bulk viscous properties in thin packed beds. A modified Couette cell with particle image velocimetry was used to experimentally determine pseudo-viscosity properties of four particulate media with varying morphologies: (1) iron oxide-coated SiO 2 particles, (2) CARBOBEAD CP30-60 particles, (3) CARBOBEAD CP40-100 particles, and (4) Al 2 O 3 beads. The pseudo-viscosity functions were fitted using a power law to correlate the measured shear stress as a function of measured shear rate. The pseudo-viscous functions were used as inputs to computation fluid dynamics models for a single-phase viscous fluid to predict granular flow profiles. Steady-state free surface velocity profiles at angular velocities <7 rad/s predicted by the model were in good agreement with the experimental particle image velocimetry measurements, resulting in Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.97 for iron-oxide coated SiO 2 particles and 0.95 for CP30-60 particles. As a result, this alternative approach to measuring pseudo-viscous properties under shearing and modeling bulk transport behavior of granular flow using computation fluid dynamics model offered significant reduction in computational load compared to discrete element methods.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗