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At least 1,225 records · Page 68

Search for resonances decaying into top-quark pairs using fully hadronic decays in pp collisions with ATLAS at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV

A search for resonances produced in 7 TeV proton-proton collisions and decaying into top-quark pairs is described. In this Letter events where the top-quark decay produces two massive jets with large transverse momenta recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are considered. Two techniques that rely on jet substructure are used to separate top-quark jets from those arising from light quarks and gluons. In addition, each massive jet is required to have evidence of an associated bottom-quark decay. The data are consistent with the Standard Model, and limits can be set on the production cross section times branching fraction of a Z' boson and a Kaluza-Klein gluon resonance. These limits exclude, at the 95% credibility level, Z' bosons with masses 0.70-1.00 TeV as well as 1.28-1.32 TeV and Kaluza-Klein gluons with masses 0.70-1.62 TeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for a new scalar resonance decaying to a pair of Z bosons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV

A search for a new scalar resonance decaying to a pair of Z bosons is performed in the mass range from 130 GeV to 3 TeV, and for various width scenarios. The analysis is based on proton-proton collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{−1}$ at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The Z boson pair decays are reconstructed using the 4ℓ, 2ℓ2q, and 2ℓ2ν final states, where ℓ = e or μ. Both gluon fusion and electroweak production of the scalar resonance are considered, with a free parameter describing their relative cross sections. A dedicated categorization of events, based on the kinematic properties of associated jets, and matrix element techniques are employed for an optimal signal and background separation. A description of the interference between signal and background amplitudes for a resonance of an arbitrary width is included. No significant excess of events with respect to the standard model expectation is observed and limits are set on the product of the cross section for a new scalar boson and the branching fraction for its decay to ZZ for a large range of masses and widths.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Impedance Spectroscopy, Magnetic and Optical Analysis of Cadmium Tungstate Nanoparticles from Influence of Capping Agent Additives

Nano crystals of cadmium tungstate (CdWO{sub 4}) were obtained by facile precipitation route by using cadmium sulfate octahydrate and sodium tungstate dihydrate. These nanoparticles were then coated using different capping agents such as glucose, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and valine and their effects on the particle size, band gap, morphology, and magnetic character were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, UV-Visible, FESEM, TEM, and VSM analysis. Capping agents are used in the synthesis of nanoparticles since they facilitate the growth and aggregation of particles in a precise manner, by usually acting as a physical barrier which controls the flow of free electron to the catalyst, so that they can be utilized by the catalyst and sensors of nanoparticle. Impedance spectroscopic technique was carried out, which was very useful in separating the grain boundary resistance and grain boundary capacitance contributions. We discuss the utilization of capping agents and their effects, including surface, optical and intergranular potential barriers in this work.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Fluid Flow Investigations within a 37 Element CANDU Fuel Bundle Supported by Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry and Computational Fluid Dynamics

The current work presents experimental and computational investigations of fluid flow through a 37 element CANDU nuclear fuel bundle. Experiments based on Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry (MRV) permit three-dimensional, three-component fluid velocity measurements to be made within the bundle with sub-millimeter resolution that are non-intrusive, do not require tracer particles or optical access of the flow field. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of the foregoing experiments were performed with the hydra-th code using implicit large eddy simulation, which were in good agreement with experimental measurements of the fluid velocity. Greater understanding has been gained in the evolution of geometry-induced inter-subchannel mixing, the local effects of obstructed debris on the local flow field, and various turbulent effects, such as recirculation, swirl and separation. These capabilities are not available with conventional experimental techniques or thermal-hydraulic codes. Finally, the overall goal of this work is to continue developing experimental and computational capabilities for further investigations that reliably support nuclear reactor performance and safety.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Preparation of 241 Am/ 243 Am gravimetric mixtures and development of Am isotopic and assay measurement techniques using thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Three gravimetric mixtures with 241 Am/ 243 Am isotope ratios at nominally 1:1, 20:1, and 200:1 were prepared for calibration of the thermal ionization mass spectrometer instruments used for americium isotopic and assay measurements by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. The total evaporation analytical technique was developed for high-accuracy and precision measurements of Am isotopic ratios. The technique was also applied to Am assay measurements using isotope dilution mass spectrometry. The Am isotope ratio and assay measurement techniques were utilized to characterize batches of americium oxide separated from plutonium materials in storage at Los Alamos National Laboratory in support of commercial use of 241 AmO 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Is There an Advantage in Designing Adapted, Patient-Specific PTV Margins in Intensity Modulated Proton Beam Therapy for Prostate Cancer?

Purpose: To investigate robust margin strategies in intensity modulated proton therapy to account for interfractional organ motion in prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: For 9 patients, one planning computed tomography (CT) scan and daily and weekly cone beam CTs (CBCTs) were acquired and coregistered. The following planning target volume (PTV) approaches were investigated: a clinical target volume (CTV) delineated on the planning CT (CTV{sub ct}) plus 10-mm margin (PTV{sub 10mm}); a reduced PTV (PTV{sub Red}): CTV{sub ct} plus 5 mm in the left-right (LR) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions and 8 mm in the inferior-superior (IS) directions; and a PTV{sub Hull} method: the sum of CTV{sub ct} and CTVs from 5 CBCTs from the first week plus 3 mm in the LR and IS directions and 5 mm in the AP direction. For each approach, separate plans were calculated using a spot-scanning technique with 2 lateral fields. Results: Each approach achieved excellent target coverage. Differences were observed in volume receiving 98% of the prescribed dose (V{sub 98%}) where PTV{sub Hull} and PTV{sub Red} results were superior to the PTV{sub 10mm} concept. The PTV{sub Hull} approach was more robust to organ motion. The V{sub 98%} for CTVs was 99.7%, whereas for PTV{sub Red} and PTV{sub 10mm} plans, V{sub 98%} was 98% and 96.1%, respectively. Doses to organs at risk were higher for PTV{sub Hull} and PTV{sub 10mm} plans than for PTV{sub Red}, but only differences between PTV{sub 10mm} and PTV{sub Red} were significant. Conclusions: In terms of organ sparing, the PTV{sub 10mm} method was inferior but not significantly different from the PTV{sub Red} and PTV{sub Hull} approaches. PTV{sub Hull} was most insensitive to target motion.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Probing surface recombination velocities in semiconductors using two-photon microscopy

The determination of minority-carrier lifetimes and surface recombination velocities is essential for the development of semiconductor technologies such as solar cells. The recent development of two-photon time-resolved microscopy allows for better measurements of bulk and subsurface interfaces properties. Here, we analyze the diffusion problem related to this optical technique. Our three-dimensional treatment enables us to separate lifetime (recombination) from transport effects (diffusion) in the photoluminescence intensity. It also allows us to consider surface recombination occurring at a variety of geometries: a single plane (representing an isolated exposed or buried interface), a two parallel planes (representing two inequivalent interfaces), and a spherical surface (representing the enclosing surface of a grain boundary). We provide fully analytical results and scalings directly amenable to data fitting and apply those to experimental data collected on heteroepitaxial CdTe/ZnTe/Si.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Nonlinear mode coupling and energetics of driven magnetized shear-flow turbulence

To comprehensively understand the saturation of two-dimensional (2D) magnetized Kelvin–Helmholtz-instability-driven turbulence, energy transfer analysis is extended from the traditional interaction between scales to include eigenmode interactions, by using the nonlinear couplings of linear eigenmodes of the ideal instability. While both kinetic and magnetic energies cascade to small scales, a significant fraction of turbulent energy deposited by unstable modes in the fluctuation spectrum is shown to be re-routed to the conjugate-stable modes at the instability scale. They remove energy from the forward cascade at its inception. The remaining cascading energy flux is shown to attenuate exponentially at a small scale, dictated by the large-scale stable modes. Guided by a widely used instability-saturation assumption, a general quasi-linear model of instability is tested by retaining all nonlinear interactions except those that couple to the large-scale stable modes. These complex interactions are analytically removed from the magnetohydrodynamic equations using a novel technique. Observations are an explosive large-scale vortex separation instead of the well-known merger of 2D, a dramatic enhancement in turbulence level and spectral energy fluxes, and a reduced small-scale dissipation length scale. These show the critical role of the stable modes in instability saturation. Possible reduced-order turbulence models are proposed for fusion and astrophysical plasmas, based on eigenmode-expanded energy transfer analyses.

Physics↗

Quantum interferometry and pathway selectivity in the nonlinear response of photosynthetic excitons

We propose a time–frequency resolved spectroscopic technique which employs nonlinear interferometers to study exciton–exciton scattering in molecular aggregates. A higher degree of control over the contributing Liouville pathways is obtained as compared to classical light. We show how the nonlinear response can be isolated from the orders-of-magnitude stronger linear background by either phase matching or polarization filtering. Both arise due to averaging the signal over a large number of noninteracting, randomly oriented molecules. We apply our technique to the Frenkel exciton model which excludes charge separation for the photosystem II reaction center. We show how the sum of the entangled photon frequencies can be used to select two-exciton resonances, while their delay times reveal the single-exciton levels involved in the optical process.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Orbits for eight Hipparcos double stars

In this paper, we analyze new orbital elements and the quantities that follow from them for eight binaries: WDS 00101+3825 = HDS 23Da,Db, WDS 00321–1218 = HDS 71, WDS 04287+2613 = HDS 576, WDS 04389–1207 = HDS 599, WDS 16206+4535 = HDS 2309, WDS 17155+1052 = HDS 2440, WDS 22161–0705 = HDS 3158, and WDS 23167+3441 = HDS 3315. For seven of them, the orbital elements are calculated for the first time. Binaries, denoted as HDS, were discovered during the Hipparcos mission, and their first observational epoch is 1991.25, the same as the mean epoch of the Hipparcos catalog. We found all other measurements of these binaries in databases. They were obtained in the last 15 yr using the speckle interferometric technique. All studied pairs are close, and all measured separations are less than 0.''4. The resulting orbital periods fall within 26 and 80 yr. In addition to the orbital elements, we also give (O – C) residuals in θ and ρ, masses, dynamical parallaxes, absolute magnitudes, spectral types, and ephemerides for the next 5 yr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Strong field gravitational lensing by a charged Galileon black hole

Strong field gravitational lensings are dramatically disparate from those in the weak field by representing relativistic images due to light winds one to infinity loops around a lens before escaping. We study such a lensing caused by a charged Galileon black hole, which is expected to have possibility to evade no-hair theorem. We calculate the angular separations and time delays between different relativistic images of the charged Galileon black hole. All these observables can potentially be used to discriminate a charged Galileon black hole from others. We estimate the magnitudes of these observables for the closest supermassive black hole Sgr A*. The strong field lensing observables of the charged Galileon black hole can be close to those of a tidal Reissner-Nordström black hole or those of a Reissner-Nordström black hole. It will be helpful to distinguish these black holes if we can separate the outermost relativistic images and determine their angular separation, brightness difference and time delay, although it requires techniques beyond the current limit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

How accurate is a machine learning-based wind speed extrapolation under a round-robin approach?

As the size of commercial wind turbines keeps increasing, having accurate ways to vertically extrapolate wind speed is essential to obtain a precise characterization of the wind resource for wind energy production. Recently, machine learning has been proposed and applied to extrapolate wind speed to hub heights. However, previous studies trained and tested the machine learning methods at the same site, giving them an unfair advantage over the conventional extrapolation techniques, which are instead more universal. Here, we use data from four sites in Oklahoma to test a round-robin validation approach for machine learning, under which we train a random forest at a site, and test it at a different site, where the model has no prior knowledge of the wind resource. We quantify how the accuracy of this technique varies with distance from the training site, and we find that it outperforms conventional techniques for wind extrapolation at all the considered spatial separations. We then assess how the accuracy of the machine-learning based approach varies when it is used to predict wind speed in a wind farm far wake. Finally, we explore as case study the performance of the random forest in extrapolating winds during a low-level jet event.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Simulation of π 0 -γ separation study for proposed CMS forward electromagnetic calorimeter

The Forward Electromagnetic Calorimeter of the CMS detector is going to be upgraded in the high luminosity running as the energy of the present Electromagnetic Calorimeter (PbWO4) will degrade in the high luminosity (luminosity 10 34 cm -2 s -1 ) running due to extensive radiation (hadron flux 10 13 neutrons cm, -2 ). Shashlik Electromagnetic Calorimeter which consists of alternate layers of 1.5 mm LYSO(Ce) crystal plates and 2.5 mm Tungsten absorbers, was a proposal for high luminosity running. One of the performance points for any electromagnetic calorimeter is the ability to separate π 0 s from true photons, since final states with photons are a clean and one of the most important final states in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. As a result, the objective of this project is to study the possibility of π 0 and γ separation in the Shashlik detector using Multivariate Analysis (MVA) technique.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Atom Interferometry with Floquet Atom Optics

Floquet engineering offers a compelling approach for designing the time evolution of periodically driven systems. We implement a periodic atom-light coupling to realize Floquet atom optics on the strontium 1 S 0 - 3 P 1 transition. These atom optics reach pulse efficiencies above 99.4% over a wide range of frequency offsets between light and atomic resonance, even under strong driving where this detuning is on the order of the Rabi frequency. Moreover, we use Floquet atom optics to compensate for differential Doppler shifts in large momentum transfer atom interferometers and achieve state-of-the-art momentum separation in excess of 400 ℏ⁢k. In conclusion, this technique can be applied to any two-level system at arbitrary coupling strength, with broad application in coherent quantum control.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

TU-EF-304-04: A Heart Motion Model for Proton Scanned Beam Chest Radiotherapy

Purpose: To model fast-moving heart surface motion as a function of cardiac-phase in order to compensate for the lack of cardiac-gating in evaluating accurate dose to coronary structures. Methods: Ten subjects were prospectively imaged with a breath-hold, cardiac-gated MRI protocol to determine heart surface motion. Radial and planar views of the heart were resampled into a 3-dimensional volume representing one heartbeat. A multi-resolution optical flow deformable image registration algorithm determined tissue displacement during the cardiac-cycle. The surface of the heart was modeled as a thin membrane comprised of voxels perpendicular to a pencil beam scanning (PBS) beam. The membrane’s out-of-plane spatial displacement was modeled as a harmonic function with Lame’s equations. Model accuracy was assessed with the root mean squared error (RMSE). The model was applied to a cohort of six chest wall irradiation patients with PBS plans generated on phase-sorted 4DCT. Respiratory motion was separated from the cardiac motion with a previously published technique. Volumetric dose painting was simulated and dose accumulated to validate plan robustness (target coverage variation accepted within 2%). Maximum and mean heart surface dose assessed the dosimetric impact of heart and coronary artery motion. Results: Average and maximum heart surface displacements were 2.54±0.35mm and 3.6mm from the end-diastole phase to the end-systole cardiac-phase respectively. An average RMSE of 0.11±0.04 showed the model to be accurate. Observed errors were greatest between the circumflex artery and mitral valve level of the heart anatomy. Heart surface displacements correspond to a 3.6±1.0% and 5.1±2.3% dosimetric impact on the maximum and mean heart surface DVH indicators respectively. Conclusion: Although heart surface motion parallel to beam’s direction was substantial, its maximum dosimetric impact was 5.1±2.3%. Since PBS delivers low doses to coronary structures relative to photon radiotherapy, it is unknown whether this variation would be clinically significant for late effects.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Studies of Flerovium and Element 115 Homologs with Macrocyclic Extractants

Study of the chemistry of the heaviest elements, Z ≥ 104, poses a unique challenge due to their low production cross-sections and short half-lives. Chemistry also must be studied on the one-atom-at-a-time scale, requiring automated, fast, and very efficient chemical schemes. Recent studies of the chemical behavior of copernicium (Cn, element 112) and flerovium (Fl, element 114) together with the discovery of isotopes of these elements with half-lives suitable for chemical studies have spurred a renewed interest in the development of rapid systems designed to study the chemical properties of elements with Z ≥ 114. This dissertation explores both extraction chromatography and solvent extraction as methods for development of a rapid chemical separation scheme for the homologs of flerovium (Pb, Sn, Hg) and element 115 (Bi, Sb), with the goal of developing a chemical scheme that, in the future, can be applied to on-line chemistry of both Fl and element 115. Carrier-free radionuclides, used in these studies, of the homologs of Fl and element 115 were obtained by proton activation of high-purity metal foils at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS): nat In(p,n) 113 Sn, nat Sn(p,n) 124 Sb, and Au(p,n) 197m,g Hg. The carrier-free activity was separated from the foils by novel separation schemes based on ion exchange and extraction chromatography techniques. Carrier-free Pb and Bi isotopes were obtained from development of a novel generator based on cation exchange chromatography using the 232 U parent to generate 212 Pb and 212 Bi. Macrocyclic extractants, specifically crown ethers and their derivatives, were chosen for these studies; crown ethers show high selectivity for metal ions. Finally. a potential chemical system for Fl was established based on the Eichrom Pb resin, and insight to an improved system based on thiacrown ethers is presented.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

SEARCH FOR THE STANDARD MODEL HIGGS BOSON IN ITS ASSOCIATED PRODUCTION WITH A W VECTOR BOSON IN pp COLLISIONS AT p s = 1:96TEV

In this dissertation, results from a search for the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson is shown. The SM is the theoretical framework which describes particles of matter and force carrier gauge bosons. To solve the mass problem in the SM, the Higgs mechanism was introduced in 1963. The Higgs mechanism causes an electroweak symmetry breaking and a new massive scalar boson was postulated. This particle is the Higgs boson. A search for the Higgs boson has been ongoing at the Tevatron where protons and antiprotons were allowed to collide at a center-of-mass energy of 1:96 TeV. For a low mass Higgs, that is a Higgs with a mass lower than 135 GeV, the dominant decay mode is Higgs to a pair of b-quarks (H ! bb ). This work concentrated on a Higgs whose mass is in the range of 100 150 GeV, with a W vector boson produced with the Higgs boson. The final state chosen is the one which contains a lepton a neutrino and a pair of b-quarks. This study used data provided by the DZERO experiment. Results presented here are the outcome of analyzing 5:3 fb􀀀1 of data from RunII period. The analysis used different techniques to increase the sensitivity of the study. Data were subdivided based on lepton flavor, number of jets in sample, jets identified as b-jets and dates of collected data. A multivariate analysis technique based on boosted decision trees were used to separate signal from background processes, physical and instrumental. A good agreement between data and simulated events was observed. An observed (expected) upper limit of 4:5 (4:8) for a Higgs of mass 115 GeV was set on the ratio of the Higgs production to its decay branching ratio at the 95% confidence level.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗