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At least 163 records · Page 9

Searches for scalar leptoquarks and differential cross-section measurements in dilepton–dijet events in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

Searches for scalar leptoquarks pair-produced in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider are performed by the ATLAS experiment. A data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb -1 is used. Final states containing two electrons or two muons and two or more jets are studied, as are states with one electron or muon, missing transverse momentum and two or more jets. No statistically significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. The observed and expected lower limits on the leptoquark mass at 95% confidence level extend up to 1.29 TeV and 1.23 TeV for first- and second-generation leptoquarks, respectively, as postulated in the minimal Buchmüller–Rückl–Wyler model, assuming a branching ratio into a charged lepton and a quark of 50%. In addition, measurements of particle-level fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for the Z→ ee, Z→ μμ and $ t\bar{t} $ processes in several regions related to the search control regions. Predictions from a range of generators are compared with the measurements, and good agreement is seen for many of the observables. However, the predictions for the Z→ ℓℓ measurements in observables sensitive to jet energies disagree with the data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of the ratio of inclusive cross sections $\sigma (p\bar{p} \rightarrow Z+2~b~\text{jets}) / \sigma (p\bar{p} \rightarrow Z+ \text{2 jets})$ in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt s=1.96$ TeV

In this study, we measure the ratio of cross sections, σ(pp¯ → Z + 2 b jets)/σ(pp¯ → Z + 2 jets), for associated production of a Z boson with at least two jets with transverse momentum p jet T > 20 GeV and pseudorapidity |η jet | < 2.5. This measurement uses data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.7 fb –1 collected by the D0 experiment in Run II of Fermilab’s Tevatron pp¯ Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The measured integrated ratio of 0.0236 ± 0.0032(stat) ± 0.0035(syst) is in agreement with predictions from next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD and the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and ALPGEN .

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Mapping Current Collection in Cross Section: The Case of Copper-Doped CdTe Solar Cells

For decades, copper has been used to improve the performance of cadmium telluride thin film solar cells. However, it has also been shown to be the main cause of metastability in CdTe. Recently a low activation energy has been reported for the thermal diffusion of Cu in CdTe explaining the ease of motion that it has under moderate temperatures. The community consensus is that copper segregates to the absorber grain boundaries, where it's either beneficial or detrimental to device performance depending on its concentration. Using nanoscale X-ray micrsocopy and a two-dimensional drift-diffusion model we present a preliminary correlation between local copper distribution and electrical performance of a single-junction CdTe/CdS solar cell.

CdTe↗

Efficient Monte Carlo event generation for neutrino-nucleus exclusive cross sections

Modern neutrino-nucleus cross section computations need to incorporate sophisticated nuclear models to achieve greater predictive precision. However, the computational complexity of these advanced models often limits their practicality for experimental analyses. To address this challenge, we introduce a new Monte Carlo method utilizing normalizing flows to generate surrogate cross sections that closely approximate those of the original model while significantly reducing computational overhead. As a case study, we built a Monte Carlo event generator for the neutrino-nucleus cross section model developed by the Ghent group. This model employs a Hartree-Fock procedure to establish a quantum mechanical framework in which both the bound and scattering nucleon states are solutions to the mean-field nuclear potential. The surrogate cross sections generated by our method demonstrate excellent accuracy with a relative effective sample size of more than 98.4%, providing a computationally efficient alternative to traditional Monte Carlo sampling methods for differential cross sections.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Average-atom calculations of bound-free and free-free cross sections in dense plasmas

Cross sections for photo-induced bound-free and free-free transitions in plasmas are evaluated in the average-atom approximation and applied to determine opacities of dense plasmas of light elements. Parameters characterizing the plasmas (chemical potential, average ionic charge, free electron density, bound and continuum wave functions, and occupation numbers) are obtained from the average-atom model. Lowest-order calculations of the free-free cross sections, which diverge in the low-frequency limit, are regularized by accounting for the finite electron-ion relaxation time. The resulting analysis provides the basis for average-atom studies of plasma opacities. Such studies are presented for dense lithium, beryllium, boron, and carbon. Applications are given to Rosseland mean opacities of dense hydrogen and deuterium plasmas and to comparisons of free-free to bound-free opacities in shock-compressed plasmas. Average-atom cross section and opacity calculations are extended to plasmas consisting of more than one ionic species, boron nitride, polystyrene, and a composite H, He, C plasma.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Measurement of the Am 242 m neutron-induced reaction cross sections

The neutron-induced reaction cross sections of 242m Am were measured at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center using the Detector for Advanced Neutron-Capture Experiments array along with a compact parallel-plate avalanche counter for fission-fragment detection. A new neutron-capture cross section was determined, and the absolute scale was set according to a concurrent measurement of the well-known 242m Am(n,f) cross section. The (n,γ) cross section was measured from thermal energy to an incident energy of 1 eV at which point the data quality was limited by the reaction yield in the laboratory. Our new 242m Am fission cross section was normalized to ENDF/B-VII.1 to set the absolute scale, and it agreed well with the (n,f) cross section from thermal energy to 1 keV. Lastly, the average absolute capture-to-fission ratio was determined from thermal energy to E n = 0.1 eV, and it was found to be 26(4)% as opposed to the ratio of 19% from the ENDF/B-VII.1 evaluation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Comparison of Generation of Higher-Order Neutron Scattering Cross Sections

The generation of high-order neutron scattering cross sections consistent with high-fidelity simulations remains an area of active research. Popular options include generating cross sections from continuous energy Monte Carlo calculations or generating cross sections from a deterministic neutron transport calculation with high-fidelity tabulated cross sections. Both options present challenges. Monte Carlo simulations can naturally process continuous energy cross section data and allow for the general description of anisotropic neutron scattering given a scattering law. However, Monte Carlo simulations are inherently related to particle weighting and it has been suggested that this may be unacceptable for generating high-order neutron scattering cross sections. Deterministic neutron transport calculations can easily calculate high-order moments of the flux to appropriately calculate higher-order neutron scattering cross sections but are generally limited by discretization of space, energy, and angle. In this work, the trade-offs between generation of high-order neutron scattering cross sections via Monte Carlo and deterministic neutron transport methods are investigated. The methods implemented in the Monte Carlo computer program Serpent and the deterministic fast reactor neutron cross section generator MC2-3 are compared. Cross sections resulting from these methods are used in Rattlesnake, a deterministic neutron transport code developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and results are compared to a reference continuous energy Monte Carlo calculation. Whereas previous work investigating the effects of anisotropic neutron scattering has focused on light water reactor (LWR) simulations, this work focuses on high-order neutron scattering cross sections as they relate to fast reactor simulations. To investigate the consequences of the Serpent and MC2-3 methodologies, a test problem is developed. The test problem is a one-dimensional geometry with fast reactor materials designed to demonstrate deep penetration and exacerbate the effects of high-order neutron scattering. Based on the results of the deep penetration test problem, it is concluded that P3 neutron scattering cross sections are sufficient to describe anisotropic scattering in fast reactor materials. Any neutron scattering of order higher than P3 offers negligible change in the eigenvalue of the test problem. Additionally, it is determined that the methodology as implemented in Serpent is applicable for generating high-order neutron scattering cross sections through at least P3 in fast reactor materials.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Patching EAF-2010 into CINDER2008 Cross Section Libraries

CINDER2008 [1] comes with multi-group cross section libraries using most recent evaluated cross section data. The multi-group cross sections are weighted with three spectra: fission, fusion and flat. However, due to data format incompatibilities with the CINDER2008library maker tool, many of the reaction cross sections adapted from EAF-2010 [2] are either truncated or completely missing. Therefore it is essential to regenerate the CINDER2008 libraries with compatible EAF-2010 data. The updated cross section libraries are compared to those of the current cross section libraries in the sections below following a brief introduction of the CINDER2008 cross section libraries and a description of the method of generating cross sections for the CINDER2008 code. In the remainder of this document, we will refer to the libraries distributed with CINDER2008before October 2016 as the "current" libraries, and those described in this work as the "updated" libraries. In figures, the current library data may be shown with the library namewith or without “cur” appended, while the updated library data may be shown with "mod" appended.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

Surrogate Measurements of Actinide (n,2n) Cross Sections with NeutronSTARS

Directly measuring (n,2n) cross sections on short-lived actinides presents a number of experimental challenges. The surrogate reaction technique is an experimental method for measuring cross sections on short-­lived isotopes, and it provides a unique solution for measuring (n,2n) cross sections. This technique involves measuring a charged-­particle reaction cross section, where the reaction populates the same compound nucleus as the reaction of interest. To perform these surrogate (n,2n) cross section measurements, a silicon telescope array has been placed along a beam line at the Texas A&M University Cyclotron Institute, which is surrounded by a large tank of gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator, which acts as a neutron detector. The combination of the charge-particle and neutron-detector arrays is referred to as NeutronSTARS. In the analysis procedure for calculating the (n,2n) cross section, the neutron detection efficiency and time structure plays an important role. Due to the lack of availability of isotropic, mono-energetic neutron sources, modeling is an important component in establishing this efficiency and time structure. This report describes the NeutronSTARS array, which was designed and commissioned during this project. It also describes the surrogate reaction technique, specifically referencing a 235 U(n,2n) commissioning measurement that was fielded during the past year. Advanced multiplicity analysis techniques have been developed for this work, which should allow for efficient analysis of 241 Pu(n,2n) and 239 Pu(n,2n) cross section measurements

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗