15th Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP 2025) Madison Wisconsin June 9-13
CIPANP is a conference series designed to explore common areas of interest to scientists working in elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, nuclear and particle astrophysics, and cosmology. Topics include research focused on the study of fundamental interactions, elementary particles, nucleons and nuclei, astrophysical phenomena, and cosmic rays. In many cases, these distinct areas are attempting to answer the same fundamental questions about our universe. Experiments in each area typically also require input from the other areas to properly extract and interpret results from their data. CIPANP brings these communities together every three years in a unique setting that fosters collaboration among these scientific disciplines.
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Registration: Memorial Union
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Plenary: Planary 1 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Baha Balantekin (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
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IntroductionSpeakers: Baha Balantekin (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Kate Scholberg (Duke University)
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Recent highlights in SM + Higgs Results from the LHC
This talk presents recent precision measurements of key properties of the Standard Model and the Higgs boson at the LHC.
Speaker: Alexander Khanov (Oklahoma State University) -
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Short Range Correlation: Current status and the path forward
The description of physical systems depends on the resolution at which they are probed. Since the discovery of quarks, a central question in nuclear physics has been how to connect the traditional, low-resolution picture of nuclei in terms of protons and neutrons (nucleons) with the high-resolution description involving quarks and gluons. At the intersection of these two regimes are Short-Range Correlations (SRCs): pairs of strongly interacting nucleons whose separation is comparable to their radii. Due to their overlapping quark distribution and strong interaction, SRC pairs can serve as a bridge between low-energy structure and high-energy quark distribution. In this talk, I will present an overview of the current SRC white paper, highlighting recent progress in SRC studies and the path forward.
Speaker: Prof. Dien Nguyen (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) -
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Probing stellar enrichment with modern tools and refined nuclear data
Although the origin of elements is a longstanding mystery, neutron capture processes are known to be a crucial mechanism by which nucleosynthesis can overcome the repulsive forces associated with adding another proton to a nucleus. Studies have identified at least three neutron capture processes believed to be taking place in astrophysics: the slow (s), rapid (r), and intermediate (i) neutron capture processes. Not only are the site(s) of the r and i processes under active study, but open questions remain regarding how much each of these contributed to the overall enrichment of stars such as our Sun. In particular, the r process synthesizes exotic and unstable nuclei that have yet to be probed in terrestrial experiments. Thus r-process studies must consider how uncertainties in the nuclear physics data propagate to the interpretation of observables. In this talk I will discuss how stellar and Solar abundance patterns can be used to inform r-process studies. I will show how recently reported nuclear masses from experiments and cutting-edge nuclear theory change our picture for the abundance of key elements (e.g. gold) produced in sites such as neutron star mergers. I will also discuss a new application of machine learning which aims to classify the enrichment source of stars via training on theoretical nucleosynthesis calculations. Novel, interdisciplinary work at the intersection of observation, experiment, theory, and computational science are key to carving out the new ideas and tools needed to modernize heavy element nucleosynthesis studies.
Speaker: Nicole Vassh (TRIUMF)
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10:00 AM
Coffee Break
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Plenary: Plenary 2 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Baha Balantekin (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
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Hyperfine structure of anti-hydrogen at ALPHA
The ALPHA experiment at CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator is devoted to the study of the spectroscopic properties and gravitational behavior of anti-hydrogen. The comparison of these properties with those of hydrogen, which are known to great precision, may constitute a test of CPT, Lorentz Invariance, and the Weak Equivalence Principle.
To produce and confine antihydrogen, ALPHA relies on intense magnetic fields, which represent a challenging environment for atomic spectroscopy. This notwithstanding, measurements of the ground state of antihydrogen with microwaves are approaching the regime at which they are sensitive to the internal structure of the antiproton. I will present the recent technical advancements, results and prospects in the studies of the hyperfine structure of antihydrogen with the ALPHA experiment, and implications for the rest of ALPHA's physics program.
Speaker: Simone Stracka (INFN Sezione di Pisa) -
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New Cosmology Maps and Results from ACT DR6
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) collaboration presents cosmological constraints and data products from its sixth data release, DR6. Including data from 2017 - 2022 (the telescope decommissioning), DR6 observed 40% of the microwave sky to five times the angular resolution and three times the depth in polarization as the Planck satellite. The improved cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements at small scales complement the larger-scale information from Planck. We use these datasets, along with tracers of large-scale-structure (CMB lensing) and cosmic expansion (baryon acoustic oscillations, or BAO), to probe the fundamental physics of the Universe across epochs and scales. A joint analysis of these data reveals $H_0 = 68.22 \pm 0.36~\rm km/s/Mpc$ and $\sigma_8 = 0.813 \pm 0.005$, consistent with prior analyses of the CMB, CMB lensing, and BAO. We find no deviation from a flat Universe. More generally, in tests of over 30 extensions to the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) model, we find the CMB does not significantly prefer any departures from LCDM. Finally, this talk discusses the ACT results in the context of updated BAO measurements from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), made public following DR6. We release DR6 maps in three frequency bands (located around 90, 150, and 220 GHz) as well as CMB power spectrum likelihoods.
Speakers: Samuel Goldstein (Columbia University), Zachary Atkins (Princeton University) -
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Direct Dark Matter Detection with Noble Liquids
Understanding the nature of dark matter is one of the biggest challenges in physics today. Over the past two decades, experiments searching for ~100 GeV dark matter particles have made incredible progress, gaining over five orders of magnitude in sensitivity, or doubling in sensitivity every 1.25 years. These experiments have grown from the the size of a small coffee cup to multi-ton detectors operating deep underground in labs around the world. To achieve this sensitivity, experimenters have had to screen, clean, and take care not to re-contaminate every single bolt and screw that goes into the detector to prevent radioactivity from mimicking a potential dark matter signal. It is a triumph of human ingenuity. Despite these successes, however, no dark matter particles have been found, and in some ways, we know less now than we thought we did twenty years ago. In this talk, I'll give a description of some of the ways we search for weak-scale dark matter particles, and talk about what comes next as we approach the end of the first major era of dark matter detection.
Speaker: Hugh Lippincott (UCSB)
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5
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12:00 PM
Lunch Break (Tripp Commons)
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Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion Collisions:: Initial state, parton distribution & experimental frontiers Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: Cameron Dean (MIT)-
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Gluon saturation and heavy ion collisons
At high energies, the density of gluons inside nucleons grow rapidly, leading to a dense regime where their interactions become non-linear. This phenomenon, known as gluon saturation, is a prediction of QCD and is effectively described by the Color Glass Condensate framework. In this talk, we will explore how saturation manifests in high-energy processes such as deep inelastic scattering, proton-nucleus, and nucleus-nucleus collisions. We will review key experimental signatures from RHIC, HERA, and the LHC that point toward saturation, and discuss how upcoming measurements at the Electron-Ion Collider are expected to provide decisive tests of saturation physics.
Speaker: Shaswat Tiwari (North Carolina State University) -
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Recent UPC results from STAR and ALICE
In ultraperipheral heavy-ion collisions (UPCs), vector meson photoproduction, e.g. $\rho^{0}$ and $J/\psi$, has been considered one of the most sensitive probes for studying the gluonic structure in heavy nuclei. The linear polarization of the photons involved enables detailed imaging of the nucleus through spin interference effects. Recently, extensive efforts by the STAR experiment at RHIC and the ALICE experiment at the LHC have significantly advanced our understanding of both coherent and incoherent vector meson photoproduction, nuclear gluon shadowing, and quantum interference phenomena in UPCs.
In this talk, we present the latest differential cross-section measurements of coherent and incoherent $J/\psi$ photoproduction in Au+Au, Ru+Ru, and Zr+Zr UPCs at $\sqrt{s_{_\mathrm{NN}}} = 200$ GeV from STAR, with a focus on angular modulations arising from spin interference. We also highlight recent ALICE results on $\rho^{0}$ and $J/\psi$ photoproduction in Pb+Pb UPCs at $\sqrt{s{_\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV. Comparisons between STAR and ALICE data provide crucial insights into the energy and Bjorken-$x$ dependence of nuclear gluon distributions and the emergence of gluon saturation effects. These results offer new constraints on nuclear parton distribution functions and sub-nucleonic spatial fluctuations. The talk will conclude with an outlook on future UPC opportunities at RHIC, the forthcoming LHC Run 4, and related physics prospects at the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider.
Speaker: Mr Ashik Ikbal Sheikh (Kent State University) -
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Backward Hadronic Calorimeter for ePIC - a detector for diffractive physics at the EIC
The Backward Hadronic Calorimeter (nHCal, negative-pseudo-rapidity HCal) is a tail catcher sampling calorimeter under development for the Electron-Proton/Ion Collider (ePIC) detector, the first to be built at the Electron Ion Collider. Its purpose is to enhance measurements of diffractive production of vector mesons and dijets in $e+p$ and $e+A$ collisions. These processes probe the partonic structure of nuclei and protons in the kinematic region of very low $x\approx 10^{-5}-10^{-3}$, the access to which is a crucial goal of the EIC mission. In order to perform such measurements, the detector has to be optimized for neutron detection efficiency and muon identification efficiency. Furthermore, it has to provide a spatial resolution necessary to isolate neutral and charged hadronic showers. The nHCal is planned to be built using non-magnetic steel and plastic scintillator to cover the range of pseudorapidity $-4.16<\eta<-1.16$, which corresponds to the electron-going direction.
This talk will present the basic concept and physics accessible with nHCal. It will also introduce design solutions and considerations as well as the current status of development.
Speaker: Leszek Kosarzewski (The Ohio State University)
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 1 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Jingbo Wang (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology)-
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Recent Results & Future Directions in Long-Baseline Neutrino Oscillations
Long-baseline experiments measure neutrino oscillations in accelerator produced muon neutrino and antineutrino beams to explore open questions about neutrino masses and mixing. These experiments continue to provide a rich environment to explore fundamental physics, specifically for determining the neutrino mass ordering, searching for the potential charge-parity violation in the lepton sector, and making precision measurements to probe the unitarity of the three-flavor neutrino paradigm.
The NOvA and T2K experiments are currently operational long-baseline experiments in the US and Japan, respectively. In this talk, I will present the latest results from these experiments, providing a snapshot of the neutrino oscillation measurements. I will additionally discuss the details of the first-combined analysis of the datasets from the NOvA and the T2K experiments. This joint analysis utilizes the advantageous complementarity of the two experiments, which helps break degeneracies in the individual measurements. Additionally, I will highlight how the next-generation experiments, such as DUNE and Hyper-K are being designed to meet the target sensitivities needed to achieve these ambitious physics goals.
Speaker: Zoya Vallari (Ohio State University) -
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Latest Neutrino Oscillation Results from the NOvA Experiment
NOvA, located at Fermilab, is a long-baseline accelerator-based neutrino experiment designed to study electron (anti)neutrino appearance and muon (anti)neutrino disappearance. The experiment employs two liquid scintillator detectors separated by 809 km: an underground Near Detector placed 1 km from the beam source to analyze the initial beam, and a Far Detector located in Minnesota placed on the surface. With these detectors, NOvA is probing key questions in neutrino physics, including the mass ordering, CP violation in the lepton sector, the mixing angle $\theta_{23}$, and the mass-squared difference $\Delta m^2_{32}$. This talk will highlight NOvA’s latest oscillation results, incorporating an expanded dataset, refined analysis methods, and improved systematic uncertainty evaluations.
Speaker: Andrew Sutton (Florida State University) -
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Recent Results from the T2K Experiment
T2K is a neutrino experiment in Japan that measures neutrino and antineutrino
oscillations using a baseline of 295 km, from the near detector "ND280" at
J-PARC, to the far detector "Super-Kamiokande" (SuperK) in Kamioka. ND280
measures the properties of the neutrino beam prior to oscillations, while
SuperK measures the beam after oscillations. In this talk, the most recent
results of neutrino oscillations will be presented, featuring world-leading
sensitivities on the search of Charge-Parity violation, by comparing
oscillation measurements of neutrinos and antineutrinos. Measurements of the
atmospheric oscillation parameters were also extracted, by observing the
disappearance of muon neutrinos and the appearance of electron neutrinos.
Combinations with other experiments such as SuperK and NOvA are also presented.Speaker: Alejandro Ramirez Delgado (University of Pennsylvania) -
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DUNE status and plans for first physics results
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is designed to perform precision measurements of neutrino oscillations and to search for physics beyond the Standard Model. One of the primary scientific goals of the experiment is the determination of the CP-violating phase in the neutrino sector with high precision. As DUNE moves toward its first physics results, a comprehensive understanding of neutrino interaction modeling is critical, given its significant impact on the sensitivity to oscillation parameters. In this talk, I will provide a general overview of the DUNE experiment, with a focus on our strategy for addressing neutrino interaction uncertainties. I will also highlight the status of interaction systematics development within DUNE, including the establishment of a framework for the efficient development and application of systematic uncertainty variations. A suite of ready-to-use systematic "dials" has been developed and validated, with several already adopted by other major neutrino experiments, including the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program and NOvA. This collaborative effort improves the robustness of the systematic models and provides valuable external feedback to refine DUNE’s future analyses.
Speaker: Jaesung Kim (University of Rochester)
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Parton and Gluon Distributions in Nucleons and Nuclei: Parallel 1 Old Madison
Old Madison
Convener: Po-Ju Lin (National Central University)-
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Subtraction and Residual PDFs: Heavy-quark treatments in global QCD analyses
We discuss the implementation of general mass variable flavor number (GMVFN) schemes (such as ACOT or S-ACOT) for the treatment of heavy-quark mass effects in global PDF analyses at higher orders in QCD in terms of subtraction and residual PDFs. We present the application to Z+heavy flavor production and other cases of interest for precision phenomenology at hadron colliders.
Speaker: marco guzzi (Kennesaw State University) -
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Gluon Saturation: Status and Future Perspectives
Despite decades of research the gluon remains the least known object in QCD. This is dictated by both theoretical and experimental challenges due to the non-trivial dynamics generated by gluons. Understanding of this dynamics is one of the most important problems in QCD. One of the key manifestations of this dynamics is the gluon saturation associated with the non-linear effects in the gluon fields at large energies of collision. The search of the signatures of saturation is one of the main goals of the future Electron-Ion Collider. In my talk I will give an overview of the recent developments in understanding of the saturation placing emphasis on the physics of gluon distributions in nucleons and nuclei.
Speaker: Andrey Tarasov (North Carolina State University) -
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Early Results from BONuS12
Measuring parton distribution functions (PDFs) in the valence region at high Bjorken-x is one pillar of the experimental program of Jefferson Lab at 12 GeV. In this talk, I will review the status of our knowledge of polarized and unpolarized nucleon structure functions at very high x. I will especially focus on the recent “BONuS12” experiment with CLAS12 at Jefferson lab to measure the ratio F2n/F2p of neutron to proton unpolarized structure functions and show preliminary results.
Research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under grant DE-FG02-96ER40960
Speaker: Sebastian Kuhn (Old Dominion University)
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Precision Physics at High Intensities: Parallel 1 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Allison Zec (University of New Hampshire)-
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Ab initio overlap integrals for μ → e conversion in nuclei
Modern first-principles (or “ab initio”) many-body simulations make it possible to compute the structure of atomic nuclei from scratch, starting from effective field theories of quantum chomodynamics. Recent developments have extended the reach of these simulations to the heaviest stable isotopes, to higher precision, and to new applications including many studies of fundamental interactions in nuclei. Particularly key in these applications to possible new physics in nuclei is the predictive power of first-principles simulations combined with the possibility to systematically quantify remaining theory uncertainties. If observed, $\mu \to e$ conversion in nuclei would be a clear signal of charged lepton flavor violation, giving insight into possible physics beyond the standard model. However, to discriminate between different new physics models generating charged lepton flavor violation, one needs to isolate the nuclear structure contributions to the process, where in particular the neutron responses are important, but relatively uncertain. We provide precise predictions for leading nuclear contributions to electron to muon conversion in nuclei, allowing for improved constraints on proposed theories of charged lepton flavor violation.
Speaker: Matthias Heinz (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) -
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Searching for Lepton Flavor Violation
I will give a theory overview talk about lepton flavor violation and discuss the Effective Field Theory approach.
Speaker: Kaori Fuyuto -
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Mu2e at Fermilab : Charged Lepton Flavor Violation Experiment
The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab aims to observe
neutrinoless muon to electron conversion in the presence of an Al nucleus ($\mu^{-}$Al \rightarrow e$^{-}$Al). The signal is a monochromatic conversion electron of energy 104.97\,MeV. This process is an example of the charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) which is highly suppressed in the Standard Model (SM) and lies far beyond the reach of current experimental capabilities. Any observation of the signal would be evidence of physics beyond the SM. The current upper limit for R$_{\mu,e}$ is 7\times10$^{-13}$ (at 90\% CL) from the SINDRUM II experiment and Mu2e aims to improve on this by four orders of magnitude. The article presents the physics goals of the experiment, configuration of the detectors and their subsystems. The construction of Mu2e is underway and the commissioning will start in late 2025. The current status of the experiment will be discussed, with a particular focus on the installation of the detectors.Speaker: Mamta Jangra (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FERMILAB)) -
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A new method to calibrate the momentum scale of the Mu2e experiment
Mu2e experiment at Fermilab will search for the process of neutrino-less $\mu^- \to e^-$ conversion on Al. The signature of this process is a monocromatic electron with the energy of 104.97 MeV. The systematic uncertainty on the reconstructed electron momentum, $\sigma_P$, is required to be $\le$ 100 keV/c. For that, the momentum scale of the experiment has to be known with the relative accuracy better than $10^{-3}$.
Calibrating the momentum scale using Michel decays of stopped positive muons, $\mu^+ \to e^* \nu \nu$, or $\pi^- \to e^- \nu$ decays of stopped negative pions involves reducing the magnetic field in the detector, determining the momentum scale at a lower field, and extrapolating the scale back to the nominal field.
We describe an experimental technique which avoids uncertainties related to the scale extrapolation. It relies on the reconstruction of E = 129.4 photons produced in the process of radiative $\pi^-$ capture on hydrogen, $\pi^- p \to n \gamma$, and converted into $e^+e^-$ pairs in a photon converter located in the upstream part of the detector.
Together, measurements of the three physics processes should provide a reliable calibration of the Mu2e momentum scale.
Speaker: Pavel Murat (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)
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18
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Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak Interaction: Parallel 1 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Jason fry (Eastern Kentucky University)-
22
The EDM of the electron in the decoupling limit of the aligned 2HDM
We discuss model-independent contributions to the electron EDM, focusing on those contributions emerging from a heavy scalar sector linearly realized. To provide a concrete new-physics realization, we investigate the aligned 2HDM in the decoupling limit. We point out that logarithmically-enhanced contributions generated from Barr-Zee diagrams with a fermion loop are present in the aligned 2HDM, an effect encoded in the decoupling limit by effective operators of dimension 6, through the mixing of four-fermion into dipole operators. The same large logarithms are absent in specific 2HDMs where a $\mathcal Z_2$ symmetry is enforced, which thus controls the basis of effective operators relevant for calculating new physics contributions to EDMs. In other words, the $\mathcal Z_2$ symmetry acts as a suppression mechanism. In the aligned 2HDM these contributions are proportional to sources of CP violation that are potentially large, and absent in presence of the $\mathcal Z_2$ symmetry. We then investigate the impact on the electron EDM of this extended set of free parameters.
Speaker: Luiz Vale Silva (UCH CEU Valencia) -
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nEDMSF - a new cryogenic search for the neutron electric dipole moment
A next generation cryogenic neutron electric dipole moment (EDM) experiment based on an idea to combine ultracold neutron (UCN) production in superfluid 4He with real-time measurement of the precession frequency using the capture of polarized neutrons on polarized 3He. A previous version of the experiment utilizing the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline (FnPB) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), was designed and partly constructed when the project was cancelled in late 2023. I will describe a sequence of steps planned to demonstrate key elements of the measurement technique and the associated technology as part of a new experiment, nEDM superfluid or nEDMSF, that is being undertaken in association with collaborators at European institutions. The long-term goal of this new experiment is to reach toward the 10−29 e·cm level for the nEDM using a beamline having a higher flux than that at the SNS, for example that at the European Spallation Source (ESS).
Speaker: Paul Huffman (North Carolina State University) -
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Recent progress on the TRIUMF UltraCold Advanced Neutron source and EDM experiment
Ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are an ideal tool to measure the fundamental properties of neutrons, like their electric dipole moment (EDM). A non-zero neutron EDM would be an indication of CP violation beyond the Standard Model and provide a possible explanation of the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. However, these searches are limited by the number of UCNs that are delivered by a handful of sources worldwide. The TRIUMF UltraCold Advanced Neutron (TUCAN) collaboration is in the final stages of commissioning a new UCN source using a superfluid-helium converter and driven by a dedicated 20kW neutron spallation target. With an expected production rate of $1.4\cdot10^7\,\mathrm{UCN/s}$ it will be the world’s strongest ultracold neutron source and enable the search for an nEDM with a sensitivity of $10^{-27}\,e\,\mathrm{cm}$—an improvement of one order of magnitude over the best current measurement—within 400 beam days. A secondary beam port will be made available as a user facility.
This presentation will present the significant progress made in commissioning the TUCAN source and the subsystems for the TUCAN EDM experiment, including its large magnetically shielded room.Speaker: Wolfgang Schreyer (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
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22
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3:00 PM
Coffee Break
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Dark Matter: Parallel 2 Capital View
Capital View
Convener: Shawn Westerdale (University of California, Riverside)-
25
Recent Results from PICO-40L and the Future of the PICO Dark Matter Search
The PICO collaboration operates bubble chambers to search for WIMP dark matter, leveraging the excellent gamma rejection and long live fractions enabled by operating at a lower degree of superheat than the bubble chambers of the 1960s. This advancement allows for significantly improved background rejection while maintaining sensitivity to nuclear recoils. Located at the SNOLAB underground laboratory, these detectors use fluorinated target fluids optimized for probing spin-dependent WIMP-proton interactions. Previous experiments, PICO-2L and PICO-60, set the world’s strongest constraints on spin-dependent WIMP-proton scattering. The next-generation detector, PICO-40L, is now fully operational and actively collecting physics data. Its superheated $C_3F_8$ target provides an ideal medium to achieve world-leading sensitivity in this search. This talk will provide an overview of the detector design, analysis strategy, and initial physics results. Looking ahead, PICO-500, a 250-liter chamber currently in development, is expected to begin commissioning in 2026, further advancing the search for dark matter.
Speaker: Mayank Tripathi (University of Chicago) -
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Scintillating Bubble Chambers for Rare Event Searches
The Scintillating Bubble Chamber (SBC) collaboration is developing liquid-noble bubble chambers sensitive to sub-keV nuclear recoils. These detectors extend the excellent electron-recoil insensitivity inherent in bubble chambers with the additional ability to reconstruct energy based on the scintillation signal for further background reduction. The targeted nuclear recoil threshold of 100 eV is made possible by the high level of superheat attainable in noble liquids while remaining electron-recoil insensitive. In order to verify this reduced threshold, the SBC collaboration is building two functionally-identical 10 kg liquid argon detectors. The first, SBC-LAr10, soon-to-be operational at Fermilab, will be used for engineering and calibration studies. The second detector, SBC-SNOLAB will probe the spin-independent dark matter-nucleon cross section down to 10$^{-43}$ cm$^2$ at 1 GeV$/c^2$ with a 10-kg-year exposure. An overview of scintillating liquid-noble bubble chambers along with the status and physics potential of SBC-SNOLAB will be presented.
Speaker: Ben Broerman (Queen's University) -
27
Dark Matter Searches with Liquid Argon in DEAP-3600 and DarkSide-20k
Liquid argon (LAr) scintillator-based detectors are used to search for WIMP dark matter by looking for light emission from WIMP-nucleon interactions in the target volume. The DEAP-3600 LAr dark matter detector has operated since 2016 at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Canada, and has previously contained 3.3 tonnes of LAr scintillator target. It has a background rate below one event per tonne-year, and set the leading limit on the WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross section on an LAr target at 3.9 × 10$^{-45}$ cm$^{2}$ (1.5 × 10$^{-44}$ cm$^{2}$) for a 100 GeV/c$^{2}$ (1 TeV/c$^{2}$) WIMP mass at a 90$\%$ C.L. Other results include a relative measurement of the $\alpha$-particle scintillation quenching factor for LAr at MeV energy, and a measurement of the $^{39}$Ar half-life that provided a result of 302 ($\pm$8$_{stat}$ $\pm$6$_{sys}$) years- in conflict with previously accepted values. The next generation LAr dark matter detector, DarkSide-20k (DS-20k), is currently being constructed by an international collaboration in Gran Sasso, Italy. DS-20k will hold an active target volume of 50 tonnes (inner fiducial volume of 20 tonnes) of LAr, and employ a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC) to enable additional analysis methods. Its projected sensitivity is 6.3 × 10$^{-48}$ cm$^{2}$ for a 1 TeV/c$^{2}$ WIMP mass at a 90$\%$ C.L. over its expected 200 tonne-year exposure, and its projected background rate is also below one event per tonne-year. Both DEAP-3600 and Darkside-20k, beyond detecting dark matter, aim to improve LAr detector technology for use in the proposed ARGO detector.
Speaker: Daniel Huff (University of Houston) -
28
Results and status of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a direct detection experiment located a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, USA. LZ utilizes a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC) with a 7-tonne active volume of liquid xenon. The TPC is surrounded by a veto system, composed of an instrumented liquid xenon skin and an outer detector with gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator designed to tag neutron backgrounds. LZ has been collecting data since 2021 and in 2024 produced world-leading constraints on WIMP-nucleon cross-sections for WIMPs heavier than 9 GeV/c$^2$. In this presentation I will highlight LZ’s scientific results and provide an update on its status.
Speaker: Chami Amarasinghe (UCSB) -
29
Evidence for Missing Matter in the Inner Solar System: Does the Sun have a Dark Disk?
The total mass and distribution of dark matter within the Solar system are poorly known, albeit constraints from measurements of planetary orbits exist. We have discovered, however, that different sorts of determinations of the Sun’s gravitational quadrupole moment can combine to yield new and highly sensitive constraints on the mass distribution within Mercury’s orbit. These outcomes provide evidence for a non-luminous disk coplanar with Mercury’s orbit, and we develop how we can use these findings to limit the mass of a dark disk, ring, or halo in the immediate vicinity of the Sun. The mass estimates associated with known matter, although uncertain, point to a prominent dark-matter contribution. and we note how continuing observational studies of the inner solar system can not only refine these constraints but also help to identify and to assess the mass of its dark-matter component.
Speaker: Susan Gardner (University of Kentucky)
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25
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Heavy Flavors and the CKM Matrix: Parallel 2 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Ryan Mitchell-
30
Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix related measurements at Belle II
The Belle and Belle~II experiments have collected a 1.1 ab$^{-1}$ sample
of $e^+ e^-\to B\bar{B}$ collisions at a centre-of-mass energy
corresponding to the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance. These data allow measurements of $CP\!$ violation and the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements in $B$-meson decay. In particular, we measure the $CP$-violating phase $\phi_1/\alpha$ and $\left|V_{cb}\right|$. In addition, we present constraints on the branching fractions of $B^+\to\ell^+\nu~(\ell=\mu,~\tau)$, which are related to $\left|V_{ub}\right|$.Speaker: Frank Meier (Duke University) -
31
Recent heavy flavour results from ATLAS
Studying heavy-flavour hadron properties provides a extensive tests for various QCD predictions as well as a means to probe the Standard Model validity. ATLAS experiment, being a general-purpose detector at LHC, is particularly successful in such measurements with final states involving muons, thanks to large collected integrated luminosity and precise muon reconstruction and triggering. This talk will overview the recent ATLAS results on heavy-flavour hadron production and decay properties and spectroscopy of exotic states.
Speaker: Andrew Gentry (University of New Mexico)
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30
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 2 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: lin si (stanford university)-
32
Results from SNO+
SNO+ is a liquid scintillator experiment preparing to search for the lepton-flavor-violating process of neutrinoless double beta decay using more than one tonne of $^{130}$Te. With about 780 tonnes of highly-radiopure scintillator located 2 km underground in Ontario, Canada, SNO+ is also able to study neutrinos from a number of unique sources and interactions. This talk will report on the latest results from SNO+, including reactor neutrino oscillations, geo-neutrino flux, and solar neutrino interactions with $^{13}$C.
Speaker: Logan Lebanowski (University of California, Berkeley) -
33
Recent Results from KamLAND-Zen and Future Prospects
The KamLAND Zero-Neutrino Double-Beta Decay Experiment (KamLAND-Zen) located in Kamioka Observatory, Japan, is a radiopure liquid scintillator detector, doped with 745 kg of enriched Xenon gas. With an exposure of about 2.097 ton$\cdot$yr, KamLAND-Zen provides the most stringent limit on the effective Majorana mass to-date which has been obtained by a multivariate spectral fit in the energy range between 0.5 to 4.8 MeV. Data acquisition officially stopped in August 2024 to prepare for its future upgrade KamLAND2-Zen. An overview of the KamLAND-Zen experiment will be given, followed by the recently obtained results including different statistical perspectives. This will be followed by a brief summary of ongoing preparations for KamLAND2-Zen and its aimed target sensitivity.
Speaker: Ömer Penek (Boston University) -
34
Results from LEGEND-200 and Prospects for LEGEND-1000
The Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless bb Decay (LEGEND) aims to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0vbb) with a half-life sensitivity in the ${^{76}}$Ge isotope above T${_{1/2}}$ = 10${^{28}}$ years. The first phase, LEGEND-200, is currently operating and taking data with ~130 kg of high-purity enriched germanium detectors immersed in liquid argon, with an expected final configuration of ~200 kg of detectors. The second phase, LEGEND-1000, will be configured with up to 1000 kg of detectors, with a goal of acquiring 10 tonne-years of total exposure during data taking to meet the target sensitivity. In this talk, I will outline the LEGEND-200 analysis framework, highlight the latest results of the search for 0vbb in this phase, and discuss the future plans to continue improving the experimental program.
Speaker: CJ Barton (INFN) -
35
Results from CUORE and Progress towards CUPID
Neutrinoless double beta decay (0$\nu \beta \beta$) is a hypothesized lepton number violating process, the discovery of which would lead to a greater insight into the nature of neutrino mass. CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) is a bolometric search for $0\nu \beta \beta$ in $^{130}$Te. The experiment employs 988 TeO$_2$ crystals as both the possible sources and detectors of this decay. CUORE began data taking at ~10mK in 2017, amassing over 2.5 tonne-years of TeO$_2$ exposure. This talk will show the latest results from CUORE for $0\nu \beta \beta$ with two tonne-years of exposure. The progress towards the upgrade to CUORE, called CUPID (CUORE Upgrade with Particle Identification), will also be presented.
Speaker: Vivek Sharma (University of Pittsburgh)
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32
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Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics: Parallel 2 Old Madison
Old Madison
Convener: James Allmond (ORNL)-
36
Constraining the 15O (α, γ)19Ne reaction rate in Type I X-ray bursts using GADGET II TPC
The calorimetric Proton Detector GAseous Detector with GErmanium Tagging (GADGET) detection system has been upgraded to operate as a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) to detect low energy β-delayed single- and multi-particle emission of interest to nuclear astrophysics. The upgrade, known as GADGET II, uses micro pattern gaseous amplifier detector technology and will be surrounded by an array of high-purity germanium detectors for efficient high-resolution detection of γ-rays. In November 2022, GADGET II was successfully used for in beam measurements to measure the strength of the key 15O(a, γ)19Ne resonance in Type I X-ray bursts. At hot CNO cycle break-out temperatures, the rate of this reaction is strongly dominated by a single resonance with a center of mass energy of 506 keV corresponding to a 19Ne state having an excitation energy of 4034 keV. This state has a well-known lifetime, so only a finite value for the small alpha-particle branching ratio is needed to determine the reaction rate. Previous measurements have shown that this state is populated in the decay sequence of 20Mg. 20Mg(βpα)15O events through key 15O(α,γ)19Ne resonance yields a characteristic signature: the emission of a proton and alpha particle. To identify these events of interest GADGET II detection system was used at Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). In this talk, I will discuss the major detector upgrades, performance of the detector and present some simulations, preliminary results from the experiment and future possibilities with GADGET II at FRIB.
Speaker: Ruchi Mahajan (University of Kentucky) -
37
Nuclear Astrophysics With High Intensity Beams At LENA II
The Laboratory for Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics (LENA) located at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) is a world leading facility for the direct measurement of cross sections relevant to stellar burning and nucleosynthesis. For over a decade, LENA has been using low energy, high intensity ($>$ 1 mA) proton beams to study radiative capture reactions on stable isotopes. With the recent installation of a new 2 MV Singletron accelerator manufactured by High Voltage Europa and upgrade of the low energy ECR accelerator, LENA has become LENA II. The Singletron is a unique accelerator capable of delivering hydrogen and helium either as DC beams of mA intensity or pulsed beams with 2 ns pulse widths. Similarly unique is the upgraded ECR, which will reestablish itself as the highest intensity accelerator of its type in the world, delivering beams of up to 20 mA to target. In this talk I will give an overview of the theoretical and experimental methods utilized at LENA and discuss preliminary experimental studies.
Speaker: Caleb Marshall (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory) -
38
Nuclear Astrophysics Research with the MUSIC Detector at ATLAS and FRIB
Reliable $(\alpha,n)$, $(\alpha,p)$, and $(p,\alpha)$ cross sections and reaction rates are critical to modeling nucleosynthesis in novae, X-ray bursts, and neutrino-driven winds, yet direct measurements at astrophysically relevant energies remain limited. \par
The Multi-Sampling Ionization Chamber (MUSIC) active-target detector is designed for precise measurements of ionization energy loss in nuclear reactions. In this talk the working principle of MUSIC will be discussed , its role in studying $\alpha$-induced reactions, and recent experimental highlights including recent MUSIC campaigns at Argonne’s ATLAS and FRIB such as the first excitation function for the reaction (^{59}\mathrm{Cu}(p,\alpha)^{56}\mathrm{Ni}) importatnt to understand the Ni-Cu cycle and the key hot-CNO reaction (^{14}\mathrm{O}(\alpha,p)^{17}\mathrm{F}).This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, under contract number DE-AC02-06CH11357.
Speaker: Eilens Lopez Saavedra (Argonne National laboratory) -
39
Efforts to incorporate neutrino oscillation in merger simulations
Neutrino flavor oscillation in compact object mergers will significantly affect the merger dynamics and the electron fraction. In particular, fast flavor instability close to the central object in neutron star merger simulations can change r-process abundance. Over the years, many approaches have been taken to include flavor oscillation during the simulation or post-processing. In this talk, I will review the progress made by the community in understanding the effect of flavor oscillation on merger dynamics and r-process abundances. I will also discuss the challenges of solving quantum kinetic equations in numerical simulations and highlight our efforts to include a fast flavor oscillation model in neutron star merger simulations.
Speaker: Somdutta Ghosh (University of New Hampshire)
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36
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Physics at High Energies: Measurements and Machine Learning at the LHC Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Lisa Everett (University of Wisconsin, Madison)-
40
W mass from ATLAS
The W boson mass is one of the most interesting fundamental parameters of the Standard Model of particle physics, as it allows for model-independent probes for effects of new physics. This talk presents the latest results from the ATLAS experiment, based on proton-proton collision data, focusing on the methodology, systematic uncertainties, and implications of the W boson mass measurement.
Speaker: Hugo Beauchemin -
41
Focus talk on resent Higgs measurements in ATLAS
The precise measurement of Higgs boson production and decay at the LHC continues to be a central tool for testing the Standard Model (SM) and looking for signs of new physics. This talk presents a comprehensive overview of recent Higgs boson measurements performed by the ATLAS experiment, using data from Run 2 and partial Run 3 of proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 13 TeV and 13.6 TeV. Highlights include differential and inclusive cross-section measurements, studies of associated production modes such as VH and tH and measurements of Higgs coupling to heavy quarks. In addition, recent results on Higgs boson pair production provide valuable input for probing the Higgs self-coupling. These measurements and the innovative techniques used represent key steps in deepening our understanding of the Higgs sector and offer potential windows into physics beyond the Standard Model.
Speaker: Lucrezia Boccardo (INFN/Università di Genova) -
42
Symmetry-restoring finite counter-terms of SMEFT four-fermion operator insertions at one-loop
Some effects induced by SMEFT operators at one-loop have been fully computed, in particular, the renormalization of divergences by physical operators in single insertions of dimension-six operators. Important non-logarithmically enhanced contributions remain to be calculated. We discuss dimensional regularization in the Breitenlohner-Maison ‘t Hooft-Veltman scheme. The goal here consists of determining in this scheme unexplored quantum effects in chiral theories at one-loop. Namely, the determination of finite counter terms that reestablish the Slavnov-Taylor identities at one-loop. These counter terms are necessary due to the presence of evanescent symmetry-breaking terms in the classical Lagrangian, that are needed to regularize fermion propagators. We consider a technique that allows an easier automation in the calculation of such finite effects. We focus on dimension-six four-fermion operators, and as expected find no obstructions to the Slavnov-Taylor identities that cannot be cured by finite counter-terms. We briefly point out phenomenological implications for higher order calculations.
Speaker: Luiz Vale Silva (UCH CEU Valencia) -
43
Recent advances in Machine Learning for Physics Analysis at CMS
We describe several novel machine learning techniques to improve CMS searches and measurements. These include state-of-the-art transformer models for hadronic jet classification, flow and decorrelation methods for background estimation and MC parameter reweighting, and end-to-end analysis optimization. The impact of these advances on a selection of recent CMS results will be discussed.
Speaker: Raghav Kansal (Caltech & Fermilab) -
44
Recent advances in Machine Learning for Physics Analysis at ATLAS
The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider relies on advanced machine learning (ML) techniques to enhance the reconstruction and identification of physics objects, optimize detector performance, and improve data analysis strategies. In recent years, ML methods have been extensively developed and integrated across various domains. This talk presents an overview of recent advancements for Physics in ML applications within ATLAS.
Speaker: Nicholas Luongo (ANL)
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40
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Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion Collisions:: Dynamics across QGP evolution Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: Oleh Savchuk (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams)-
45
Echoes from the Fireball: What Femtoscopy Reveals at RHIC
Femtoscopy—using quantum correlations between particles to study the space-time structure of heavy-ion collisions—remains one of the most sensitive tools for understanding the dynamics of the quark-gluon plasma. Even after years of careful measurements, traditional femtoscopy with pions and kaons continues to reveal unexpected features: subtle distortions caused by residual Coulomb effects and, possibly, isospin effects, and signals that offer insight into the freeze-out geometry and collective expansion of the system.
But femtoscopy is more than a method for measuring source sizes. It has become a way to explore the strong interaction in detail, including baryon-baryon correlations that may shed light on rare and exotic configurations—like strange dibaryons. These studies, which probe hyperon–nucleon and hyperon–hyperon interactions, are not only important for understanding QCD in the non-perturbative regime but may also have implications for the structure of neutron stars and dense matter.
Recent efforts have also turned to the geometry of the emitting source itself. A growing body of work shows that the source tilted in non-central collisions—a reflection of the initial geometry and a possible window into early-time dynamics, directed flow, and the angular momentum of the system.
And even in well-trodden territory, there’s more to learn. Measurements using Lévy-stable distributions have reopened questions about the shape of the emission source and whether non-Gaussian behavior might be connected to deeper physical phenomena, possibly even near-critical behavior.
Together, these studies reflect both how much has been learned—and how much remains unknown—about the smallest and most short-lived systems ever created in a laboratory.Speaker: Yevheniia Khyzhniak (The Ohio State University) -
46
Probing Hadronization and Polarization Effects via Strange Hyperons at LHCb
Thanks to its eycellent vertey reconstruction and particle identification capabilities, the LHCb detector is particularly well-suited for studying the production and polarization of strange particles. Since the origin of hyperon polarization in unpolarized proton-proton and proton-nucleus collisions remains not fully understood, measurements across various collision systems and kinematic ranges are essential. This contribution presents recent LHCb results on strange hyperon production and polarization in proton-lead collisions, highlighting their implications for hadronization in small collision systems and for transverse-momentum-dependent parton distributions and fragmentation functions. In parallel, ongoing studies are exploring the role of vorticity as a possible source of the observed non-zero polarization.
Speaker: Maria Stefaniak (The Ohio State University) -
47
Quantum tomography of chiral media: from quark-gluon plasma to Weyl semimetals to axions.
Chiral matter exhibits unique properties owing to the chiral anomaly. These properties can be observed by studying the propagation and radiation of fast-moving charged particles within the matter. We demonstrate how the chiral anomaly imparts distinctive characteristics on the particle energy loss and its radiation spectrum. Consequently, we argue that quantum tomography emerges as a potent and versatile tool for investigating the properties of chiral systems, spanning from Weyl semimetals to quark-gluon plasma.
Speaker: Kirill Tuchin (Iowa State University)
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45
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Welcome Reception (Tripp Commons)
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Plenary: Plenary 3 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Jim Kneller (NC State University)
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48
PRad-II and the Proton Radius Puzzle
A greater than 5σ discrepancy in the measurement of the proton charge radius from the accepted value (0.88 fm) due to muonic hydrogen spectroscopy measurements (in 2010 and 2013) sparked the proton radius puzzle. Since then, many experiments have set out to measure the proton radius in an effort to elucidate the reason for this new disagreement. One such experiment was PRad (Proton Radius) which used a novel magnet-free spectrometer to record the proton electric form factor low as 2x10$^{-4}$ GeV$^2$ in four-momentum transfer squared (Q$^2$). The results were the first electron scattering measurements to agree with the muonic hydrogen results of a small (0.84 fm) radius. In this talk, I will discuss the upcoming follow-up experiment, PRad-II, that will record data as low as Q2=10$^{-5}$ GeV$^2$ in order to further understand this puzzle and the differences between data sets.
Speaker: Tyler Hague (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility) -
49
The Search for Light Dark Matter with DAMIC-M
The DAMIC-M (DArk Matter In CCDs at Modane) experiment employs silicon charged-coupled devices (CCDs) to search for sub-GeV dark matter particles with unprecedented sensitivity. Thanks to the sub-electron resolution and extremely low dark current of its skipper CCDs, DAMIC-M is particularly suited to probe dark matter candidates pertaining to the so-called "hidden sector." We will present the status of the experiment, in advanced stage of construction at the Modane Underground Laboratory in France, and highlight recent results from a prototype detector, which exclude for the first time benchmark models for hidden-sector particles as a dominant component of dark matter.
Speaker: Paolo Privitera (University of Chicago) -
50
The latest results from the MEG II experiment
This contribution reports the latest result of the search for the charged lepton flavor violating decay μ+ → e+γ undertaken at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland with the MEG II experiment using the data collected in the 2021–2022 physics runs. The sensitivity of this search is 2.2 × 10−13, a factor of 2.4 better than the one with the full dataset of MEG and it was obtained in a data taking time about one fourth of the MEG one. The result is consistent with the expected background, yielding an upper limit on the branching ratio of B(μ+ → e+γ) < 1.5 × 10−13 (90% C.L.). Additional improvements are expected with the data collected during the years 2023–2024. The data-taking will continue in the coming years, and the prospects of the experiment as well as the recent X17 search result by the MEG II apparatus are also discussed.
Speaker: Toshiyuki Iwamoto (The University of Tokyo)
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48
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10:00 AM
Coffee Break
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Plenary: Plenary 4 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Jim Kneller (NC State University)
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51
Status Report on Short-Baseline Anomalies in Neutrino Physics
The past three decades of experimental neutrino measurements have accumulated observations of potential anomalous short-baseline flavor transformation from different sectors of varied neutrino source (proton accelerators, reactors, and intense radioactive sources) and energy (from sub-MeV to GeV scales). They serve as an intensifying experimental impetus for pursuing beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics accessible through the neutrino sector, such as new neutrino mass states and hidden-sector couplings. With the generation mechanism of neutrino mass currently unknown, these BSM searches are also theoretically well-motivated. In this talk, I will provide an updated view of today’s short-baseline neutrino anomaly landscape, focusing on how new and recent results are evolving the community’s assessments of potential BSM explanations, including non-standard oscillations and/or hidden sector particle decays and couplings. New 2024-2025 results from the reactor, atmospheric, and accelerator neutrino sectors will be specifically highlighted.
Speaker: Prof. Bryce Littlejohn (Illinois Institute of Technology) -
52
Recent Results from Phase-III of the BeEST Experiment
The Beryllium Electron-capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions (BeEST) experiment is a precision search for BSM physics that measures the low-energy nuclear recoil from the EC decay of 7Be. In Phase-III, we have scaled the experiment to multipixel arrays of STJs as well as employing a range of systematics improvements on both the technical and spectral modeling aspects of the experiment. In this talk, we will discuss recent results from this improved experimental setup including the first direct limits on the spatial extent of an EC-induced neutrino wavepacket and the search for heavy neutral leptons in the ~100 keV mass range.
Speaker: Kyle Leach (Colorado School of Mines) -
53
Progress Toward the Discovery of the New Element E120 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Over the past 20 years, elements 114–118 have been successfully synthesized using 48Ca beams and actinide targets. However, creating elements beyond Oganesson (Z=118) is increasingly difficult due to the unavailability of suitable targets like Es (Z=99) and Fm (Z=100) in sufficient quantities, necessitating alternative reaction pathways. While theoretical models accurately predict production with 48Ca, they diverge widely for heavier projectiles, with cross section estimates for Z=120 differing by over three orders of magnitude. These uncertainties severely limit experimental feasibility.
At Berkeley Lab, we are tackling these challenges by testing new reactions, such as 50Ti + 244Pu, to evaluate the impact of heavier beams. This talk will highlight key upgrades to our experimental setup—including ion sources, targets, detectors, and electronics—and present results from the 50Ti + 244Pu campaign as part of our efforts to reach beyond element 118.
Speaker: Jennifer Pore (LBNL)
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51
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12:00 PM
Lunch Break (Tripp Commons)
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 3 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: CJ Barton (INFN)-
54
Development of Selena
The Selena Neutrino Experiment couples an amorphous selenium (aSe) ionization target to a complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) pixel array as an imaging detector for next-generation neutrino physics. The high $Q_{\beta\beta}$ of $^{82}$Se and the excellent image-based event classification allows for a neutrinoless $\beta\beta$ decay search free from environmental backgrounds. We present the R&D status of Selena, including the design and characterization of TopmetalSe, the first prototype pixel array designed specifically for charge collection in aSe. Prototype devices consist of an array of 100$\times$100 pixels with 15 $\mu$m pitch coupled to 500 $\mu$m-thick aSe. We present the spectroscopic and track-imaging performance of the first-generation of devices, which already meet several specifications for Selena.
Speaker: Alvaro Chavarria (University of Washington) -
55
Search for Neutrinoless Double Beta decay and tests of fundamental physics with the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR was a modular array of $^{76}$Ge-enriched detectors that searched for neutrinoless double beta decay of $^{76}$Ge. It started data taking in 2015 with 44.5 kg of detector mass and recently concluded its primary data taking period. It published its final result on neutrinoless double beta decay in 2023, setting the half-life limit for the interaction to be $> 8.3\times10^{25}$ years. Other physics results published by the collaboration include excited state decay of $^{76}$Ge → $^{76}$Se, decay of $^{180m}$Ta to its ground state, tests of violation of Pauli’s Exclusion Principle, of charge conservation through electron decay, and of the CSL model of wave function collapse. In this talk I’ll summarize these results including the the experimental set-up of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR and its current status, along with on-going analyses of cosmogenically produced isotopes in $^{76}$Ge detectors and searches for BSM physics through spectral distortion of the $2\nu\beta\beta$ spectrum.
Speaker: Nafis Fuad (Indiana University Bloomington) -
56
Searching for neutrinoless double decay with the nEXO experiment
The nEXO experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) using a 5-tonne liquid xenon time projection chamber filled with xenon enriched to 90% in Xe-136.The experiment has a projected half-life sensitivity beyond 10^28 years for a 10 year data taking. Observation of 0νββ would demonstrate lepton number violation and confirm the Majorana nature of neutrinos. This talk presents an overview of nEXO and recent R&D efforts at Stanford. We report LXe tests of prototype cryogenic ASICs for ionization charge readout and progress on a SiPM array with external electronics. We also describe a 64-kg LXe TPC under construction to host four charge readout modules, enabling studies of inter-tile cross-talk and energy resolution. These prototypes inform key design choices for nEXO, aiming to optimize signal readout, suppress noise, and enhance sensitivity to 0νββ.
Speaker: lin si (stanford university) -
57
Status of NEXT100 and future prospects
The Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC (NEXT) searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) in ¹³⁶Xe using high-pressure xenon time projection chambers.
NEXT is a phased program, with the most recent ongoing experiment, NEXT-100, enriched to 90 % of ¹³⁶Xe at 13.5 bar. The experiment started taking data in winter 2024 and demonstrated an electron-drift time of ≈ 60 ms and an energy resolution of 4.8 % FWHM at 42 keV for ⁸³ᵐKr decays and is expected to reach a half-life sensitivity of ≳ 2.4 × 10²⁵ years at 90 % CL after three years of data taking, corresponding to a residual background index of roughly one count per year over the region of interest (ROI). NEXT-ton will include a multi-module ton scale program, culminating in a module that will include barium tagging to enable an essentially background-free search.
This talk will present the latest performance of NEXT-100 and outline the roadmap to the ton-scale era.Speaker: Enakshi Dey (University of Texas at Arlington)
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54
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Nuclear Forces and Structure, NN Correlations, and Medium Effects: Parallel 3 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Dien Nguyen (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)-
58
x>1 and EMC Effect Measurements in Hall C of Jefferson Lab
In the Jefferson Lab experiment E12-06-105 we measured the inclusive scattering from a series of light to heavy nuclei at $x > 1$ in the quasi-elastic regime. The measurement of quasi-elastic scattering from extremely high-momentum nucleons at moderate $Q^2$ but very large $x$ is a great tool to gain insight on the short-range structure and nucleon–nucleon correlations in nuclei. The E12-06-105 experiment ran concurrently with the E12-10-008 experiment which measured the nuclear dependence of EMC effect in Hall C at Jefferson Lab. These experiments utilized 10.5 GeV electron beam incident on several cryogenic and solid targets and used the two high momentum spectrometers of Hall C simultaneously. I will present an overview of these experiments and the preliminary results.
Speaker: Burcu Duran (New Mexico State University) -
59
Probing bound nucleon structure with tagged DIS measurements
The mechanism of quark modification in bound nucleons (EMC effect) remains unexplained forty years after its initial observation. Inclusive DIS measurements have characterized the EMC effect for a wide range of nuclei, and experimental results from Jefferson Lab indicate that there is a strong correlation between the number of nucleons bound in short-range correlated pairs (SRCs) and the magnitude of quark modification. To test this relationship, we can expand on traditional DIS measurements by detecting the SRC spectator in coincidence with the scattered electron (tagging), thereby adding information about the nucleus’ initial configuration. This approach allows us to probe the bound nucleon’s internal structure as a function of virtuality. In this talk, I will present results from the backward angle neutron detector (BAND), which measures bound proton modification by tagging high-momentum neutron spectators from electron-deuteron DIS.
Speaker: Natalie Wright (MIT) -
60
Tensor Polarization on Solid Polarized Targets at UNH
The University of New Hampshire polarized target lab uses dynamic nuclear polarization to achieve high tensor polarization in solid deuterated target material, such as ND3 and deuterated alcohols. This system is comprised by a number of subsystems including a 1 K liquid helium refrigerator, a solid state microwave emitter, and a superconducting magnet. During periodic “cool-downs” polarization data is collected using an NMR analyzer. The polarization can be extracted using a curve-fitting method designed to fit the characteristic doublet lineshape of spin-1 nuclei such as deuterons. In this presentation I will explain the methods used by the UNH polarized target group to perform dynamic nuclear polarization and tensor enhancement and show a small sample of polarization data taken by the UNH polarized target group between September 2024 and May 2025.
Speaker: Allison Zec (University of New Hampshire)
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58
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Parton and Gluon Distributions in Nucleons and Nuclei: Parallel 4 Capital View
Capital View
Convener: Paul Reimer (Argonne National Laboratory)-
61
Overview of Recent and Future A_1^n Measurements
The neutron spin asymmetry, An1 , serves as a pivotal observable for exploring the spin structure of the nucleon. Recent experiments at Jefferson Lab employing polarized 3He targets have extracted An1 over an extended kinematic range into larger xB , while maintaining high statistical precision. The experiment was carried out in Hall C with up to 10.386 GeV polarized electron beams scattering from a longitudinally polarized 3He target, focusing primarily on An1 ,followed by a secondary overview of the dn2 moment. Preliminary A 3He1 results, now available from two PhD theses, form the baseline for our current analysis. Over the
past year, efforts have concentrated on radiative corrections—requiring comprehensive input models of 3He structure functions spanning the deep-inelastic, resonance, and quasi-elastic regions. To this end, we developed two approaches: one combining smeared proton and neutron fits and applying nuclear smearing under the weak-binding approximation, and second is a direct fit to world 3He data. We find that polarized quasi-elastic contributions must be modeled carefully for the dn2 radiative corrections,
while their direct impact on An1 radiative correction remains minimal.
This talk aims to synthesize current advancements, address theoretical and experimental challenges, and elucidate how forthcoming measurements at Jefferson Lab will further our comprehension of the neutron's spin structure.Speaker: Richard Trotta -
62
Experimental Studies of Exclusive Deep Virtual Processes
Deep virtual exclusive [electroproduction] scattering (DVES) is predicted to provide access to novel tomographic distributions of quarks and gluons inside nucleons, nuclei, and other hadrons. I will discuss recent progress in both virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) and deep virtual meson production on the nucleon and on nuclei, Including recent data from Jefferson Lab and COMPASS. In DVCS, measurements of spin observables and energy-dependent cross sections allow the separation of the Re and Im parts of the DVCS amplitude. Neutron observables are obtained from tagged and untagged DVES measurements on deuterium.
A new exclusive 4He experiment is in progress with CLAS12 at JLab.
I will discuss some of the unique opportunities for DVES studies with the future Electron Ion Collider.Speaker: Charles Hyde (Old Dominion University) -
63
Exclusive Reactions at COMPASS
Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) provide information of multi-dimensional partonic structure of the nucleon and have received considerable attention. To access GPDs, there have been various dedicated experimental efforts of exclusive reactions, and their results are crucial for exploring the multivariable dependence of GPDs. Using the 160 GeV muons beams provided at CERN SPS, measurements at COMPASS have their unique roles in probing GPDs and have been providing important inputs to GPD modeling. In this presentation, the GPD measurements at the COMPASS experiment will be introduced and some recent progress will be discussed.
Speaker: Po-Ju Lin (National Central University) -
64
Experimental Results on Di-Hadron Production
Two hadron production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering is an important tool to probe nucleon structure and study hadronization. In this talk, an overview of the observables accessible with dihadron production will be given along with recent experimental results. The focus of the talk will be on recent and projected results from the CLAS12 experiment at Jefferson Lab using unpolarized as well as longitudinally and transversely polarized targets.
Speaker: Nilanga Wickramaarachchi (Duke University)
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61
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Precision Physics at High Intensities: Parallel 3 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Dylan Palo (Fermilab)-
65
Theoretical Advances in g-2
The muon’s anomalous magnetic moment is now known experimentally to a precision of 0.19 ppm from the most recent results of the Fermilab g-2 experiment. Further improvement is expected this year, as the analysis of the final 4th, 5th and 6th runs are nearing completion. On the theoretical side, the largest source of uncertainty in the 0.37 ppm determination from the muon g-2 theory initiative white-paper is the hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) contribution, followed by the sub-leading hadronic light-by-light (HLbL) contribution. There are two approaches for computing these hadronic contributions. The first, which was used in the first white-paper result is from a data-driven dispersive approach. The second, relying on minimal experimental inputs, is from Lattice QCD. In this talk I will discuss the current landscape of both approaches for computing the HVP and HLbL contributions in the context of the upcoming release of the second edition of the g-2 theory initiative white-paper.
Speaker: Shaun Lahert (University of Utah) -
66
Dispersive determinations of lattice muon g-2 HVP contributions
The uncertainty in the Standard Model (SM) expectation for the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon is currently dominated by that on the hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) contribution. Discrepancies have been observed between results for this contribution (and related “windowed” quantities) obtained on the lattice and those obtained dispersively, using experimentally measured $e^+ e^-\rightarrow {\it hadrons}$ cross sections as input. The lattice-dispersive discrepancy is of relevance since the lattice-HVP-based version of the SM expectation is compatible with the recent experimental world average, while expectations based on a number of dispersive results lie significantly below that average. I review how the dispersive calculation can be organized to provide results for a number of individual components entering the lattice determinations, and show how these results help to identify the source of the observed lattice-dispersive discrepancies. I also discuss the impact of recent CMD-3 $e^+ e^-\rightarrow \pi^+\pi^-$ cross-section results, which are significantly larger than those obtained by previous experiments in the $\rho$ peak region, on the lattice-dispersive discrepancies observed to date.
Speaker: Kim Maltman (York University) -
67
Status of the MUonE experiment
The MUonE experiment at CERN aims to determine the leading-order hadronic contribution to the muon by an innovative approach, using elastic scattering of 160 GeV muons on atomic electrons in a low-Z target. The M2 beam line at CERN provides the necessary intensity needed to reach the statistical goal in few years of data taking. The experimental challenge relies in the precise control of the systematic effects. A first run with a minimal prototype setup was carried out in 2023. A pilot run is in preparation to be held in 2025 with a reduced setup of the full detector components. We will present the status of the experiment, first preliminary results and the future plans.
Speaker: Dinko Pocanic (University of Virginia)
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65
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Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion Collisions:: Bulk Probes in Hot QCD Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: Kirill Tuchin (Iowa State University)-
68
Recent developments in hydrodynamic simulations of heavy-ion collisions
Since the early 2000s the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) has been studied using relativistic heavy-ion collisions at both the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). Detailed comparisons of theoretical predictions with experimental measurements have demonstrated that the QGP acts as a nearly perfect fluid with the smallest shear viscosity to entropy density ratio ever discovered.
Significant developments in the field of relativistic viscous hydrodynamics have revealed new insights into the QGP and its properties. Furthermore, developments of large-scale statistical tools and Bayesian analysis paved the way for new possibilities to examine the system to even higher precision. In this talk, I would like to comment on recent developments in fluid dynamics theory and simulations.Speaker: Dekrayat Almaalol (Stony Brook University) -
69
QGP Speed of Sound measurements at LHC
In ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, quarks and gluons become deconfined from hadrons, forming a state of strongly interacting QCD matter known as the quark–gluon plasma (QGP). Recent measurements of the speed of sound in QGP, derived from the multiplicity dependence of mean transverse momentum at fixed volume, offer a direct constraint on its equation of state. This talk will present an overview of these measurements, compare them with theoretical predictions, and discuss their consistency across different experiments, as well as the robustness and limitations of the extraction methods.
Speaker: Milan Stojanovic (Wayne State University) -
70
QCD equation of state from van der Waals Hadron Resonance Gas model and Holography
We present an equation of state (EOS) that covers both the hadronic sector of the phase diagram as well as the deconfined sector, where quarks and gluons are the relevant degrees of freedom. This is accomplished through a switching function that enables the transition from the van de Waals Hadron Resonance Gas model, which describes the hadronic phase, to the
Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton Holographic model, which describes the deconfined
phase.
The proposed switching function ensures a smooth transition in the crossover region, while preserving a first-order phase transition for $\mu_B \gtrsim 600$ MeV, where the holographic model predicts a critical point.
Furthermore, the EOS agrees with the state-of-the-art lattice
QCD thermodynamics.
Since this EOS spans a large range of temperatures and chemical potentials, it can be useful as an input in hydrodynamic simulations of heavy ion collisions.Speaker: Tulio E Restrepo (University of Houston)
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68
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Nuclear Structure for Neutrinos and Astrophysics: Parallel 3 Old Madison
Old Madison
Convener: Ingo Tews (Los Alamos National Laboratory)-
71
Exploring new physics and nuclear structure with ytterbium isotope shifts
Modern first-principles (or “ab initio”) many-body simulations make it possible to compute the structure of atomic nuclei from scratch, starting from effective field theories of quantum chomodynamics. Recent developments have extended the reach of these simulations to the heaviest stable isotopes, to higher precision, and to new applications including many studies of fundamental interactions in nuclei. Particularly key in these applications to possible new physics in nuclei is the predictive power of first-principles simulations combined with the possibility to systematically quantify remaining theory uncertainties. I will present a study of isotope shifts in stable ytterbium isotopes. Here, high-precision spectroscopy and mass spectrometry revealed an anomalous signal that could potentially be attributed to new physics beyond the standard model. Guided by theoretical calculations, we find, however, that this is in fact a nuclear structure effect, and use this to glean new information about the evolution of the charge density of ytterbium isotopes with changing neutron number.
Speaker: Matthias Heinz (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) -
72
How Weak Interactions Suppress g-Modes in Hot Neutron Stars
We investigate how weak interactions and bulk viscosity affect oscillation modes in hot neutron stars, such as those formed after supernovae or neutron star mergers. At temperatures up to 5 MeV, weak interaction rates become fast enough to damp composition g-modes, low-frequency oscillations driven by composition gradients. We introduce the dynamic sound speed, a complex, frequency-dependent quantity that captures both restoring forces and damping effects from beta equilibration. Using realistic weak reaction rates and several nuclear equations of state, we show that bulk viscosity can strongly suppress or even eliminate g-modes at high temperatures. In contrast, the fundamental f-mode remains largely unaffected. These results may have implications for interpreting gravitational-wave and neutrino signals and contribute to understanding how dense nuclear matter behaves under extreme conditions.
Speaker: Tianqi Zhao (tianqi.zhao@berkeley.edu) -
73
Beta-decay strengths of neutron-rich nuclei relevant for astrophysics
Our understanding of the origin of elements heavier than iron relies on nucleosynthesis simulations, which in turn require accurate nuclear structure input, as beta-decay strengths and half-lives, especially for nuclei near the neutron dripline. In this talk, I will present preliminary coupled-cluster calculations of beta-decay strengths for neutron-rich nickel isotopes, motivated by future measurements planned at FRIB. I will also discuss recent theoretical developments enabling us to incorporate time dependence into our ab initio framework, with the long-term goal of achieving a real-time description of dynamical processes relevant for nucleosynthesis.
Speaker: Francesca Bonaiti (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams and Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
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71
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3:00 PM
Coffee Break
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Cosmic Physics and Dark Energy, Inflation, and Strong-Field Gravity:: Parallel 4 Capital View
Capital View
Convener: Mathew Madhavacheril (University of Pennsylvania)-
74
SPT-3G: Cosmology from CMB Lensing and Delensed EE Power Spectra Using 2019-2020 Polarization Data
I will present the cosmological analysis from the simultaneous Bayesian estimates of gravitational-lensing potential bandpowers and unlensed cosmic microwave background (CMB) EE bandpowers using the polarization maps from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) observed in 2019/20. These observations produce the deepest high-angular-resolution CMB polarization maps at 95, 150, and 220 GHz to date, making the standard Quadratic Estimation (QE) method suboptimal for lensing reconstruction. The Marginal Unbiased Score Expansion (MUSE) method enables an optimal map-level Bayesian inference of lensing potential bandpowers and unlensed CMB EE bandpowers, effectively using all N-point statistics of the CMB polarization maps. The constraints on the Hubble constant (H0) and the amplitude of structure growth (S8) from this work are comparable to those from Planck using full-sky temperature and polarization observations, enabling a powerful test of the LCDM model. With the lensing potential bandpowers reconstructed from the CMB polarization signal, we test the anomaly of excess lensing power from the LCDM prediction, and detect the impact of non-linear structure evolution on CMB lensing. We also explore the extensions of the LCDM models.
Speaker: Fei Ge (Stanford University; SLAC; UC Davis) -
75
Probing the dark sector with CMB secondary anisotropies
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a powerful probe of physics beyond the standard model (BSM). While BSM searches using the CMB have traditionally focused on the primary anisotropies imprinted at the surface of last scattering, secondary anisotropies – arising from the interaction of CMB photons with intervening large-scale structure (LSS) – can also encode subtle signatures of new physics. In this talk, I will discuss how CMB secondary anisotropies can be used to probe the dark sector via “dark screening” processes, whereby CMB photons can resonantly convert into axions or dark photons as they propagate through the plasma in galactic halos. These conversions introduce frequency-dependent spectral distortions in the intensity and polarization of the CMB that are spatially correlated with the locations of galaxies. I will outline the theoretical and observational challenges in searching for such signals and present new constraints on the axion-photon coupling and dark photon kinetic mixing parameter using the state-of-the-art CMB and galaxy survey observations. These results highlight the power of combining CMB and LSS data to probe the dark sector.
Speaker: Samuel Goldstein (Columbia University) -
76
Fundamental Physics with CMB-S4
CMB-S4, the next-generation ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment, will make measurements with unprecedented precision and provide fundamental new insights into cosmology and fundamental physics. Its key measurements will include the search for primordial gravitational waves, probes of the nature of dark matter and dark energy, tight constraints on light relic particles, mapping matter throughout the Universe, and the detection of transient events in the microwave sky. In this talk, I provide an overview of the CMB-S4 science program, highlighting the rich astrophysical measurements it will enable. I will also describe the instrument configuration and project status.
Speaker: Jeff McMahon (University of Chicago) -
77
Cosmology in the Era of Gravitational-Wave Multi-Messenger Astronomy
Gravitational-wave multi-messenger observations harness the complementary strengths of different messengers to deepen our understanding of the Universe. With the ongoing LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run and planned upgrades to the observatories, the increasing number of detections positions us to tackle key questions in cosmology. In this talk, I will outline the exciting opportunities that gravitational-wave multi-messenger astronomy offers for cosmological studies, highlight our recent findings, and discuss the path forward toward our primary scientific goals.
Speaker: Hsin-Yu Chen (The University of Texas at Austin)
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74
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Joint Symmetries/EW and DM: Parallel 4 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Ben Broerman (Queen's University)-
78
New Upper Bounds on Exotic Neutron Spin-Electron Spin Interactions via Neutron Spin Rotation Measurements in a Ferrimagnet
We report a search for exotic axial spin-dependent interactions between neutrons and electrons, which could signal new physics beyond the Standard Model. We employ a compensated ferrimagnetic target to realize a dense ensemble of polarized electrons with a magnetization that vanishes at a specific temperature, thereby enabling a sensitive search using polarized neutron spin rotation. This novel approach allows us to probe neutron spin-electron spin interactions with Yukawa ranges λ in the poorly-explored 10^{−8} ≤ λ ≤ 10^{−2} range, where we improve the upper limits on the coupling constant product g_{A}^{e} g_{A}^{n} by several orders of magnitude.
Speaker: Thomas Mulkey -
79
On the sensitivity of nuclear clocks to new physics
The recent demonstration of laser excitation of the 8 eV isomeric state of thorium-229 is a significant step towards a nuclear clock. The low excitation energy likely results from a cancellation between the contributions of the electromagnetic and strong forces. Physics beyond the Standard Model could disrupt this cancellation, highlighting nuclear clocks' sensitivity to new physics.
It is challenging to accurately predict the different contributions to nuclear transition energies and therefore of the sensitivity of a nuclear clock to new physics. We improve upon previous sensitivity estimates. First, by revisiting a classical geometric model of thorium-229. Second, by proposing a new d-wave halo model, inspired by effective field theory. For both approaches we show that poor sensitivity to new physics is unlikely. For the halo model we find that the nuclear clock's sensitivity to variations in the effective fine structure constant is enhanced by a factor of order 10,000.
Speaker: Gil Paz (Wayne State University) -
80
Searching for millicharged particles at accelerator facilities with skipper-CCDs
Millicharged particles (mCPs), with a fractional electric charge, appear in several extensions of the Standard Model. They have the potential to explain anomalies in particle physics and cosmology, and may even constitute a fraction of the dark matter. At accelerators, mCPs could be produced through several mechanisms such as meson decays, bremsstrahlung and Drell-Yan processes. Detecting mCPs, however, remains challenging due to their rare interactions and minimal ionization signals. Skipper-CCDs, with their low ionization threshold and electron-counting capability, are a promising technology for mCP searches. In this talk, I will present two ongoing efforts to search for mCPs at accelerator facilities with skipper-CCDs. First, the Dark BeaTS experiment, a ~100-gram skipper-CCD detector currently being commissioned in the MINOS cavern at Fermilab, aims to search for mCPs from the NuMI beam while exploring tracking capabilities with its multi-layer design. Second, the Moskita setup at the LHC, housing a ~2-gram skipper-CCD detector and running since March 2024 in the milliQAN cavern, aims to assess the feasibility of using skipper-CCDs to search for mCPs from proton-proton collisions. Together, these efforts are paving the way for future dark sector skipper-CCD experiments at accelerator facilities.
Speaker: Brenda Aurea Cervantes Vergara (Fermilab) -
81
Recent R&D results from the first dual phase xenon doped argon TPC
Dual phase noble element detectors have demonstrated the strong ability to detect low energy ionization signals through strong electroluminescence in the gas. This amplifies the electron signal and makes the detection of individual electrons not only possible but also highly efficient. Two target nuclei, argon and xenon, are widely used in noble liquid detectors, with each having unique strengths and weaknesses. By doping percent level xenon into liquid argon, we have the potential to combine the benefits of argon and xenon in a single detector. In this talk, we discuss the most recent results from the CHILLAX experiment at LLNL, which operates a compact dual phase argon detector doped with percent level xenon in the liquid phase. We describe early measurements of the improvement to the electroluminescence signal as a function of increasing xenon concentration, as well as its potential benefits to dark matter and neutrino searches.
Speaker: Jianyang Qi (UC San Diego)
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78
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 4 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Zoya Vallari (Ohio State University)-
82
A Theory Overview of the Short Baseline Program
This talk will present a theorist’s perspective on the current landscape of short-baseline neutrino physics, highlighting recent experimental progress and its theoretical implications. I will examine how the latest results from the MicroBooNE experiment inform and constrain beyond-the-Standard-Model interpretations of the longstanding LSND and MiniBooNE anomalies. In addition, I will explore a range of dark sector scenarios—both directly motivated by short-baseline anomalies and more broadly conceived—that can be tested with upcoming or ongoing experiments, including SBN, ICARUS, and JSNS$^2$.
Speaker: Matheus Hostert (Harvard University) -
83
Latest MicroBooNE results
MicroBooNE is an 85-tonne liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) at Fermilab, positioned on the Booster Neutrino Beam and off-axis to the NuMI beam. From 2015 to 2020, it collected extensive neutrino and cosmic ray data, enabling high-statistics studies of neutrino properties in the GeV range. With excellent calorimetric and spatial resolution, MicroBooNE serves both precision neutrino physics and searches for Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) phenomena.
The experiment has developed advanced reconstruction techniques to study a broad range of interaction channels, including rare processes critical for next-generation experiments like DUNE. MicroBooNE also leads investigations into the MiniBooNE low energy excess (LEE), with a comprehensive suite of searches probing possible origins of the anomaly.
This talk will highlight MicroBooNE’s latest results.
Speaker: Christian Nguyen (Rutgers University) -
84
Latest Results from the ICARUS Experiment at the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program
The ICARUS Collaboration is now entering its fifth year of continuing operations of the 760-ton liquid argon T600 detector. The T600 was overhauled at CERN after operations at the LNGS underground laboratory in Italy and moved to its present location at FNAL - as part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program - where it successfully completed its commissioning phase in June 2022. At FNAL ICARUS collects neutrino interactions from both the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) and off-axis from the Main Injector Neutrino beam (NuMI). To date, ICARUS has accumulated approximately $5.2·10^{20}$ protons on target (POT) with the BNB and about $6.2·10^{20}$ POT with NuMI. Within the SBN program ICARUS will search for evidence of short-baseline oscillations, potentially explained by eV-scale sterile neutrinos, jointly with the Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND). In addition, ICARUS is performing stand-along oscillation searches in disappearance mode and measuring neutrino cross sections on argon with both the BNB and NuMI beams. It is also performing searches for additional Beyond the Standard Model signatures. Preliminary results from the ICARUS experiment, using data from the BNB and NuMI neutrino beams, will be presented.
Speaker: Harry Hausner (Fermilab) -
85
SBND detector status and first results
The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is one of the Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detectors positioned along the axis of the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab, and is the near detector in the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Program. The detector completed commissioning and began taking neutrino data in the summer of 2024. SBND is characterized by superb imaging capabilities and will record around 2 million neutrino interactions per year. Thanks to its unique combination of measurement resolution and statistics, SBND will soon carry out a rich program of neutrino interaction measurements and novel searches for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). As the near detector, it will enable the full potential of the SBN sterile neutrino program by performing a precise characterization of the unoscillated event rate and constraining BNB flux and neutrino-argon cross-section systematic uncertainties. In this talk, the physics reach, current status, first data results, and future prospects of SBND are discussed.
Speaker: Sungbin Oh (Fermilab)
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82
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Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics: Parallel 4 Old Madison
Old Madison
Convener: Eilens Lopez Saavedra (Argonne National laboratory)-
86
Detecting Solar Neutrinos and Fermionic Dark Matter with $^{136}$Xe in nEXO
Due to recently observed low-lying isomeric states in $^{136}$Cs, charged-current interactions in liquid xenon (LXe) time projection chambers (TPCs) of the form $\nu + ^{136}$Xe are expected to create time-delayed coincident signals that can be used for background rejection on the order of $10^{-9}$, enabling background-free searches. In this talk we will discuss the capabilities of nEXO, a proposed 5 tonne enriched LXe TPC designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay, to use this channel to study solar neutrinos and search for fermionic dark matter. In the case of solar neutrinos, we find that nEXO can expect to measure the flux of CNO neutrinos with comparable precision to world-leading results, and to improve sensitivity to a shift in the $^7$Be energy spectrum by an order of magnitude. In the case of fermionic dark matter, we find that nEXO could increase searchable parameter space by up to four orders of magnitude.
Speaker: Glenn Richardson (Yale University, SLAC) -
87
Widen the Resonance: Probing a New Regime of Neutrino Self-Interactions with Astrophysical Neutrinos
Neutrino self-interactions beyond the standard model have profound implications in astrophysics and cosmology. In this work, we study an uncharted scenario in which one of the three neutrino species has a mass much smaller than the temperature of the cosmic neutrino background. This results in a relativistic component that significantly broadens the absorption feature on the astrophysical neutrino spectra, in contrast to the sharply peaked absorption expected in the extensively studied scenarios assuming a fully nonrelativistic cosmic neutrino background. By solving the Boltzmann equations for neutrino absorption and regeneration, we demonstrate that this mechanism provides novel sensitivity to sub-keV mediator masses, well below the traditional $\sim 1$--100 MeV range. Future observations of the diffuse supernova neutrino background with Hyper-Kamiokande could probe coupling strengths down to $g \sim 10^{-8}$, surpassing existing constraints by orders of magnitude. These findings open new directions for discoveries and offer crucial insights into the interplay between neutrinos and the dark sector.
Speaker: Bei Zhou (Fermilab & KICP, UChicago) -
88
Supernova Detection with IceCube and the IceCube Upgrade
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which instruments one cubic kilometer of clear glacial ice beneath the South Pole, is designed to reconstruct neutrino energies and arrival directions above 1 GeV. However, the detector is also sensitive to the few-second burst of ~10 MeV neutrinos produced in transients such as core-collapse supernovae. A core collapse in the Milky Way will produce approximately one million recorded hits in IceCube, and we will generate an online alert and report the neutrino flux within 5 minutes of detecting the core collapse. Since the detector has a live time of >99%, its alert will provide a crucial early warning for optical follow-up of the supernova. IceCube data cannot be used to reconstruct individual neutrinos at 10 MeV, but new multi-channel photosensors deployed in the IceCube Upgrade will significantly improve its constraints on the shape of the neutrino energy spectrum, providing crucial information about the stellar progenitor and the physics of the explosion. In this contribution, we discuss the sensitivity of IceCube to neutrinos from core-collapse supernovae, describe enhancements to its supernova detection system with the IceCube Upgrade, and outline prospects for constraining fundamental neutrino properties in the next Galactic supernova.
Speaker: Segev BenZvi (University of Rochester) -
89
Direct Nuclear Parameter Estimation From Gravitational Waves
Gravitational wave observations of binary neutron star mergers ahve the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the nuclear equation of state and the fundamental interactions that determine its properties. A major hurdle in obtaining this nuclear information comes from the computational cost to solve the neutron star structure equations (Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations) alongside calculation of the equation of state. In this talk, I will discuss our approach at removing this hurdle by using a variety of machine-learning techniques which greatly simplify and, therefore, speed-up the calculations necessary for on-the-fly calculations. In doing so, we first construct emulators for the solutions of the neutron star structure equations for several high-fidelity calculations. Then we implement these emulators into the PyCBC gravitational wave inference package to obtain posteriors on the nuclear parameters utilized in our equation of state model. These posteriors are directly sampled and therefore allow for direct parameter estimation of the nuclear equation of state from gravitational waves. Future prospects and outlooks from the creation of next-generation detectors will be discussed.
Speaker: Brendan Reed (Los Alamos National Laboratory) -
90
Neutron Star Equation of State Measurements from Binary Mergers
The study of neutron stars, dense remnants of stellar core collapse, provides a unique opportunity to explore the fundamental properties of matter under extreme conditions. In this talk I will review the status of our current understanding of the neutron star equation of state (EOS) through measurements derived from multi-messenger observations of binary neutron star mergers. Then, focusing on the inspiral-to-post-merger gravitational wave emission, I will discuss the prospect of constraining the EOS with third generation detectors such as Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, pointing out their potential as well as the challenges that their increased sensitivity will pose.
Speaker: Rossella Gamba (UC Berkeley and Penn State University)
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86
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Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion Collisions:: High muB QCD & the phase diagram Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: Yevheniia Khyzhniak (The Ohio State University)-
91
Deconfinement effects in net-proton fluctuations
At the energies reached in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC, a dense and strongly interacting medium is formed. During the collision, the system reaches a point of maximal compression that may cross the boundary where hadronic degrees of freedom transition into quarks and gluons. This transition modifies the initial conditions of the fireball.
In this talk, I present a simple model of higher net-proton fluctuations that propagates fluctuations from the quark recombination stage to the final state. I show that the emergence of quark degrees of freedom in the early stages of the collision leads to the suppression of the kurtosis of net-proton number, usually interpreted as a signal for the QCD critical point. At the same time, lower-order cumulants remain largely unaffected due to faster equilibration.
This model provides a revised baseline for net-proton fluctuations that incorporates effects both due to the initial-state and the equilibration dynamics during the hadronic phase. A comparison of the Beam Energy Scan data with this new baseline supports the dominance of quark degrees of freedom at high energies and of hadronic degrees of freedom at low energies, but does not indicate the presence of a QCD critical point.Speaker: Oleh Savchuk (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams) -
92
Theoretical predictions on the QCD critical point.
The location of the conjectured QCD critical point remains one of the key open questions in the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. While lattice QCD provides strict constraints at vanishing baryon density, the sign problem prevents direct simulations at finite chemical potential. Nevertheless, a growing body of theoretical work—spanning functional methods as well as holographic models rooted in the gauge/gravity correspondence—predicts the critical point to lie within a similar region of the $(T, \mu_B)$ plane. These theoretical predictions are increasingly consistent with indications from finite-size scaling analyses of experimental data. In this talk, we review the current landscape of theoretical approaches to the QCD critical point, emphasizing their convergence and implications for upcoming experimental searches.
Speaker: Joaquin Grefa (Kent State University) -
93
Probing QGP via local charge fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions
The D-measure of event-by-event net-charge fluctuations was introduced over 20 years ago as a potential signal of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in heavy-ion collisions, where it is expected to be suppressed due to the fractional electric charges of quarks. Measurements have been performed at RHIC and LHC, but the conclusion has been elusive in the absence of quantitative calculations for both scenarios. We address this issue by employing a recently developed formalism of density correlations and incorporate resonance decays, local charge conservation, and experimental kinematic cuts. We find that the hadron gas scenario is in fair agreement with the ALICE data for $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76$ TeV Pb–Pb collisions only when a very short rapidity range of local charge conservation is enforced, while the QGP scenario is in excellent agreement with experimental data and largely insensitive to the range of local charge conservation. A Bayesian analysis of the data utilizing different priors yields moderate evidence for the freeze-out of charge fluctuations in the QGP phase relative to hadron gas. The upcoming high-fidelity measurements from LHC Run 2 will serve as a precision test of the two scenarios.
Speaker: Roman Poberezhniuk (University of Houston)
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91
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Special Session on High energy Astrophysics with Neutrino Detectors: Parallel 2 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Lu Lu (University of Wisconsin-Madison)-
94
Recent Point Source Results from IceCube and Their Implications for the Origin of High-Energy Neutrinos
More than a decade after the discovery of high-energy cosmic neutrino flux, signs of anisotropy have emerged in the arrival directions of high-energy neutrinos detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. NGC 1068, a nearby active galaxy, has been identified in the time-integrated search promoting active galaxies as the most prominent sources of high-energy neutrinos. Moreover, strong evidence has emerged for neutrino emission from the Milky Way. In this talk, I review recent developments in the search for the origin of high-energy neutrinos and discuss the mutltimessenger picture for neutrino emission from Galactic and extragalactic sources.
Speaker: Ali Kheirandish (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) -
95
Multimessenger Perspectives on High-Energy Cosmic Neutrinos
The discovery of high-energy cosmic neutrinos has opened a new frontier in astroparticle physics, providing a unique window into the most extreme environments in the universe. I will discuss the theoretical implications of the latest observations and the growing impacts of multimessenger approaches. I will highlight recent developments on high-energy neutrino emission from extragalactic gamma-ray–dark sources and from regions near the Galactic plane. I could also discuss the potential of high-energy neutrinos as probes of physics beyond the Standard Model.
Speaker: Kohta Murase (The Pennsylvania State University) -
96
Hadronic Interaction Models at the Highest Energies
High-energy cosmic rays interact in the Earth's atmosphere and produce extensive air showers (EAS) which can be measured with large detector arrays at the ground. The interpretation of these measurements relies on sophisticated models of the EAS development which represents a challenge as well as an opportunity to study quantum chromodynamics (QCD) under extreme conditions. The EAS development is driven by hadron-ion collisions at high energies and under low momentum transfer in the non-perturbative regime of QCD. Under these conditions, hadron production cannot be described using first principles and these interactions cannot be probed with existing collider experiments. Thus, accurate measurements of the EAS development provide a unique probe of multi-particle production in hadronic interactions at the highest energies. I will present an overview of current EAS measurements and discuss various results in the context of recent developments of hadronic interaction models. In addition, I will highlight opportunities for unique tests of hadronic interaction models with the next-generation cosmic-ray and collider experiments.
Speaker: Dennis Soldin (University of Utah) -
97
The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment
Observations by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory over the last decade have revealed a bright, near-isotropic high-energy neutrino background of almost entirely unknown origin, with a small number of neutrinos from identified sources: two active galaxies and the Milky Way. Understanding the origin and production mechanism of this neutrino background will require a new generation of detectors with a shift in emphasis toward precision measurements, in particular including improvements in angular resolution. In this talk, I will discuss the current status and prospects for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE), located in the Cascadia basin off the west coast of Canada and planned for initial construction start in the next year, which leverages the long optical scattering length of ocean water to provide best-in-class angular resolution and has the potential to increase the number of known neutrino sources by an order of magnitude at completion.
Speaker: Nathan Whitehorn (Michigan State University) -
98
LHAASO: Recent Results and Implications on Hadronic PeVatrons.
The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory(LHAASO), a state-of-the-art cosmic ray detector, has promoted significant progresses in the investigation of ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources and hadron PeVatrons. Observations from LHAASO reveal the presence of ubiquitous cosmic accelerators with energies reaching or even exceeding the PeV scale within the Milky Way, including star-forming region, supernova remnants, microquasars, and pulsar wind nebulae. This talk will review the recent discoveries of LHAASO in ultrahigh-energy gamma astronomy and cosmic rays, which impose stringent constraints on particle acceleration theories in extreme astrophysical environments, and potentially prompt revisions to models in particle physics.
Speaker: Mr Houdun Zeng (Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
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94
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5:00 PM
Break
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Dark Matter: Parallel 9: Joint DM/neutrinos Capital View
Capital View
Convener: Mehr Nisa (Michigan State University)-
99
The DEAP-3600 dark matter search and charged-current 8B neutrino measurements in liquid argon
The DEAP-3600 experiment, located 2 km deep underground at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Canada, is a single-phase liquid argon (LAr) detector primarily designed for the direct detection of dark matter. The detector consists of a 3.3-tonne LAr contained within a spherical acrylic vessel and instrumented with 255 high-efficiency photomultiplier tubes. Since 2019, the experiment has set the most stringent exclusion limits on the WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross-section in argon for WIMP masses above 20 GeV/c². Hardware upgrades are nearing completion to suppress backgrounds and enhance sensitivity.
The detector’s large target mass, excellent radiopurity, and powerful background discrimination capabilities make it well-suited for rare-event searches beyond dark matter. One such search involves the detection of ⁸B solar neutrinos, which dominate the upper end (~MeV) of the solar neutrino spectrum. These neutrinos can undergo charged-current interactions with ⁴⁰Ar, producing excited ⁴⁰K nuclei that de-excite via gamma-ray emission. Raghavan, Bhattacharya and others, first proposed that this process can be observed above 3.9 MeV. In the DEAP-3600 detector, we expect to observe a signal above 10 MeV where radiogenic and cosmogenic backgrounds are expected to be sub-dominant compared to neutrinos. In this talk the current status of this search will be presented.Speaker: Abhijit Garai (Queen's University) -
100
The first measurement of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering of solar 8B neutrinos in the XENONnT experiment.
Thanks to their sub-keV energy threshold and excellent background discrimination, liquid xenon (LXe) dual-phase time projection chambers (TPCs) are the leading technology in the search for GeV-scale WIMP dark matter. However, these same properties also make them well suited not only for WIMPs, but for detecting other rare and faint phenomena, such as the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) of solar neutrinos
In this talk we present the first measurement of solar $^8$B neutrinos through CEvNS in the XENONnT experiment, a dual-phase TPC with a LXe target volume of 5.9 tonne, located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). The measurement was performed through a dedicated low energy blind analysis, using an exposure of 3.51$\,\mathrm{tonne}\cdot\mathrm{year}$. The background only hypothesis was rejected with 2.73 sigma, resulting in a measured $^8$B flux of ($4.7^{+3.6}{−2.3})\cdot10^{-6}\mathrm{cm}^{−2}\mathrm{s}^{−1}$. This result represents not only the first measurement of CEvNS in LXe, but also the first observation of CEvNS from solar neutrinos in general. It thus marks an important milestone toward a future liquid xenon observatory—not only for dark matter detection, but also for exploring solar and neutrino physics at lowest energies.
Speaker: Daniel Wenz (University of Münster) -
101
XLZD sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay
The XLZD collaboration—combining the XENON, LZ, and DARWIN efforts—is developing a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber with 60–80 tonnes of active mass, designed to reach WIMP-nucleon cross-section sensitivities down to the neutrino floor. Beyond dark matter, XLZD will also operate as a rare-event observatory. This talk presents XLZD's projected sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay in natural xenon. With a 10-year exposure in the 80t configuration, XLZD can achieve a 3σ discovery potential for a half-life of 5.7×10^27 years, and a 90% CL exclusion sensitivity of 1.3×10^28 years. Across commonly considered nuclear matrix elements, this reach will exclude the inverted neutrino mass ordering and begin to probe the normal ordering.
Speaker: Chami Amarasinghe (UCSB)
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99
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Nuclear Forces and Structure, NN Correlations, and Medium Effects: Parallel 9 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Burcu Duran (New Mexico State University)-
102
Short-range correlations in nuclear systems
An accurate description of short-range physics is a significant challenge in the study of strongly interacting quantum many-body systems. In nuclear physics, large short-range correlations (SRCs) hinder the use of different numerical methods for obtaining a complete picture of nuclear systems and supporting beyond-Standard-Model searches. Nuclear SRCs have been studied extensively in the last decades using both large momentum transfer quasi-elastic reactions and ab-initio calculations. In this talk I will present an asymptotic theory of SRCs in quantum many-body systems, providing a systematic framework for analyzing experimental data and numerical calculations and for utilizing our understanding of SRC properties to make progress in the description of nuclei. I will possibly discuss additional efforts to provide accurate calculations of relevant reaction cross sections.
Speaker: Ronen Weiss -
103
SRC nucleon-nucleon pairs embedded in the nuclear quantum many-body system
Short-range correlations (SRCs) in nuclei manifest as nucleon-nucleon pairs and are responsible for the high-momentum tail of the nuclear wave function. SRC pairs are predominantly proton-neutron pairs due to the influence of the tensor force. While the properties of these pairs appear to be universal, key questions remain which nucleons pair in the quantum many-body system. To explore these questions, a series of experiments have been performed to study SRCs under controlled conditions in symmetric and neutron-rich nuclei. This talk will discuss results from reactions using electron (e,e’p) and (e,e’pp) scattering at CLAS12 at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, alongside novel (p,2p) inverse-kinematic scattering with hadronic probes at R3B at GSI-FAIR. For the first time we are able to infer information about the pair origin and quantum states by studying pairs in neutron-rich Calcium and Carbon isotopes and the interplay with the nuclear many-body system.
Speaker: Julian Kahlbow (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) -
104
Using mirror nuclei to study the isospin structure of two-nucleon and three-nucleon correlations
The tritium target program at Jefferson Lab enabled a range of unique studies of the neutron, allowing for extractions of the neutron magnetic form factor and parton distributions. The comparison of the mirror nuclei 3H and 3He also allows for studies of the isospin structure in multi-nucleon configurations, specifically two- and three-nucleon short-range correlations (SRCs). JLab experiment E12-11-112 was able to isolate scattering from SRCs in 2H, 3H, and 3He, allowing for a detailed study SRC dominance in light nuclei, a comparison of np- and pp-SRCs in the comparison of 3H and 3He, and providing the first constraints on the isospin structure of three-nucleon SRCs.
Speaker: John Arrington (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
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102
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Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics: Parallel 9 Old Madison
Old Madison
Convener: Luke Johns (Los Alamos National Lab)-
105
Prospects for detecting gamma rays from r-process producing Magneto-Rotational Supernovae
Magneto-Rotational supernovae (MR-SNe) are rare and energetic supernovae that have exceptionally high magnetic fields. They are relatively uncommon but could be important in enriching galaxies with heavy elements. These explosions have early and fast ejection of matter compared with classic core-collapse supernovae so that rapid neutron capture could take place. We simulated the beta-decay gamma-ray spectrum from the MR-SN that holds the r-process at different epochs, ranging from early times to optically thin phases, using ejecta tracer data together with the PRISM nucleosynthesis network and ENDF VIII nuclear database. We show some preliminary results and interesting isotopes for possible future observations with the next-generation MeV gamma-ray missions.
Speaker: Zhenghai Liu (North Carolina State University) -
106
Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Ray: Current Picture and Future Outlook.
The study of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) has undergone dramatic evolution over the last two decades, driven primarily by the unprecedented capabilities of the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array Project. Historically hindered by low statistics and substantial uncertainties, the UHECR field once grappled with basic questions about flux cutoffs, composition, and source identification. Today, however, with a cumulative exposure exceeding 150,000 km$^2$ sr yr at energies above 50 EeV, the observational data can now provide robust insights into fundamental observables. We have firmly established that the flux significantly cuts off above 50 EeV, made detailed composition measurements that reveal a complex, energy-dependent blend of atomic nuclei, and have finally identified significant anisotropies, narrowing the list of potential astrophysical sources. However, this increased statistical power is also uncovering new phenomena such as unexpected muon excesses, a puzzingly narrow rigidity range, indications of mass-dependent anisotropies, and correlations between spectral features and composition evolution. These observations may again profoundly shift our understanding of astroparticle physics at the highest energies. This talk will give an overview of the current UHECR picture, highlight new promising analysis techniques, and outline what can be expected in the next phases of Auger and TA. Finally, the talk will give a brief look at proposed next generation ground- and space-based UHECR observatories.
Speaker: Eric Mayotte (Colorado School of Mines) -
107
Status of the Radar Echo Telescope
The Radar Echo Telescope (RET) is a proposed next-generation ultrahigh energy (UHE) neutrino detector. A prototype instrument, recently deployed to the polar regions, uses the in-ice cascade from a UHE cosmic ray as a proxy for a UHE neutrino, to test the detection technique in nature. This prototype, called the Radar Echo Telescope for Cosmic Rays (RET-CR), collected a full season of data in the summer of 2024. We will discuss this instrument, the detection technique, and some preliminary results from the ongoing analysis of the data.
Speaker: steven prohira (university of kansas) -
108
First Deuteron Production Measurement in Proton-Proton Interactions at SPS Energies by NA61/SHINE
The detection of cosmic-ray antinuclei holds the potential
to be a groundbreaking method for identifying signatures of dark
matter. The dominant background for cosmic antinuclei arises from
interactions of cosmic-ray protons with interstellar hydrogen
gas. However, prevalent (anti)nuclei formation models—the thermal and
coalescence models—are based on different underlying physics. A deeper
understanding of (anti)nuclei production mechanisms is essential to
evaluate the background production and drives the ongoing effort to
analyze high-statistics data from fixed-target experiments. Improving
our understanding of deuteron production is a critical first step
toward accurately modeling cosmic antideuteron in astrophysical
processes. Antinuclei production models typically also require
antiproton production cross sections as input, underscoring the
importance of precise antiproton measurements as well.NA61/SHINE has performed the first measurement of deuteron production
in proton–proton interactions at 158 GeV/c (sqrt(s) = 17.3 GeV). In
addition, updated proton and antiproton production yields will also be
presented. These exhibit a threefold reduction in statistical
uncertainties and extend the phase-space coverage in both rapidity and
transverse momentum compared to previous measurements. These results
will advance our understanding of proton–proton interactions at
cosmic-rays energies.Speaker: Anirvan Shukla (University of Hawaii at Manoa) -
109
Precision Mass Measurements with the Canadian Penning Trap: From CARIBU to the N=126 Factory
The Canadian Penning Trap (CPT) has been at the Argonne National Laboratory's CARIBU facility for over a decade, where it measured the masses of over 300 nuclei produced via the spontaneous fission of CARIBU’s ${}^{252}$Cf source with a typical precision of around 10 keV. In recent years, particular focus was placed on nuclei involved in the formation of the rare-earth peak in the r-process abundance pattern. Upon reaching the yield limit of CARIBU, the CPT is now transitioning to the forthcoming $N=126$ Factory. This facility will use multi-nucleon transfer reactions to produce neutron-rich nuclei, enabling access to the $N=126$ closed shell for the first time. The mass measurements in this region allow the investigation of the persistence of $N=126$ shell closure and the study of the formation of the last r-process abundance peak left. Additionally, the $N=126$ Factory will enable the production of rare-earth isotopes such as Nd and Sm to constrain the astrophysical conditions responsible for the rare-earth peak. In parallel, the upgraded nuCARIBU facility will offer additional capabilities by supplying isotopes for measurements with the multi-reflection time-of-flight (MR-TOF) mass spectrometer. This talk will present the current status of the $N=126$ Factory and the CPT, outline future mass measurements, and provide a brief update of the nuCARIBU status.
This work is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357; by NSERC (Canada), Application No. SAPPJ-2018-00028; by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY-2011890; by the University of Notre Dame; and with resources of ANL’s ATLAS facility, an Office of Science User Facility.
Speaker: Biying Liu
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105
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Precision Physics at High Intensities: Parallel 9 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Paul King (Ohio University)-
110
Muon-electron conversion from Lorentz- and CPT-violating operators
Working in an effective field theory framework, we consider the conversion of a muon to an electron in the presence of a nucleus, mediated by Lorentz- and CPT-violating operators. A subset of these operators are uniquely constrained by this channel, and their bounds (coming from the SINDRUM II experiment) are the first reported. We also provide sensitivity estimates for upcoming searches by the Mu2e and COMET experiments; if they fail to observe this process, the bounds will be strengthened by about an order of magnitude. We note that if muon-electron conversion is observed, there are experimental signatures that could determine whether the effect is due to Lorentz-violating operators and narrow down the options among them.
Speaker: William McNulty (Indiana University) -
111
PIONEER: A next-generation rare pion decay experiment
PIONEER is a rare pion decay experiment that will run at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland. In its initial phase, the primary objective is to improve the measurement of the $\pi\rightarrow e \nu$ branching ratio: $R_{e/\mu}=\mathcal{B}(\pi\rightarrow e \nu (\gamma)) / \mathcal{B}(\pi\rightarrow \mu \nu (\gamma))$. PIONEER aims to improve on, by more than an order of magnitude, the precision of the best measurement to date, performed by the PIENU experiment at TRIUMF. This would align the measurement of $R_{e/\mu}$ with the $10^{-4}$ precision level of the Standard Model calculations, providing a stringent test of lepton flavour universality. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, PIONEER will be using the world's most intense pion beam at PSI, an active silicon strip LGAD (Low Gain Avalanche Detectors) target and an optimized calorimeter geometry. This talk will focus on the development of a liquid xenon scintillation calorimeter, one of the two designs being considered for the large acceptance, 19-radiation length calorimeter. In addition to the measurement of $R_{e/\mu}$, PIONEER is being developed to include additional physics goals, such as searching for sterile neutrinos and testing CKM quark mixing matrix unitarity.
Speaker: Emma Klemets (The University of British Columbia, TRIUMF) -
112
Precision measurements of kaon and pion decays at NA62
The NA62 experiment at CERN collected the world's largest dataset of charged kaon decays, leading to the most precise measurement of the branching ratio of the ultra-rare $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ \nu \bar\nu$ decay. In this talk NA62 reports recent results from precision measurements of kaon and pion decays, using data samples collected in 2017-2018. A sample of $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ \gamma \gamma$ decays is collected using a minimum-bias trigger, and the results include measurement of the branching ratio, study of the di-photon mass spectrum, and the first search for production and prompt decay of an axion-like particle with gluon coupling in the process $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ A$, $A \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$. A sample of $\pi^0 \rightarrow e^+ e^-$ decay candidates is collected using a dedicated scaled down di-electron trigger, and a preliminary result of the branching fraction measurement is presented. The radiative kaon decay $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^0 e^+ \nu \gamma$ (Ke3g) is studied with a data sample of O(100k) Ke3g candidates with sub-percent background contaminations. Results with the most precise measurements of the Ke3g branching ratios and T-asymmetry are presented. The $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ \mu^+ \mu^-$ sample comprises about 27k signal events with negligible background contamination, and the presented analysis results include the most precise determination of the branching ratio and the form factor.
Speaker: Peter Cooper (George Mason Univ) -
113
Studies of $\tau$ and dark sector decays at Belle and Belle II
The Belle and Belle~II experiments have collected a $1.4~\mathrm{ab}^{-1}$ sample of $e^+e^-$ collision data at centre-of-mass energies near the $\Upsilon(nS)$ resonances. This sample contains approximately 1.3 billion $e^+e^-\to \tau^+\tau^{-}$ events, which we use to search for lepton-flavour violating decays. We present searches for $\tau-\to \mu^-\mu^-\mu^+$, $\tau^-\to\Lambda\pi^-$, and $\tau^-\to \bar{\Lambda}\pi^-$. We also present world leading measurements of the $\tau$ mass and lepton-flavour universality in $\tau\to\ell\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay, where $\ell$ is an electron or a muon. These data have constrained kinematics and low multiplicity, which also allow searches for dark sector particles in the mass range from a few MeV to 10 GeV. Using a 426 fb$^{-1}$ sample collected by Belle II, we search for inelastic dark matter accompanied by a dark Higgs. Using a 711 fb$^{-1}$ sample collected by Belle, we search for $B\to h + \mathrm{invisible}$ decays, where $h$ is a $\pi$, $K$, $D$, $D_{s}$ or $p$, and $B\to Ka$, where $a$ is an axion-like particle.
Speaker: William Jacobs (CEEM / Indiana University)
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110
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Special Session on High energy Astrophysics with Neutrino Detectors: Parallel 9: Joint with Neutrinos Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Kohta Murase (The Pennsylvania State University)-
114
IceCube: Recent Results on Diffuse Astrophysical Neutrinos
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory utilizes the Cherenkov radiation emitted by charged secondary particles produced in interactions of neutrinos with ice nucleons to detect neutrino events. Of particular interest to us is the energy spectrum of astrophysical neutrinos from unresolved sources, which we refer to as the diffuse astrophysical flux.
The measurement of the diffuse neutrino spectrum at TeV energies is complicated by the dominant background from muons and neutrinos created in cosmic ray air showers. In this talk, we present an overview of recent measurements of the diffuse neutrino spectrum by IceCube, along with their context in a broader astrophysical sense.Speaker: Dr Vedant Basu (University of Utah) -
115
Latest Results from Super-Kamiokande
The most recent results from Super-Kamiokande are presented. Super-K is a large water Cherenkov experiment that has collected over 500 kton-years of exposure used to study atmospheric neutrino oscillation, solar neutrino mixing, search for nucleon decay, search for signatures of dark matter, and search for astrophysical neutrinos of all types including the those from supernova bursts, the diffuse background of supernova, and neutrinos in coincidence with astrophysical sources. The most recent running period includes the novelty of enhanced neutron counting via the capture on gadolinium dissolved in the detector water.
Speaker: Ed Kearns (Boston University) -
116
Measuring the Neutrino Flavor Ratio from the Galactic Plane with IceCube
IceCube is a neutrino telescope built into the ice at the south pole. The detector is sensitive to "tracks" as produced by charged current interactions from muon neutrinos and "cascades" produced by other flavors and the neutral current. Due to recent machine-learning-based advances in reconstruction, the precision of the pointing and background rejection have improved significantly, and IceCube has been able to detect neutrino emission from the Galactic Plane. Since this detection, it has become possible to probe the flavor content of this excess which expands upon IceCube’s previous diffuse astrophysical flavor measurements. This talk discusses using IceCube to probe the flavor content of the Galactic Plane.
Speaker: John Hardin (MIT) -
117
Probing Earth’s Core Density with Atmospheric Neutrinos at IceCube Neutrino Observatory
Measuring the radial density profile of the Earth by observing absorption of neutrino has been discussed more than 40 years as a unique complemental method of body-wave studies based on seismic wave measurement. In this study, we use neutrino track events arriving to the IceCube neutrino observatory at the South Pole from the northern hemisphere and compare the fluxes of atmospheric and cosmic neutrinos between at the Earth’s surface and at the detector. We assume various concentric layered structure in density profile of the Earth and calculated absorption probability using nuFATE program for each density model. The 13 years of IceCube data collected from 2010 to 2022 will be then compared with the data. We present the analysis method and 10% of 12 years data compared with our prediction.
Speaker: KOTOYO HOSHINA
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114
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Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak Interaction: Parallel 9 Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: William Terrano (ASU)-
118
Towards Decay Recoil Spectroscopy in Short Lived Isotopes: Prospects and Commissioning the SALER Experiment
The Superconducting Array for Low Energy Radiation (SALER) experiment aims to search for BSM electroweak physics by precisely measuring the eV-scale recoiling nucleus following beta decay of short-lived neutron deficient nuclei. To do so, SALER couples a superconducting precision sensor array to the ReA3 beamline at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. During beam delivery, isotopes of interest are embedded in the sensors where the decay recoil energy can be measured with better than 10 eV FWHM resolution. This measurement technique has been demonstrated with success in the BeEST experiment with $^7$Be, and SALER extends the technique to isotopes with half lives potentially as short as 100 ms. This talk presents recent progress towards the commissioning of the experiment, demonstration of better than 2.5 eV FWHM electron recoil resolution, and prospects for measurements enabled by this experimental program.
Speaker: Connor Bray (Colorado School of Mines) -
119
Ongoing Upgrades to the Radium-225 EDM Experiment
Electric Dipole Moments, or EDMs, are a clean signature of Charge Parity, or CP violation. Measurements of EDMs in different atoms and molecules correspond to different sources of CP violation. This makes measuring multiple EDMs in different mediums important. One of the best atoms to measure is Ra-225, due to the octupole deformation in its nucleus. This gives it an enhancement factor on the order of 2-3 orders of magnitude in sensitivity to CP violating sources in the hadronic sector compared to such atoms as Hg-199. In the next EDM measurement run, an improvement in sensitivity of 3 orders of magnitude is being planned. This improvement will utilize upgrades in most aspects of the experiment. In particular, the electric field applied for the EDM measurement will be made larger and more reversible, and studies will be performed to improve the efficiency with which isotopes harvested from FRIB can be used.
Speaker: Gordon Arrowsmith-Kron -
120
The FRIB-EDM3 Experiment: Designing a measurement protocol for CP-violation searches using radioactive molecules in solids
Nuclear Schiff moments (NSMs) present a hadronic signature of new physics through their connection to CP-symmetry violation. Such symmetry violations are needed to explain the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe. We are investigating the application of molecular matrix methods[1] to the search for NSMs of pear-shaped nuclei in heavy polar radioactive molecules[2]. Pear-shaped nuclei (i.e. those with octupole deformations), such as radium-225, are expected to have enhanced NSMs[3]. These methods involve trapping polar molecules in a noble gas matrix, which is predicted to lock their orientation relative to the matrix lattice vectors. The FRIB-EDM3 instrument will implement these methods, which consists of two main parts: the frontend, which will create and mass-separate molecular ions, such as RaF[4], and the backend, which will neutralize the ions, co-deposit them in a noble gas matrix, and perform molecular hyperfine spectroscopy, which will ultimately enable an NSM search. This contribution focuses on the spectroscopy calculations leading to the draft NSM measurement scheme, specifically calculations of the hyperfine, Zeeman, and Stark structure of molecules embedded in noble gas solids which will help drive the design of the measurement protocol.
We believe that this approach may be an efficient method for creating and trapping radioactive molecules starting from a precursor solution made available by the Isotope Harvesting Program at FRIB. Our initial goal is to quantify and optimize the efficiency of this approach. Eventually we aim to carry out a sensitive search for the NSM of radium- 225 using, for example, RaF molecules in solid argon. Information will be provided on the calculations relevant to developing an NSM measurement scheme.
FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work is supported by the U.S. DOE, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, under contracts DE-SC0025679, DE-SC0019015, and by the US DOE, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics under contract DE-SC0022299.
REFERENCES
1. A. C. Vutha, M. Horbatsch, and E. A. Hessels, Phys. Rev. A 98, 032513 (2018).
2. G. Arrowsmith-Kron et al, Opportunities for fundamental physics research with radioactive molecules, arXiv:2302.02165
[nucl-ex].
3. N. Auerbach, V. V. Flambaum, and V. Spevak, Collective t- and p-odd electromagnetic moments in nuclei with octupole deformations, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 4316 (1996).
4. J. Ballof et al, Progress towards the frib-edm3-frontend: A tool to provide radioactive molecules from isotope harvesting for fundamental symmetry studies, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 541, 224 (2023)Speaker: Nicholas Nusgart (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University) -
121
The FRIB-EDM3 Molecular Ion Source: Designing An Efficient Radioactive Molecule Source For Tests Of Fundamental Symmetries
The baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU) is not sufficiently explained by the Standard Model requiring Beyond Standard Model (BSM) extensions to account for the discrepancy between the observed and predicted BAU. New sources of combined charge-parity (CP) symmetry violation are required to account for this discrepancy. Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) and nuclear Schiff moments (NSMs) are a time-reversal violating signature that, by the CPT theorem, could be used to directly search for CP-violating BSM physics. For hadronic systems, pear-shaped nuclei have enhanced sensitivity and it can be further improved if implemented in a polar molecule [1,2].
We aim to use rare pear-shaped nuclei to form polar molecules and embed them in a noble gas matrix, using the FRIB-EDM3 instrument [3, 4]. This contribution will focus on how we plan to form these molecules using electrospray ionization, which can produce molecular ions from an aqueous precursor. We previously built and tested an atmospheric electrospray source which had limited efficiency due to losses at the interface between atmosphere and vacuum. Our experience operating this source has led us to a revised design where the electrospray will be operated at medium vacuum with lower flow rates. These kinds of changes have been implemented in the literature and could allow for molecular beam formation efficiencies as high as 50% [5] in contrast to typical neutral molecular beam formation efficiencies of ~1%. We plan to assemble a new electrospray source using this revised design and quantify the efficiency with which we can form a molecular beam. We believe this technique will allow us to efficiently form radioactive molecules from the limited samples of short-lived isotopes that we’re interested in using, such as radium-225.
FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics under Award Number DE-SC0023633, DE-SC0019015, and DE-SC0025679.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics under Award Number DE-SC0022299REFERENCES- G. Arrowsmith-Kron et al, Opportunities for fundamental physics research with radioactive molecules, arXiv:2302.02165 [nucl-ex].
- N. Auerbach, V. V. Flambaum, and V. Spevak, Collective t- and p-odd electromagnetic moments in nuclei with octupole deformations, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 4316 (1996).
- A. C. Vutha, M. Horbatsch, and E. A. Hessels, Phys. Rev. A 98, 032513 (2018).
- J. Ballof et al, Progress towards the frib-edm3-frontend: A tool to provide radioactive molecules from isotope harvesting for fundamental symmetry studies, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 541, 224 (2023).
- Ioan Marginean, Jason S. Page, Aleksey V. Tolmachev, Keqi Tang, and Richard D. Smith. Achieving 50% Ionization Efficiency in Subambient Pressure Ionization with Nanoelectrospray. Analytical Chemistry, 82:9344–9349, 2010. doi: 10.1021/ac1019123.
Speaker: Aiden Boyer (Michigan State University / FRIB)
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118
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Plenary: Plenary 5 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Nadia Fomin (University of Tennesee - Knoxville)
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122
Permanent Electric Dipole Moments as probes of Fundamental Symmetries
Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) sensitively probe parity and time-reversal violation, which are closely tied to CP-violation and the cosmological baryon asymmetry. An EDM collects many different effects into a single low-energy observable, representing a different admixture of fundamental sources for each measured system. Only by combining information from many diverse experiments and energy scales is it possible to establish meaningful, model-independent, global constraints. I will present progress on the global analysis of EDMs, including a full treatment of correlations and uncertainties. The landscape of complementary experimental, and theoretical, results will be considered in this context.
Speaker: Skyler Degenkolb (Universität Heidelberg) -
123
Muon-to-electron conversion in nuclei: Effective theory and new experimental signals
The forthcoming Mu2e and COMET experiments will search for electrons produced via the neutrinoless conversion of muons captured onto an aluminum nucleus, improving existing limits on charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) by roughly four orders of magnitude and probing new physics at scales in excess of 10,000 TeV. If a positive signal is observed at Mu2e/COMET, the highest priority will be to determine the nature of the new physics responsible. Connecting the results of these low-energy experiments to candidate UV theories is a significant theoretical challenge. I will describe a tower of effective field theories that bridges this gap, providing a complete description of muon-to-electron conversion and allowing one to predict experimental rates for arbitrary UV theories. Conventionally, experiments measure/constrain a single number, the rate for muon-to-electron conversions that leave the nucleus in the ground state. I will describe how transitions to excited nuclear final states modify the shape of the measured electron spectrum, providing detailed information about the nature of the underlying CLFV interaction.
Speaker: Evan Rule (UC Berkeley) -
124
First Experiments with the FDSi at FRIB
The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will provide unprecedented access to exotic nuclei; approximately 80% of the isotopes predicted to exist up to uranium (Z = 92) will be produced. The FRIB Decay Station (FDS) — an efficient, granular, and modular multi-detector system designed under a common infrastructure — will have a transformative impact on our understanding of nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental symmetries, and isotopes of importance to applications. The FRIB Decay Station initiator (FDSi), led by the FDSi Coordination Committee and supported by the FDSi Group and Working Groups, is the initial stage of the FDS. The FDSi is primarily an assembly of the best detectors currently available in the community within an integrated infrastructure for Day One FRIB decay studies. An overview of the FDSi, scientific program, and first three years of operation will be given. This will include recently published and obtained results.
*This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics.
Speaker: James Allmond (ORNL) -
125
Latest Results from the Muon g−2 Experiment at Fermilab
The Fermilab Muon g-2 Collaboration has now released two measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the positive muon ($a_μ$). The most recent result, published in 2023, confirms the initial 2021 result while achieving significantly reduced uncertainty, owing to improved systematic controls and a fourfold increase in statistical precision. Combined data brings the world average of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon to $a_μ$(Exp)=116592059(22)×$10^{-11}$ (0.19 ppm). The experiment concluded data taking in 2023, and analysis of the final dataset is currently underway. This talk will cover the highlights of the latest measurement, provide an outlook on the analysis of final dataset, and discuss its comparison with the latest Standard Model prediction.
Speaker: Esra Barlas-Yucel (Virginia Tech)
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122
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10:15 AM
Coffee Break
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Plenary: Plenary 6 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Susan Gardner (University of Kentucky)
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126
The Simons Observatory
The Simons Observatory (SO) is a cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment situated on the Chajnantor Plateau in Chile's Atacama Desert. The observatory comprises seven mm-wave telescopes operating across six frequency bands (30-280 GHz). Six 60cm Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs) focus on detecting primordial B-mode polarization signatures of cosmic inflation in two deep, low-galactic-foreground sky patches. Complementing these, a 6m Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) targets precision measurements of neutrino properties, galaxy cluster physics via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect, dark matter distribution through gravitational lensing, and transient mm-wave phenomena. This presentation will provide an overview of the observatory and its science goals, updates on construction progress, commissioning activities, and preliminary data analysis and a look forward to SO's planned expansions and scientific synergies with other next-generation optical and infrared survey instruments.
Speaker: Maximiliano Silva-Feaver (Yale University) -
127
Tracking the baryon number with nuclear collisions
In quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the baryon quantum number is a conserved quantity. It is traditionally assumed to be evenly distributed among valence quarks in nucleus. However, an alternative framework proposes that this number is carried by a non-perturbative, Y-shaped topology of gluons connecting to three quarks. While neither hypothesis has been conclusively verified experimentally, new observations from the STAR Collaboration provide insights challenging the conventional valence quark picture. STAR data from Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions show the net-baryon (B) to net-charge (ΔQ) ratio within mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.5) far exceeding the valence quark expectation. Published data shows that yields of net-baryons for various species (p, Λ, Ξ, Ω) at mid-rapidity decline with beam energy more slowly than expected in a similar fashion, reflecting flavor-independent stopping. Net-proton yields from photonuclear Au+Au collisions show weaker rapidity dependence than models without junction interactions. These results all favor the baryon junction hypothesis: since the junction composes of low-momentum gluons, it is easily stopped and results in enhanced baryon number being transported to mid-rapidity.
Speaker: Chun Yuen Tsang (Kent State University) -
128
Overview of High-Energy Neutrinos at Colliders
The recent direct detection of high-energy neutrinos at the LHC has opened a new window into high-energy particle physics and highlighted the potential of neutrino physics for groundbreaking discoveries. I will give an overview of the physics potential of high-energy neutrino measurements at colliders with an emphasis on the connection between particle and astroparticle physics. I will discuss recent results of measurements at the LHC and outline the prospects of next-generation neutrino experiments at colliders, highlighting various proposals for future detectors.
Speaker: Dennis Soldin (University of Utah)
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126
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12:15 PM
Lunch Break (on your own)
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Dark Matter: Parallel 5 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Alvaro Chavarria (University of Washington)-
129
The Search For Light Dark Matter
Recent years have seen a dramatic expansion in ideas regarding the nature of dark matter, extending beyond the weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) paradigm. Many of these theories predict minuscule couplings between light (sub-GeV mass) dark matter and the Standard Model, which direct detection experiments can search for. In this talk we will begin by reviewing the status of current electron-based experiments which are achieving extraordinary sensitivity to the theoretically well-motivated freeze-in dark matter models. We'll then explore how phonons, collective excitations of lattice vibrations, will be essential for searching for lighter dark matter beyond the reach of these electron-based experiments. Lastly, we'll discuss how magnons, collective excitations of spin waves, can broaden our search to dark matter models with primarily spin-dependent interactions.
Speaker: Tanner Trickle -
130
Nuclear Recoils in CCDs
Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs), particularly in their Skipper-CCD configuration, are silicon-based detectors capable of single-electron sensitivity and eV-scale energy thresholds. These properties make them promising candidates for direct detection of certain low mass dark matter candidates and coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS). A critical requirement for such applications is a precise understanding of the ionization response of silicon nuclei recoiling from interactions with neutral particles. In this talk, we present measurements of nuclear recoil ionization efficiency down to $\sim10$ eV of ionization energy. Low-energy neutrons ($< 23$ keV), generated via a $^{124}$Sb$^9$Be photoneutron source, were used to induce nuclear recoils in silicon, and the resulting ionization signals were recorded using a Skipper-CCD. Further, results of an identification efficiency measurement for nuclear recoil energies down to 1.5 keV performed by irradiating a CCD with neutrons from an $^{241}$Am$^9$Be source will be discussed, demonstrating the capability of CCDs in distinguishing nuclear recoil signals from those that are not.
Speaker: Vijay Azad (University if Chicago) -
131
Scintillating developments in the directional detection of sub-GeV dark matter
Directionally sensitive detectors present a unique opportunity to probe models of Dark matter lighter than a proton, a regime largely inaccessible to current experimental techniques. Recently, molecular crystals have emerged as particularly well-suited anisotropic detector materials. This talk will review the importance of directionality and the search for daily modulating signals in the hunt for sub-GeV dark matter. I will discuss how insights from chemistry and material science can guide the discovery of anisotropic molecular materials that are sensitive to the best-motivated models of sub-GeV dark matter. Additionally, I will present the status of efforts to deploy molecular scintillator-based direct detection experiments. Finally, I will show that machine learning can be used to explore the vast and intractable space of potential materials, optimizing for electronic properties that are most relevant in the context of dark matter detection.
Speaker: Carlos Blanco -
132
The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment: Overview and Latest Results
The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) is an axion haloscope located at the University of Washington in Seattle. It is the first axion haloscope to reach benchmark KSVZ and DFSZ axion models and one of the few experiments on earth that can detect QCD axions. In this talk I will outline the motivation for QCD axions as a dark matter candidate, explain how ADMX aims to detect them, and review the experiment’s progress, focusing on our most recent data-taking run, which ended in December 2024.
Speaker: james sinnis (university of washington) -
133
Searching for axion dark matter with DMRadio
The axion is a well-motivated dark matter candidate that can be detected by its interaction with externally applied magnetic fields. The DMRadio program searches for axions with masses below 1 $\mu$eV using large magnets, high quality factor resonators, and precision sensing techniques. In this talk, I will discuss the DMRadio program, including the commissioning progress of DMRadio-50L, the design of DMRadio-m3, and the innovations required for the definitive search DMRadio-GUT.
Speaker: Maria Simanovskaia (Stanford University)
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129
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 5 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Vivek Sharma (University of Pittsburgh)-
134
Status of the Project 8 Neutrino Mass Experiment
Although neutrino oscillation experiments demonstrate that neutrinos must have mass, their mass currently remains unmeasured. The Project 8 experiment aims to directly probe the neutrino mass by measuring the shape of the tritium beta decay spectrum near its endpoint. The collaboration is pioneering the Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy (CRES) technique to measure the kinetic energy of trapped electrons by detecting the cyclotron radiation they emit in a magnetic field. Following the collaboration's first upper limit on the neutrino mass during the Phase II experiment, we have been developing technology to achieve a target sensitivity of 0.04 eV. After a brief overview of the Phase II results, I will discuss the status and goals of the newest prototype, the Cavity CRES Apparatus (CCA), which will be the first CRES detector with resonant cavity geometry. Then, I will discuss plans to scale up detector volume for the Low Frequency Apparatus (LFA) and present work toward development of a cold atomic tritium source.
Speaker: Hannah Binney (MIT) -
135
Probing the Neutrino Mass with PTOLEMY
The PTOLEMY experiment is designed to search for the most elusive relics of the Big Bang—the cosmic neutrino background—via neutrino capture on tritium. As a key intermediate objective, the collaboration is developing the PTOLEMY demonstrator to perform a direct measurement of the absolute neutrino mass, addressing one of the outstanding open questions in particle physics and cosmology. PTOLEMY combines a novel compact electromagnetic filter, radio-frequency tracking, and precision energy readout using transition-edge sensors. Recent progress in tritium-on-graphene source development and ultra-low background instrumentation has opened a new sensitivity frontier. Simulations and initial hardware results suggest that PTOLEMY can reach a mass sensitivity below 200 meV with only microgram-scale tritium targets, potentially matching or exceeding the performance of current-generation experiments. In this talk, I will present the latest developments of the PTOLEMY demonstrator, outline the path toward first physics results in neutrino mass measurement, and discuss the broader implications for relic neutrino detection.
Speaker: Andi Tan (Princeton University) -
136
The BEST Experiment
A number of experiments using neutrino sources were conducted with the intention of examining the systematics of radiochemical solar neutrino measurements of the last century. The results differed from expectations leading to the so-called gallium anomaly. This anomaly can be stated: “The measurements of the charged-current capture rate of neutrinos on Ga-71 from strong radioactive sources have yielded results below those expected, based on the known strength of the principal transition supplemented by theory”. This mystery deepened with results from the Baksan Experiment on Sterile Transitions (BEST). The results these experiments and the proposals for other similar studies will be summarized with an emphasis on BEST, which used a 3.414-MCi Cr-51 sample to test the gallium anomaly.
Speaker: Steve Elliott (Los Alamos National Lab)
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134
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Physics at High Energies: Future Colliders: Muon collider Langdon
Langdon
Convener: Lisa Everett (University of Wisconsin, Madison)-
137
Fermion Portal Dark Matter at a Muon Collider
I will review the reach of a future 10TeV muon collider in the parameter space of fermion portal dark matter models in the freeze-in regime.
I study different fermion portal models and show that, in the freeze-in regime, their parameter space is bounded from all directions.
Different fermion portal models give rise to a host of interesting prompt or long-lived particle signals.
I will show that simple kinematics cuts allow us to discover these models in most of the kinematically available parameter space.
Along the way, I put forward a prescription for incorporating the muon parton PDF in a muon beam and show that it has non-trivial effects on the reach of a muon collider.Speaker: Pouya Asadi (University of Oregon) -
138
Detector R&D for a 10 TeV Muon Collider
Over the last few years, muon colliders have emerged as an exciting
option for enabling access to the 10 TeV energy scale in the post High
Luminosity LHC era in a compact and power-efficient way compared to
proton-proton alternatives. However, significant research and
development is required to address the fundamental challenge that
muons are unstable, and will decay continuously while moving through
an accelerator complex. This poses challenges for both accelerator and
detector design, as any detector will see a very large beam-induced
background (BIB) from the decay of muons in the colliding beams. In
this talk, I will discuss the potential physics program of a 10 TeV
muon collider, describe some of the experimental challenges, and then
present ongoing R&D work on MAIA (Muon Accelerator Instrumented
Apparatus), a potential detector design.Speaker: Benjamin Rosser (University of Chicago) -
139
Electroweak Observables in Neutrino-Electron Scattering from a Muon Storage Ring
The standard candles of electroweak observables can be studied through the lens of neutrino-electron scattering as a purely weak process. We project the sensitivity of a neutrino detector situated around 100 meters away in the plane of a high energy muon storage ring or muon collider with $E_\mu = 0.25, 1.5$, and $5$ TeV muon beam energies, providing a highly energetic and highly intense source of electron and muon (anti)neutrinos. We find world-leading sensitivity to the weak couplings at the sub-percent level is possible, with sensitivity to the Standard Model prediction for the neutrino charge radius. Finally, we show that sensitivity to the momentum transfer dependence of $\sin^2\theta_W$ at the $0.01\%$ level, within a single dataset and configuration of the proposed experiment, is possible.
Speaker: Adrian Thompson (Northwestern University)
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137
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Precision Physics at High Intensities: Parallel 5 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Dylan Palo (Fermilab)-
140
Measurement of the muon's anomalous spin precession frequency in the Fermilab Muon g-2 Experiment
The Fermilab Muon g-2 experiment measures the muon's anomalous magnetic moment to a precision of less than 140 parts per billion. The value is proportional to the anomalous spin precession frequency in the presence of a uniform magnetic field, for muons contained within the g-2 storage ring. Spin precession frequency is extracted from the time distribution of the muon's decay positrons recorded by 24 electromagnetic calorimeters positioned around the inner circumference of the storage ring. In this presentation, I will discuss the various approaches to the frequency extraction, including the reconstruction, time distribution fitting, and procedures for handling gain effects and the muon beam's radial oscillations.
Speaker: Scott Israel (Boston University) -
141
Precision Magnetic Field Measurements in Muon g-2
The Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab measures the muon magnetic moment anomaly in order to test a potential discrepancy between the experimental value and the Standard Model prediction. During the experiment, muons traveled through a 15-meter-diameter magnetic storage ring, with the magnetic moment anomaly revealed through the ratio between anomalous muon precession frequency and the strength of the magnetic field in the ring. To achieve the precision goal for the experiment, the ~1.45 Tesla magnetic field needed to be evaluated within 70 parts per billion. The magnetic field was mapped and tracked using nuclear magnetic resonance probes inside and around the ring, with extensive calibration and interpolation studies performed to convert the measured field into the field experienced by the muons. This presentation will provide an overview of the magnetic field measurement and analysis techniques implemented in Muon g-2 to achieve this level of precision.
Speaker: David Kessler (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) -
142
PSI's MuonEDM experiment
The MuonEDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) aims to directly measure the muon's electric dipole moment (EDM), with a sensitivity better than $6\times 10^{-23} e\cdot cm$ in its final phase. Achieving a measurement greater than this sensitivity would indicate new physics, revealing a larger CP violation than the known sources in the standard model.
The experiment utilizes the frozen-spin technique, which allows precise probing of EDM-induced spin precession of stored muons by supressing the one induced by the muon's g-2 term. This methodology targets sensitivities below the previously established upper limit of $1.8\times 10^{-19} e\cdot cm$ (CL 95%), obtained in 2009 at Brookhaven National Laboratory from direct measurements on the muon.
In this presentation, we will detail our experimental design, highlighting the technical developments and the strategies required for achieving the targeted sensitivity.
Speaker: Diego Sanz-Becerra (Paul Scherrer Institut)
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140
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QCD, Hadron Spectroscopy, and Exotics: Parallel 5 Capital View
Capital View
Convener: Marian Stahl (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)-
143
Hadron Spectrosocpy at GlueX
High-energy electrons and photons serve as remarkably clean probes of hadronic matter, providing a microscope for examining the strong nuclear force. One of the most striking phenomena of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the formation of hadrons out of massless gluons and nearly massless quarks. This system of confined quarks and gluons exhibits the characteristic spectra of excited states, which are sensitive to the details of quark confinement. Probing this non-perturbative regime of QCD remains a challenge in hadron spectroscopy. The GlueX experiment in Hall D at Jefferson Lab has accumulated high-statistics samples of photoproduction data off the proton in recent years. In addition to conventional mesons (quark-antiquark) and baryons (three-quark), QCD also predicts so-called hybrid hadrons containing excited glue which contributes to the overall quantum numbers of the hadronic resonance. In particular, hybrid mesons can exhibit quantum numbers that are not possible for a conventional quark-antiquark system. To this end, photoproduction experiments are an important tool in the investigation of the hadron spectra and the way gluons contribute to the hadronic system. The main motivation of the GlueX experiment is to search for and study exotic hybrid mesons and the mapping of the lowest-mass hybrid-meson nonets. But GlueX will also be able to shed more light on the spectrum of strangeness −2 $\Xi$ baryons. Substantial data have also been collected on excited strange baryons (strangeness −1), e.g., for the Λ(1405) and Λ(1520), along with the data for $\Xi$ baryons in an experimental hyperon program. In this talk, I will give an update on recent results from the GlueX experiment at Jefferson Laboratory.
Speaker: Volker Crede (Florida State University (FSU)) -
144
Recent results on hadron spectroscopy from the lattice
The study of the hadron spectrum from first-principles in QCD has been facilitated by performing a numerical calculation of the path integral of the theory. This technique, known as lattice QCD, has some inherent restrictions, e.g. it needs to be performed in a finite Euclidean spacetime. This restriction prevents a direct calculation of real-time dynamics like those associated with scattering processes, a priori limiting its scope to states stable under the strong interactions. I will review state-of-the-art techniques that allow to circumvent these challenges, which have been implemented successfully to study properties of resonant hadronic states. Recent relevant examples will be discussed, like tetraquarks with heavy quark content, and hybrid mesons in the light quark sector.
Speaker: Felipe Ortega Gama (UC Berkeley) -
145
Recent Hadron Spectroscopy Highlights from BESIII
The BESIII experiment in Beijing, China uses e+e- collisions with center-of-mass energies in the 2-5 GeV region to produce and study a wide range of hadron states. The hadron spectroscopy program spans the light quark, open charm, and charmonium sectors. In this talk, I'll discuss recent highlights in both light quark spectroscopy, including studies of mesons with exotic quantum numbers and searches for glueballs, as well as ongoing efforts to make sense of the multitude of heavy charmonium and charmonium-like states discovered above open-charm threshold.
Speaker: Ryan Mitchell -
146
Amplitude analyses in hadron spectroscopy experiments
JPAC has been using amplitude analyses as the basis for hadron spectroscopy. Our efforts have yielded a number of important results and discoveries. In this talk I describe the most recent results from the collaboration, particularly our efforts in understanding the production of conventional and exotic resonances, and the properties of these resonances.
Speaker: Vanamali Shastry (CEEM, IU Bloomington)
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143
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Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion Collisions:: Jets & Electromagnetic Probes Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: Olga Evdokimov (UIC)-
147
Jet Quenching at 25 years
The first signals of jet quenching were reported in January of 2001 at the Quark Matter meeting. From the early observations of the suppression of leading hadrons, the quenching of jets has advanced into a mature and extensive field with scores of observables that address almost every aspect of a modified jet. The theory of jet quenching has also advanced from single parton formalisms to elaborate multi-stage, multi-scale frameworks which include varying scale dependent interactions between the hard partons of the jet and the constituents of the medium. Extensive comparisons between multi-stage event generators and the large amount of data are nowadays carried out using Bayesian analysis and are beginning to reveal constraints on the degrees of freedom of the quark gluon plasma. In this talk we will focus on the state-of-the-art developments in the theory of jet quenching and the exciting new insights that are being obtained.
Speaker: Abhijit Majumder (Wayne State University) -
148
First sPHENIX Measurements
The sPHENIX experiment at RHIC is the newest heavy ion experiment in the world. It consists of several detector technologies such as barrel calorimeters, including hadronic calorimeters covering the mid-rapidity region for the first time at RHIC, and high-resolution streaming-capable tracking detectors. This enables precision measurements of jets and beauty-hadrons, allowing for the completion of the RHIC science mission. sPHENIX concluded its commissioning program in 2024 and has already submitted its first two physics papers for publication using gold-gold collision data collected in October 2024. This talk discusses these results, and further preliminary physics results measured by the sPHENIX collaboration, with an outlook to future measurements and their implications for the heavy ion community.
Speaker: Cameron Dean (MIT) -
149
Experimental Overview of EM Probes in Heavy Ion Collisions
Dileptons and photons, emitted throughout the evolution of the hot and dense QCD medium in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, serve as an effective probe due to their minimal strong interactions. Precise measurements of the dilepton mass continuum and the direct photon transverse momentum spectrum uniquely enable the extraction of critical medium properties, notably the temperature at various evolution stages. Additionally, since the thermal emission rates are proportional to the medium’s electromagnetic spectral function, integrated dilepton and photon yields provide valuable insights into the microscopic interaction mechanisms between the electromagnetic current and the QCD medium. In this talk, I will present a concise overview of the EM probes, highlight recent key experimental results, and discuss prospects for future investigations.
Speaker: Chenliang Jin (Rice University)
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147
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Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak Interaction: Parallel 5: Joint Symmetries-EW/HF-CKM Old Madison
Old Madison
Convener: Fred Wietfeldt (Tulane University)-
150
Nab (Neutron a and b): A High Precision Free Neutron Beta Decay Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source
The Nab experiment, currently taking data on the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline at the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source, uses an unpolarized neutron beam to precisely measure two of the free neutron beta decay correlation parameters to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. The electron-neutrino correlation coefficient, a, will give us access to investigate CKM unitarity, and the Fierz interference term, b, will enable us to put bounds on the existence of scalar and tensor currents in the weak interaction. The Nab experiment uses two highly-pixelated, large-area silicon detectors at either end of a 7 m tall magnetic spectrometer to measure the electron energy and the proton time of flight, which can be used to construct nearly the full phase space of neutron decay, and make determinations of a and b.
Speaker: Love Richburg -
151
The PNab Experiment: Angular Correlation Measurements with Polarized Neutrons
The primary goal of the PNab experiment is to provide a high precision value for the axial coupling constant, gA, in neutron decay through measurement of angular correlations in the decay of polarized neutrons. The precision goal for the axial coupling constant is roughly the 0.02% for PNab, about a factor of two more precise than the highest precision measurements to date. A measurement at this precision will provide a new standard for the axial coupling constant and should set the stage for improved tests of CKM unitarity involving up quarks. The PNab experiment is conceived as a follow-up for the Nab experiment, currently taking data at the Spallation Neutron Source sited at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. PNab will utilize the same spectrometer and detector systems as Nab, permitting a leveraging of the extensive, high precision characterization of these systems for the Nab experiment. For PNab, the use of polarized neutrons provides an important tool to control and suppress some sources of systematic uncertainty. A more complete summary of the science goals and the possible schedule for this proposed experiment will be presented, focusing on the advantages of measuring spin-polarized samples.
Speaker: Albert Young (North Carolina State University/Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory) -
152
Ab initio Nuclear Structure Calculations for Improving Limits on Tensor Currents in the Weak interaction
The electroweak interaction in the Standard Model is described by a pure vector–axial-vector structure, though other Lorentz-invariant terms could also contribute. Recent high-precision measurements of beta decays in 8Li and 8B have imposed stringent constraints on the potential contributions from Lorentz-invariant tensor currents in weak interactions. One of the significant sources of uncertainty in these low-energy measurements arises from higher-order nuclear beta decay terms, referred to as recoil-order terms, which become non-negligible in such high-precision experiments. In this talk, I will discuss how precise calculations of these higher-order corrections, using modern ab initio approaches, help distinguish between new physics and conventional nuclear effects. I will review some of the key results from the recent measurements of BSM tensor currents in the weak interaction and present the impact of theoretical calculations on reducing some of the leading uncertainties in these experiments.
Speaker: Grigor Sargsyan (Michigan State University)
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150
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3:30 PM
Coffee Break
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Cosmic Physics and Dark Energy, Inflation, and Strong-Field Gravity: Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Mathew Madhavacheril (University of Pennsylvania)-
153
Cosmological Parameter Inference with Machine Learning - Recent Results and Challenges
In this talk will review the status of AI inference methods that aim to tighten measurements of fundamental physics from cosmological survey data. I will discuss the promises of these methods as well as their challenges, in particular with respect to systematic errors in simulations. I will then show our recent work on AI for squeezed limit observables, where robustness to systematics is more easily achievable.
Speaker: Moritz Muenchmeyer (University of Wisconsin-Madison) -
154
Cosmological tests of the nature of dark matter
The fundamental nature of dark matter (DM) so far eludes direct detection experiments, but it has left its imprint in the cosmic large-scale structure. Extracting this information requires accurate modelling of structure formation for different dark matter theories (e.g., axions, interacting DM), careful handling of astrophysical uncertainties and consistent observations in independent cosmological probes. I will review a multi-scale, multi-epoch test of the nature of dark matter combining observations of the cosmic microwave background, galaxy clustering (redshift z < 2), the Lyman-alpha forest (2 < z < 5) and the high-redshift (z > 5) galaxy UV luminosity function from the Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes. I will discuss whether novel dark matter physics improves consistency between cosmic probes in light of claimed parameter tensions under the standard model. I will present prospects for disentangling the nature of dark matter in observations of the galaxy and Milky Way sub-structure distributions in the transformative Vera Rubin Observatory.
Speaker: Keir Rogers (Imperial College London) -
155
CMB Emulators and their application for beyond LCDM models
Machine Learning Emulators have been widely applied to accelerate cosmological analyses. We develop reliable Transformer architecture models (and some other models) for CMB power spectra in the range of ell=2-5000 within LCDM model, to a precision well bounded by cosmic variance limit. Through improvement in the choice of architecture, activation functions, loss functions, pre-processing of data vectors and sampling methods, we extend both the multipole range and parameter space area of CMB PS emulation. For the freedom of exploring beyond LCDM models in the future, we trained our emulators in a gigantic prior so that we can transfer train our model for extended models and let the users be able to explore the parameter space. We are working on some applications of our models and may be able to demonstrate some results.
Speaker: Yijie Zhu (Stony Brook University) -
156
Cosmological Constant and Condensates
We investigate the origin of the cosmological constant, which plays a crucial role in the accelerated expansion of the Universe. One salient and intriguing property of the cosmological constant is that the associated pressure is the negative of its energy density. By analyzing the energy-momentum tensor form factors of hadrons, we find that the QCD trace anomaly balances the pressure from quarks and gluons, thereby playing a key role in hadron confinement. This anomaly originates from the gluon and quark condensates in the vacuum and exhibits the same pressure-energy density relation as the cosmological constant. A similar phenomenon is observed in type II superconductors, where the same pressure-energy density relation arises from the unpairing of Cooper pairs in the vortex core.
In view of these analogies, it is suggested that the cosmological constant could arise from the trace anomaly of a vacuum condensate resulting from the spontaneous breaking of diffeomorphism or conformal symmetry in gravity.Speaker: Keh-Fei Liu (University of Kentucky)
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153
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 6 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Matheus Hostert (Harvard University)-
157
The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE)
The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) is a 26-ton gadolinium-doped water Cherenkov detector located on the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. Its primary goal is to measure neutron yields from neutrino-nucleus interactions as a function of lepton kinematics, thereby advancing our understanding of neutrino interactions and reducing systematic uncertainties in neutrino experiments. ANNIE also serves as a test bed for novel detector technologies, including the Large Area Picosecond Photodetector (LAPPD), which provides sub-100 picosecond timing and high spatial resolution for light detection. ANNIE has achieved the first successful detection of muon neutrino interactions using LAPPDs, demonstrating their promise for precision event reconstruction in neutrino physics. In addition, the experiment has conducted the first tests of Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS) as a novel detection medium. This talk will present the current status of the experiment, highlight LAPPD-based event reconstruction techniques, and share preliminary results from the recent analysis of neutrino data.
Speaker: Dr Jingbo Wang (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology) -
158
On the road to a broad program of neutrino physics with Theia
Theia is a proposed large-scale neutrino detector that would use both Cherenkov and scintillation signals in order to enable a rich program of fundamental physics. The baseline design consists of a tank filled with a novel scintillator and fast, spectrally-sensitive photon detectors in order to leverage both the direction resolution of the Cherenkov signal and the remarkable energy resolution and low detection threshold of a scintillator detector. This talk will present the breadth of the Theia physics program, from low-energy neutrino physics, such as solar, geo, supernova burst, diffuse supernova, and a high-sensitivity search for neutrinoless double-beta decay, as well as measurements of $\delta_{CP}$ and the neutrino mass ordering using high-energy neutrinos from the LBNF neutrino beam if located at SURF. The talk will also present the status of the technology demonstrator program underway to extrapolate the performance of the technologies and enhanced reconstruction techniques to a large-scale detector like Theia.
Cheers,
Speaker: Logan Lebanowski (University of California, Berkeley) -
159
JUNO Status and Prospects
The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a 20 kton underground liquid scintillator detector currently under commissioning 650m underground in China. JUNO features a rich physics portfolio with neutrinos from many sources including nuclear reactors, supernovae, cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere, the Sun, and the Earth. The primary neutrino target consists of a 35.4 m diameter acrylic sphere filled with liquid scintillator surrounded by 17,612 20" photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and 25,600 3" PMTs providing over 77% photo-coverage. This detector is designed to reach an unprecedented energy resolution of 3% at 1 MeV. Among its primary physics goals is the determination of the neutrino mass ordering, which it will do to about 3 sigma significance in 6 years of data taking, as well as the measurement of 3 oscillation parameters with sub-percent precision. This presentation will provide a broad overview of the status and prospects of the experiment, including updated sensitivity estimates across our physics program.
Speaker: Roberto Mandujano (University of California Irvine) -
160
Decoherence in neutrino oscillation
As all observable effects of mixed quantum states, the coherence of neutrino oscillation is expected to be lost at some stage. Up to now, due to its unique property, observed neutrinos can either be classified to be in full coherence or full decoherence. However, as the precision of neutrino oscillation experiments increases, a fully coherent description would become insufficient at some point, and a door to effects in the quantum regime through decoherence signatures may open up. In this talk, I will present a generic structure for decoherence effects in neutrino oscillations by combining the concept of open quantum system and quantum field theory. Finally, I will show how quantum effects, as well as classical uncertainties, would affect the oscillation pattern.
Speaker: Ting Cheng (Fermilab)
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157
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Nuclear Forces and Structure, NN Correlations, and Medium Effects: Parallel 6 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Ronen Weiss-
161
Connecting nuclear electromagnetic observables to astrophysics
Nuclear electromagnetic observables, such as electric dipole polarizabilities, provide a key link between nuclear structure and astrophysics. In fact, they strongly correlate with parameters determining the nuclear matter equation of state, while offering insight at the same time on the collective excitations of the nucleus at low energy.
Computing these observables is challenging, as they require a precise treatment of both bound and continuum excited states of the nucleus. Thanks to advances in many-body theory and high-performance computing, we can now investigate these quantities from first principles in heavier nuclei and with increasing precision, allowing for reliable uncertainty estimates.
In this talk, I will present recent ab initio calculations of the electric dipole polarizability, focusing on nuclei at closed shells and in their vicinity, and I will discuss how artificial neural networks can be leveraged to estimate this observable across the nuclear chart and extract key information about nuclear matter. I will also introduce new developments enabling the description of electromagnetic responses in a time-dependent framework.
Speaker: Francesca Bonaiti (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams and Oak Ridge National Laboratory) -
162
Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of lepton-nucleus scattering
Assessing the effect of nuclear and hadronic uncertainty on the interpretation of experimental data is of fundamental importance for electron and neutrino experiments.
Traditionally, Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of lepton-nucleus scattering have been limited to inclusive processes, and are usually limited to A<=12 systems.
I will discuss the short time approximation, a factorization scheme that can extend the reach of first-principle many-body QMC calculations while consistently retaining two-body physics, both in two-body currents and correlations. I will present calculations of electromagnetic response densities and functions in the quasielastic regime, along with the corresponding cross sections, and discuss recent progress in the inclusion of relativistic effects.Speaker: Lorenzo Andreoli (ODU / JLab) -
163
Noise-resilient quantum algorithms for nuclear shell-model simulations
Quantum computing offers a promising path forward for tackling the exponential complexity of nuclear shell-model calculations, which lie at the heart of understanding nuclear structure. As classical approaches face scaling limits, especially for mid-mass and heavy nuclei, the development of resource-efficient and noise-resilient quantum algorithms has become an important focus within nuclear theory. In this talk, I will present recent progress in designing quantum circuits and hybrid algorithms suitable for noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices. Focusing on light nuclei such as 6Li and 38Ar, I will show how ground and excited state energies can be accurately extracted using adaptive variational algorithms, optimized ansatze, and Gray code-based encodings. I will also discuss the role of error mitigation techniques in enhancing reliability under realistic device conditions. These results illustrate how carefully designed quantum protocols can push the boundaries of current simulations, and pave the way for more scalable applications of quantum computing in nuclear many-body physics.
This work was partly performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Speaker: Pooja Siwach -
164
The velocity renormalization group and radiative corrections in light nuclei
A variety of low-energy, high-precision experiments such as atomic spectroscopy and lepton scattering are used to test the electroweak structure of light nuclei. The theory support for these experiments is often rooted in modern effective field theory (EFT) techniques. However, it is necessary to include the effects of radiative corrections at the precision relevant for many experiments, which comes with new challenges that have previously been unaddressed in the nuclear EFT paradigm. In this talk, we outline a consistent treatment of radiative corrections in pionless EFT using the velocity renormalization group originally developed in the context of nonrelativistc quantum chromodynamics. We present renormalization group improved calculations of the deuteron charge form factor and radiative capture process $np \to d \gamma$, which are relevant for charge radius extractions and Big Bang nucleosynthesis, respectively. We also discuss how to include pions in the proposed framework.
Speaker: Thomas Richardson (University of California, Berkeley)
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161
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Nuclear Structure for Neutrinos and Astrophysics: Parallel 6 Langdon
Langdon
Convener: Anna McCoy (Argonne National Lab)-
165
Ab Initio Calculations on Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay
Neutrinoless double-beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay is a hypothetical weak-interaction process in which two nucleons inside an atomic nucleus $\beta$-decay simultaneously without emitting (anti-)neutrinos. Since the $\beta$ particles are emitted without accompanying antiparticles, the process violates lepton-number conservation and requires that neutrinos are Majorana particles, hence providing unique vistas in the physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The potential to discover new physics drives ambitious experimental searches around the world. However, extracting interesting physics from the experiments relies on nuclear-theory predictions, which remain a major obstacle.
I will talk about recent advances in ab initio calculations of $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay. Since most of the $\beta\beta$-decay candidates are medium-heavy or heavy nuclei, until very recently the candidates have been out of reach of the ab initio nuclear many-body methods and the theory predictions have relied on phenomenological approaches, which tend to disagree with each other. However, with recent advances in nuclear theory, these nuclei are now becoming accessible by ab initio methods. This, combined with recent developments in an effective-field-theory approach to $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay has opened up a path towards consistent ab initio predictions for the as yet hypothetical decay.
Speaker: Lotta Jokiniemi (TU Darmstadt) -
166
A novel simplification of tensor interactions unlocks new paths in dark matter, flavor violation, neutrino scattering, and β-decays
Nuclear matrix elements play a crucial role in linking theory with various beyond the Standard Model (BSM) search experiments, including those related to dark matter, neutrino interactions, and β-decays. However, theoretical efforts have primarily focused on scalar and vector interactions, leaving tensor couplings comparatively underexplored due to their inherent complexity. In this talk, I will introduce a novel approach for decomposing fermionic tensor interactions, which greatly alleviates long-standing issues and facilitates the systematic construction of tensor currents and nuclear matrix elements. I will illustrate how this method addresses gaps in lepton flavor violation, neutrino-nucleus scattering, and direct dark matter detection, revealing previously inaccessible contributions and introducing new effective operators pertinent to muon-to-electron conversion. Furthermore, I will demonstrate how this approach exposes internal symmetry structures within tensor weak interactions, resulting in BSM operators and matrix elements proportional to the known Standard Model ones, streamlining nuclear structure calculations, and revealing enhanced sensitivity to exotic interactions in forbidden β-decays, now driving experiments in the US and internationally.
Speaker: Ayala Glick-Magid (Institute for Nuclear Theory & University of Washington) -
167
Determining the leading-order contact term induced by sterile neutrinos in neutrinoless double β decay
Sterile neutrinos are present in multiple extensions to the Standard Model and participate in neutrino mass mechanisms, from simple type-I seesaw models to UV complete theories like left-right symmetry. In total analogy to the case of light neutrinos, the neutrinoless double β decay amplitude induced by the exchange of sterile neutrinos requires the introduction of a leading-order, short-range operator. Knowing this contribution is essential to correctly interpret positive experimental results in light of disentangling the underlying physical mechanism. In the absence of any data from experiments or lattice QCD, we present a method to determine the low-energy constant associated with this contract term.
Speaker: Sebastián Urrutia Quiroga (INT, University of Washington) -
168
Superallowed beta decays in effective field theory
Testing the Standard Model (SM) prediction of unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix in principle allows us to probe beyond- the-SM physics to very high energy scales. However, making the most out of these very precise measurements requires controlling theory predictions at a similar level of accuracy. In this talk, I will focus on the SM prediction for the nuclear beta decays that determine the up-down CKM element, one of the inputs to the unitarity test. I will outline how a framework based on effective field theory methods can pave the way towards well-controlled uncertainties, paying particular attention to the derivation of hadronic interactions at low energies and the required nuclear matrix elements.
Speaker: Wouter Dekens (INT, University of Washington)
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165
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Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion Collisions:: Heavy Flavor & Quarkonia Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: Abhijit Majumder (Wayne State University)-
169
Recent Quarkonia Results from LHC Heavy-Ions
Quarkonium serves as a powerful probe for studying the formation and properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). In heavy-ion collisions, its production is influenced by an interplay of different effects, including dissociation in the hot medium, recombination of heavy quarks within the QGP, and cold nuclear matter effects arising from the presence of the nuclear environment. Examining quarkonia production across various collision systems - proton-proton, proton-nucleus, and nucleus-nucleus - and at different beam energies enables a detailed investigation of these effects and provides deeper insights into the properties of the QGP. This contribution presents a summary of key experimental results on quarkonia production, with particular focus on the latest findings from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments.
Speaker: Shirsendu Nanda (University of Illinois at Chicago) -
170
Recent RHIC measurements on quarkonium production and suppression
Quarkonia measurements in heavy ion collisions are ideal probes of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). Their production will be suppressed due to static and dynamical dissociation in the hot and dense medium, which has been suggested as a signature of the formation of the QGP. Besides the dissociation effects, there are other mechanisms, such as the regeneration effect and the cold nuclear effects, which could affect the their yields in heavy-ion collisions.
In this talk, we will present recent measurements of quarkonium production and suppression at RHIC, including collision energy and system size dependence of quarkonia yield in heavy-ion collisions, sequential suppression of quarkonia at RHIC, J/$\psi$ polarization and spin alignment in heavy-ion collisions, as well as J/$\psi$ energy correlator and photon-induced production at RHIC. Physics implications of these results will also be discussed.
Speaker: Kaifeng Shen (University of Science and Technology of China) -
171
Overview of the Open Heavy Flavor measurements from Heavy Ion Collisions at the LHC
Open heavy-flavor hadrons, encompassing charm or bottom quarks, serve as crucial probes for examining the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in high-energy heavy-ion collisions at LHC. Owing to their large masses and early production in the collision timeline, heavy quarks traverse the medium and retain information about its evolution and transport properties.
The presentation includes measurements of differential cross sections and nuclear modification factors ($R_{AA}$) of D and B mesons and the $\Lambda_c$ baryon at roughly 5 TeV, alongside the first measurement of $\Lambda_c$-flow. These results offer a significant understanding of heavy quark interaction with the QGP medium. Furthermore, by employing event-shape engineering (ESE) to $D^0$ meson elliptic flow, we studied the influence of initial-state eccentricity on the charm-hadron $v_2$, constraining the degree to which heavy quarks participate in the collective expansion of the medium. These measurements provide direct insight into how initial-stage geometric fluctuations shape final-state heavy-flavor flow patterns and the understanding of the emergence of collectivity and the transport properties of charm quarks in the QGP. Analyzing the $R_{AA}$ and the baryon-to-meson ratio for charmed hadrons provides vital perspectives into charm-quark energy dissipation mechanisms and hadron formation processes in the QGP. These measurements offer crucial constraints to theoretical models in incorporating collisional and radiative energy loss and hadronization via fragmentation and coalescence.
Speaker: Soumik Chandra
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169
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Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak Interaction: Parallel 6 Capital View
Capital View
Convener: Jason fry (Eastern Kentucky University)-
172
The Fermi Function, Factorization and the Neutron’s Lifetime
The neutron lifetime is a precision observable of the Standard Model probing the CKM matrix element |V_{ud}| and beyond the Standard Model physics. For nuclear beta decay, in the region of small electron velocity or the limit of large nuclear charge Z, a Fermi function is used to account for enhanced perturbative effects. In this talk, I will present the derivation of the quantum field theoretic analog of the Fermi function valid for neutron beta decay in which neither of the aforementioned limits apply. This QFT analog is related to renormalization group effects of objects occurring in the context of a factorization formula valid in the limit of small electron mass. I will introduce this factorization formula and present results through two-loop order. The main phenomenological results are two-loop input to the long-distance corrections to neutron beta decay and an accompanying calculation of |V_{ud}|.
Speaker: Peter Vander Griend (University of Kentucky and Fermilab) -
173
Latest neutron lifetime measurement using magneto-gravitational trap
The magneto-gravitational trap at Los Alamos National Laboratory traps Ultracold Neutrons (UCN) for various holding periods. The free neutron lifetime is measured by detecting the UCN surviving beta decay at the end of each holding period in the trap. The experiment has yielded the world’s most precise neutron lifetime of 877.75 ± 0.28$_{stat}$ + 0.22 – 0.16$_{sys}$ s without the large systematic corrections necessary in previous UCN storage experiments.
There are several implications of the high precision of the neutron lifetime. One is to check the self-consistency of the Standard Model. These tests are done by extracting the up-down quark-mixing matrix element (V$_{ud}$) of the Cabibo-Cobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) rotation matrix. By estimating V$_{ud}$ from neutron decay, a test for the unitarity of the top row of the CKM matrix can be done. At present, the most precise determination of V$_{ud}$ is from nuclear beta decay, which is in 3-$\sigma$ tension with unity. However, V$_{ud}$ can be determined solely from neutron beta decay without the determination of any nuclear structure effects. To determine V$_{ud}$ from neutron beta decay, a precise neutron lifetime and neutron axial charge (g$_{A}$) are needed.
In this contribution, the final results from the UCN$\tau$ experiment will be presented, and an upgrade underway to achieve the next level of precision from the technique will be discussed.
Speaker: Maninder Singh (Los Alamos National Laboratory) -
174
The BL3 Beam Neutron Lifetime Experiment
BL3 is a next-generation beam neutron lifetime experiment with the intent to 1) explore, cross check, and reduce all systematic uncertainties in the beam method to the 10-4 level; and 2) reduce the neutron lifetime uncertainty from the beam method to <0.3 s. The project received funding in 2022 and subsystems are now being developed and constructed. The apparatus will be integrated offline in 2026 and will run at the NIST Center for Neutron Research after the facility returns to operation, expected in 2027. BL3 will employ a larger magnet and proton trap, larger neutron beam, and segmented silicon detector to increase the proton trapping rate by a factor of 100 compared to the previous experiment. The motivation, description, and a status report on the experiment will be presented.
Speaker: Fred Wietfeldt (Tulane University) -
175
Unique forbidden beta decays at zero momentum transfer
Unique forbidden β-decays have recently emerged as powerful probes of physics beyond the Standard Model, providing increased sensitivity to exotic weak interactions and right-handed couplings, and are now the focus of growing experimental efforts in the US and internationally. In this talk, I will present our recent study revealing that radiative corrections enable unique forbidden decays at vanishing nuclear recoil momentum, which were forbidden at tree level, leading to a dramatic change in the decay spectrum that was not anticipated in existing studies. I will discuss the implications for precision tests of the Standard Model and highlight the new opportunities this presents for probing light new physics, which is inaccessible in allowed decays, opening up a new regime of BSM physics within precision β-decay searches.
Speaker: Ayala Glick-Magid (Institute for Nuclear Theory & University of Washington)
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172
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5:30 PM
Break
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 10 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Austin Schneider (Los Alamos National Laboratory)-
176
Testing New Physics at CEvNS Experiments
The experimental observation of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS) has opened a new window on Beyond Standard Model physics. In this talk, I'll review the current state of the observational landscape, its near-term future, and the new physics scenarios that can be probed including light dark matter and BSM neutrino interactions.
Speaker: Ian Shoemaker (Virginia Tech) -
177
Status and latest results from CONNIE with a skipper-CCD detector
The Coherent Neutrino-Nucleus Interaction Experiment (CONNIE) uses silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to search for the coherent elastic scattering of reactor antineutrinos off nuclei, and to explore new physics. CONNIE is located 30 meters from the core of the 3.8 GW Angra-2 nuclear reactor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Between 2016 and 2020, CONNIE operated with a ~40-gram CCD detector, setting limits on CEνNS and competitive constraints on non-standard neutrino interactions with light mediators. In 2021, the experiment was upgraded with skipper-CCDs, a next-generation CCD technology capable of detecting individual electrons via non-destructive pixel readout. This upgrade enabled CONNIE to achieve an unprecedented energy threshold of 15 eV. Results from the 2021-2022 run, conducted with a 0.5-gram skipper-CCD detector, established new limits on CEνNS and non-standard neutrino interactions with light vector mediators. Additionally, two novel searches were conducted using data from this run: 1) a dark matter (DM) search via diurnal modulation, leading to constraints on DM-electron scattering, and 2) a search for reactor-produced millicharged particles (mCPs), setting world-leading limits on the charge of mCPs for masses between 1 eV and 10 MeV. These results demonstrate the scientific potential of the skipper-CCD technology, motivating efforts to increase detector mass and enhance sensitivity. As a first step, the detector was upgraded in 2024 to an 8-gram Multi-Chip-Module (MCM) containing 16 skipper-CCDs. In this talk, I will discuss the results from the CONNIE skipper-CCD run, present the progress on the MCM commissioning, and outline the future plans for CONNIE.
Speaker: Brenda Aurea Cervantes Vergara (Fermilab) -
178
Status of the Scintillating Bubble Chamber Liquid Argon 10 kg (SBC-LAr10) Detector, and Future Neutrino Physics Prospects
The Scintillating Bubble Chamber (SBC) collaboration is developing liquid noble bubble chambers as a technology for the detection of low energy (sub-keV) nuclear recoils. Identifying recoils at this energy would enable searches for light (~GeV) dark matter, as well as the observation of coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering (CEvNS) at low neutrino energy (such as from a reactor source). The SBC-LAr10 detector at Fermilab, currently building towards its first physics run, will measure how a liquid argon bubble chamber responds to low energy nuclear recoils. These measurements will determine the precise energy threshold, resolution, and background rejection characteristics of the technology, answering questions that will enable its application to neutrino and dark matter physics. In this talk, I will introduce our progress towards operating the detector at Fermilab. I will discuss the program of measurements to be made at Fermilab. In addition to the detector physics, SBC-LAr10 has the potential to perform its own dark matter search, as well as observe GeV-scale neutrino-nucleus interactions in the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam. Finally, I will highlight future prospects for making measurements of low energy neutrinos through CEvNS with the large detector volumes that scintillating bubble chambers have the potential to scale to.
Speaker: Gray Putnam (Fermilab) -
179
Search for Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering with the Ricochet Experiment
Since its discovery in 2017, interest in Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus
Scattering (CENNS) has rapidly increased. The precise measurement of CENNS
energy spectrum and cross section opens the possibility of exploring physics
beyond the Standard Model and plays a crucial role in constraining the
background for next-generation dark matter experiments.
Cryogenic detectors are particularly well-suited for observing CENNS due to their
exceptional sensitivity, which allows for the detection of particle interactions at very
low energy thresholds. With this motivation, the RICOCHET experiment aims to
perform a precision measurement of the CENNS spectrum by detecting neutrinos
emitted from the nuclear reactor at the Institut Laue–Langevin in France.
The experiment plans to employ an array of cryogenic thermal detectors using
different technologies: germanium ionization and phonon detectors using Neutron
Transmutation Doped (NTD) thermometers, and superconductor-based detectors
using Transition Edge Sensor (TES) thermometers. In this talk, I will present an
overview of the RICOCHET experiment and discuss its most recent results.Speaker: Emanuela Celi (Northwestern University)
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176
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Parton and Gluon Distributions in Nucleons and Nuclei: Parallel 10 Old Madison
Old Madison
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Precision Physics at High Intensities: Parallel 10 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Allison Zec (University of New Hampshire)-
180
Simultaneous Measurement of Electron- and Muon-Proton Elastic Scattering with the MUSE Experiment at PSI
The most precise measurements of the mean charge radius of the proton use muonic hydrogen spectroscopy. The significant disagreement between these measurements and earlier atomic hydrogen spectroscopy and electron-proton elastic scattering data is known as the "proton radius puzzle". More recent electronic measurements have produced a range of results, but with poor consistency, far exceeding what should be expected given the claimed uncertainties.
The MUon proton Scattering Experiment (MUSE) at the Paul Scherrer Institute is the only experiment to measure this radius simultaneously using muon- and electron-proton elastic scattering. Data are being taken for both charge states of the incoming leptons. The experiment will cover a four-momentum-transfer range from 0.002 to 0.08 GeV2. These data will be used to study possible differences between electron and muon interactions, to measure two-photon exchange effects which are needed to determine the radius, and to extract the proton charge radius.
This work is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
Speaker: Paul Reimer (Argonne National Laboratory) -
181
Current status of precise measurement of muonium hyperfine structure in high magnetic field at J-PARC MUSE
Muonium is a pure leptonic binary system consisting of a positive muon and an electron, and its level structure can be calculated with high precision. The Muonium Spectroscopy Experiment Using Microwave (MuSEUM) experiment aims to verify the quantum electromagnetic dynamics theory and determine the positive muon magnetic moment and mass by precise measurements of the ground-state hyperfine structure of muonium. There are two methods to measure the hyperfine structure of muonium: Spectroscopy of the energy level differences at zero magnetic field and those between Zeeman splitting sublevels in high magnetic field. Hyperfine structure of muonium can be determined in both methods and the muon-proton magnetic moment ratio can be determined from the two transition frequencies between two pairs of sublevels measured in high magnetic field and the proton NMR frequency, which is proportional to the magnetic field. The most precise value of the hyperfine structure of muonium was determined from high field experiment at LAMPF, an accelerator facility in Los Alamos, in 1999 [1]. We aim to improve the precision of the hyperfine structure of muonium by an order of magnitude using the high-intensity pulsed muon beam at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) in 1 MW operation. The zero field experiment at J-PARC MLF MUSE D-Line was completed with a precision of 160 ppb in 2017 [2, 3], and the first high field measurement under 100 kW operation was performed at MUSE H-Line, the new high intensity beamline, from February to March this year. We plan to conduct long-time measurements aiming at updating the precision of the previous study with more reduced systematic uncertainty by precisely controlling the magnetic field, temperature, and so on from November of this year. This talk will report on the current state of preparation including the latest results.
References
[1] W. Liu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 711-714 (1999).
[2] S. Kanda et al., Phys. Lett. B 815, 136154 (2021).
[3] S. Nishimura et al., Phys. Rev. A 104, L020801 (2021).Speaker: Takayuki Yamazaki (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)) -
182
X-Ray Spectroscopy of Light Muonic Atoms
This contribution presents the latest experimental results from the QUARTET collaboration on high-resolution muonic lithium spectroscopy, aiming for the precise determination of nuclear charge radii for lithium isotopes. Precise measurements of absolute nuclear charge radii are a crucial ingredient for precision QED tests and serve as ideal benchmarks for modern nuclear structure theory [1]. Muonic atom spectroscopy is a well-established method to accurately determine the root-mean-square (RMS) radii of nuclear charge density distributions and has already delivered the most accurate results for very light (Z < 3) as well as heavier nuclei (Z > 10) [2]. However, a gap remains for muonic atoms from lithium to neon due to technological limitations in the relevant energy range (~20–200 keV) based on the lack of resolving power of conventional solid-state detectors.
To address this gap, the QUARTET collaboration employs cryogenic metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs) that combine broadband spectral coverage with record resolving power. In October 2024, the first experimental campaign at the Paul Scherrer Institute demonstrated the feasibility of this approach and showed the first high-resolution spectra of muonic lithium, beryllium, and boron, resolving the 2p-1s transitions of the individual stable isotopes. These results mark a significant step forward in bridging the low-Z charge radius gap and offer promising prospects for future precision measurements [3]. This talk will shed light on the ongoing analysis and showcase the preliminary results of the muonic lithium measurements.References:
[1] Karshenboim, S. G. (2005). Precision physics of simple atoms: QED tests, nuclear structure, and fundamental constants. Physics Reports, 422(1–2), 1–63.
[2] Fricke, G., Heilig, K., & Schopper, H. F. (2004). Nuclear charge radii (Vol. 454). Berlin: Springer.
[3] Ohayon, B.; Abeln, A.; Bara, S.; Cocolios, T.; Eizenberg, O.; Fleischmann, A.; Gastaldo, L.; Godinho, C.; Heines, M.; Hengstler, D.; Hupin, G.; Indelicato, P.; Kirch, K.; Knecht, A.; Kreuzberger, D.; Machado, J.; Navratil, P.; Paul, N.; Pohl, R.; Unger, D.; Vogiatzi, S.; Schoeler, K.; Wauters, F. Towards Precision Muonic X-ray Measurements of Charge Radii of Light Nuclei. Physics 2024, 6(1), 206–215.Speaker: Katharina von Schoeler (ETH Zürich)
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180
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QCD, Hadron Spectroscopy, and Exotics: Parallel 10 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Marian Stahl (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)-
183
Charged Pion Polarizability at Jefferson Lab
The Charged Pion Polarizability (CPP) experiment at Jefferson Lab is a precision measurement of the pion electromagnetic polarizability using the GlueX detector. The electromagnetic polarizability is a fundamental property of particles that measures the rigidity of a system to deformation from electromagnetic forces. Cross sections for $\gamma \gamma \to \pi^+ \pi^-$ and the pion electromagnetic polarizability will be extracted from measurements of Primakoff photo-production of pion pairs on a lead target at 6 GeV incident photon energy. A muon detection system was added on to the GlueX setup to identify and reject muon pairs. In addition to providing a stringent test of low-energy Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) models, the CPP experiment seeks to validate previous experimental results on pion polarizability.
Speaker: Albert Fabrizi -
184
Accessing Spin-1 Structure Functions and TMDs of the Deuteron
The deuteron, a weakly bound spin-1 nucleus, exhibits a tensor-polarized structure that provides unique access to quark and gluon distributions within light nuclear systems, distributions that cannot be simply inferred from the individual proton and neutron.
Experimental data on this tensor system remain limited, and measurements that could fully reveal the 3D structure of the deuteron are still lacking. In this talk, we will explore a new experimental program aimed at studying the Transverse Momentum Distributions (TMDs) of this spin-1 system, which has the potential to unlock new and fascinating insights into the parton structure of light nuclei.Speaker: Nathaly Santiesteban (University of New Hampshire) -
185
Nuclear Calculations for Neutrino-Nucleus and Dark Matter-Nucleus Scattering
Today, physicists build massive detectors to capture the faintest recoils of nuclei colliding with neutrinos and dark matter (DM). These experiments aim to enable high-precision tests of the Standard Model and to searches for physics Beyond the Standard Model. To meaningfully interpret such searches, accurate theoretical predictions of neutrino-nucleus and DM-nucleus cross sections are needed. However, these cross sections carry significant uncertainties, primarily because the nucleus is a complex many-body system composed of protons and neutrons held together by the strong force in a nonperturbative regime.
Recent advancements in nuclear theory have made substantial progress in calculating nuclear properties and their responses to external electroweak probes. In particular, the use of chiral effective field theory in combination with modern computational tools, often referred to as the ab initio approach, provides the greatest promise for quantifying and reducing nuclear uncertainties. In this talk, I will first present an overview of nuclear response calculations for neutrino-nucleus and DM-nucleus elastic and inelastic scattering. I will then focus on recent progress in ab initio nuclear calculations that are advancing this frontier.
Speaker: Baishan Hu (Texas A&M University)
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183
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Plenary: Plenary 7 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Ed Kearns (Boston University)
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186
Modern Neutrino Oscillation Theory
I will review where we are today with the three-flavor neutrino oscillation physics. I will then discuss the techniques to get at the remaining unknowns in neutrino oscillations: the atmospheric mass ordering, the octant of theta23, and the amount of CP violation. This requires combining the right aspects of the right data sets and understanding the complicated dance of neutrino oscillations across many orders of magnitude of both energy and distances. I will also highlight degeneracies both in the standard picture and in new physics scenarios and provide hints as to how to address them in the future.
Speaker: Peter Denton -
187
Ultra-peripheral collisions: the energy frontier for photon physics
Ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) are photon-mediated collisions between relativistic heavy ions, including photonuclear and two-photon reactions. They are the energy frontier for photonic interactions, with the gamma-p center of mass energies exceeding 5 TeV in proton-proton collisions, and per-nucleon center of mass energies above 700 GeV in gamma-lead collisions. After introducing UPCs, I will give an overview of recent UPC results, with an emphasis in three areas: the low-x partonic structure of heavy nuclei, Searches for Beyond Standard Model particles such as axions, and gamma-A collisions as a `small system’ to study hadronization. I will conclude with some thoughts about the future, including the relationship with the U. S. electron-ion collider.
Speaker: Dr Spencer Klein (LBNL) -
188
UHECR production in binary neutron star mergers: evidence and predictions
I will briefly review key observational evidence constraining the sources and properties of UHECRs, and show that it points to BNS mergers as the source. The main topic of the talk is predicting the spectrum and composition of UHECRs in the BNS merger scenario, which is possible to do in unprecedented specificity thanks to the source-to-source similarity of the ejecta. I use the high-resolution neutrino-GRMHD simulation of Kiuchi et al (2023) to initialize the B field, then follow its expansion. The highest rigidity UHECRs (R==E/Z) are produced where magnetic acceleration out-competes synchrotron loss; this enables prediction of the peak energy for each nucleus (Z,A), in good agreement with data. I note a possible secondary, higher energy p or He contribution from jet acceleration and discuss how nuclear physics will play a critical role in predicting the relative contributions of different nuclei to the spectrum. Muiltimessenger consequences will be discussed.
Speaker: Glennys Farrar (New York University)
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186
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9:50 AM
Coffee Break
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Plenary: Plenary 8 (Memorial Union, Great Hall)Convener: Steve Elliott (Los Alamos National Lab)
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189
Recent highlights in BSM Searches from the LHC
Searches for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) remain a central focus of the LHC physics program. In this talk, I will present a selection of recent results from the ATLAS and CMS experiments that target a range of BSM scenarios, including new resonances, supersymmetry-inspired signatures, dark matter candidates, and other non-standard final states. The focus will be on analyses using the full Run 2 datasets and early Run 3 results, with an emphasis on how improvements in reconstruction techniques and analysis strategies have extended sensitivity to challenging regions of parameter space. The goal is to provide a representative snapshot of where we currently stand in the search for new physics at the energy frontier.
Speaker: Shivani Lomte (UW-Madison Physics Department) -
190
Electromagnetic and Neutrino Emission Landscape of Interacting Supernovae
A growing number of luminous optical transients from stellar explosions are believed to be powered by the interaction between ejected stellar material and a dense circumstellar medium. This interaction drives shock waves that can accelerate particles to multi-PeV energies, producing radiation across a broad range of wavelengths. In this talk, I will explore the connection between multi-wavelength electromagnetic signatures and high-energy neutrino production, and discuss the prospects for joint detection across current and future observatories.
Speaker: Dr Tetyana Pitik (University of Berkeley) -
191
DESI DR2: New Cosmological Constraints and Challenges to the ΛCDM Model
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is conducting the most precise spectroscopic survey of large-scale structure to date, measuring redshifts for tens of millions of galaxies and quasars. A key scientific objective of DESI is to map the imprint of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), providing a robust standard ruler for cosmic expansion. In this talk, I will present the latest BAO measurements from DESI Data Release 2 (DR2), detailing the methods used to extract and validate the signal across multiple tracers. I will also highlight the resulting cosmological constraints, with a particular focus on potential challenges to the standard ΛCDM model.
Speaker: Uendert Andrade (Univsersity of Michigan) -
192
Observation of the $K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay and measurement of its branching ratio
A measurement of the $K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay by the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS is presented, using data collected in 2021 and 2022.
This dataset was recorded, after modifications to the beamline and detectors, at a higher instantaneous beam intensity with respect to the 2016--2018 data taking.
Combining NA62 data collected in 2016--2022, a measurement of
$\mathcal{B}(K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}) = \left( 13.0^{+ 3.3}_{- 3.0} \right)\times10^{-11}$
is reported.
With $51$ signal candidates observed and an expected background of $18^{+3}_{-2}$ events,
$\mathcal{B}(K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{+}\nu\bar{\nu})$ becomes the smallest branching ratio measured with a signal significance above $5\,\sigma$.Speaker: Peter Cooper (George Mason Univ)
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189
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12:10 PM
Lunch Break (on your own)
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Joint PPHI, Symmetries/EW,. PGDNN: Parallel 7 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Paul King (Ohio University)-
193
Constraints on the weak mixing angle from future facilities
We review the constraints on the weak mixing angle, sin2θw, that can be expected in global QCD analyses from electron scattering experiments, such as parity-violating DIS, at current and future facilities, including JLab at 22 GeV and the Electron-Ion Collider.
Speaker: Wally Melnitchouk -
194
Measuring the Weak Charge of the Electron - The MOLLER Experiment
The MOLLER experiment has been designed to significantly expand the reach for new dynamics beyond the Standard Model of electroweak interactions. Using the high intensity, high precision electron beam at Jefferson Lab, MOLLER measure the parity-violating asymmetry in the scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons off unpolarized electrons to an overall fractional accuracy of 2.4%. This measurement will be the most sensitive probe of new flavor- and CP-conserving neutral current interactions in the leptonic sector until the advent of a linear collider or neutrino factory. Fabrication of the novel spectrometer and detector packages is now well underway. This talk will summarize the principles of the experimental design, and report the current status of preparations toward the first physics run in early 2027.
Speaker: Kent Paschke (University of Virginia) -
195
A high precision determination of the weak mixing angle at low momentum transfer - The P2 experiment
The P2 experiment aims for a new determination of the weak mixing angle at a very low momentum transfer. This parity violating electron scattering experiment will be carried out at the new electron accelerator MESA in Mainz, Germany. The parity violating asymmetry of the elastic scattering of polarized electrons off of protons in a liquid hydrogen unpolarized target is of order 20 parts per billion. The relative target accuracy is comparable to the most precise existing measurements at the Z-pole. This extraordinarily high precision measurement is sensitive to mass scales up to 50 TeV and will search for new beyond the standard model physics.
Speaker: Caryn Palatchi (Indiana University) -
196
NOPTREX: Neutron Optics Parity and Time Reversal Experiment
The NOPTREX collaboration is engaged in three distinct but related scientific activities as follows:(1) a P-odd/T-odd test in polarized neutron forward transmission in polarized 139La, (2) a P-even/T-odd test in polarized neutron transmission through tensor aligned 127I, and (3) improved (n, \gamma) spectroscopy for better determination of mean square matrix element <M^{2}> in heavy nuclei. All of these efforts exploit the large amplification of discrete symmetry violation in NN amplitudes (up to a factor of 10^{6}) which can occur in p-wave neutron-nucleus resonance reactions. In this talk we will summarize the intellectual motivations and status of each of these efforts.
Speaker: Sepehr Samiei (Indiana University)
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193
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Parallel 7 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Emanuela Celi (Northwestern University)-
197
Search for new physics on MINER using cryogenic and non-cryogenic detectors
The Mitchell Institute Neutrino Experiment at Reactor (MINER), based at Texas A&M University, utilizes a unique combination of low-threshold cryogenic detectors and a MW-class TRIGA research reactor to explore physics beyond the Standard Model. Designed to detect nuclear recoils down to ~100 eV, MINER enables sensitivity to coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) from reactor neutrinos—a process yet to be observed in a reactor-based experiment. In parallel, the experiment is also capable of probing Axion-Like Particles (ALPs) in a region of parameter space often referred to as the "cosmological triangle," which remains largely unexplored. We present the current status of the experiment along with preliminary results from both CEνNS and ALP searches. Extensive data analysis has been performed to isolate potential signals from reactor-related backgrounds. Preliminary exclusions of targeted parameter space in both CENNS and ALP searches demonstrate the potential of this approach. The MINER experiment is in the process of being relocated to the HFIR reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to enhance reactor flux and improve detector sensitivity, opening new opportunities in the search for these rare particles.
In parallel to the cryogenic detector enabled searches for new physics, we have a 100-kg scale CsI (Tl) detector system with highly segmented crystals that provide strong background rejection and multi-MeV reach for ALP searches on the MINER experiment. The same detector system has the ability to search for ALPs using a reactor, radioactive sources or beam-based systems to provide world-leading sensitivities.Speaker: SHARADA SAHOO (Texas A&M University) -
198
COHERENT Results and Status
The COHERENT collaboration makes use of the unique source of
stopped-pion neutrinos at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation
Neutron Source for a broad program of coherent elastic
neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS), inelastic neutrino-nucleus
cross-section measurements, and new physics searches. This talk will
describe COHERENT's recent measurements, status and future plans.Speaker: Tulasi Subedi (Virginia Tech) -
199
Dark Sector Searches with Coherent CAPTAIN Mills
The Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills (CCM) experiment is a 10-ton liquid argon scintillation and Cherenkov detector located at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Positioned 90 degrees off-axis and 23 meters from the Lujan Facility's stopped pion source, which will provide 2.25 × 10^22 protons on target over a three-year run period. The short (290 ns) duration of proton pulses delivered to the Lujan target and the delayed arrival time of spallation neutrons allows CCM to probe rare processes with very low backgrounds. With this intense flux, short pulse, and large detector mass, CCM is capable of probing a variety of dark sector models, including potential explanations for the short-baseline neutrino anomalies and searches for MeV-scale Axion-Like Particles. In this talk, I will present the latest physics and technical results from CCM, recent work on Cherenkov light identification from sub-MeV particles, and projections for CCM's full 3 year run cycle.
Speaker: Austin Schneider (Los Alamos National Laboratory) -
200
Quasielastic Lepton-Nucleus Scattering and the Correlated Fermi Gas Model
The neutrino research program in the coming decades will require improved precision. A major source of uncertainty is the interaction of neutrinos with nuclei that serve as a target of many such experiments. Broadly speaking, this interaction often depends, e.g., for Charge-Current Quasi-Elastic (CCQE) scattering, on the combination of “nucleon physics” expressed by form factors and “nuclear physics” expressed by a nuclear model. It is important to get a good handle on both.
This talk presents a fully analytic implementation of the Correlated Fermi Gas (CFG) Model for CCQE electron-nuclei and neutrino-nuclei scattering. The implementation is used to compare separately form factors and nuclear model effects for both electron-carbon and neutrino-carbon scattering data.
Speaker: Gil Paz (Wayne State University)
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197
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Nuclear Structure for Neutrinos and Astrophysics: Parallel 7 Capital View
Capital View
Convener: Prof. Christian Drischler (Ohio University)-
201
What is hiding in the core of a neutron star?
Recent advances have enabled precise joint mass–radius measurements of isolated neutron stars through Shapiro-delay observations with NASA’s Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) detector aboard the International Space Station. Intriguingly, NICER’s first two data points suggest a surprisingly weak dependence of radius on mass, with 1.4 and 2.0 solar mass stars showing similar radii. This hints at a stiffening of the neutron star equation of state (EoS)—the relation between pressure and density that determines how massive and compact these stars can be. From the theory side, at the densities relevant to neutron stars, the underlying theory of strong interactions—quantum chromodynamics (QCD)—cannot be solved directly. Instead, we must model the EoS based on differing assumptions about the relevant microscopic degrees of freedom and test these models against astrophysical and theoretical constraints.
Realistic microscopic EoSs that include beyond proton and neutron degrees of freedom, such as deconfined quarks or hyperons, often exhibit complex features in the speed of sound as function of density, including bumps, kinks, and plateaus. This raises key questions: Can such features, within uncertainties, account for the observed mass-dependence of neutron star radii? How might exotic phases manifest in neutron stars, and do models including them provide a better fit to data than those with only protons and neutrons? I will discuss a novel approach using modified Gaussian processes to model such nontrivial features in the EoS [1]. Through a fully Bayesian analysis incorporating NICER data, gravitational-wave observations, and perturbative QCD calculations, I will show that these features are consistent with current observational and theoretical constraints within uncertainties. Additionally, we find that modeling nontrivial behavior in the EoS is essential for determining the internal composition of neutron stars, particularly at densities around twice nuclear saturation.
[1] D. Mroczek, M.C. Miller, J. Noronha-Hostler, and N. Yunes, PRD 110 (2024)
Speaker: Debora Mroczek (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) -
202
A New Class of Three Nucleon Forces and their Implications
Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) is an effective field theory that systematically describes the interactions of pions and nucleons, allowing the construction of nuclear forces. While two-body potentials provide the largest contributions to these interactions, three-nucleon (3N) forces can play an important role in systems like nuclei or neutron stars.
The current derivation of the 3N force does not take into account the effects of the so-called d2 operator.
Although this interaction is suppressed in conventional power-counting estimates, Kaplan, Savage, and Wise showed that renormalization requires this quark mass-dependent term already at the leading order.
In our work, we investigate the consequences of the d2 operator for the 3N force, finding that it leads to a significant contribution that has not been accounted for so far.Speaker: Maria Dawid (University of Washington) -
203
Machine Learning for Uncertainty Quantification in Neutron Matter
Understanding the equation of state (EOS) of pure neutron matter is necessary for interpreting observations of neutron stars. Reliable data analyses of these observations require well-quantified uncertainties for the EOS input, propagating uncertainties from nuclear interactions to the EOS. Then, observations can, in turn, put constraints on nuclear interaction parameters. However, both applications require us to sample millions of nuclear Hamiltonians, solving the nuclear many-body problem for each one.
Quantum Monte Carlo methods, such as Auxiliary field diffusion Monte Carlo (AFDMC), provide precise and accurate results for the neutron matter EOS. However, AFDMC is very computationally expensive which makes it unsuitable for any sampling of nuclear
Hamiltonians. In this talk, I explain how to develop emulators based on parametric matrix models to emulate AFDMC calculations of the neutron-matter EOS to perform the calculations much faster and provide well-quantified uncertainties.
LA-UR-25-24610Speaker: Cassandra Armstrong (Los Alamos National Laboratory) -
204
Emulation and Uncertainty Quantification of Nuclear Matter Equation of State from In-Medium Similarity Renormalization Group
Nuclear matter equation of state (EOS) is essential for understanding the properties of supernovae explosions and neutron stars. We explore the application of In-medium Similarity Renormalization Group (IMSRG) method in nuclear matter calculations. A many-body framework is built to construct EOSs for nuclear matter with a range of proton factions using IMSRG from different nuclear interaction inputs. To enable efficient exploration of the input parameter space and facilitate statistical uncertainty quantification, we construct a fast and accurate emulator for the IMSRG framework based on a machine learning technique called parametric matrix model (PMM). PMM emulator captures the complex dependence of the EOS on low-energy constants and allows for systematic propagation of nuclear interaction uncertainties to the EOS and neutron star observables.
Speaker: Kang Yu (Facility for Rare Isotopes, Michigan State University)
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201
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Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics: Parallel 7 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Sherwood Richers (University of Tennessee Knoxville)-
205
Neutrino Self-Interaction in Core-Collapse Supernovae
Even with only Standard Model interactions, neutrinos play a critical role in core-collapse supernovae, cooling the proto-neutron star, setting the conditions for nucleosynthesis, and likely powering the explosion. Their effects could be immensely more profound in the presence of new physics, often poorly constrained by laboratory experiments alone. In this talk, I will discuss the effects of the strong lepton number violating neutrino self-interactions (LNV νSI) on the infall phase of the core-collapse supernova evolution. Strong LNV νSI processes equilibrate all neutrino seas; hence, all neutrino species share a common temperature and chemical potential. The new lowered electron neutrino chemical potential renders increased electron captures. I will show how strong LNV vSI could alter the standard supernova collapse scenario. Unlike many existing studies focusing on the late evolution effects, this study simulated the impact of LNV vSI on the infall phase with a full analytic treatment. The rapid neutrino-antineutrino equilibration leads to entropy generation and enhanced electron capture that may impact star evolution and the emitted neutrino signal. Timely DUNE neutrino detectors can also independently probe this new physics.
Speaker: Anna Suliga (New York University) -
206
Local-equilibrium theory of neutrino oscillations in supernovae and mergers
Neutrinos are crucial actors in some of the marquee targets of multimessenger astronomy. In neutron star mergers and core-collapse supernovae in particular, the production, propagation, and interactions of neutrinos are paramount. But even though these sites are two of the most carefully modeled systems in astrophysics, neutrino oscillations are yet to be reliably incorporated into the relevant predictions and simulations. This talk will give an overview of the challenges to doing so and will present a new theoretical approach that might be able to surmount them.
Speaker: Luke Johns (Los Alamos National Lab) -
207
Quantum Closures and Riemann Solvers for Neutrino Moment Transport
A computationally efficient method for calculating the transport of neutrino flavor in simulations of supernovae or compact-object mergers is to use angular moments of the neutrino one-body reduced density matrix, i.e., 'quantum moments'. To implement this approach in a simulations we need to grapple with two fundamental issues: how to define a `closure' for the moments and how to adapt classical finite-volume approaches to transport so that we can advect the flavor coherence. In this talk I present our solutions to these two challenges and how results using our new methods compare with more exact multi-angle results.
Speaker: Dr Jim Kneller (NC State University) -
208
Towards Many-Body Models of Neutrino Flavor Instability
Neutrino-neutrino interactions drive a number of flavor transformation phenomena in core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers that have been shown to impact the supernova explosion mechanism, production of heavy elements in the ejecta, and observable neutrino signatures. The most prominent of these is the Fast Flavor Instability, which can occur deep inside of these systems inaccessible to other flavor transformation mechanisms. I will present a framework for modeling the fast flavor instability under many-body interactions that is able to fully reproduce both mean-field flavor instabilities and many-body dynamics. I will discuss a parameterized transition from mean-field to many-body interactions and demonstrate the effects on the Fast Flavor Instability.
Speaker: Sherwood Richers (University of Tennessee Knoxville) -
209
Predicting the outcome of neutrino flavor instabilities
Accurately modeling neutrino flavor oscillations in global simulations of core-collapse supernovae or neutron star mergers remains a major challenge, albeit a potentially crucial one for making reliable predictions. Indeed, it is now widely recognized that flavor instabilities—in which classically computed neutrino distributions are dramatically altered when including quantum effects—are expected to occur commonly in such environments.
A promising strategy is the development of subgrid models of neutrino flavor transformation. In this approach, insights from detailed studies of local quantum neutrino transport are used to formulate effective prescriptions that modify classical neutrino distributions, enabling their incorporation into large-scale simulations.In this talk, I will present recent progress on determining the asymptotic states reached after the onset of a flavor instability, a key ingredient for subgrid models. I will focus in particular on two classes of instabilities that have garnered significant attention, namely, "fast" and "collisional" flavor instabilities.
Speaker: Julien Froustey (University of California, Berkeley)
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205
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Parton and Gluon Distributions in Nucleons and Nuclei: Parallel 7 Old Madison
Old Madison
Convener: Paul Reimer (Argonne National Laboratory)-
210
Latest advancements in TMD Phenomenology and an update from the MAP Collaboration
In this talk, I will provide an update on recent advancements in the phenomenology of Transverse Momentum Distributions (TMDs), with a particular focus on the latest work from the MAP Collaboration. TMDs play a crucial role in understanding the three-dimensional structure of hadrons and are essential for describing processes such as semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) and hadron-hadron collisions.
I will highlight global fit results and the incorporation of novel techniques, such as neural networks, to model the non-perturbative part of the TMDs.
Different phenomenological frameworks employed to obtain TMDs will be discussed, highlighting the successes and challenges of current approaches.
Building on these developments, significant advancements have also been made in recent years in extracting polarized TMDs, like the Sivers function, transversity and the helicity TMD.
These advancements deepen our understanding of spin-dependent phenomena and the internal spin structure of hadrons, bringing us closer to a comprehensive picture of hadron dynamics in momentum space.Speaker: Chiara Bissolotti (Argonne National Laboratory) -
211
Transverse-momentum-dependent pion structures from lattice QCD: Collins-Soper kernel, soft factor, TMDWF, and TMDPDF
We present the first lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculation of the pion valence-quark transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution function (TMDPDF) within the framework of large-momentum effective theory (LaMET). Using correlators fixed in the Coulomb gauge (CG), we computed the quasi-TMD beam function for a pion with a mass of 300 MeV, a fine lattice spacing of $a = 0.06$ fm and multiple large momenta up to 3 GeV. The intrinsic soft functions in the CG approach are extracted from form factors with large momentum transfer, and as a byproduct, we also obtain the corresponding Collins-Soper (CS) kernel. Our determinations of both the soft function and the CS kernel agree with perturbation theory at small transverse separations ($b_\perp$) between the quarks. At larger $b_\perp$, the CS kernel remains consistent with recent results obtained using both CG and GI TMD correlators in the literature. By combining next-to-leading logarithmic (NLL) factorization of the quasi-TMD beam function and the soft function, we obtain $x$-dependent pion valence-quark TMDPDF for transverse separations $b_\perp \gtrsim 1$ fm. Interestingly, we find that the $b_\perp$ dependence of the phenomenological parameterizations of TMDPDF for moderate values of $x$ are in reasonable agreement with our QCD determinations. In addition, we present results for the transverse-momentum-dependent wave function (TMDWF) for a heavier pion with 670 MeV mass.
Speaker: Jinchen He (University of Maryland, College Park) -
212
Flavor diagonal charges and isovector form factors of the nucleon
In this talk, I will summarize our (PNDME collaboration [1]) lattice QCD calculations of the flavor diagonal charges of the nucleon using ensembles generated by the MILC collaborations. These include both connected and disconnected contributions, and the full nonperturbative calculation of the renormalization constants in the 2+1 flavor theory is used to present the final results in the $\overline{MS}$ scheme at 2GeV. In addition, I will present preliminary results on nucleon isovector form factors from two new physical pion mass ensembles representing a sixfold increase in statistics, improved quark mass quark tuning, and a larger range of momentum-transfers that extends up to $Q^2\sim 1GeV^2$. These calculations were done using computing resources at OLCF and NERSC.
[1] arXiv:2503.07100 [hep-lat]Speaker: Sungwoo Park (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) -
213
Unpolarized gluon PDF of the proton from lattice QCD at the continuum limit
The $x$-dependent behavior of gluons remains important for providing insight to the structure of hadrons. In this talk, we present preliminary results for continuum limit extraction of the unpolarized gluon PDF in the proton from lattice QCD using four $N_f=2+1+1$ ensembles of maximally twisted mass fermions with clover improvement with pion mass $m_{\pi}\approx250~\mathrm{MeV}$ and lattice spacings ranging from $a\approx 0.093 - 0.057~\mathrm{fm}$. Additionally, we present results ratios of gluon moments $\langle x^3 \rangle/\langle x \rangle$ extracted from the same nonlocal matrix elements as the PDF using the OPE formalism.
Speaker: Joseph Delmar (Temple University)
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210
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Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion Collisions:: Discussion & open mic Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
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3:30 PM
Coffee Break
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Neutrino Masses. Mixings and Interactions: Joint with Nuclear Structure for Neutrinos and Astrophysics: Parallel 8 Great Hall
Great Hall
Convener: Wouter Dekens (INT, University of Washington)-
214
First-principles nuclear theory for new physics searches
Breakthroughs in our treatment of nuclear forces constrained by QCD, the many-body problem, and AI/machine learning techniques are transforming modern nuclear theory into a true first-principles discipline. This allows us to now address some of the most exciting questions at the frontiers of nuclear structure, searches for physics beyond the standard model, and connections to nuclear astrophysics
In this talk I will discuss recent advances and highlights of the ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group and how these breakthroughs have enabled global converged calculations of open-shell nuclei to the 208Pb region and beyond. In particular, I will focus on new developments driving first ab initio predictions of neutrinoless double-beta decay, WIMP- and neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS), and symmetry-violating moments, all with quantifiable uncertainties, for essentially all nuclei relevant in searches for new physics.
Speaker: Jason Holt (TRIUMF) -
215
Ab initio calculations of neutrinoless double beta decay matrix elements
As experiments searching for neutrinoless double beta decay are in the planning phase of a next generation with hopes to completely probe the inverted mass hierarchy, the need for reliable nuclear matrix elements, which govern the rate of this decay, is stronger than ever. Since a large discrepancy is found when computing this quantity with different nuclear models, a large unknown still exists on the sensitivity of these experiments to the effective neutrino mass. In this talk I will present how, using ab initio methods relying on systematic expansions, a rigorous statistical uncertainty can be achieved. I will further discuss the new machine learning emulator that I have developed to allow for uncertainty quantification and discuss the future applications of this emulator to other nuclear physics problems.
Speaker: Antoine Belley (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) -
216
Three-nucleon neutrinoless double beta decay potentials and their matrix elements in light nuclei
Determinations of the effective Majorana mass from the neutrinoless double beta decay half-life depend on precise calculations of nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) of decay operators. These NMEs have a leading two-body component given by long-ranged (neutrino exchange), medium-ranged (pion exchange), and short-ranged (contact) contributions. Three-nucleon operators are, in most cases, not included in these calculations. It is important to determine the size of their impact on the NMEs. To this end, we derived three-nucleon operators within a delta-full chiral effective field theory up to next-to-next-to-leading order in the Weinberg power counting. We calculated the NMEs of these operators in light nuclei using quantum Monte Carlo methods to estimate their impact relative to the two-nucleon contributions. These three-body operators can then be implemented into other many-body methods to calculate more precise half-lives in systems of experimental interest to double beta decay searches.
Speaker: Graham Chambers-Wall (Washington University in St. Louis) -
217
Flavor swapping and non-forward scattering in the neutrino-driven wind
Neutrino flavor is expected to undergo fast and large oscillations due to collective effects in neutrino-dense environments, where neutrino-neutrino interactions are at play. While a quantum kinetics treatment is known to predict a smaller effect from non-forward scattering in such interactions compared to forward scattering (i.e., flavor swaps), this hierarchy has not yet been clearly established in general. I will discuss how we can model both of these contributions to neutrino interactions directly from low-energy effective field theory and compare the relative importance of forward and non-forward scattering terms.
Speaker: Michael Cervia (University of Washington, Seattle)
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214
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Dark Matter: Parallel 8 Beefeaters
Beefeaters
Convener: Hugh Lippincott (UCSB)-
218
Discovering Axion-like particles using Multi-band observations of Galaxy clusters
Axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) are hypothetical particles predicted by various BSM theories, which also make one of the dark matter candidates. If ALPs exist in nature, the CMB photons as they pass through galaxy clusters will convert to ALPs (of mass range $10^{-14}$ to $10^{-11}$ eV), resulting in a polarized spectral distortion in the CMB, and an astrophysics dependent non-Gaussian secondary anisotropy. The resonant conversions dominate over the non-resonant ones, and occur when the effective masses of the photon and ALP are equal. The probability of this conversion will depend on the mass of ALPs, photon-ALP coupling constant $g_{a\gamma}$, electron density and transverse magnetic field profiles of the clusters, as well as the photon frequency at the conversion location. If galaxy clusters are resolvable in various frequency bands, their astrophysical information can be obtained. We have developed a multi-band framework, SpectrAx, which uses radio synchrotron observations (say, with SKA), to obtain the transverse magnetic field profiles of clusters. Through X-ray observations (say, with eROSITA), their electron density and temperature profiles can be constrained. Using the spectral and spatial information of the CMB, the ALP signal from these clusters can be estimated. The clusters that are unresolved in various frequency bands, will create a diffused ALP background in the microwave sky. Such a signal will result in an increase in the CMB power spectrum at high multipoles, following the spectrum of the ALP signal. The two regimes will enable us to probe axions using the upcoming CMB experiments, such as the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4, which will be able to provide bounds ($g_{a\gamma}< 4\times{10}^{-12} \, \mathrm{GeV}^{-1}$) more than an order better than the current bounds from CAST ($g_{a\gamma}< 6.6\times{10}^{-11} \, \mathrm{GeV}^{-1}$).
Speaker: Harsh Mehta (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai) -
219
Beyond Standard Model Physics: Perspectives and Recent Results from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
Astrophysical neutrinos offer a unique window into the most distant and energetic environments in the universe. With an energy scale spanning TeV—PeV, and cosmological baselines, they allow us to probe a parameter space not easily accessible to colliders. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica has been detecting a steady flux of astrophysical neutrinos — in addition to the atmospheric neutrinos produced in cosmic-ray interactions — for nearly 15 years. I will present highlights from IceCube's recent particle physics results, focusing on searches for physics beyond the standard model, dark matter and non-standard neutrino oscillations.
Speaker: Mehr Nisa (Michigan State University) -
220
Searching for Dark Matter Annihilation in the Sun with the IceCube Upgrade
The upcoming IceCube Upgrade will provide unprecedented sensitivity to dark matter particles that accumulate and annihilate in the core of the Sun. In this talk, I will present our recent study showing that the upgrade will enable tests of parameter space beyond the reach of existing direct detection experiments. This improvement applies in particular to dark matter candidates with spin-dependent couplings to nuclei that annihilate significantly to tau leptons or neutrinos. After discussing the expected sensitivity of the IceCube Upgrade, I will introduce two classes of dark matter models that could be targeted by this experiment.
Speaker: Fabrizio Vassallo (University of Wisconsin–Madison) -
221
Directional Dark Matter and other Rare Searches with gas TPCs
The leading dark matter (DM) experiments are seeing hints of nuclear recoils from coherent scattering with solar neutrinos, and will soon enter the so-called neutrino fog.
Discrimination against this background will require detectors that can measure recoil directions to distinguish solar neutrino signals from those of Galactic DM. Of current technologies employed to detect this directional signature, the low-pressure gas TPC is the most mature. Due to low target density, the central challenge of this effort is scale-up while maintaining directional sensitivity at low energies. Numerous other rare searches also require directionality, so that a staged approach to scale-up can lead to discovery opportunities along the way. After reviewing the status of directional DM experiments, I will briefly describe a few of those applications with special emphasis on our ongoing search for the Migdal effect using a table-top size TPC.Speaker: Prof. Dinesh Loomba (University of New Mexico) -
222
Implications of the composite matter/antimatter hadron structure for Dark Energy and Dark Matter
Recent high-energy laser experiments in the United States have indicated a composite matter/antimatter hadron structure for "matter" in the Universe. The cosmological implications of this novel hadron model are profound. The model provides a persuasive explanation for both Dark Energy and Dark Matter, along with explanations for a number of other significant unexplained observations (the 511-keV signature of the Milky Way, the nature of half-lives in radioactive decay, the apparent matter/antimatter asymmetry in the Universe, etc.).
The composite hadron model has been recently described, along with the experimental evidence supporting the model, in "Composite matter/antimatter hadron model indicated experimentally at the Texas Petawatt Laser Facility," Phys. Ess. 37(4): 270-78 (Dec 2024). This peer-reviewed article also describes the cosmological implications of this hadron model and suggests further work to evaluate the model and to understand its implications.
Speaker: Mark Pickrell (Vanderbilt University)
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218
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Physics at High Energies: Searches for BSM Physics at the LHC: Parallel 8 Multicultural Greek
Multicultural Greek
Convener: Nicholas Luongo (ANL)-
223
Focus talk on recent Exotics search in ATLAS
A recent analysis for long-lived particles using data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. The analysis uses vertices reconstructed from track segments in the muon spectrometers to search for long-lived particle decays displaced up to 14m from the primary interaction vertex. The results are interpreted in terms of scalar-portal and Higgs-boson-portal baryogenesis models. A dedicated analysis channel is employed to include models which produce long-lived particles in association with prompt Z-bosons, providing sensitivity to axion-like particle and dark photon models. The use of a single displaced vertex significantly increases the sensitivity to longer and shorter lifetimes with respect to the previous ATLAS search using two displaced vertices, extending the sensitivity to decay lengths ranging from 5 cm to 40 m.
Speakers: ATLAS Collaboration (CERN), Michael Revering -
224
New signals of vectorlike quarks at the LHC
LHC experiments have essentially ruled out the existence of additional chiral fermions. Thus, new elementary fermions must be vectorlike with respect to the SM gauge interactions. LHC searches for vectorlike quarks typically focus on their mixing-induced decays into W, Z and Higgs bosons. In this talk, I will point out that vectorlike quarks may instead manifest themselves in events with 6 or more top quarks, if the vectorlike quark interacts with a complex scalar field. For a region of parameter space the dominant LHC signal in such a model is 8 tops. The ensuing signals would be spectacular, including many leptons and b jets.
Speaker: Elias Bernreuther (UC San Diego) -
225
Search for a new pseudoscalar decaying into a pair of bottom and antibottom quarks in top-associated production in √𝒔 = 13 TeV proton–proton collisions with the ATLAS detector
Using the full (139~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}) of (\sqrt{s}=13\ \mathrm{TeV}) (pp) collision data recorded by ATLAS during Run~2, this search looks for a pseudoscalar (a) (CP-odd Higgs boson) produced with a top-quark pair or a single top\,+\,(W) and decaying via (a!\to!b\bar b). Events are selected in the dileptonic final state with exactly two opposite-sign leptons and at least three jets. Two \emph{boosted} signal regions, each requiring one large-(R) (B)-jet, target (m_a!\lesssim!30\ \mathrm{GeV}); two \emph{resolved} regions with three or four small-(R) (b)-jets probe higher masses. No significant excess relative to expectations is observed for (12 \le m_a \le 100\ \mathrm{GeV}). Assuming (\mathrm{BR}(a!\to!b\bar b)=100\%), pseudoscalar masses in the interval (50\text{–}80\ \mathrm{GeV}) are excluded at 95\% CL for a top-Yukawa coupling modifier 0.5; the full mass range is excluded for coupling 1.0.
Speaker: Sara Khaled (NYUAD+CERN) -
226
t-channel dark matter at the LHC
We consider a t-channel simplified model with a colored mediator and demonstrate the importance of considering non-perturbative effects for both relic density calculations and collider phenomenology. Specifically, we look at the impact of bound state formation and the Sommerfeld effect. We find that the parameter space thought to be excluded by direct detection experiments and LHC searches remains still viable. Additionally, we illustrate that long-lived particle searches and bound-state searches at the LHC can play a crucial role in probing such a model. We demonstrate how future direct detection experiments will be able to close almost all of the remaining window for freeze-out production, making it a highly testable scenario.
Speaker: Kirtimaan Mohan (Michigan State University) -
227
Studying hadronization with ML and the road to “differentiable” Pythia.
Modelling the transition from free to bound partons, the process of hadronization, intersects perturbative and phenomenological methods. The Lund string model has successfully predicted any number of hadronization phenomena over the years, yet remains deficient in a number of observables. The MLhad collaboration is using machine learned models to augment the string model and provide deeper interpretations of this phenomenology. Here, we demonstrate how these models can be learned from data, as well as a number of technical advancement in the Pythia 8 event generator allowing for rapid exploration of model parameter space.
Speaker: Stephen Mrenna (Fermilab)
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223
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Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak Interaction: Parallel 8: Joint with HF-CKM Pan Hellenic
Pan Hellenic
Convener: Paul Huffman (North Carolina State University)-
228
Physics with the Helicity-flip Suppressed, Transverse Asymmetries in Bhabha Scattering
Bhabha scattering will be one of several e+e- reactions available at the JLab fixed target, polarized e+ facility, and will arguably be the easiest to cleanly measure. Rates will be high enough to measure asymmetries with ppm level uncertainties. What physics can we then explore? Because the Higgs-electron coupling to the electron is highly suppressed by the small electron mass, the s-channel in Bhabha scattering is dominated by the exchange of a gamma or Z. Their spin = 1 character enforces helicity conservation to an excellent approximation, leading to half a dozen transverse Bhabha asymmetries which are suppressed by the 1st or 2nd power of $m_e/E_{cm}$. I find that the s-channel exchange of spin = 0 can interfere with t-channel photon exchange to produce significant effects in the doubly helicity-suppressed, parity conserving asymmetry proportional to the helicity amplitude product $F_{LL}F_{RR}$. Such a measurement has the potential to constrain the mass and couplings to electrons of BSM scalars, pseudo-scalars, and tensors, with no ambiguity as to whether on-shell decays of such BSM particles would be visible or invisible. Singly helicity-suppressed Bhabha transverse asymmetries can be used to constrain additional BSM sources of helicity flip such as dipole operators.
Speaker: David Mack (TJNAF) -
229
Renormalization of beta decay at three loops and beyond
The Fermi function F(Z,E) accounts for QED corrections to beta decays that are enhanced at either small electron velocity β or large nuclear charge Z. For precision applications, the Fermi function must be combined with other radiative corrections and with scale- and scheme-dependent hadronic matrix elements. We formulate the Fermi function as a field theory object and present a new factorization formula for QED radiative corrections to beta decays. We provide new results for the anomalous dimension of the corresponding effective operator complete through three loops, and resum perturbative logarithms and π enhancements with renormalization-group methods. Our results are important for tests of fundamental physics with precision beta decay and related processes.
The anomalous dimension for heavy-heavy-light effective theory operators describing nuclear beta decay is computed through three-loop order in the static limit. The result at order Z^2α^3 corrects a previous result in the literature. An all-orders symmetry is shown to relate the anomalous dimensions at leading and subleading powers of Z at a given order of α. The first unknown coefficient for the anomalous dimension now appears at O(Z^2α^4).Speaker: Richard Hill (U. Kentucky) -
230
Nuclear-Structure Corrections in Superallowed Beta Decay
Radiative corrections from nuclear structure effects are a key theoretical input to precision extractions of $V_{ud}$ from superallowed $0^{+}\hspace{-2pt}\rightarrow 0^{+}$ beta decays, and currently limit the sensitivity of CKM unitarity tests to new physics. We present a formalism to compute two-body transition densities in medium-mass nuclei using deformed coupled-cluster theory and its extensions, enabling ab initio calculations of the nuclear-structure-dependent correction $\delta_{\mathrm{NS}}$ across all relevant superallowed emitters with stable daughter nuclei. These calculations incorporate two-body currents derived consistently from chiral effective field theory, and are benchmarked against quantum Monte Carlo results in light nuclei. We discuss how this approach supports efforts to better quantify theoretical uncertainties in $\delta_{\mathrm{NS}}$, and its broader utility for electroweak processes involving two-body operators, including $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay.
Speaker: Sam Novario (Washington University in St. Louis) -
231
Radiative corrections to proton-proton fusion in pionless EFT
Proton-proton fusion (pp-fusion), in which two protons fuse to form a deuteron and emit a positron and neutrino, is a critical process in the life and death of stars and thus understanding it is essential for stellar simulations. However, due to the dominant Coulomb repulsion at energies much less than the nucleon mass like those found in the cores of stars, experimental measurements of the pp-fusion cross section are made difficult. Therefore, theoretical calculations with reliably quantified uncertainties are indispensable in quantifying those cross sections and corresponding reaction rates. Pursuant to this, low energy nuclear effective field theories (EFT's) have been employed to great success in calculating pp-fusion cross sections, though without reliable uncertainty estimates on the contributions from radiative corrections. Estimates on those contributions have been evaluated previously using the one-nucleon approximation, in which only the nucleon coupled to the weak current couples electromagnetically to the outgoing positron. In my talk I will discuss a recent calculation performed using pionless EFT in which we calculated the single-photon exchange contributions to pp-fusion, including, for the first time, explicit evaluation of the leading nuclear structure contributions due to radiative corrections. As time permits, I will also discuss progress on similar calculations for muon capture on the deuteron, in the frameworks of both pionless EFT and nonrelativistic QED.
Speaker: Evan Combes (University of Tennessee Knoxville)
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228
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5:30 PM
Break
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Banquet (Tripp Commons)
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Rapporteur summaries (2241 Chamberlin Hall, Physics Building): Summaries 1Convener: Kate Scholberg (Duke University)
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232
Physics at High EnergiesSpeaker: Kirtimaan Mohan (Michigan State University)
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234
Cosmic Physics and Dark Energy, Inflation, and Strong-Field GravitySpeaker: Mathew Madhavacheril (University of Pennsylvania)
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235
QCD, Hadron Spectroscopy, and ExoticsSpeaker: Marian Stahl (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
-
236
Nuclear Forces and Structure, NN Correlations, and Medium EffectsSpeaker: Tyler Hague (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility)
-
237
Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak InteractionSpeaker: Susan Gardner (University of Kentucky)
- 238
-
232
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10:30 AM
Coffee break
-
Rapporteur summaries (2241 Chamberlin Hall, Physics Building): Summaries 2Convener: Kate Scholberg (Duke University)
-
239
Nuclear Structure for Neutrinos and AstrophysicsSpeakers: Ingo Tews (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Ingo Tews (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
- 240
- 241
-
242
Parton and Gluon Distributions in Nucleons and Nuclei:Speaker: Paul Reimer (Argonne National Laboratory)
- 243
-
244
Quark Matter and High Energy Heavy Ion CollisionsSpeaker: Prithwish Tribedy (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
-
245
Special Session on High energy Astrophysics with Neutrino Detectors:Speaker: Lu Lu (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- 246
-
239
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