Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2024 APS April Meeting
Wednesday–Saturday, April 3–6, 2024; Sacramento & Virtual
Session E00: Poster Session I & Welcome Reception (5:30PM - 7:30PM PT)Poster Session Undergrad Friendly
|
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: APS Room: SAFE Credit Union Convention Center Exhibit Hall A, Floor 1 |
|
E00.00001: ASTROPHYSICS [Poster Lookup Station]
|
|
E00.00002: Theology and Science in Astronomical Cosmology Sean Yuxiang Wu Our universe was generated by one atom exploded. This story is not only completely impossible to be explained by human science, but also dwarfs all the stories about God that humans have ever had. |
|
E00.00003: Effects of Local Dissipation Profiles on Quasi-periodic Oscillations Sergio Gomez, Theodore Dezen, kathryn anawalt We investigate high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HFQPO) from black hole X-ray binary accretion disks. We construct numerical QPO power spectra over a wide range of black hole spins. Our models incorporate simulation-motivated spatial local dissipation profiles as well as effects of non-zero torque on the inner disk boundary. We found that the QPO power spectra amplitude decreased with increased dissipation near the disk photosphere. Moreover, the QPO power spectra became broader, upon the incorporation of relativistic effects. |
|
E00.00004: Time-dilation in a General Departure and Rejoin Scenario Chengyu Cao Time dilation due to motion was initially theorized by the Lorentz transformation and Einstein's theory of special relativity. To date, experimental data has meticulously confirmed these theoretical predictions with high precision. The majority of experimental setups designed to validate these predictions often involve scenarios of departure and reunion. However, understanding the traveler's perspective in such scenarios, as exemplified by the twin paradox, is rarely straightforward. This paper introduces a novel graphical tool called the velocity-time diagram, specifically tailored for general departure and return scenarios while excluding the expansion of the universe. Grounded in a re-organized axiomatic system, this tool facilitates intuitive and straightforward quantitative analysis. Crucially, the proposed approach aligns seamlessly with all existing experimental data, offering a simpler and more intuitive explanation for time dilation. Moreover, it fosters a deeper comprehension of the nature of time. |
|
E00.00005: Spectral Study of Weibel Instability Evolution Michael C Sitarz, Mikhail V Medvedev, Alexander A Philippov Relativistic and sub-relativistic counter-propagating plasma beams are strongly unstable to the Weibel filamentation instability, which produces strong magnetic fields from scratch. High-energy density astrophysical systems, such as in collisionless shocks of GRBs and SN explosions, are the sites where this instability naturally occurs. There, it is responsible for shock formation, cosmic ray acceleration, energization of electrons and strong synchrotron emission and cooling. Here, we present the spectral analysis of the instability that is simulated with PIC TRISTAN-MP code in a collisionless, unmagnetized counter-streaming plasma. We show the time-dependent spectral analysis of electromagnetic plasma excitations in the $\omega-k$-space as the system evolves in time. |
|
E00.00006: Building a Research Program with the Adler Planetarium's Doane Observatory Caitlin A Witt The Doane Observatory is home to the largest telescope available to the public in the Chicagoland area, with the Adler Planetarium's installation of a new 24-inch telescope in 2020. Now, the Doane aims to expand its repertoire from facilitating public observing events to a full research program, with the goal of opening access to hands-on astronomy research for Chicago-area students. I will describe our observing capabilities from our unique urban location adjacent to Lake Michigan, which have been tested on targets including transiting exoplanets, variable stars, and more, and our plans to explore partnerships to expand access for the next generation of astronomers. |
|
E00.00007: Newtonian Fractional-Dimension Gravity and Dark Matter Gabriele U Varieschi We summarize the main results of Newtonian Fractional-Dimension Gravity (NFDG), an extension of the standard laws of Newtonian gravity to lower dimensional spaces, including those with fractional (i.e., non-integer) dimension. We apply our model to several rotationally supported galaxies (NGC 7814, NGC 6503, NGC 3741, NGC 5033, NGC 6674, NGC 5055, and NGC 1090) and to some notable cases of galaxies with little or no dark matter (AGC 114905 and NGC 1052-DF2). We also consider the case of the Bullet Cluster merger (1E0657-56), assumed to be one of the strongest proofs of dark matter existence. |
|
E00.00008: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
|
|
E00.00009: Analysis of L, S, C, and X Bands Using a Model-Independent Dark Matter Search Technique Aya Keller, Nicole Wolff, Anna Dawes, Alexander F Leder, Karl A van Bibber We present a full analysis of the L, S, C and X bands using a unique technique that searches for radio signals consistent with the phase space of the Milky Way halo. This method relies on only two general assumptions to allow for a model-independent study. The first is that virialized dark matter in the halo can decay or annihilate to produce a quasi monochromatic radio line exhibiting a Doppler shift with position according to the solar motion through a static Galactic halo. The second is that such a signal would similarly vary in intensity based on its position with respect to the Galactic center. This analysis uses the full Breakthrough Listen GBT data set (~25,000 spectra). |
|
E00.00010: π-axion interactions and their parameter constraints Lia Lubit, Kayla Diaz, stephon alexander, Humberto Gilmer, Tucker D Manton Axions and axion-like particles are leading dark matter candidates which appear in many extensions of the Standard Model. In their paper, "The π-axion and the π-axiverse of dark QCD," Alexander et al. propose a dark copy of the standard model wherein the photon is massive and the 6 quark flavors are light. In their model, dark matter can take the form of dark pions in the axion mass range. These 35 'π-axions' are grouped together into neutral, complex neutral, and complex charged states, and have parity-odd and parity-even interactions with dark and visible photons. We present constraints on the couplings of these π-axions to photons. We use Tilburg et al.’s limits on couplings between ultralight scalar dark matter and photons to constrain the parity-even π-axion-photon coupling. We find a constraint that depends on both the masses and the relative densities of the π-axions involved, with a lower bound of roughly 3.89 × 104 GeV. These constraints offer new insights into the behavior of π-axions and opportunities to distinguish them from other dark matter candidates. |
|
E00.00011: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00012: Decaying dark matter: Astrophysical information from the Rayleigh-Jeans Tail of the CMB Raghunath Ghara One of the explanations for the recent EDGES-LOW band 21 cm measurements of a strong absorption signal around 80 MHz is the presence of an excess radio background to the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Such excess can be produced by the decay of unstable particles into small-mass dark photons which have a non-zero mixing angle with electromagnetism. We use the EDGES-LOW band measurements to derive joint constraints on the properties of the early galaxies and the parameters of such a particle physics model for the excess radio background. A Bayesian analysis shows that a high star formation efficiency and X-ray emission of 4-7 × 1048 erg per solar mass in stars are required along with a suppression of star formation in halos with virial temperatures ≲ 2 × 104 K. The same analysis also suggests a 68 percent credible interval for the mass of the decaying dark matter particles, its lifetime, dark photon mass, and the mixing angle of the dark and ordinary photon oscillation of [10-3.5, 10-2.4] eV, [101.1, 102.7] × 13.8 Gyr, [10-12.2, 10-10] eV and [10-7, 10-5.6] respectively. This implies an excess radio background which is ≈ 5.7 times stronger than the CMB around 80 MHz. This value is a factor ~ 3 higher than the previous predictions which used a simplified model for the 21 cm signal. |
|
E00.00013: Galaxy Cluster Constraints on Extensions of Modified Gravity Eliza C Diggins, Daniel R Wik Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) has successfully matched observations on galaxy scales; however, the paradigm fails to match observations on larger scales, specifically in groups and clusters of galaxies. To rectify these tensions, various MOND extensions have emerged; however, many of these introduce mathematical abstractions or additional free parameters which make these extensions difficult to refute or confirm. In this work two such branches, EMOND and MOND + Dark Matter, are challenged using observational and theoretical constraints which emerge from galaxy clusters. CHANDRA observations of a collection of galaxy clusters are used to constrain the asymptotic behavior of the cluster temperature profiles in each MOND branch. The assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium implies very tight constraints on the MOND phenomenology and introduces some non-trivial points of failure in both branches. We demonstrate that the MOND + DM paradigm may constrained by the imposition of hydrostatic equilibrium in galaxy clusters and several results are derived to that effect. We show that these constraints could be tested with upcoming X-ray missions, including XRISM. Furthermore, we illustrate significant inconsistencies in the EMOND paradigm which suggest that extension to be non-viable in clusters of galaxies. These findings place considerable pressure on further development of MOND in the cluster regime. |
|
E00.00014: Physics of Dark Energy Charles J Sven Evidence of dark energy found on earth is common place but unrecognized up-to-now by everyone. Just strike a match made of ancient atoms and light photons are emitted traveling at 186,282 miles per second. That power source is an energy currently undetected by any sensing instruments known beyond our own eyesight. Further, that energy exercise is displayed in firework displays, dynamite explosions, chain reactions, atomic bombs, and in the furnace of stars. Following that energy trail provides a completely new understanding of our universe allowing me to answer all the most perplexing questions of cosmology including how the Big Bang Banged, how galaxies with individual orientation are formed, what is the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, how to visualize the geometry of our universe, and how to compute the age of our universe and its component atoms. VERY IMPORTANT Note: That accelerating space expansion is a misreading of manipulated data. Skip the statistical average curve or manipulation and the supernovae scatter plot is better explained by a pulsing explosion like a gamma ray burst in pre-existing space converting dark energy into atoms like an extrapolation of the Stanford 1997 experiment. |
|
E00.00015: Probing Neutrino Quantum Kinetics in the Early Universe Lila Fowler, Emma Horner, Delaney Jannone, Chad Kishimoto We study the quantum kinetic evolution of neutrinos in the early universe where the hot and dense conditions result in neutrino interactions with matter and other neutrinos and anti-neutrinos. In these conditions, neutrino evolution is influenced by two competing effects: quantum coherence which builds up quantum phase and the kinetic destruction of this phase through inelastic scattering. Under these conditions, neutrino-neutrino interactions can cause non-linear evolution. We solve the quantum kinetic equations with full collision integrals for neutrino states in the early universe, moments after the Big Bang, and discuss the solutions. |
|
E00.00016: Field Level Inference of Cosmological Large Scale Structure with Neural Quantile Estimation He Jia While upcoming cosmological surveys promise to map the universe with unprecedented precision, the challenge remains on how to optimally extract information from this wealth of data. We introduce Neural Quantile Estimation (NQE), a novel Simulation-Based Inference method based on conditional quantile regression, and its application to the field level inference of cosmological large scale structure. NQE autoregressively learns one-dimensional quantiles for each posterior dimension, conditioned on both the observation data and previous posterior dimensions. Our studies indicate that, when provided with sufficient training data, NQE converges to the Bayesian optimal posterior, yielding constraints that are considerably tighter than traditional approaches. In scenarios with limited training data, a post-processing step can be employed to ensure the posterior remains unbiased, with minimal computational overhead. Moreover, this post-processing correction can mitigate biases stemming from model misspecification, notably those associated with the intricate aspects of small-scale baryonic physics. |
|
E00.00017: Elementary particles, dark matter, dark energy, and observable properties Thomas J Buckholtz This work suggests new modeling that (1) catalogs all known elementary particles and suggests new elementary particles, (2) specifies dark matter and quantitatively explains ratios of dark-matter effects to ordinary-matter effects, (3) describes gravity and qualitatively explains so-called tensions between cosmology data and popular modeling, and (4) catalogs properties of objects. New modeling (a) has roots in successful popular modeling; (b) features solutions to integer-arithmetic equations; and (c) when combined with popular modeling, suggests explanations for data that popular modeling alone seems not to explain. |
|
E00.00018: A New Theory For an Expanding Universe William K George, Gunnar Johansson Results from JWST have cast considerable doubt on existing theories of the universe. In a paper [1] (submitted but rejected for distribution BEFORE the first images were released), we predicted much of this. |
|
E00.00019: Parity violation is evidence that our universe is inside an extremal Kerr black hole David Parker If our universe is inside an extremal Kerr black hole, then the angular momentum vector of the black hole can be identified with the axial vector responsible for the handedness of the weak interaction. One condition for our universe to be inside such a black hole is that general covariance in general relativity must be abandoned. General covariance (the principle that physical laws should look the same in all coordinate systems) may simplify the math in general relativity, but at the cost of excluding other possible physics. Instead of general relativity this paper uses absolute gravity. A result is that the handedness of the weak interaction is essentially a quantum gravitational effect. Weak interactions in the top and bottom halves of a rotating black hole have opposite handedness, resulting in an overall conservation of parity. The predicted association of the weak interaction with angular momentum is experimentally testable here on Earth. For example, one might measure variations in parity violation with respect to varying angular momentum. Several experiments along these lines have already been performed, with results consistent with our universe being inside a rotating black hole, and consistent with a breakdown of general covariance. |
|
E00.00020: Improving astrophysical scaling relations with machine learning Digvijay Wadekar, Leander Thiele, Francisco Villaescusa-Navarro, J. Colin Hill, David N Spergel, Miles Cranmer, Shivam Pandey, Daisuke Nagai, Shirley Ho, Daniel Angles-Alcazar, Lars Hernquist, Nicholas Battaglia Finding low-scatter relationships in properties of complex systems (e.g., stars, supernovae, galaxies) is important to gain physical insights into them and/or to estimate their distances/masses. As the size of simulation/observational datasets grow, finding low-scatter relationships in the data becomes extremely arduous using manual data analysis methods. I will show how machine learning techniques can be used to expeditiously search for such relations in abstract high-dimensional data-spaces. Focusing on clusters of galaxies, I will present new scaling relations between their properties obtained using machine learning tools. Our relations can enable more accurate inference of cosmology and baryonic feedback from upcoming surveys of galaxy clusters such as ACT, SO, eROSITA and CMB-S4. |
|
E00.00021: Reducing Information Loss due to Atmospheric Noise using Cross-linking with TIME Benjamin Vaughan, Victoria Butler, Dongwoo Chung, Abigail Crites, Audrey Dunn, Fiona Hufford, Kenny Lau, Michael Zemcov The Tomographic Ionized-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME) is a mm-wavelength imaging spectrometer employing a curved diffraction grating and transition edge sensor bolometers. It is optically coupled to the 12m ALMA prototype antenna at the Arizona Radio Observatory, where the geometry of the diffraction grating generates a 13.6 X 0.43 arcminute linear beam pattern. TIME's primary scientific goal is to produce tomographic intensity maps of singly ionized carbon at 5 < z < 10; the power spectrum of these measurements can then be used to infer statistical properties of the spatial distribution of galaxies and the cosmic star formation rate in the early universe. Simultaneously, TIME will be used to construct tomographic intensity maps of carbon monoxide during cosmic noon, which can be used to measure the density of molecular gas at the peak of star formation. TIME can also observe faint and diffuse signals such as the kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect and the emission from molecules in star forming regions. In the winter of 2021 TIME was commissioned at the Arizona Radio Observatory where observations of the Orion Molecular Cloud and Sagittarius A* were taken with multiple observing strategies. This poster presents an analysis of these data showing that a fourier decomposition of these different scan patterns can be used to reduce atmospheric contamination. |
|
E00.00022: What are the observational implications if black holes are the source of dark energy? Sohan Ghodla, Richard Easther, Max Briel, J.J. Eldridge It was recently suggested that "cosmologically coupled" black holes with masses that increase in proportion to the volume of the Universe might constitute the physical basis of dark energy. In this talk, we take this claim at face value and discuss its potential astrophysical implications. We will see that the gravitational wave emission in binary systems would be significantly enhanced so that the number of black hole mergers would exceed the observed rate by orders of magnitude, with typical masses much larger than those seen by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network. Separately, if the mass growth happens at fixed angular momentum, the supermassive black holes in matter-deficient elliptical galaxies should be slowly rotating. Finally, cosmological coupling would stabilize small black holes against Hawking radiation-induced evaporation. |
|
E00.00023: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00024: Prospects for Neutron Star Parameter Estimation using Gravitational Waves from f-modes Associated with Magnetar Flares Matthew Ball, Raymond Frey, Kara Merfeld Neutron star vibrational modes are theorized to be associated with giant X-ray flares from magnetars. Regular searches for gravitational waves from these modes have been performed by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo, with no detections so far. Presently, search results are given in limits on the root-sum-square of the integrated gravitational-wave strain. However, the increased sensitivity of current detectors and the promise of future detectors invite the consideration of more astrophysically motivated methods. We discuss a framework for augmenting gravitational wave searches to measure or place direct limits on magnetar astrophysical properties in various search scenarios using a set of phenomenological and analytic models. |
|
E00.00025: Searching for gravitational waves from precessing binaries Stefano Schmidt, Sarah Caudill The first detection of precessing Binary Black Holes (BBH) will open up new perspectives in gravitational waves (GW) astronomy, providing, among other advancements, a precise measure of distance and an accurate characterization of the BBH spins. |
|
E00.00026: End-to-end Multiphysics simulation of photoelectric charge control: application to free-falling test masses in LISA Brij Patel, Corey Richardson, JOHN SIU, Lea Bischof, Stephen M Apple, Simon F Barke, Peter J Wass, John Conklin Gravitational reference sensors (GRS) consisting of a free-floating test mass (TM) are vital for Earth gravity recovery missions as well as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) gravitational wave observatory. The success of these missions relies heavily on the ability of the GRS to minimize all non-gravitational forces on the TM. Specifically, the Charge Management System (CMS) within the GRS strives to eliminate accumulation of charge due to energetic charged particles on the TM originating from cosmic rays and/or solar particles. These charges couple with stray electric fields within the GRS resulting in unwanted electrostatic forces on the TM. The use of contact-less charge control of the TM is desirable to mitigate further mechanical and thermal forces induced from contact with the TM. This is achieved using the photoelectric effect by illuminating the TM using UV LED light sources which causes emission of photoelectrons from the TM surface, hence reducing its overall charge. We seek to provide a simulation for this process entirely in the COMSOL Multiphysics modeling software. The presentation will aim to emphasize the necessity of the CMS for upcoming space missions, the methodologies of modeling the TM discharge process in COMSOL, and finally comparisons of simulation and experimental results on a LISA-like GRS installed at the University of Florida’s torsion pendulum facility. |
|
E00.00027: Beyond Quadrupoles: Mapping GW190412's Kick Direction with Higher-Order Gravitational Wave Modes Koustav Chandra, Juan Calderón Bustillo, Samson Leong
|
|
E00.00028: Efficiently Parameterizing Gravitational Waveform Uncertainty for Marginalization Ryan M Johnson, Jocelyn S Read Gravitational waves have intrinsic uncertainties between the true waveform we detect from space and the waveform models, or waveform approximants, we use for parameter estimation. These uncertainties can be quantified in amplitude and phase, δA and δφ. We want to examine the effect they have on the posterior data of the parameter estimation: how much does waveform uncertainty matter? This can be achieved by marginalizing over a large set of potential waveform uncertainties after the parameter estimation process. To do so, we need an efficient method of generating waveform uncertainty data and accessing it. This process is typically long and inefficient, as multiple generated waveforms are needed for each possible set of source parameters. For example, for a GW170817 posterior this takes between 10 and 20 minutes to complete. We wanted a way to store this uncertainty data in a file, where it can be easily accessed to greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to generate a dataset for our needs. The solution was to parameterize the waveform uncertainty. Rather than expressing each draw of waveform uncertainty as a fixed set of hundreds of thousands of points, each one was expressed as 15 parameters. These parameters were then used to interpolate the waveform uncertainty over any number of frequency points in a matter of seconds, improving the efficiency of generating the waveform uncertainty data to be marginalized over. |
|
E00.00029: Universal scaling laws for SMBH-bulge and Super-Eddington evolution Zhijie Xu Most galaxies host a central supermassive black hole. SMBHs with a mass of 109 Msun are known to exist as early as z=7. It is not yet clear how they can become so massive in such a short time. The classical Eddington limit for black hole (BH) growth was derived based on the balance between the static weight of surrounding gases and BH radiation. However, gases are never static. The turbulent flow of surrounding gases involves an energy cascade and a "cascade" force (turbulent pressure gradient) that must be balanced by the BH radiation, which might lead to a super-Eddington growth in early stage of SMBH evolution. In this work, we propose a super-Eddington growth of SMBHs enabled by the energy cascade in turbulent flow of gases. We identify two types of energy cascade in bulge: i) a localized energy cascade from large to small scales where energy is eventually dissipated by gas cooling; and ii) a radial energy cascade (due to random motion in radial flow) from bulge scale rb down to the radiation scale rp, below which the cascaded potential energy can be dissipated by SMBHs. A time-dependent rate of the energy cascade εb≈ σb3/rb=10-4a-5/2m2/s3 was identified that connects the co-evolution of SMBH and host galaxy, where a is the scale factor and σb is bulge velocity dispersion. Scaling laws associated with the energy cascade, i.e. the bulge mass-size (Mb-rb) relation can be expressed as Mb ≈εb2/3rb5/3G-1. The SMBH accretion can be super-Eddington in early universe because of the much greater rate of the energy cascade εb. Models were compared against the BH accretion history from the quasar luminosity function, local galaxy and SMBH data, and high redshift quasars from SDSS DR7 and CFHQS surveys. More details can be found at 10.5281/zenodo.7490501. |
|
E00.00030: Galactic Voids as Possible Evidence of Black Hole Evaporation Michael Cyran The Λ-CDM cosmological model currently describes the existence of galactic voids using gravitational clustering and quantum fluctuations from the big bang. This paper proposes a hypothesis that considers black hole evaporation as a contributing factor in the formation and expansion of galactic voids. Hawking radiation expels energy from a black hole, decreasing it's mass. Due to conservation of angular momentum, decreasing the mass of the central body will increase the radius of all orbiting bodies. It was determined that primordial black holes with mass less than 1015g would have evaporated by now, and the observed galactic voids could be the aftermath of the evaporation of primordial black holes. |
|
E00.00031: The Search for Gravitational Waves Coincident with Fast Radio Bursts During LIGO Observing Run O3b Brandon R O'Neal We present a search for transient gravitational wave events coincident with non-repeating fast radio bursts from the CHIME radio telescope, using the Advanced LIGO-Virgo interferometer network. Data analyzed in this search was collected during the Advanced LIGO-Virgo observing run O3b, between the dates of November 2019 and March 2020. The primary possible sources of emission of fast radio bursts we consider are compact binary coalescence between neutron stars (BNS) and neutron star-black hole (NSBH). While no strong correlation for gravitational waves has been found in coincidence with fast radio bursts in similar past analyses, the development of the CHIME telescope has vastly increased the number of fast radio burst detections, allowing for better statistics. |
|
E00.00032: Kilonova Light Curve Interpolation with Neural Networks Yinglei Peng, Marko Ristic, Atul Kedia, Richard O'Shaughnessy, Christopher J Fontes, Chris L Fryer, Oleg Korobkin, Matthew R Mumpower, V. Ashley Villar, Ryan Wollaeger
|
|
E00.00033: STROBE-X: Probing Neutron Star Structure and the Dense Matter Equation of State Anna Watts, Slavko Bogdanov The poorly understood behavior of matter at ultra-high densities, high proton/neutron number asymmetry, and low temperature presents one of the major outstanding problems in physics. Since matter in this extreme state only exists stably in the cores of neutron stars, astrophysical observations – of e.g. neutron star mass and radius - can provide key insight into the properties of matter in a region of the quantum chromodynamics phase space that is otherwise inaccessible. The proposed STROBE-X Probe-class mission, with its novel combination of large collecting area, superb spectral and temporal resolution, and rapid slew capabilities, will enable multiple complementary measurement approaches based on X-ray pulse profile modeling and spectroscopic techniques. Ultimately, STROBE-X is expected to deliver a high-quality data set that could lead to major progress towards definitive empirical constraints on the true nature of the densest matter in the Universe. |
|
E00.00034: Time-dependent neutrino emission searches in IceCube with combined datasets Jose A Carpio Dumler, Ali Kheirandish, Hans Neiderhausen Transient neutrino sources are primary candidates for high-energy neutrino production, such as blazars, tidal disruption events and gamma-ray bursts. The presence of a neutrino flare from the direction of TXS 0506+056 suggests that not all neutrinos are accompanied by a gamma-ray flare. The absence of gamma-rays may also occur in optically thick sources, where we rely on the temporal data from neutrinos alone. In this work, we perform a time-dependent analysis combining cascades, Northern Sky tracks and starting track event samples to search for neutrino sources and optimize the search time windows. The use of multiple samples allows us to achieve the best all-sky sensitivities. We report on the status of the analysis, which includes the source sensitivities at different declinations, and source spectral indices. |
|
E00.00035: Optimization of EUSO-SPB2 Cherenkov telescope pointing software for gravitational wave neutrino sources Luke Kupari, Claire Guépin, Tobias Heibges, Tonia M Venters, Mary Hall Reno, Hannah L Wistrand Observations of transient target of opportunity (ToO) astrophysical neutrino sources will reveal information about the environments of very high energy sources. Neutrinos can be detected by the up-going air showers that come from Earth-skimming tau neutrinos. Orbital and suborbital optical Cherenkov telescopes can be used to detect these showers. While point sources are straightforward to target as they drop below the Earth's limb, current localizations of gravitational wave sources that a good candidates for neutrino sources are not as well constrained. Presented here are telescope pointing strategies to optimize neutrino detection probabilities when the source locations are not well known, using current LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA events and parameters for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super-Pressure Balloon 2 (EUSO-SPB2) mission as examples. |
|
E00.00036: The Link Between Star Formation Rate and Ultraluminous X-ray Sources Sebastian Barahona, David Pooley The goal of this research is to study the link between the location of neutron stars and black holes accreting material from companion stars at the highest accretion rates and the local star formation rate within nearby galaxies. These accreting objects, also known as Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULXs), could be intermediate mass black holes or they could represent a type of accretion onto a compact object that we don't fully understand yet. To accomplish this we took infrared and ultraviolet images from 200 nearby star forming galaxies and used them to generate star formation rate maps. We created a normalized cumulative rank pixel value function of the star formation rate to better understand the spatial correlation between the local star formation rate in this sample of 200 galaxies and the location of any ULXs in each galaxy. |
|
E00.00037: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00038: The Circumgalactic Medium by High Performance Computation: AGORA project VI John W Powell, Chris Hays, Clayton Strawn, Thomas Quinn, Hector Velazquez Simulations of cosmological galaxy formation follow the non-linear |
|
E00.00039: Investigating Collective Flavor Oscillations in Core Collapse Supernova Using COSEν Joel D Watson, Caleb Eldridge, George Manu, Meng-Ru Wu Interactions between neutrinos inside neutrino dense environments, such as core collapse supernova, causes non-linear effects on neutrino oscillations, which act on a nanosecond scale. These fast flavor conversions affect the relative number of electron and heavy neutrinos which has effects on the progression of the explosion and processes like the formation of heavy elements. I will share their research using the COSEν simulation engine to investigate this collective neutrino oscillation. I will show the way in which these fast flavor oscillations produce waves of flavor conversion, and visually show these waves form and propagate, along with a general discussion on the limitations and inner workings of COSEν. |
|
E00.00040: Machine Learning Technique for Fast Calculation of Radiative Processes William Charles, Alex Chen Radiative processes such as synchrotron radiation and Compton scattering play an important role in astrophysics. Radiative processes are fundamentally stochastic in nature, and the best tools currently used for resolving these processes computationally are Monte Carlo (MC) methods. These methods are used to sample from complicated probability distributions such as the differential cross section for electron-photon scattering, and a large number of samples are collected to compute the radiation properties such as angular distribution, spectrum, and polarization. In this work we propose a machine learning (ML) technique for fast, efficient sampling from arbitrary known probability distributions that can be used to accelerate the calculation of radiative processes in astrophysical simulations. In particular, we apply our technique to inverse Compton radiation and find that our ML method can achieve a speed approximately 20x faster than traditional MC methods currently in use. |
|
E00.00041: Flash-X, a composable and configurable software system for supernova simulations at extreme scales Anshu Dubey Flash-X is a new multiphysics software system partially derived from |
|
E00.00042: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00043: GRAVITATIONAL PHYSICS
|
|
E00.00044: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00045: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00046: Solving Shape Optimization Using da Costa/Gravity Duality Connor McMillin, Shanshan Rodriguez, Leo Rodriguez, ZHENZHONG XING, L R Ram-Mohan Gravity theory and holography have well-known applications in condensed matter physics, such as through the ADS/CFT correspondence to model electric conductivity in strongly coupled systems. In this work, we attempt to expand this paradigm by introducing the da Costa (Phys. Rev. A 23, 1982)/Gravity duality to solve the shape optimization problems in semiconductors, especially when electric, magnetic and optical properties of lower-dimensional nanomaterials become sensitive to their geometries. We start by exploring the geometrodynamics of a quantumly-confined particle on a 2-dimensional curved semiconductor surface. By developing 2-dimensional action with curvature-induced potentials, we can effectively capture and understand the dynamics and behavior of the quantumly-confined particle through the lens of 2D dilaton gravity theory. The action principle for this 2D dilaton gravity exhibits striking similarities to our formulated 2D action principle for the da Costa quantum-constrained particle. We will conclude with a theoretical framework that allows us to converge the shape deformation on the original 2D metric ansatz through an iterative process, aiming to uncover an optimized nano-geometry that leads to the system's lowest eigenenergy configuration and minimized external work for confinement. |
|
E00.00047: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00048: Addressing Higher-Order Partial Derivatives in Wave Equations of Quantum Field Theory in a Curved Spacetime Anderson M Rodriguez In considering a Relativistic Quantum Field Theory an unaddressed facet is the ontology of higher-order partial derivatives of wave equations should an eternalist spatiotemporal nature of the universe be proven accurate. This project offers a novel position by reinterpreting higher-order partial derivatives of relativistic quantum wave equations as useful for a putative delineation and indexing of a Relativistic Least Action Block Multiverse, where wave functions are better understood as depicting “possible” locations of a hypothetical particle, vs. the “probable” nature presumed in Copenhagen-aligned interpretations. In the proposed paradigm, putative ‘Orders of Reality’ and ‘Parallel Universes’ may be accounted for mathematically, while simultaneously considered in the context of relativistic tweaks to a Least Action Many Worlds Interpretation, which offers hints about the nature of energy throughout the multiverse. The analyzed equations address compatibility questions regarding Free Will, Determinism, Locality, Born’s Rule, The Measurement Problem, etc., with falsifiable tests offered for portions of the presented quantum mechanics interpretation (which is compatible with Quantum Field Theory in a Curved Spacetime): the Relativistic Least Action Block Multiverse. |
|
E00.00049: Exploration of Holographic Eigen-spectra of 4D Black Hole Horizons Jacob W March, Leo Rodriguez We perform a high accuracy numerical analysis of the energy Eigen-systems that arise for the two dimensionally reduced holographic field theories of four dimensional black holes coupled to massless scalars. These dimensionally reduced theories couple to two dimensional black holes which share the identical thermodynamic spectrum of their four dimensional parents and in most cases are also non-singular. Using Finite Element Analysis with cubic Hermite interpolation we probe the holographic eigen-spectrum for several different four dimensional black holes including Kerr-Newman-AdS. The motivation stems from the long held intuition that quantum gravity of black hole horizons only cares about the s-wave. Our analysis thus far seems to corroborate this intuition since our results show an antipodal spectrum for higher orders beyond the s-wave of l and m. |
|
E00.00050: Exploration of the Ergoregion of a Rotating Charged Black Hole in Perfect Fluid Dark Matter Alex R Sidler, Shanshan Rodriguez, Leo Rodriguez In this work, we use the solutions for a rotating, charged black hole in perfect fluid dark matter obtained by Das et al (Class. Quantum Grav., 2021) to examine the properties of the black hole’s ergoregion. We find that for any combination of values for the charge Q and the spin parameter a of the black hole, there is a range of values of the perfect fluid dark matter (PFDM) parameter α for which the ergoregion exists. We define αmax as the upper limit of α values for which the ergoregion still exists and αmin as the lower limit. We determine that, for any combination of values of Q and a < M, αmax remains at approximately 7.1M. However, holding a constant, αmin increases as Q increases, with αmin ≈ 0.82M when a = M and Q = 0. Similarly, when we hold Q constant and increase a, αmin increases exponentially. Furthermore, when α gets small enough it becomes negligible and the ergoregion returns to that of a rotating charged black hole without the PFDM. |
|
E00.00051: Analyzing qubit models of black holes and replica wormholes Curtis T Asplund, Austin Karwowski We analyze extensions of the qubit models of black holes and replica wormholes recently introduced by H. Maxfield. More specifically, we consider the addition of qubits that represent information falling into an evaporating black hole and analyze the scrambling and eventual emission of this information in these models. |
|
E00.00052: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00053: An algorithm to perform a stacked search for gravitational-wave transients from repeating burst sources Kara M Merfeld, Patrick J Sutton, Raymond Frey The third observing run (O3) of the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA collaborations included minimally-modeled searches for gravitational-wave transients associated with externally-triggered electromagnetic burst sources. A subset of these bursts have come from repeating sources, most notably galactic magnetars SGR 1935+2154 and Swift J1818-1607, as well as a handful of repeating Fast Radio Bursts. The O3 analyses place upper limits on both the gravitational-wave energy and strain of these bursts, and here we present a new version of the search algorithm that can do a 'stacked' search over multiple bursts from a common source. In this talk we describe the assumptions that the new algorithm is based on and the methods of handling the data. We also present preliminary estimates of the gains in sensitivity as a result of stacking, discuss the limitations of the algorithm, and explore options for its future use. |
|
E00.00054: A novel neural-network architecture for continuous-wave all-sky searches Prasanna Mohan Joshi, Reinhard Prix Continuous gravitational waves (CWs) are long-lasting gravitational waves emitted by rapidly spinning neutron stars that can be seen in the LIGO band. The most sensitive classical search method, the coherent matched filter search for continuous waves is not computationally feasible. Instead, a semi-coherent method is used for the search because it has a higher senesitivity than the coherent matched filter search, but at a reasonable computational cost. We present an alternative, new search method based on Deep Learning. In our study, we focus on training a Deep Neural Network (DNN) to perform a blind search for CWs emitted by isolated neutron stars over the whole sky. We have trained multiple DNNs with a convolutional neural network architecture to detect signals with a wide range of signal parameters. We highlight our specific architectural choices that have yielded good results after performing several experiments. We show that such a trained DNN can achieve a very high sensitivity on an all-sky search for continuous waves at a lower computational cost compared to more classical searches. |
|
E00.00055: Developing the O4 PyGRB Workflow Jacob E Buchanan, Ryan P Fisher In 2017, the LIGO-Virgo collaboration (LVC) discovered a gravitational wave, GW170817, that was coincident with a gamma ray burst, GRB170817A. This joint detection was a major milestone in multi-messenger astronomy, which is the collaboration between different fields of astronomers. It showed that binary neutron star mergers can generate both gravitational and electromagnetic radiation, and now astronomers are looking to find more joint events. One of the LVK analysis pipelines to do this, called PyGRB, is being upgraded. The current code has become outdated, with many of its dependencies no longer supported. The pipeline is being rewritten to be fully integrated into PyCBC, an open source repository with many useful features for gravitational wave searches. This upgrade will improve the speed, stability, and accessibility of the PyGRB pipeline. The purpose of this project is to continue the development of the new pipeline and compare it to its predecessor. |
|
E00.00056: Inferring a Population of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes with LISA Vladimir Strokov, Giacomo Fragione, Emanuele Berti The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be sensitive to the gravitational-wave (GW) emission of binary systems containing intermediate-mass black holes (IMBH) at redshifts z∽1–10. The broad range of redshifts will make it possible to probe the IMBH population on a cosmological scale, which in turn will provide valuable information about supermassive black hole seeds, galaxy mergers, the dynamics of stellar clusters, and other topics. In this work we investigate how well hyperparameters of an underlying IMBH population can be inferred from LISA observations. We study how the number of observed GW events and observational uncertainties affect the quality of the inference, and we also discuss potential systematic uncertainties in the inferred hyperparameters. |
|
E00.00057: The NANOGrav 15 year data-set: Customized chromatic noise models Jeremy G Baier, Bjorn Larsen, Jeffrey S Hazboun In June 2023, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational waves (NANOGrav) reported strong evidence for the presence of a stochastic gravitational wave background (GWB) in our 15-year data set. While this is an important measurement, the recovered spectrum of the GWB remains very noise model dependent. This work revisits the NANOGrav results using customized chromatic noise models for all 67 pulsars in the data set. These new models utilize Gaussian Processes to account for radio frequency-dependent time delays to pulsar signals, including dispersion measure effects and scattering, while also including a global solar wind model. This study further investigates what affects these new noise models have on the GWB significance, parameter estimation, and spectral properties. |
|
E00.00058: LIGO Detector Characterization for the Fourth Observing Run Adrian Helmling-Cornell, Raymond Frey The LIGO detectors identified over 75 significant gravitational wave detection candidates during the first half of their fourth observing run, nearly doubling the total number of gravitational waves seen in the preceding observing campaign. In this poster we describe some of the detector characterization and data quality investigations which took place between the end of the third and the end of the first half of the fourth LIGO observing run. These studies have identified and eliminated noise sources at the detectors, produced new, more sophisticated methods to rapidly vet gravitational wave detection candidates and produced essential data products for searches for gravitational waves from known and novel sources. In addition to these contributions to searches for gravitational wave transients, continued data quality work has led to the identification and mitigation of long-lived spectral artifacts in the LIGO detector data, improving LIGO's searches for continuous-wave sources and the stochastic gravitational wave background. |
|
E00.00059: Lock-loss Due to Earthquakes at LIGO Hanford Observatory Alexis N Vazquez
|
|
E00.00060: Gravitational Wave Response and Noise Budget for a Levitated Sensor Detector Andrew S Laeuger, Nancy Aggarwal At present, the only experimental configurations to observe signatures of gravitational waves (GWs) are kilometer-scale Michelson interferometers, used in the LIGO and Virgo observatories, and global-scale pulsar timing arrays. However, there is a vast landscape of proposed devices, distinct from the current observatory paradigm and ranging in size from tabletop to millions of kilometers, which aim to detect GWs in the future. One such proposal currently under construction is the Levitated Sensor Detector (LSD), which will implement optically-levitated nanoparticles trapped within Fabry-Perot cavities to create a resonant, narrow-band, but tunable high-frequency GW detector. The principles of operation of such a device have been studied previously at leading order; in this work, we derive the response of the nanoparticles levitated in the LSD to incident GWs in a fully relativistic treatment. Furthermore, we study the transfer functions from experimental degrees of freedom to observable variables using the Finesse simulation program. Finally, considering anticipated noise sources in the LSD, we produce a preliminary noise budget for its operation and consider prospects for detecting proposed high frequency GW sources. |
|
E00.00061: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00062: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00063: Effects of nuclear matter parameters on the outcomes of binary neutron star mergers Rahul Kashyap, David Radice, Jacob Fields, Aviral Prakash, Surendra Padamata, Andre Schneider We present the results of binary neutron star merger simulations in the 3D numerical relativity framework (Whisky-THC) for nine equations of state constructed by varying the nuclear physics parameters. We report various observable outcomes and their possible correlations with the nuclear parameters. We find that the average antineutrino luminosity increases as we increase the value of Ksym which increases the maximum entropy as well as maximum Ye value in the ejecta via neutrino irradiation. We also find that several quantities show a hint of extrema (min/max) behavior at certain values of the nuclear parameters (peak post-merger GW frequency, fpeak vs Lsat). We discuss the possibility of putting constraints on nuclear parameters by observing multiple BNS events in current and planned GW detectors. |
|
E00.00064: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00065: A Relativistic Ray Tracing Code for Visualizing and Studying Curved Space-Time Austin D Erickson, Kathryn Z Hadley General relativity is a notoriously difficult topic for undergraduates in physics to approach. We seek to remedy this by presenting an open-source code to model light ray transport in the Schwarzschild metric and their intersections with masses. |
|
E00.00066: Developing an assessment of physics teacher preparation programs: DASI-P Leslie Atkins In December 2019, the AAAS published a commissioned report, ``A Synthesis of Research on and Measurement of STEM Teacher Preparation.'' The authors of the report argue that common measures are required to move the field of STEM teacher preparation forward, particularly those that assess STEM teacher preparation programs, noting that there is virtually ''no published research related to the improvement of educator preparation programs.'' This need exists not only in secondary teacher preparation, but for instructional- and learning-assistant (LA) programs in undergraduate teaching as well: while a range of instruments examine the effects that LAs have on undergraduate learning, none specifically examine LA programs through the lens of LAs' own developing knowledge of teaching. We report on the design and status of a selected-response assessment to measure the success of physics teacher preparation programs in supporting attentiveness to student ideas -- that is, the ability to interpret and respond to students' scientific ideas. |
|
E00.00067: Search for the Migdal effect in a liquid xenon TPC Rachel Mannino, Jingke Xu, Duncan Adams, Brian G Lenardo, Teal J Pershing, Ethan P Bernard, James W Kingston, Eli Mizrachi, Junsong Lin, Rouven Essig, Vladimir Mozin, Phil L Kerr, Adam Bernstein, S. Mani Tripathi Direct dark matter experiments have not yet made a discovery, and improving detector sensitivity to the sub-GeV regime is increasingly important for G2, and potentially G3, dark matter detectors to maximize their search windows using current technologies. One potential avenue for improving detector sensitivity to low-mass dark matter is to exploit the theorized Migdal effect in which a nuclear recoil is accompanied by an atomic excitation. The resulting electron de-excitation produces an electron recoil signal in the ~keV regime which is typically above the threshold for detection in current dark matter detectors. I will present the results from a Migdal effect search conducted in a small liquid xenon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using a 14.1 MeV DT neutron source and discuss plans for a follow-up measurement with a 2.45 MeV DD neutron source. |
|
E00.00068: Dark Matter with Axion-Like Particle Mediators Zoe Messenger, Oswaldo J Cardenas, Albany Blackburn, Ngan Nguyen, Stephanie Allen, Brian Shuve We study the cosmology and experimental signatures of a thermal dark matter (DM) freeze-out model where DM interacts with Standard Model (SM) particles via an axion-like particle (ALP). We calculate the DM abundance from annihilations into ALPs and SM gauge bosons, and we determine which masses and coupling constants produce the observed abundance of DM within the regime of validity of the effective field theory. We constrain the model using collider searches for ALPs and indirect detection bounds on DM annihilation to photons to determine the parameter space still unconstrained by experiment and help guide future searches for DM and ALPs. |
|
E00.00069: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
|
|
E00.00070: Three-Dimensional Simulations of Planet-Induced Gap Openings in Protoplanetary Disks Grady D Robbins, Jaehan Bae As they form, planets excite spiral waves which steepen into shocks and open annular gaps in their natal protoplanetary disks. Recent studies have shown that a single planet can open multiple gaps at the radial locations where each spiral wave steepens into a shock. However, these previous studies are limited to a two-dimensional space where the vertical structure of gaps and vertical gas motions within and around gaps cannot be examined. In this paper, we investigate the formation of multiple gaps by a planet using three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. We show that a singular planet can open multiple gaps in three-dimensional spaces and that the radial location of the gaps shows an excellent agreement between two- and three-dimensional simulations. The gas around both the primary gap (the gap opening around the planet's orbit) and secondary gaps (gaps opening at a distance from the planet's orbit) experiences a downward motion toward the disk midplane and encounters azimuthal velocity asymmetry. We discuss the observational implications of these velocity structures and note future impacts of using three-dimensional simulations. |
|
E00.00071: Advancing Thermal Rectifiers: From Paraffin Wax Diodes to Building Wall Applications Jimmy Li, Alok Ghanekar, Michelle L Povinelli In this extended abstract, we delve into advancing thermal rectifiers by applying them to building walls for enhanced thermal regulation. Initially focusing on a paraffin wax-based thermal diode, our research explores its rectifying characteristics under transient boundary conditions. Notably, the nonlinear dependence of wax's thermal conductivity around 48°C gives rise to diode-like behavior, a phenomenon we observed experimentally. Building upon these findings, our study envisions the implementation of paper-based small-scale thermal diodes. Through simulations, we thoroughly investigate the transient response of this non-linear thermal diode. Our research delves into the impact of time-dependent temperature inputs on the output temperature, as well as the influence of geometric parameters and the paper-to-wax ratio on the rectifier's transient performance. This extension broadens the scope of thermal rectification, offering insights into potential applications in building systems for effective temperature management. |
|
E00.00072: A review of techniques for measuring the neutron magnetic form factor Kevin Blanco, Lamya Baashen, Brian Raue Understanding the neutron magnetic form factor (GnM) is crucial to mapping nucleon structure. It is valuable in the interpretations of a wide breadth of neutron properties, including marking the neutron's magnetic moment at low four-momentum transfer squared (Q2), and extracting individual up and down quark contributions at high Q2. However, unique experimental challenges are present when probing the neutron form factor. Most experimental measurements must address the lack of a free neutron target by using the bound neutrons in a deuterium target, requiring nuclear corrections accounting for the deuterium's structure. |
|
E00.00073: PACMANN: using machine learning to detect pulsars Teddy S Masters Neutron stars form at the death of large stars. Sometimes these neutron stars rapidly rotate, and we call them pulsars. The magnetic field of the spinning neutron stars forms beams at the magnetic poles which emit radio frequencies. Because of the spin of pulsars the radio emissions arrive on earth as predictably timed pulses. |
|
E00.00074: Implementing RePrimAnd TOV Solver into Parameter Estimation Software Bilby to Constrain Neutron-Star Equation of State from Gravitational Waves James Hart Neutron-stars deform due to tidal forces as they coalesce, and this tidal deformability is modeled by a single parameter, to first order. The tidal deformability and NSs are able to be measured by advanced ground-based interferometers designed for observing gravitational waves (GWs) and can carry information about the neutron-star equation of state (EoS). Bilby is a popular software among researchers interested in performing Bayesian parameter estimation on GW data. To estimate the EoS from a binary neutron star merger, we create generic EoS models from which to sample. Then, we use Bilby to recover posterior distributions on the models' parameters. To translate internal state properties (e.g. pressure, density, enthalpy) to macroscopic stellar properties (e.g. radius, love number, tidal deformability) we need to solve a series of differential equations known as the TOV equations. The current TOV solver employed by Bilby fails to solve these equations as parameters stray from conservative EoS values. The goal of my research this year, under Professor Leslie Wade, is to implement a more robust TOV solver (RePrimAnd) into Bilby, expand the EoS parameter space, make and investigate a phase-transition equation of state, and do EoS parameter estimation runs with these new implementations on real LIGO data (GW170817). |
|
E00.00075: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00076: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00077: Spectral Analysis of Light Pollution at UST Dylan Ayres Light pollution, the effect of human-made light that escapes into unintended areas, is a common and increasing problem for astronomical observations of distant and dim objects. This study aims to characterize this effect at the University of St. Thomas, and urban university within the St. Paul, MN metropolitan area, through a spectroscopic analysis of the local light pollution to determine which wavelengths of light are impacting our campus Observatory. Data was obtained with an 8-inch Celestron telescope combined with a both a low-resolution Ocean Optics spectrometer and a higher-resolution Lhires III spectrometer, both covering the visible portion of the spectrum. Our analysis of the resulting data demonstrates that that there are no wavelength ranges that stand out significantly above the background noise. Therefore, spectroscopy appears to be a viable method for conducting astronomical observations at the St. Thomas Observatory.. |
|
E00.00078: Probing Isomeric Transitions in Gamma-Ray Bursts from Neutron Star Mergers Maria C Hamilton, Joseph I Powell Neutron star mergers are rich sources of elements heavier than iron, created through rapid nucleosynthesis processes. The landmark detection of a binary neutron star merger GW170817, was observed through both gravitational waves and electromagnetic signals. This event included a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) shortly after the merger, followed by a prolonged afterglow. |
|
E00.00079: Evaluation of Nuclear Effects in the Extraction of Neutron Form-Factors from the Deuteron. Marlen Fornes, Misak M Sargsian The measurement of neutron elastic form-factors at high momentum transfer represents one of the important tasks of hadronic physics. However, because of the lack of a free neutron target, the deuteron or 3He targets are used in electro-production processes to extract neutron elastic form-factor data. As such, one of the main problems in extracting reliable data on neutron form-factors is to evaluate associated nuclear effects. In this work, we present the evaluation of the nuclear effects in the extraction of elastic form-factors of neutron in high Q2 exclusive electro-disintegration of the deuteron. In addition to the Fermi and off-shell effects for the first time, we present also the evaluation of final state interaction effects including charge interchange re-scattering. The latter is essential at large Q2, since in this case, the electron-neutron cross-section is several times less than the electro-proton cross-section. As a result the process in which electron scatters from the proton in the deuteron then the struck proton undergoes charge interchange re-interaction can significantly alter the extracted neutron data. |
|
E00.00080: Simulation studies of the Muon Capture Rate measurement using the EM calorimeter in the Mu2e Experiment Amelia Abruscato This poster will introduce Fermilab’s Mu2e experiment and its purpose as well as provide prerequisite background knowledge needed to understand the high energy particle physics concepts used. In order to achieve the Mu2e goal for a precise measurement of the rate of muon to electron conversion in the field of a nucleus, an accurate knowledge of the muon-stopping rate is needed. The experiment is required to measure the muon-stopping rate with an overall accuracy of 10%. A direct measurement is preferred and the experiment’s solution is to perform this task with the Stopping Target Monitor detector. |
|
E00.00081: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00082: Optimizing Higgs Boson Reconstruction Using Small-R (R=0.4) and Large-R (R=1.0) Jets Sophie Kadan Many beyond the Standard Model searches by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider employ jets to simplify event reconstruction. Two types of jets have been studied to optimize the selection and reconstruction of a final state with many jets originating from four b-quarks. A large-R (R = 1.0) jet combines particle shower products into one jet that spans 2 radians, while a small-R (R = 0.4) jet gives finer-grained information. In this talk, we consider the pair production of charginos with R-parity violating (RPV) decays to a charged lepton and a Higgs boson, which subsequently decays to two b-quarks. In studies of Monte Carlo simulation, we found that parameters such as the distance between Higgs bosons and the distance between b-jets were relevant in selecting the most accurate small-R jet reconstructions. These parameters were then used to refine small-R jet selection, increasing reconstruction efficiency across a wide range of possible chargino masses compared to a selection using large-R jets. To extend these findings to a model with a RPV decay directly to two b-quarks and a lepton without the intermediate Higgs boson, machine learning techniques are now being explored. |
|
E00.00083: Quantum Field Theory Calculations in the BSBM Model of a Varying Fine Structure Constant Ethan Baker, Daniel Grin Some evidence hints at the possibility of a fine structure constant α that has varied over the age of the universe. Specifically, emission spectra data from quasi-stellar objects indicate that α has varied over the last 5-7 billion years and some CMB data suggests a different value of α at recombination than at present, which is especially interesting as a possible solution to the Hubble tension. One model of a varying α, the BSBM model, posits the existence of a new scalar field in the universe that couples with the Maxwell tensor to produce an evolution in α over time. An open question in the model is the value of a parameter ζ=<E2-B2>/ρ, which is related to the rate of α-variation predicted by the theory. A theoretical calculation of ζ, when combined with existing experimental data, would also give access to the energy scale on which BSBM effects are expected to dominate. The value of ζ is closely related to the electromagnetic mass difference of protons and neutrons, but many references use an electromagnetic shielding argument and a semi-classical treatment of BSBM to argue that electrostatic contributions to ζ are negligible. However, our previous work does not support this conclusion and there is no known calculation including the possibility of shielding and a quantum treatment of the theory. Here, we present such a calculation. |
|
E00.00084: Multi-vertex jet trigger within the ATLAS upgrade for HL-LHC using Boosted Decision Trees Santiago Cané, Tae M Hong The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will undergo a major improvement from 2026-2028 called High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The number of collisions per proton bunch crossing will increase from ~60 to ~200. This will stress the current event selection (trigger) system, and the efficiency of specialized jet triggers in particular. An important challenge lies in classifying jets coming from a single vertex or from multiple ones, and the difficulty in distinguishing this is exacerbated by the increased pile-up interactions and high energy background jets under high luminosity. Therefore, as part of the ongoing ATLAS detector upgrade, we are developing a multi-vertex jet trigger for Level 0 (hardware-based level) at HL-LHC, using machine learning techniques, such as Boosted Decision Trees (BDTs) to do the classification. Building on recent advancements, such as the development of the fwXmachina package in the University of Pittsburgh (useful for BDTs implementation in Level 1), the project spans describing HL-LHC multi-jet background, validating simulations with real detector data, and implementing BDTs on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). This trigger will benefit the identification of specific di-Higgs decays like HH-->4b, but also any interesting physics with 4 jets in the final state. |
|
E00.00085: Study of t-Channel Production of Scalar Leptoquarks at LHCb and Central Acceptance Detector. Carrie Cox Scalar leptoquarks (SLQs) are a hypothetical, beyond standard model (BSM) particle that couples simultaneously to both quarks and leptons, carrying both a lepton number and baryon number. These particles provide a possible explanation for the flavor anomalies observed by the LHCb collaboration at CERN as well as by other B-factory experiments. SLQs appear as a propagator in the Drell-Yan process, and SLQ models with large couplings to heavy quark flavors link flavor anomalies with modifications in Drell-Yan dilepton kinematic distributions. This phenomenological study uses simulated events produced using MadGraph5 software to examine how the inclusion of SLQ t-channel production of leptons affects the expected kinematic distributions of the leptons produced and whether the LHCb or a model Central Acceptance detector would have sensitivity to detecting t-channel SLQ production. |
|
E00.00086: Flat Norm Decomposition and Computation Sandra Auttelet, Kevin R Vixie, Curtis Michels The first goal of this work is to compute the multiscale flat norm on irregular graphs. By computing a local quadratic minimum, weights necessary for a discretization of the flat norm can be computed on irregular graphs in 2 and 3 dimensional space. This allows us to compute various geometry dependent quantities such as mean curvature, perimeter, and distances between shapes defined by subsets on graphs. The code for this project was written in Python and uses an efficient implementation of the min-cut max-flow algorithm. In addition to shape classification and signal denoising, we plan to apply this work to gravitational wave observation data to attempt to classify different glitches. |
|
E00.00087: Novel Technique for Low-Mass Type I Heavy Majorana Neutrino Searches Audrey P Cole With the absence of new physics in searches at higher masses at the LHC, there is an increased emphasis on investigating lower mass regimes. We propose a new technique specifically designed to explore particles with masses below 200 GeV, particularly those produced in association with a high-pT lepton and exhibiting Lorentz boosting. We apply this approach to the search for Type I heavy Majorana neutrinos and compare our results with other techniques employed to investigate this phase space. |
|
E00.00088: Simulating Self Absorption Due to Neutron Inelastic Scattering in Xenon 134 Michael D Potts, Mary F Kidd An important aspect of rare event nuclear physics research such as neutrinoless double beta (0nbb) decay is filtering out background events that can lower data resolution. The search for 0nbb decay of 136Xe utilizes enriched 136Xe but still contains significant amounts of 134Xe. This poses a problem because, despite many experiments taking place in underground facilities, neutron-induced reactions can still occur in the sample and interfere with the data collected. Two background processes of interest are neutron inelastic scattering and neutron capture in 134Xe. The resultant de-excitation gamma rays from neutron inelastic scattering of 134Xe can scatter into the region of interest for 136Xe neutrinoless double beta decay. At Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, we have measured neutron inelastic scattering and neutron capture on 134Xe. To fully understand the results of this experiment, we need to know the self absorption (a measure of the percentage of gamma rays that deposit energy in a sample) of the 134Xe sample. We simulated the absorption in a sample of 134Xe using Gears and Geant 4 along with the Root data analysis package to directly get the absorption number for use in data analysis. We will report this absorption number for various gamma ray energies of interest. |
|
E00.00089: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00090: Variability of thermospheric densities from satellite observations near dawn and dusk Agustina Peck, Ivana M Molina, Ludger Scherliess The thermosphere is a layer of the atmosphere that extends from about 90 to 500 km. Understanding variations in thermospheric neutral densities is crucial for planning Low Earth Orbit satellite missions, as these neutrals cause disturbances in orbits through drag effects. Because the ionosphere is embedded in the thermosphere, gaining insight into the variability of thermospheric densities enhances our comprehension of the interconnected dynamics among the thermosphere, ionosphere, and lower atmosphere. In addition, the ionosphere affects technologies such as HF communications and GNSS positioning. |
|
E00.00091: Spectroscopic and Imaging Survey of Planetary Nebulae Sarah P Markham, Rose Finn Planetary nebulae are regions of dust and gas that are formed from a dying star. The goal of this project is to measure the physical characteristics of three different planetary nebulae that are observable with the Breyo Observatory CDK700 0.7-m PlaneWave telescope located at Siena College. We use a shelyak LISA spectrograph to obtain R~1000 spectra that cover the full optical range. We also use an SBIG STL-11000M CCD to obtain images through the narrow band H-alpha, [OIII], and SDSS g and r filters. We measure the line ratios of the spectra to estimate the temperature of the nebulae, and we use the imaging to determine the spatial variations in the line emission. We use these data to compare the physical characteristics of each nebula. We present calibrated spectra and 3-color images of the Ring Nebula (M57), Dumbbell Nebula (M27), and the Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009), as well as an analysis of the line ratios in the spectrum of each nebulae. |
|
E00.00092: Simulating outputs from the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider for improved ATLAS trigger algorithm testing Ryan Stuve The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will undergo upgrades beginning in 2026 to increase its luminosity by tenfold, becoming the High-Luminosity LHC. This translates to an average pileup () of 200 events within the ATLAS detector for every proton bunch crossing. Through careful selection using offline-inspired algorithms implemented on a Global Trigger, the upgraded Trigger and Data Acquisition system will reduce the 40 MHz data arriving from detectors, storing only potentially interesting events at a rate of 1 MHz to memory. One interesting event is the Di-Higgs decay, which has yet to be measured due to its small cross section. Running an online topological clustering algorithm on full-granularity calorimeter information will help in reconstructing jets that model the trajectories of Higgs decay products in real time. Such a clustering algorithm is currently being developed by firmware engineers, but requires detailed validation on =200 simulated data before implementation in the upgraded Trigger and Data Acquisition system. This poster will describe how simulated data is made to resemble detector readout for firmware validation, as well as various performance studies of online clustering algorithms using simulated events like a di-Higgs decay. |
|
E00.00093: Higgs-Coupled Freeze-In Baryogenesis Nathaniel Kirby, Brian Shuve, David Tucker-Smith The nature of dark matter (DM) and the origin of the baryon asymmetry of the universe are two of the most important questions confronting particle physics, and two of the strongest motivations for physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). It has recently been shown that simple models of freeze-in DM can incorporate baryogenesis by a straightforward extension to two or more DM particles with different masses. We study a novel realization of freeze-in baryogenesis, in which a new SU(2)-doublet vector-like fermion (VLF) couples feebly to the SM Higgs and multiple fermionic DM mass eigenstates, leading to out-of-equilibrium DM production in the early universe via the decays of the VLF. An asymmetry is first generated in the Higgs and VLF sectors through the coherent production, propagation, and rescattering of the DM. This asymmetry is subsequently converted into a baryon asymmetry by SM processes, and potentially, by additional VLF interactions. We find that the asymmetry in this Higgs-coupled scenario has a different parametric dependence relative to previously considered models of freeze-in baryogenesis. We characterize the viable DM and VLF parameter spaces and find that the VLF is a promising target for current and future collider searches. |
|
E00.00094: Faraday Rotation Variability Study in the Gamma Ray Emitting High Mass X-ray Binary LSI +61° 303 Kaitlyn E Sheriff LSI +61 303 is one of five known gamma-ray loud and radio-loud high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB). We conducted polarimetric observations on LSI +61 303 over three orbital periods using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). These sessions occurred on 2019 November 10, November 20, December 7, December 14, December 29, 2020 January 9, January 14, and January 18. Our observations covered between 4.82 and 9.5 GHz. In the context of our research, we report Faraday rotation measurements, which is the rotation of the plane of polarization of a radio wave as it passes through one or more magneto-ionic environments. We also discussed the fractional polarization and spectral index in the context of orbital period and the literature. Pulsations in the system were reported by Weng et al. (2022 Nature Astronomy, 6, 698) based on observations with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), which provide compelling evidence that the compact object is a rotating neutron star, i.e., a pulsar. In our discussion, we adopt their conclusion regarding the nature of the compact object. |
|
E00.00095: Model-independent probes of dark sector physics Tianji Zhou, Daniel Grin, Tristan L Smith, Maxwell Aifer The nature of the dark sector is unknown, and numerous dark matter models have been proposed for dark matter. It can be time-consuming to reanalyze cosmic microwave background (CMB) data one model at a time, so it will be more efficient to develop a model-independent approach. In this work, we test such an approach using specific models as a benchmark. The Wess Zumino Dark Radiation (WZDR) model and the Chameleon Early Dark Energy (CEDE) model are promising solutions for the Hubble tension between local and CMB-based measurements. We aim to test these models using the generalized dark matter (GDM) methods and principal component analysis (PCA). We compute the GDM equation of state and effective sound speed for the dark cosmological fluid, which only interacts with photons and baryons through gravitational interactions. We then project the models onto the principal components of the cosmological dark fluid. In the future, we will apply this method to real CMB data in order to obtain constraints to these models through a model-independent approach. |
|
E00.00096: Chroma-based optical simulations for the UMass liquid xenon test apparatus Nicholas R Yazbek, Sili Wu, Arunendro Dutta, Sebastian Hofmann, Priyanka Kachru, Andrea Pocar nEXO is a tonne-scale neutrinoless double beta decay experiment that will search this nuclear decay in 136Xe using a single-phase time projection chamber (TPC) filled with 5 tonnes of isotopically enriched liquid xenon (LXe). A large array of VUV-sensitive silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) detect 178 nm scintillation photons originating from ionizing events. A kg-scale LXe setup at UMass is operated to characterize the response of prototype SiPMs for nEXO and study VUV optics in LXe. We use a GPU-based optical ray tracing simulation called Chroma to simulate the experimental setup under a range of optical parameters (refractive indices of components, absorption and scattering lengths of LXe, LXe scintillation wavelength, diffusive and specular reflectivity of surfaces including the SiPM), varied within ranges suggested by values found in literature. Simulations are compared with measurements performed with different layouts (e.g. SiPM-source separation, presence of reflectors, etc.) to break degeneracies and control systematic uncertainties in the extraction of the photon transport efficiency (PTE) of each configuration. This presentation will showcase the progress made towards the determination of the optical properties of interest. |
|
E00.00097: Particle Physics Playground: Particle Physics data and Python tools for the classroom Samyak D Tuladhar, Matthew Bellis The Particle Physics Playground (PPP) is a simple set of exercises from multiple particle physics experiences that is intended to be an easy way for students and anyone interested in learning more about particle physics analysis to access the data with nothing but a Chromebook. The latest iteration of the PPP has exercises for identifying particles such as D mesons, top quarks, J/psi mesons and much more. In addition, we have documentation and help for any problems the students may encounter including conceptual topics in particle physics for those new to these topics. We suggest that users of this resource have at least some introductory knowledge in Python and have an undergraduate level of understanding for particle and nuclear physics. We believe such exercises can be used to generate interest in particle physics and give students a glimpse of how actual particle physics experiments are done and analyzed. Since the project's inception in 2014, we have received positive feedback from users both within and outside of the formal particle physics community. The current status of this project will be presented. |
|
E00.00098: The Spacetime Finite Element Method to Investigate Ghost-Ridden Systems Jax G Wysong, Samara R Overvaag, Hyun Lim, Jung-Han Kimn A ghost-ridden system is defined as having at least one negative degree of freedom. The system investigated here is simple, consisting of two scalar fields. One of the fields is associated with a negative kinetic energy term which provides the system with a ghost. Systems such as these have generally been deemed physically unstable; therefore, when a negative degree of freedom arises, the work being done does not continue. However, it was recently discovered that not all ghost-ridden systems are physically unstable which is the grounds for this work. Past work with implicit integration has shown that the 1+1 and 2+1 cases are physically stable; however, completion of the 3+1 case was not feasible with this method. Thus, the spacetime finite element method (FEM) is utilized to computationally solve the equations of motion that arise from the ghost system. This is done with the use of South Dakota State University’s cluster, Roaring Thunder. This particular FEM treats space and time simultaneously, eliminating time integration errors. So far work has been done on the 1+1 and 2+1 cases. Future work focuses on completing the 3+1 case as well as adding an extra gravitationally interacting source term and treating the system with a more general curved space than flat Minkowski space. |
|
E00.00099: Radon Plate-Out Backgrounds in Rare-Event Searches Rolando M Ortega The decays from radioisotopes in the radon decay chain negatively impact the sensitivity and performance of rare-event search detectors. Detector components exposed to radon gas can experience radon-daughter plate-out. This process occurs when radon decay products land on a detector material and then undergo additional decay, leading to long-living radioisotopes being embedded into the material surface. In this work, we use the SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) program to simulate radon plate-out in various detector materials. In addition, we use a dedicated database that was used to track detector materials to build a radon exposure model and estimate the plate-out rates in the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment. |
|
E00.00100: Amplifier Component Testing for Cryogenic Dark Matter Detectors Jaylin M Santos, Arran T Phipps, Owen Andrews, Jasmine s Asfour-palacios, Andre Li, Andre Li, Lucas Teagan Stephen About 80% of the mass of the universe is believed to consist of an unknown substance called dark matter. In recent years, there has been growing interest in adapting cryogenic semiconductor detectors to search for dark matter particles with a lower mass. The recently formed Search for Particles of Light Dark Matter with Narrow-Gap Semiconductors (SPLENDOR) collaboration aims to use newly developed "quantum materials" (designer semiconductor crystals) in conjunction with state-of-the art low temperature amplifiers to explore previously inaccessible mass ranges for dark matter particles. Electronic circuit components are required to help reduce noise in the amplifier, however their characteristics can have huge variations or even outright fail under ultra-cold conditions. In this poster, we present the measured cryogenic performance (T=4K) of a variety of capacitors used in the baseline SPLENDOR amplifier design. |
|
E00.00101: Undergraduate Research Projects on Eos Hybrid Neutrino Detector Matthew J Pearson Eos is a hybrid neutrino detector currently located on the surface of the UC Berkeley campus. The target is a 20-tonne water tank constructed of an inner acrylic vessel containing Water Based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS) surrounded by 240+ fast photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and 12 dichroicons. A dichroicon is an ultrafast timing PMT with red and blue light filters that allow for spectral sorting to distinguish Cherenkov and scintillation photons from a single event. This technology offers better background rejection and sensitivity to a broad range of neutrino energies. The detector is scheduled to complete its construction in early 2024, with surface science runs scheduled to begin in mid-2024. The goal of the science runs is to characterize the hybrid detection technology with varying concentrations of water-based liquid scintillator using cosmic ray muons, light injection, beta, gamma, and neutron sources on the surface. As an undergraduate at Cal State Stanislaus and part of the Eos collaboration, I will present my work on Eos's Slow Control System, the Muon Veto System, and my participation in the construction and future analysis plans of the detector in this poster presentation. |
|
E00.00102: The design and use of a Peltier-powered cloud chamber for outreach and classroom laboratory measurements Jillian F Cola, Matthew Bellis A challenge facing the scientist who studies anything at the subatomic level is convincing the general public and students that what they are studying is real. Astronomers can show beautiful images of stars and galaxies, geologists let you hold a 3 billion year-old rock in your hand, but the nuclear physicist must come up with other methods to demonstrate the equally fascinating science that they engage with. At Siena College, we have an ongoing 10 year project to improve a design for a Peltier-powered cloud chamber that is portable and does not require dry ice. This makes it ideal for both outreach activities and in-classroom demonstrations. Recently, we have developed a lab in which students use the device to extract scientific data. This involves a video analysis of a radioactive sample placed in the cloud chamber and the lengths of tracks are measured from a video analysis program. These lengths are used as an analog of the energy of the emitted particles and a spectrum is produced and compared to literature. A similar study can be done with cosmic rays where the lengths of the tracks map onto the angle of entry. We have successfully hosted a lab session where a group of students worked on a version of the lab. As a result, we have uncovered various opportunities to improve on some challenges with the lab structure and analysis. The current status of both the cloud chamber design and the efforts to turn this into a classroom lab will be presented. |
|
E00.00103: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00104: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00105: Simplified access to CMS Open Data with Google’s Colab environment and Google Cloud Storage Vincenzo Morina, Matthew Bellis The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment is one of four multipurpose detectors at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, located in Switzerland. CMS has made large subsets of the data available to the public through the CERN Open Data Portal, the goal to get people to analyze the data. The CMS Data Preservation and Open Access working group (DPOA) has organized a number of workshops to teach others how to access and analyze these datasets, however it can still be very challenging to use open data, especially if someone just wants to try out some simple ideas. To reduce the overhead further, we created a test case where we host simplified versions of the data on Google Cloud Platform, and provide an example of how to access the data with the cloud-hosted Google Colab python environment. In this poster, we present an approach where we convert open data files from the original format to a more simplified version, after which we upload it to the Google Cloud Platform. From Colab we are able to access the data from a Jupyter notebook environment run on Google’s computersThis notebook provides examples of how to quickly access and prototype analysis. The current status of this study will be presented. |
|
E00.00106: Abstract Withdrawn
|
|
E00.00107: Testing Gravitational Interactions Below Fifty Microns Alexandra G Papesh, Kevin Geumhan, Tanner Hooven, Taylor J Juchau, Abby Keltz, Kelsey D Sako, C.D. Hoyle Attempts to unify the Standard Model and General Relativity often include features that violate the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) and/or the gravitational Inverse-Square Law (ISL). A violation of either would call into question our fundamental understanding of gravity. To further investigate this, undergraduate researchers and faculty at Cal Poly Humboldt are conducting precision measurements of gravitational interactions below 50 microns. This project employs a torsion pendulum configured as a composition dipole with equal masses of titanium and aluminum. The twist angle and frequency of the pendulum is measured as an attractor mass in a parallel-plate configuration oscillates within submillimeter separations. The magnitude of the time-dependent torque caused by these oscillations may provide evidence for deviations in the WEP or ISL at untested scales. The focus of the experiment at present is to apply adjustments to further isolate experimental results from environmental influences from the surroundings, analyze recent data, and to optimize the experiment for future data collection. |
|
E00.00108: Setting solar axion gaγγ limits using XENONnT and TEXONO data Ethan J White, Greeshma Chandrabhanu Theoretical explanations for axion-like particles (ALPs) properties are vast, however experimental searches remain difficult. In theory, properties of solar-ALPs can be well studied under the inelastic inverse Primakoff process. The ALP-photon coupling constant, gaγγ, is of particular interest due to experimental searches being competitively scarce. |
|
E00.00109: Creating a variable moment of inertia device for physics labs Mirnelle Mathurin, Matthew Bellis, Mark A Rosenberry Over the past 10 years, the physics education community has been calling for a change in college physics labs to make them less prescriptive and formulaic. The goal is to move to "inquiry based" labs, in which students have more agency to explore the concepts, make mistakes, and improve upon the design and analysis of the lab. One approach is to develop labs in which the instructor does not know the answer so that students are forced to think more independently about measurement. In the summer of 2023, we decided to build a lab that explores moments of inertia using these concepts. We designed and 3D printed a lab component that allows us to change the mass distribution while keeping the overall dimensions and total mass the same. This allows us to produce two components that are identical in all simple measurements, requiring the students to think deeply about how to make their measurements in such a way as they can tell whether or not the cylinders have different moments of inertia or not. We are testing this approach with Siena students to understand if or how it contributes to the learning process. The current status of this project will be presented. |
|
E00.00110: Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Single-Inclusive Pion Production from Lepton-Nucleon Collisions with Unpolarized Next-to-Leading Order Corrections Jacob Marsh, Sophia Fitzgibbons, Penn Smith, Michel Malda, Daniel Pitonyak At high energies, collisions between transversely polarized nucleons and leptons can result in a left-right asymmetric production of hadrons referred to as a transverse single-spin asymmetry AN. This is the focus of our study. While leading order (LO) predictions have been produced before, these did not provide a solid enough description of the measurements, like those from HERMES. To attempt to improve these calculations, we aim to include next-to-leading order (NLO) corrections for the unpolarized cross section in the denominator of the asymmetry. These results can then be compared with datasets to determine, in the absence of a full analytical calculation, empirically how large the NLO contributions in the transversely polarized cross section in the numerator of AN are expected to/must be. We use recent phenomenological extractions of quark-gluon-quark contributions from Sivers-like and Collins-like functions in our analysis to compute AN and compare to data from HERMES as well as provide predictions for JLab-12, COMPASS, and the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). |
|
E00.00111: Reconstructing Cluster Information from Silicon Pixel Detectors Evelyn Silva This project was completed through the Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program at the University of Kansas. Current particle detectors containing billions of pixels process images taken millions of times a second to obtain measurements with precise position and time resolution. These silicon pixel detectors can also be used to monitor a beam of thermal neutrons by inserting a boron conversion layer. We utilized Allpix Squared, a generic simulation framework to simulate 100,000 neutrons impinging on a 14x14mm silicon sensor with 55 μm2 pixels. From this, we reconstructed the simulated cluster data using python code to find the spatial resolution by measuring the difference between reconstructed positions and the original, simulated position. This resulted in a 1 μm cluster position resolution. With the large number of pixels in each cluster, one can find the angle of incidence, with respect to the sensor and ultimately “track” the position of the beam. There will be too much data collected for the present readout electronics to handle at speed. This project lays the groundwork for future innovations in imaging technology that will employ an algorithm that will mimic the human brain, using local processing and storage within the detectors becoming more energy efficient. |
|
E00.00112: Calibration of 57Fe Mössbauer Spectrometer Parameters for Hyper-fine Interaction Analysis Bronwen Olson, Brittany Callin Mössbauer spectroscopy is used to probe the fine nuclear structures of isotopes of Mössbauer nuclei. A common isotope used in Mössbauer spectroscopy is 57Fe due to its low energy γ-rays, abundance, and long nuclear lifetime. We setup, calibrated and acquired data using a Mössbauer setup equipped with a 25 mCi 57Co source by optimizing the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) and resolution using a krypton gas proportional counter detector. We cross-checked the relationship between channels and velocity of the Mössbauer drive unit using various absorbers: α-Fe, Fe2O3, 57FeC2O4·2H2O, and K2Mg57Fe(CN)6. From the spectroscopy of each absorber we measured the absorption energies of the peaks and derived the isomer shift, quadrupole splitting, and magnetic dipole interactions for all of the absorbers. |
|
E00.00113: Measurements of high energy neutron scattering observables from plastic scintillators at LANSCE Bianca Hassan, Anthony N Kuchera, Shane Winner The Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) is made of plastic scintillator detectors that are primarily used to measure properties of neutron unbound nuclei. Experiments at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) were performed to obtain neutron scattering data to improve simulation which will in turn be used to analyze experimental data from the Facility of Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and in building the next-generation of neutron detectors. Experimental data were taken at LANSCE in order to test two simulation packages, MENATE_R and GEANT-4. At LANSCE, neutrons with energies 0 to 800 MeV scatter from a single plastic scintillator target and are detected by a cascading array of MoNA plastic scintillator bars located a few meters away. Neutrons with energy between 20 to 300 MeV were analyzed. The neutron scattering angles, hit multiplicity, and kinetic energy distributions were constructed and compared to simulation predictions. Preliminary results will be presented. |
|
E00.00114: The Polarization of He3 Eric Pierce The GEn-II experiment was conducted in Hall A of Thomas Jefferson Lab in Newport News, VA. The experiment is aimed at extracting the neutron electric form factor by scattering polarized e- beam on a polarized He3 target which serves as an effective neutron target. These form factor measurements encode the charge and magnetization information which are fundamental and essential for our understanding of nucleon structure. I supported the experiment by taking a number of shifts as the target operator. A brief description of the target and the target performance will be presented in this poster. |
|
E00.00115: Evolution of Bulk Hardness on Cold Rolled Niobium with Heat Treatment Millie Barron, Pashupati Dhakal, Shreyas Balachandran Superconducting radio frequency cavities have become highly prominent in modern particle accelerators due to their high quality factor capabilities. Niobium in particular has proven highly effective as the primary material in fabricating complex structures due to its ductility and superior superconducting properties. One of the primary factors that affects the quality factor is magnetic flux trapping, which can occur at locations of defects and impurities. High-temperature heat treatments are used to reduce defects, minimizing the trapping centers. Recently, cavities made from cold rolled niobium sheet performed better than those made from traditional niobium. The increased performance was due to the minimized flux trapping resulting from better recrystallization. We use Vickers micro-hardness tests to measure the hardness of cold rolled niobium as a function of heat treatment temperature. This work showed a marked decrease in Vickers micro-hardness on niobium sheet cross-section with increasing temperature. The decrease in hardness is more pronounced when the heat treatment temperature is greater than 600 °C. The sharp decrease in hardness corresponds to the start of recrystallization. The procedures and results in this paper provide researchers and manufacturers with a considerably simpler and relatively inexpensive method of analyzing cold rolled niobium. |
|
E00.00116: Characterization of Transmission Gratings in Photorefractive Materials Diego F Figueroa, Austin Scott, Partha Banerjee Measuring the transmitted and diffracted beam powers while writing and probing the grating with a power meter is a simple characterization method of transmission gratings. The transmission grating writing process consists in doping a photorefractive material as lithium niobate crystal using an argon laser beam of 514.5 nm wavelength. This transmission grating is probed using a helium-neon 632.6 nm laser beam, following Bragg’s conditions. By measuring the transmitted and diffracted power from both experiments, the power meter will show if there is a correct characterization of transmission gratings. |
|
E00.00117: Two-Dimension Modular Scalable Electronics Biosensors Andrea Diaz, Christopher Muratore In this research paper, we conducted a study to evaluate how well a chip sensor responds to concentrations of COVID/FLU B antigens. We examined the chip's ability to detect and measure these target antigens by analyzing changes in resistance. To assess the chips' performance and sensitivity, we tested concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 ng/mL of the COVID and FLU antigen mixture. Additionally, we introduced 2.5 mg/mL of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as an interference protein to assess the selectivity of the sensor. By establishing a baseline resistance and comparing it with the normalized resistance, we gained insights into the chip's potential for diagnostic testing of infectious diseases. |
|
E00.00118: Upper-limit procedures on signatures of muons originating in dark matter annihilations occurring in the Earth Josephine R Swann, Matthew Bellis, Tamas A Vami, Danyi Zhang, Liam Brennan
|
|
E00.00119: Developing a Convolutional Neural Network for Object Pileup Energy Prediction and Jet Correction in Anomalous Events in the CMS Level-1 Trigger System Inci Karaaslan, Isobel R Ojalvo, Andrew Loeliger The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN is designed to detect and identify the particles produced in high-energy proton-proton collisions in order to explore Standard Model (SM) behavior at high energies and Beyond Standard Model theories. The first of CMS’s two-tier trigger system, the Level-1 Trigger (L1T), comprises custom hardware processors to select events and particle signals while suppressing background noise. Recent advances have been made in creating trigger algorithms through using unsupervised machine learning techniques such as autoencoders and implementing them to L1T FPGAs. Princeton’s Calorimeter Image Convolutional Anomaly Detection Algorithm (CICADA) is a calorimeter-based event-level Level-1 Trigger autoencoder designed to select anomalous events and assign anomaly scores ranging from 1-7. CICADA shows a lot of susceptibility to pileup, i.e. unwanted extra collisions that overlap in the detector, in its scoring, causing other possible patterns in the distribution of anomaly scores and rates to be obscured from further analysis. Here, we introduce a novel FPGA-deployable Convolutional Neural Network algorithm that aims to predict pileup energies of objects for effective pileup subtraction and for greater precision in jet correction. We utilize the φ-ring pileup subtraction method and analyze Higgs boson to bottom quark decay events, guiding connections to Beyond the Standard Model physics analyses. |
|
E00.00120: Simulating external γ-ray calibration sources for nEXO Maya Nambisan nEXO is an international collaboration focused on detection of neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ), a rare lepton number violating decay event that, if observed, would provide insight into the nature of the neutrino. The nEXO detector is a 5 tonne liquid xenon time projection chamber, enriched in xenon-136, based on ultra-low background liquid xenon technology validated by the EXO-200 experiment. The goal for the planned nEXO detector is to be sensitive to Xe-136 0νββ events with a half-life on the order of 1028 years. To obtain this sensitivity it is essential to understand the detector response to different calibration sources. My research simulates the external γ-ray sources cobalt-60 and cesium-137 at a number of different positions around the detector to improve understanding of calibration techniques and detector behavior. |
Follow Us |
Engage
Become an APS Member |
My APS
Renew Membership |
Information for |
About APSThe American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics. |
© 2025 American Physical Society
| All rights reserved | Terms of Use
| Contact Us
Headquarters
1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844
(301) 209-3200
Editorial Office
100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs
529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001
(202) 662-8700