Abstract: MoEDAL is designed to identify new physics in the form of stable or pseudostable highly ionizing particles produced in high-energy Large Hadron Collider (LHC) collisions. Here we update our previous search for magnetic monopoles in Run 2 using the full trapping detector with almost four times more material and almost twice more integrated luminosity. For the first time at the LHC, the data were interpreted in terms of photon-fusion monopole direct production in addition to the Drell-Yan-like mechanism. The MoEDAL trapping detector, consisting of 794 kg of aluminum samples installed in the forward and lateral regions, was exposed to 4.0 fb(-1) of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHCb interaction point and analyzed by searching for induced persistent currents after passage through a superconducting magnetometer. Magnetic charges equal to or above the Dirac charge are excluded in all samples. Monopole spins 0, 1/2, and 1 are considered and both velocity-independent and-dependent couplings are assumed. This search provides the best current laboratory constraints for monopoles with magnetic charges ranging from two to five times the Dirac charge.

Abstract: Monte Carlo methods provide detailed and accurate results for radiation transport simulations. Unfortunately, the high computational cost of these methods limits its usage in real-time applications. Moreover, existing computer codes do not provide a methodology for adapting these kinds of simulations to specific problems without advanced knowledge of the corresponding code system, and this restricts their applicability. To help solve these current limitations, we present PenRed, a general-purpose, standalone, extensible and modular framework code based on PENELOPE for parallel Monte Carlo simulations of electron-photon transport through matter. It has been implemented in C++ programming language and takes advantage of modern object-oriented technologies. In addition, PenRed offers the capability to read and process DICOM images as well as to construct and simulate image-based voxelized geometries, so as to facilitate its usage in medical applications. Our framework has been successfully verified against the original PENELOPE Fortran code. Furthermore, the implemented parallelism has been tested showing a significant improvement in the simulation time without any loss in precision of results. Program summary Program title: PenRed: Parallel Engine for Radiation Energy Deposition. CPC Library link to program files: https://doi .org /10 .17632/rkw6tvtngy.1 Licensing provision: GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL). Programming language: C++ standard 2011. Nature of problem: Monte Carlo simulations usually require a huge amount of computation time to achieve low statistical uncertainties. In addition, many applications necessitate particular characteristics or the extraction of specific quantities from the simulation. However, most available Monte Carlo codes do not provide an efficient parallel and truly modular structure which allows users to easily customise their code to suit their needs without an in-depth knowledge of the code system. Solution method: PenRed is a fully parallel, modular and customizable framework for Monte Carlo simulations of the passage of radiation through matter. It is based on the PENELOPE [1] code system, from which inherits its unique physics models and tracking algorithms for charged particles. PenRed has been coded in C++ following an object-oriented programming paradigm restricted to the C++11 standard. Our engine implements parallelism via a double approach: on the one hand, by using standard C++ threads for shared memory, improving the access and usage of the memory, and, on the other hand, via the MPI standard for distributed memory infrastructures. Notice that both kinds of parallelism can be combined together in the same simulation. Moreover, both threads and MPI processes, can be balanced using the builtin load balance system (RUPER-LB [30]) to maximise the performance on heterogeneous infrastructures. In addition, PenRed provides a modular structure with methods designed to easily extend its functionality. Thus, users can create their own independent modules to adapt our engine to their needs without changing the original modules. Furthermore, user extensions will take advantage of the builtin parallelism without any extra effort or knowledge of parallel programming. Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: PenRed has been compiled in linux systems withg++ of GCC versions 4.8.5, 7.3.1, 8.3.1 and 9; clang version 3.4.2 and intel C++ compiler (icc) version 19.0.5.281. Since it is a C++11-standard compliant code, PenRed should be able to compile with any compiler with C++11 support. In addition, if the code is compiled without MPI support, it does not require any non standard library. To enable MPI capabilities, the user needs to install whatever available MPI implementation, such as openMPI [24] or mpich [25], which can be found in the repositories of any linux distribution. Finally, to provide DICOM processing support, PenRed can be optionally compiled using the dicom toolkit (dcmtk) [32] library. Thus, PenRed has only two optional dependencies, an MPI implementation and the dcmtk library.

Abstract: Most advanced medical imaging techniques, such as positron-emission tomography (PET), require tracers that are produced in conventional particle accelerators. This paper focuses on the evaluation of a potential alternative technology based on laser-driven ion acceleration for the production of radioisotopes for PET imaging. We report for the first time the use of a high-repetition rate, ultra-intense laser system for the production of carbon-11 in multi-shot operation. Proton bunches with energies up to 10-14 MeV were systematically accelerated in long series at pulse rates between 0.1 and 1 Hz using a PW-class laser. These protons were used to activate a boron target via the 11 \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$<^>{11}$$\end{document} B(p,n) 11 \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$<^>{11}$$\end{document} C nuclear reaction. A peak activity of 234 kBq was obtained in multi-shot operation with laser pulses with an energy of 25 J. Significant carbon-11 production was also achieved for lower pulse energies. The experimental carbon-11 activities measured in this work are comparable to the levels required for preclinical PET, which would be feasible by operating at the repetition rate of current state-of-the-art technology (10 Hz). The scalability of next-generation laser-driven accelerators in terms of this parameter for sustained operation over time could increase these overall levels into the clinical PET range.

Abstract: Motivated by the experimentally observed deviations from standard model predictions, we calculate the anomalous magnetic moments a(alpha) = (g – 2)(alpha) for a = e, μin a neutrino mass model originally proposed by Babu, Nandi, and Tavartkiladze (BNT). We discuss two variants of the model: the original model, and a minimally extended version with an additional hypercharge-zero triplet scalar. While the original BNT model can explain a(mu), only the variant with the triplet scalar can explain both experimental anomalies. The heavy fermions of the model can be produced at the high-luminosity LHC, and in the part of parameter space where the model explains the experimental anomalies it predicts certain specific decay patterns for the exotic fermions.

Abstract: Motivated by the persistent anomalies reported in the b -> c tau v<overbar></mml:mover> data, we perform a general model-independent analysis of these transitions, in the presence of light right-handed neutrinos. We adopt an effective field theory approach and write a low-energy effective Hamiltonian, including all possible dimension-six operators. The corresponding Wilson coefficients are determined through a numerical fit to all available experimental data. In order to work with a manageable set of free parameters, we define eleven well- motivated scenarios, characterized by the different types of new physics that could mediate these transitions, and analyse which options seem to be preferred by the current measurements. The data exhibit a clear preference for new-physics contributions, and good fits to the data are obtained in several cases. However, the current measurement of the longitudinal D<SUP></SUP> polarization in B -> D tau v<overbar></mml:mover> cannot be easily accommodated within its experimental 1 sigma range. A general analysis of the three-body B -> D tau v<overbar></mml:mover> and four-body B -> D<mml:mo><mml:mfenced close=“)” open=“(”><mml:mo>-> D pi</mml:mfenced>tau <mml:mover accent=“true”>v<mml:mo stretchy=“true”><overbar></mml:mover> angular distributions is also presented. The accessible angular observables are studied in order to assess their sensitivity to the different new physics scenarios. Experimental information on these distributions would help to disentangle the dynamical origin of the current anomalies.