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Alvarez, V., Herrero-Bosch, V., Esteve, R., Laing, A., Rodriguez, J., Querol, M., et al. (2019). The electronics of the energy plane of the NEXT-White detector. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 917, 68–76.
Abstract: This paper describes the electronics of NEXT-White (NEW) detector PMT plane, a high pressure xenon TPC with electroluminescent amplification (HPXe-EL) currently operating at the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc (LSC) in Huesca, Spain. In NEXT-White the energy of the event is measured by a plane of photomultipliers (PMTs) located behind a transparent cathode. The PMTs are Hamamatsu R11410-10 chosen due to their low radioactivity. The electronics have been designed and implemented to fulfill strict requirements: an overall energy resolution below 1% and a radiopurity budget of 20 mBq unit(-1) in the chain of Bi-214. All the components and materials have been carefully screened to assure a low radioactivity level and at the same time meet the required front-end electronics specifications. In order to reduce low frequency noise effects and enhance detector safety a grounded cathode connection has been used for the PMTs. This implies an AC-coupled readout and baseline variations in the PMT signals. A detailed description of the electronics and a novel approach based on a digital baseline restoration to obtain a linear response and handle AC coupling effects is presented. The final PMT channel design has been characterized with linearity better than 0.4% and noise below 0.4 mV.
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Alvarez-Castillo, D. E., Blaschke, D. B., Grunfeld, A. G., & Pagura, V. P. (2019). Third family of compact stars within a nonlocal chiral quark model equation of state. Phys. Rev. D, 99(6), 063010–19pp.
Abstract: A class of hybrid compact star equations of state is investigated that joins by a Maxwell construction a low-density phase of hadronic matter, modeled by a relativistic mean-field approach with excluded nucleon volume, with a high-density phase of color superconducting two-flavor quark matter, described within a nonlocal covariant chiral quark model. It is found that the occurrence of a stable branch of hybrid compact stars requires a nonvanishing vector meson coupling in the quark model that exceeds a minimal value which depends on the presence of a diquark condensate. It is shown that these hybrid stars do not form a third family disconnected from the second family of ordinary neutron stars unless additional (de) confining effects are introduced with a density-dependent bag pressure. A suitably chosen density dependence of the vector meson coupling assures that at the same time the 2M(circle dot) maximum mass constraint is fulfilled on the hybrid star branch. A twofold interpolation method is realized which implements both the density dependence of a confining bag pressure at the onset of the hadron-to-quark matter transition and the stiffening of quark matter at higher densities by a density-dependent vector meson coupling. For three parametrizations of this class of hybrid equation of state the properties of corresponding compact star sequences are presented, including mass twins of neutron and hybrid stars at 2.00, 1.39 and 1.20 M-circle dot, respectively, and the hybrid compact star (third) families. The sensitivity of the hybrid equation of state and the corresponding compact star sequences to variations of the interpolation parameters at the 10% level is investigated and it is found that the feature of third family solutions for compact stars is robust against such a variation. This advanced description of hybrid star matter allows us to interpret GW170817 as a merger not only of two neutron stars but also of a neutron star with a hybrid star or of two hybrid stars.
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Alvarez-Ortega, D., Olmo, G. J., Rubiera-Garcia, D., & Saez-Chillon Gomez, D. (2022). Eternal versus singular observers in interacting dark-energy-dark-matter models. Phys. Rev. D, 106(2), 023523–14pp.
Abstract: Interacting dark-energy-dark-matter models have been widely analyzed in the literature in an attempt to find traces of new physics beyond the usual cosmological (Lambda CDM) models. Such a coupling between both dark components is usually introduced in a phenomenological way through a flux in the continuity equation. However, models with a Lagrangian formulation are also possible. A class of the latter assumes a conformal/disformal coupling that leads to a fifth force on the dark-matter component, which consequently does not follow the same geodesics as the other (baryonic, radiation, and dark-energy) matter sources. Here we analyze how the usual cosmological singularities of the standard matter frame are seen from the dark-matter one, concluding that by choosing an appropriate coupling, dark-matter observers will see no singularities but a non beginning, non ending universe. By considering two simple phenomenological models we show that such a type of coupling can fit observational data as well as the usual Lambda CDM model.
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Alvarez-Ruso, L. et al, & Nieves, J. (2018). NuSTEC White Paper: Status and challenges of neutrino-nucleus scattering. Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys., 100, 1–68.
Abstract: The precise measurement of neutrino properties is among the highest priorities in fundamental particle physics, involving many experiments worldwide. Since the experiments rely on the interactions of neutrinos with bound nucleons inside atomic nuclei, the planned advances in the scope and precision of these experiments require a commensurate effort in the understanding and modeling of the hadronic and nuclear physics of these interactions, which is incorporated as a nuclear model in neutrino event generators. This model is essential to every phase of experimental analyses and its theoretical uncertainties play an important role in interpreting every result. In this White Paper we discuss in detail the impact of neutrino-nucleus interactions, especially the nuclear effects, on the measurement of neutrino properties using the determination of oscillation parameters as a central example. After an Executive Summary and a concise Overview of the issues, we explain how the neutrino event generators work, what can be learned from electron-nucleus interactions and how each underlying physics process – from quasi-elastic to deep inelastic scattering – is understood today. We then emphasize how our understanding must improve to meet the demands of future experiments. With every topic we find that the challenges can be met only with the active support and collaboration among specialists in strong interactions and electroweak physics that include theorists and experimentalists from both the nuclear and high energy physics communities.
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Alvarez-Ruso, L., Graczyk, K. M., & Saul-Sala, E. (2019). Nucleon axial form factor from a Bayesian neural-network analysis of neutrino-scattering data. Phys. Rev. C, 99(2), 025204–14pp.
Abstract: The Bayesian approach for feedforward neural networks has been applied to the extraction of the nucleon axial form factor from the neutrino-deuteron-scattering data measured by the Argonne National Laboratory bubble-chamber experiment. This framework allows to perform a model-independent determination of the axial form factor from data. When the low 0.05 < Q(2) < 0.10-GeV2 data are included in the analysis, the resulting axial radius disagrees with available determinations. Furthermore, a large sensitivity to the corrections from the deuteron structure is obtained. In turn, when the low-Q(2) region is not taken into account with or without deuteron corrections, no significant deviations from previous determinations have been observed. A more accurate determination of the nucleon axial form factor requires new precise measurements of neutrino-induced quasielastic scattering on hydrogen and deuterium.
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Alvarez-Ruso, L., & Saul-Sala, E. (2021). Neutrino interactions with matter and the MiniBooNE anomaly. Eur. Phys. J.-Spec. Top., 230, 4373–4389.
Abstract: The excess of electron-like events measured by MiniBooNE challenges our understanding of neutrinos and their interactions. We review the status of this open problem and ongoing efforts to resolve it. After introducing the experiment and its results, we consider the main experimental backgrounds and the related physics of neutrino interactions with matter, such as quasielastic-like scattering and weak pion production on nucleons and nuclei. Special attention is paid to single photon emission in neutral current interactions and, in particular, its coherent channel. The difficulties to reconcile the MiniBooNE anomaly with global oscillation analysis is then highlighted. We finally outline some of the proposed solutions of the puzzle involving unconventional neutrino-interaction mechanisms.
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Alves, A., Arcadi, G., Dong, P. V., Duarte, L., Queiroz, F. S., & Valle, J. W. F. (2017). Matter-parity as a residual gauge symmetry: Probing a theory of cosmological dark matter. Phys. Lett. B, 772, 825–831.
Abstract: We discuss a non-supersymmetric scenario which addresses the origin of the matter-parity symmetry, P-M = (-1)(3(B-L)+2s), leading to a viable Dirac fermion dark matter candidate. Implications to electroweak precision, muon anomalous magnetic moment, flavor changing interactions, lepton flavor violation, dark matter and collider physics are discussed in detail. We show that this non-supersymmetric model is capable of generating the matter-parity symmetry in agreement with existing data with gripping implications to particle physics and cosmology.
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Alves, J. M., Botella, F. J., Branco, G. C., Cornet-Gomez, F., & Nebot, M. (2021). The framework for a common origin of delta(CKM) and delta S-PMN. Eur. Phys. J. C, 81(8), 727–11pp.
Abstract: We analyse a possible connection between CP violations in the quark and lepton sectors, parametrised by the CKM and PMNS phases. If one assumes that CP breaking arises from complexYukawa couplings, both in the quark and lepton sectors, the above connection is not possible in general, sinceYukawa couplings in the two sectors have independent flavour structures. We show that both the CKM and PMNS phases can instead be generated by a vacuum phase in a class of two Higgs doublet models, and in this case a connection may be established. This scenario requires the presence of scalar FCNC at tree level, both in the quark and lepton sectors. The appearance of these FCNC is an obstacle and a blessing. An obstacle since one has to analyse which models are able to conform to the strict experimental limits on FCNC, both in the quark and lepton sectors. A blessing, because this class of models is falsifiable since FCNC arise at a level which can be probed experimentally in the near future, specially in the processes h up arrow e(+/-) t +/- and t -> hc. The connection between CP violations in CKM and PMNS is explicitely illustrated in models with Minimal Flavour Violation.
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Alves, J. M., Botella, F. J., Branco, G. C., Cornet-Gomez, F., & Nebot, M. (2017). Controlled flavour changing neutral couplings in two Higgs Doublet models. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(9), 585–18pp.
Abstract: We propose a class of two Higgs doublet models where there are flavour changing neutral currents (FCNC) at tree level, but under control due to the introduction of a discrete symmetry in the full Lagrangian. It is shown that in this class of models, one can have simultaneously FCNC in the up and down sectors, in contrast to the situation encountered in the renormalisable and minimal flavour violating 2HDM models put forward by Branco et al. (Phys Lett B 380: 119, 1996). The intensity of FCNC is analysed and it is shown that in this class of models one can respect all the strong constraints from experiment without unnatural fine-tuning. It is pointed out that the additional sources of flavour and CP violation are such that they can enhance significantly the generation of the Bbaryon asymmetry of the Universe, with respect to the standard model.
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Alves, J. M., Botella, F. J., Branco, G. C., Cornet-Gomez, F., Nebot, M., & Silva, J. P. (2018). Symmetry constrained two Higgs doublet models. Eur. Phys. J. C, 78(8), 630–17pp.
Abstract: We study two-Higgs-doublet models (2HDM) where Abelian symmetries have been introduced, leading to a drastic reduction in the number of free parameters in the 2HDM. Our analysis is inspired in BGL models, where, as the result of a symmetry of the Lagrangian, there are tree-level scalar mediated Flavour-Changing-Neutral-Currents, with the flavour structure depending only on the CKM matrix. A systematic analysis is done on the various possible schemes, which are classified in different classes, depending on the way the extra symmetries constrain the matrices of couplings defining the flavour structure of the scalar mediated neutral currents. All the resulting flavour textures of the Yukawa couplings are stable under renormalisation since they result from symmetries imposed at the Lagrangian level. We also present a brief phenomenological analysis of the most salient features of each class of symmetry constrained 2HDM.
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