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Rossi, R. R., Sanchez Garcia, G., & Tortola, M. (2024). Probing nuclear properties and neutrino physics with current and future CEνNS experiments. Phys. Rev. D, 109(9), 095044–17pp.
Abstract: The recent observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) with neutrinos from pion decay at rest (N-DAR) sources by the COHERENT Collaboration has raised interest in this process in the search for new physics. Unfortunately, current uncertainties in the determination of nuclear parameters relevant to those processes can hide new physics effects. This is not the case for processes involving lower-energy neutrino sources such as nuclear reactors. Note, however, that a CEvNS measurement with reactor neutrinos depends largely on a (still-missing) precise determination of the quenching factor at very low energies, making its observation more challenging. In the upcoming years, once this signal is confirmed, a combined analysis of N-DAR and reactor CEvNS experiments will be very useful to probe particle and nuclear physics, with a reduced dependence on nuclear uncertainties. In this work, we explore this idea by simultaneously testing the sensitivity of current and future CEvNS experiments to neutrino nonstandard interactions (NSIs) and the neutron root mean square (rms) radius, considering different neutrino sources as well as several detection materials. We show how the interplay between future reactor and accelerator CEvNS experiments can help to get robust constraints on the neutron rms and to break degeneracies between the NSI parameters. Our forecast could be used as a guide to optimize the experimental sensitivity to the parameters under study.
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Servant, G., & Simakachorn, P. (2024). Ultrahigh frequency primordial gravitational waves beyond the kHz: The case of cosmic strings. Phys. Rev. D, 109(10), 103538–24pp.
Abstract: We investigate gravitational -wave backgrounds (GWBs) of primordial origin that would manifest only at ultrahigh frequencies, from kilohertz to 100 gigahertz, and leave no signal at LIGO, the Einstein Telescope, the Cosmic Explorer, LISA, or pulsar -timing arrays. We focus on GWBs produced by cosmic strings and make predictions for the GW spectra scanning over high-energy scale (beyond 10 10 GeV) particle physics parameters. Signals from local string networks can easily be as large as the big bang nucleosynthesis/ cosmic microwave background bounds, with a characteristic strain as high as 10 – 26 in the 10 kHz band, offering prospects to probe grand unification physics in the 10 14 -10 17 GeV energy range. In comparison, GWB from axionic strings is suppressed (with maximal characteristic strain similar to 10 – 31 ) due to the early matter era induced by the associated heavy axions. We estimate the needed reach of hypothetical futuristic GW detectors to probe such GWB and, therefore, the corresponding high-energy physics processes. Beyond the information of the symmetry -breaking scale, the high -frequency spectrum encodes the microscopic structure of the strings through the position of the UV cutoffs associated with cusps and kinks, as well as potential information about friction forces on the string. The IR slope, on the other hand, reflects the physics responsible for the decay of the string network. We discuss possible strategies for reconstructing the scalar potential, particularly the scalar self -coupling, from the measurement of the UV cutoff of the GW spectrum.
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Torres-Sanchez, P., Steiger, H. T. J., Mastinu, P., Wyss, J. L., Kayser, L., Silvestrin, L., et al. (2024). Fast neutron production at the LNL Tandem from the 7Li(14N,xn)X reaction. Eur. Phys. J. C, 84(4), 372–11pp.
Abstract: Fast neutron beams (E-n>1 MeV) are of relevance for many scientific and industrial applications. This paper explores fast neutron production using a TANDEM accelerator at the Legnaro National Laboratories, via an energetic ion beam (90 MeV N-14) onto a lithium target. The high energy models for nuclear collision of FLUKA foresee large neutron yields for reactions of this kind. The experiment aimed at validating the expected neutron yields from FLUKA simulations, using two separate and independent set-ups: one based on the multi-foil activation technique, and the other on the time of flight technique, by using liquid scintillator detectors. The results of the experiment show clear agreement of the measured spectra with the FLUKA simulations, both in the shape and the magnitude of the neutron flux at the mea-sured positions. The neutron spectrum is centered around the 8 MeV range with mild tails, and a maximum neutron energy spanning up to 50 MeV. These advantageous results provide a starting point in the development of fast neutron beams based on high energy ion beams from medium-sized accelerator facilities
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Wang, D., & Mena, O. (2024). Robust analysis of the growth of structure. Phys. Rev. D, 109(8), 083539–18pp.
Abstract: Current cosmological tensions show that it is crucial to test the predictions from the canonical ACDM paradigm at different cosmic times. One very appealing test of structure formation in the Universe is the growth rate of structure in our universe f, usually parametrized via the growth index gamma, with f equivalent to Omega(m)(a)gamma and gamma similar or equal to 0.55 in the standard ACDM case. Recent studies have claimed a suppression of the growth of structure from a variety of cosmological observations, characterized by gamma > 0.55. By employing different self-consistent growth parametrizations schemes, we show here that gamma < 0.55, obtaining instead an enhanced growth of structure today. This preference reaches the 3 sigma significance using cosmic microwave background observations, supernova Ia and baryon acoustic oscillation measurements. The addition of cosmic microwave background lensing data relaxes such a preference to the 2 sigma level, since a larger lensing effect can always be compensated with a smaller structure growth, or, equivalently, with gamma > 0.55. We have also included the lensing amplitude AL as a free parameter in our data analysis, showing that the preference for AL > 1 still remains, except for some particular parametrizations when lensing observations are included. We also do not find any significant preference for an oscillatory dependence of AL, AL + Am sin l. To further reassess the effects of a nonstandard growth, we have computed by means of N-body simulations the dark matter density fields, the dark matter halo mass functions and the halo density profiles for different values of gamma. Future observations from the Square Kilometer Array, reducing by a factor of 3 the current errors on the gamma parameter, further confirm or refute with a strong statistical significance the deviation of the growth index from its standard value.
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