Abstract: We present the details and first results of a new strategy for the determination of alpha s(mZ) (ALPHA Collaboration et al. in Phys. Lett. B 807:135571, 2020). By simultaneously decoupling 3 fictitious heavy quarks we establish a relation between the A-parameters of three-flavor QCD and pure gauge theory. Very precise recent results in the pure gauge theory (Dalla Brida and Ramos in Eur. Phys. J. C 79(8):720, 2019; Nada and Ramos in Eur Phys J C 81(1):1, 2021) can thus be leveraged to obtain the three flavour A-parameter in units of a common decoupling scale. Connecting this scale to hadronic physics in 3-flavour QCD leads to our result in physical units, A(3)/MS = 336(12) MeV, which translates to alpha s(m(Z)) = 0.11823(84). This is compatible with both the FLAG average (Aoki et al. in FLAG review 2021. arXiv:2111.09849 [hep-lat]) and the previous ALPHA result (ALPHA Collaboration et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119(10):102001, 2017), with a comparable, yet still statistics dominated, error. This constitutes a highly non-trivial check, as the decoupling strategy is conceptually very different from the 3-flavour QCD step-scaling method, and so are their systematic errors. These include the uncertainties of the combined decoupling and continuum limits, which we discuss in some detail. We also quantify the correlation between both results, due to some common elements, such as the scale determination in physical units and the definition of the energy scale where we apply decoupling.

Abstract: Predicting coexistence patterns is a current challenge to understand diversity maintenance, especially in rich communities where these patterns' complexity is magnified through indirect interactions that prevent their approximation with classical experimental approaches. We explore cutting-edge Machine Learning techniques called Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to predict species coexistence patterns in vegetation patches, training generative adversarial networks (GAN) and variational AutoEncoders (VAE) that are then used to unravel some of the mechanisms behind community assemblage. The GAN accurately reproduces real patches' species composition and plant species' affinity to different soil types, and the VAE also reaches a high level of accuracy, above 99%. Using the artificially generated patches, we found that high-order interactions tend to suppress the positive effects of low-order interactions. Finally, by reconstructing successional trajectories, we could identify the pioneer species with larger potential to generate a high diversity of distinct patches in terms of species composition. Understanding the complexity of species coexistence patterns in diverse ecological communities requires new approaches beyond heuristic rules. Generative Artificial Intelligence can be a powerful tool to this end as it allows to overcome the inherent dimensionality of this challenge.

Abstract: We study for the first time the p Sigma(-) -> K- d and K- d -> p Sigma(-) reactions close to threshold and show that they are driven by a triangle mechanism, with the Lambda(1405), a proton and a neutron as intermediate states, which develops a triangle singularity close to the (K) over bard threshold. We find that a mechanism involving virtual pion exchange and the K- p -> pi(+)Sigma(-) amplitude dominates over another one involving kaon exchange and the K- p -> K- p amplitude. Moreover, of the two Lambda(1405) states, the one with higher mass around 1420 MeV, gives the largest contribution to the process. We show that the cross section, well within measurable range, is very sensitive to different models that, while reproducing (K) over barN observables above threshold, provide different extrapolations of the (K) over barN amplitudes below threshold. The observables of this reaction will provide new constraints on the theoretical models, leading to more reliable extrapolations of the (K) over barN amplitudes below threshold and to more accurate predictions of the Lambda(1405) state of lower mass.

Abstract: The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) that was constructed and operated in the CERN North Area at the end of the H4 beamline. This detector is a prototype for the first far detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will be constructed at the Sandford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, U.S.A. The ProtoDUNE-SP detector incorporates full-size components as designed for DUNE and has an active volume of 7 x 6 x 7.2 m3. The H4 beam delivers incident particles with well-measured momenta and high-purity particle identification. ProtoDUNE-SP's successful operation between 2018 and 2020 demonstrates the effectiveness of the single-phase far detector design. This paper describes the design, construction, assembly and operation of the detector components.

Abstract: A search for the pair production of heavy leptons as predicted by the type-III seesaw mechanism is presented. The search uses proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to 139 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity recorded by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis focuses on final states with three or four electrons or muons from the possible decays of new heavy leptons via intermediate electroweak bosons. No significant deviations above the Standard Model expectation are observed; upper and lower limits on the heavy lepton production cross-section and masses are derived respectively. These results are then combined for the first time with the ones already published by ATLAS using the channel with two leptons in the final state. The observed lower limit on the mass of the type-III seesaw heavy leptons combining two, three and four lepton channels together is 910 GeV at the 95% confidence level.