Abstract: The Large Hadron-Electron Collider (LHeC) is designed to move the field of deep inelastic scattering (DIS) to the energy and intensity frontier of particle physics. Exploiting energy-recovery technology, it collides a novel, intense electron beam with a proton or ion beam from the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). The accelerator and interaction region are designed for concurrent electron-proton and proton-proton operations. This report represents an update to the LHeC's conceptual design report (CDR), published in 2012. It comprises new results on the parton structure of the proton and heavier nuclei, QCD dynamics, and electroweak and top-quark physics. It is shown how the LHeC will open a new chapter of nuclear particle physics by extending the accessible kinematic range of lepton-nucleus scattering by several orders of magnitude. Due to its enhanced luminosity and large energy and the cleanliness of the final hadronic states, the LHeC has a strong Higgs physics programme and its own discovery potential for new physics. Building on the 2012 CDR, this report contains a detailed updated design for the energy-recovery electron linac (ERL), including a new lattice, magnet and superconducting radio-frequency technology, and further components. Challenges of energy recovery are described, and the lower-energy, high-current, three-turn ERL facility, PERLE at Orsay, is presented, which uses the LHeC characteristics serving as a development facility for the design and operation of the LHeC. An updated detector design is presented corresponding to the acceptance, resolution, and calibration goals that arise from the Higgs and parton-density-function physics programmes. This paper also presents novel results for the Future Circular Collider in electron-hadron (FCC-eh) mode, which utilises the same ERL technology to further extend the reach of DIS to even higher centre-of-mass energies.

Abstract: Geometry construction is a fundamental aspect of any radiation transport simulation, regardless of the Monte Carlo code being used. Typically, this process is tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone. The conventional approach involves defining geometries using mathematical objects or surfaces. However, this method comes with several limitations, especially when dealing with complex models, particularly those with organic shapes. Furthermore, since each code employs its own format and methodology for defining geometries, sharing and reproducing simulations among researchers becomes a challenging task. Consequently, many codes have implemented support for simulating over geometries constructed via Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools. Unfortunately, this feature is lacking in penRed and other PENELOPE physics-based codes. Therefore, the objective of this work is to implement such support within the penRed framework. New version program summary Program Title: Parallel Engine for Radiation Energy Deposition (penRed) CPC Library link to program files: https://doi.org/10.17632/rkw6tvtngy.2 Developer's repository link: https://github.com/PenRed/PenRed Code Ocean capsule: https://codeocean.com/capsule/1041417/tree Licensing provisions: GNU Affero General Public License v3 Programming language: C++ standard 2011. Journal reference of previous version: V. Gimenez-Alventosa, V. Gimenez Gomez, S. Oliver, PenRed: An extensible and parallel Monte-Carlo framework for radiation transport based on PENELOPE, Computer Physics Communications 267 (2021) 108065. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2021.108065. Does the new version supersede the previous version?: Yes Reasons for the new version: Implements the capability to simulate on CAD constructed geometries, among many other features and fixes. Summary of revisions: All changes applied through the code versions are summarized in the file CHANGELOG.md in the repository package. Nature of problem: While Monte Carlo codes have proven valuable in simulating complex radiation scenarios, they rely heavily on accurate geometrical representations. In the same way as many other Monte Carlo codes, penRed employs simple geometric quadric surfaces like planes, spheres and cylinders to define geometries. However, since these geometric models offer a certain level of flexibility, these representations have limitations when it comes to simulating highly intricate and irregular shapes. Anatomic structures, for example, require detailed representations of organs, tissues and bones, which are difficult to achieve using basic geometric objects. Similarly, complex devices or intricate mechanical systems may have designs that cannot be accurately represented within the constraints of such geometric models. Moreover, when the complexity of the model increases, geometry construction process becomes more difficult, tedious, time-consuming and error-prone [2]. Also, as each Monte Carlo geometry library uses its own format and construction method, reproducing the same geometry among different codes is a challenging task. Solution method: To face the problems stated above, the objective of this work is to implement the capability to simulate using irregular and adaptable meshed geometries in the penRed framework. This kind of meshes can be constructed using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools, the use of which is very widespread and streamline the design process. This feature has been implemented in a new geometry module named “MESH_BODY” specific for this kind of geometries. This one is freely available and usable within the official penRed package1. It can be used since penRed version 1.9.3b and above.

Abstract: We introduce version 2.0 of Z'-explorer, a software tool that provides a simple, fast, and user-friendly test of models with an extra U (1) gauge boson (Z') against experimental LHC results. The main novelty of the second version is the inclusion of missing energy searches, as the first version only included final states into SM particles. Hence Z'-explorer 2.0 is able to test dark matter models where the Z' acts as an s-channel mediator between the Standard Model and the dark sector, a widespread benchmark employed by the ATLAS and CMS experimental collaborations. To this end, we perform here the first public reinterpretation of the most recent ATLAS mono-jet search with 139 fb-1. In addition, the corresponding searches in the visible final states have also been updated. We illustrate the power of our code by re -obtaining public plots and also showing novel results. In particular, we study the cases where the Z' couples strongly to top quarks (top-philic), where dark matter couples with a mixture of vector and axial-vector couplings, and also perform a scan in the parameter space of a string inspired Stuckelberg model. Z'-explorer 2.0 is publicly available on GitHub. Program summary Program Title: Z'-explorer 2.0 CPC Library link to program files: https://doi .org /10 .17632 /k7tdp8kwgf .2 Developer's repository link: https://github .com /ro -sanda /Z--explorer-2 .0 Licensing provisions: GPLv3 Programming language: C++ and bash Nature of problem: New SM neutral gauge bosons, Z', are ubiquitously present in models of New Physics. In order to confront these models versus a large and ever-growing library of LHC searches, Z'-explorer 1.0 had already included all final states including Standard Model particles. Notably, the previous version of this tool lacked the so-called invisible final states manifested as a momentum imbalance in the transverse plane (“missing energy”). These searches help to probe mediators into a dark sector, where a dark matter candidate resides. Solution method: Z'-explorer encodes the production cross sections for Z' bosons at the LHC as a function of their mass, allowing for a fast evaluation of the exclusion limits. This version of Z'-explorer includes a careful validation of the latest search with one energetic jet (mono-jet) performed by the ATLAS collaboration. Hence one can now test if a given point in parameter space is excluded by both visible and invisible searches. The modular structure of the code has been kept, which allows for potential additions (low-energy constraints, flavor, extrapolation to future colliders).

Abstract: Nanoporous solids that stabilize trapped gas nanobubbles open new possibilities to fabricate solid targets for nuclear reactions. A methodology is described based on the magnetron sputtering (MS) technique operated under quasistatic flux conditions to produce such nanocomposites films with He-3 contents of up to 16 at.% in an amorphous-silicon matrix. In addition to the characteristic low pressure (3-6 Pa) needed for the gas discharge, the method ensures almost complete reduction of the process gas flow during film fabrication. The method could produce similar materials to those obtained under classical dynamic flux conditions for MS. The drastic reduction (>99.5%) of the gas consumption is fundamental for the fabrication of targets with scarce and expensive gases. Si:He-3 and W:He-3 targets are presented together with their microstructural (scanning and transmission electron microscopy, SEM and TEM respectively) and compositional (Ion Beam Analysis, IBA) characterization. The He-3 content achieved was over 1 x 10(18) at/cm(2) for film thicknesses between 1.5 and 3 μm for both Si and W matrices. First experiments to probe the stability of the targets for nuclear reaction studies in inverse kinematics configurations are presented.

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.