Abstract: We investigate the scalar absorption spectrum of wormhole solutions constructed via the recently developed thin-shell formalism for Palatini f(R) gravity. Such wormholes come from the matching of two Reissner-Nordstrom spacetimes at a timelike hypersurface (shell), which, according to the junction conditions in Palatini f(R), can be stable and have either positive or negative energy density. In particular, we identified a new physically interesting configuration made out of two overcharged Reissner-Nordstrom spacetimes, whose absorption profile departs from that of black holes and other previously considered wormholes in the whole range of frequencies. Unlike in symmetric wormhole solutions, the asymmetry of the effective potential causes the dilution of the resonances associated to the quasibound states for the high -frequency regime. Therefore, slight asymmetries in wormhole space-times could have a dramatic impact on the observable features associated to resonant states.

Abstract: We present a tunable metal ion beam that delivers controllable ion currents in the picoamp range for testing of dry-phase ion sensors. Ion beams are formed by sequential atomic evaporation and single or multiple electron impact ionization, followed by acceleration into a sensing region. Controllability of the ionic charge state is achieved through tuning of electrode potentials that influence the retention time in the ionization region. Barium, lead, and cadmium samples have been used to test the system, with ion currents identified and quantified using a quadrupole mass analyzer. Realization of a clean Ba2+ ion beam within a bench-top system represents an important technical advance toward the development and characterization of barium tagging systems for neutrinoless double beta decay searches in xenon gas. This system also provides a testbed for investigation of novel ion sensing methodologies for environmental assay applications, with dication beams of Pb2+ and Cd2+ also demonstrated for this purpose.

Abstract: A search for pair-produced scalar or vector leptoquarks decaying into a b-quark and a τ-lepton is presented using the full LHC Run 2 (2015-2018) data sample of 139 fb−1 collected with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=13 TeV. Events in which at least one τ-lepton decays hadronically are considered, and multivariate discriminants are used to extract the signals. No significant deviations from the Standard Model expectation are observed and 95% confidence-level upper limits on the production cross-section are derived as a function of leptoquark mass and branching ratio B into a τ-lepton and b-quark. For scalar leptoquarks, masses below 1460 GeV are excluded assuming B=100%, while for vector leptoquarks the corresponding limit is 1650 GeV (1910 GeV) in the minimal-coupling (Yang-Mills) scenario.

Abstract: We reassess the decay of the J/Psi into an omega, phi, K*0 and one of the f0(1370), f0(1710), f2(1270), f'2 (1525), K0*(1430) and K2*(1430) resonances. We benefit from previous works that considered this reaction as a J/Psi decay into three vector mesons, with a scalar or tensor resonance being formed from the interaction of two of these vectors. The novelty here with respect to former studies is the investigation of the relation between the scalar meson and tensor productions for the first time. To this end, the spin structure of the four vectors present in the production vertex is analyzed, and the D-wave mechanism in the tensor production is included. Then, beyond the ratios studied previously involving scalar states and tensor states independently, new ratios relating the scalar and tensor meson productions are estimated. Our results suggest that the D-wave mechanism of tensor production assumes a relevant contribution. New experimental data reporting the angular distributions of these processes will be important for checking this conclusion.

Abstract: Purpose: The aim of this work is to investigate the feasibility of the Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomography (J -PET) scanner for intra-treatment proton beam range monitoring. Methods: The Monte Carlo simulation studies with GATE and PET image reconstruction with CASToR were performed in order to compare six J -PET scanner geometries. We simulated proton irradiation of a PMMA phantom with a Single Pencil Beam (SPB) and Spread -Out Bragg Peak (SOBP) of various ranges. The sensitivity and precision of each scanner were calculated, and considering the setup's cost-effectiveness, we indicated potentially optimal geometries for the J -PET scanner prototype dedicated to the proton beam range assessment. Results: The investigations indicate that the double -layer cylindrical and triple -layer double -head configurations are the most promising for clinical application. We found that the scanner sensitivity is of the order of 10-5 coincidences per primary proton, while the precision of the range assessment for both SPB and SOBP irradiation plans was found below 1 mm. Among the scanners with the same number of detector modules, the best results are found for the triple -layer dual -head geometry. The results indicate that the double -layer cylindrical and triple -layer double -head configurations are the most promising for the clinical application, Conclusions: We performed simulation studies demonstrating that the feasibility of the J -PET detector for PET -based proton beam therapy range monitoring is possible with reasonable sensitivity and precision enabling its pre -clinical tests in the clinical proton therapy environment. Considering the sensitivity, precision and cost-effectiveness, the double -layer cylindrical and triple -layer dual -head J -PET geometry configurations seem promising for future clinical application.