Nuclear Commons^™

Simulations Of Electron Detection Systematic Errors For A Ucna+ Experiment, Rashika Gupta

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The Ultracold Neutron Asymmetry+ (UCNA+) experiment at the Los Alamos Neu- tron Science Center (LANSCE) Ultracold Neutron source is an upgrade of the UCNA experiment, designed to measure the neutron beta decay asymmetry parameter, A 0 , with a precision of less than 0.2% using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). Neutron beta decay is governed by the weak interaction, and a precise measurement of A 0 provides a determination of the axial-vector to vector coupling ratio, λ = gA /gV . When combined with a measurement of the neutron lifetime, this allows the extraction of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix element Vud …

Optimizing External Radioactive Calibration Source Strength To Maximize The Livetime Of The Nexo Detector, Thakur P. Bhatta

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The proposed next Enriched Xenon Observatory (nEXO) experiment aims to detect neutrinoless double beta decay in 136Xe, a rare process with profound implications for particle physics and our understanding of the neutrino. Achieving the required sensitivity demands ultra-low background conditions, making both material radiop urity screening and precise detector calibration essential. This dissertation addresses two key calibration challenges in preparation for nEXO. First, I investigated discrepancies in calibration efficiency measurements of the high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector named as GeIV located 4850 feet under ground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, SD. The root cause for the discrepancy was found …

Magnetic Spin Transport Coils For The N2edm Experiment, David C. Bowles

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The n2EDM experiment is being construct at Paul Scherrer Institute to measure the electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM), in a search for new physics which could help explain the baryon asymmetry of the universe. To reach the experimental sensitivity goal of $d_n \sim 10^{-27}$, over an order of magnitude improvement from the current world limit, a spin polarization transfer efficiency of 99\% for ultracold neutrons entering or exiting the precession chamber is required, placing a stringent requirement on the adiabaticity of the magnetic field taper in the neutron guide system. The spin transport fields transition from 5~T (longitudinal) …

Qcd Analysis Of Flavor-Nonchanging Hadronic Weak Processes Through Next-To-Leading Order, Girish Lingadahalli Muralidhara

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Studies in quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the fundamental theory of the strong interactions, of low-energy hadronic weak processes utilize an effective Hamiltonian framework. Below the weak-mass scale, an effective Hamiltonian contains a series of Wilson coefficients and four-quark operators that come from the operator product expansion in the Standard Model. The effective hadronic Hamiltonian pertinent to a weak process is then obtained via a renormalization group analysis in QCD from the weak-mass scale to the low-energy scale of O(2 GeV). In this thesis, the construction and phenomenological implications of such an effective Hamiltonian for flavor-conserving, parity-violating quark processes in the Standard …

Techniques For Optimizing Neutron Beta Decay Particle Detection, Austin W. Nelsen

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Over the last couple decades, use of free neutron beta decay (n → p + e^- + ν_e) to extract the up-down quark transition element V_ud has become competitive with more conventional Fermi decays. Extraction of V_ud requires measurements of the vector to axial-vector coupling constant ratio λ and the free neutron lifetime τ_n. With a precise determination of V_ud, the 2.8σ departure from CKM unitarity can be addressed.

Nab, located at the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL, will measure the electron-neutrino momentum correlation coefficient a (which couples quadratically …

Development Of A Source To Detector Simulation Of The Los Alamos National Lab Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment, Dillon Buskirk

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) experiment is planning an increased precision measurement of the neutron’s permanent electric dipole moment. LANL nEDM expects to lower the statistical uncertainty to δd_LANL = 2 × 10−27 e cm after a year of live-time, which puts a more stringent upper bound on the nEDM. This statistical uncertainty is an order of magnitude less than the current best measurement set by nEDM at PSI. To reach this goal, the LANL nEDM collaboration requires a simulation tool that can tackle optimization problems, investigate systematic effects, and provide mock data …

Development Of A Novel Beam-Type Neutron Lifetime Experiment Using Ultracold Neutrons, Nicholas Floyd

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Precision measurements of the neutron lifetime are critical to tests of the Standard Model. The CKM quark mixing matrix has recently been shown to deviate from unitarity in the top row, motivating the development of alternative extractions of the first element. Complementary measurements of the neutron’s lifetime and decay correlations can be used to accomplish this.

While the reported neutron lifetime by the Particle Data Group is taken from ultracold neutron (UCN) measurements, a separate class of experiments suggest a value in four sigma disagreement, meriting further study. The goal of the UCNProBe experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory is …

Precision Neutrino Interactions In And Beyond The Standard Model, Kaushik Borah

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

This dissertation investigates precision measurements of neutrino interactions within the framework of the Standard Model and explores potential extensions beyond it. Neutrinos, often referred to as ghostly particles due to their weak interactions and elusive nature, have long been a frontier in particle physics. Through detailed theoretical modeling and comparison with experimental data, this work focuses on improving our understanding of neutrino-nucleon cross-sections, nucleon form factors, and generalized neutrino interactions. The study begins with a comprehensive examination of the role of vector and axial-vector form factors in neutrino-nucleon scattering and their impact on the interpretation of neutrino oscillation data from …

Design Of The Highly Uniform Magnetic Field And Spin-Transport Magnetic Field Coils For The Los Alamos National Lab Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment, Jared Brewington

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Charge-Parity (CP) violation is one of Sakharov's three conditions which serve as guidelines for the generation of a matter-antimatter asymmetry in the early universe. The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics contains sources of CP violation which can be used to predict the baryon asymmetry. The observed baryon asymmetry is not predicted from SM calculations, meaning there must be additional sources of CP violation beyond the Standard Model (BSM) to generate the asymmetry. Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs), which are inherently parity- and time reversal- violating, present a promising avenue for the discovery of new sources of CP violation to …

The Design Of Primary Holding Magnet For The Lanl Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment, Piya Amara Palamure

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM) plays a significant role in searching for sources of beyond standard model CP violating physics. The goal of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) nEDM experiment is to push the upper limit of the nEDM to < 3 × 10−27 e·cm (68 % CL). A highly uniform magnetic field is key to achieving this sensitivity for the nEDM measurement by reducing the systematic uncertainties associated with the magnetic field non-uniformity. The B0 coil was designed to achieve a field uniformity of < 0.3 nT·m−1 at a nominal holding field of 1 µT. This document will outline a novel technique employed in the construction of the B0 coil using printed circuit boards (PCBs) and will present preliminary field maps obtained with the B0 coil housed in a magnetically shielded room (MSR) at LANL.

As Ultra Cold Neutrons (UCNs) move from the source to the measurement cells, the UCNs experience a large magnetic field gradient in the region between the layers of the MSR. This large gradient would otherwise cause depolarization of the UCNs. To mitigate this, a double cos θ coil will serve as the …

Cryogenic Magnetic Field Monitoring System In The Sns Neutron Edm Experiment, Umit Hasan Coskun

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

A permanent neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM), d_n, would violate charge-conjugation and parity (CP) symmetry. The neutron electric dipole moment currently has a global limit of d_n < 1.8 x 10^-26 e cm (90% CL). This limit is intended to be improved by two orders of magnitude by the nEDM experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS nEDM), d_n ~ 10^-28 e cm. The magnetic field non-uniformities within the experimental region must be precisely monitored and managed in order to suppress systematic effects in the experiment caused by magnetic field gradients. The estimation of magnetic field components within …

Enhancements To Uniformity Of Magnetic Fields At The Sns Nedm Experiment, Ahmad Saftah

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The nEDM experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) aims to increase
experimental sensitivity to hadronic CP violation by nearly two orders of magnitude.To do that the nEDMSNS experiment requires an extremely uniform magnetic field to maintain ³He polarization during transit to the measurement cell. The Magnetic Shield Enclosure (MSE) coil provides the required field. However, the superconducting shield distorts the MSE field.

This thesis discusses a magnetic cloak for the nEDM@SNS experiment that can restore the MSE field uniformity and cos theta coils designed to test the magnetic cloak in the first part. The second part of this …

An Energy-Integrated Analysis For Measuring The Anomalous Precession Frequency For The Muon G − 2 Experiment At Fermilab, Laura Kelton

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

In the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, the Muon g − 2 Experiment at Fermilab (E989) will make the most precise measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, a_μ. Improvements in precision come from both increased statistics and new techniques to significantly reduce previous systematic uncertainties. The muon a_μ is determined by extracting both the anomalous spin precession frequency, ω_a, and the average magnetic field sampled by the muons, B. Traditionally an energy threshold analysis method which requires reconstruction of decay positrons from the muon decay, μ⁺ → e^{+ …}

Elastic And Inelastic Compton Scattering From Deuterium At 61 Mev, Danula Godagama

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

A Compton scattering experiment using deuteron as target nuclei was carried out at the HIγS free electron laser facility at Durham, NC, with the goal of extracting the electromagnetic scalar polarizabilities of the neutron, α_n and β_n. A beam of 61~MeV gamma photons with a narrow energy spread was incident on a liquid deuterium target. The scattered gamma rays were detected at three scattering angles, 55^o, 115^o and 150^o. Backward-scattered gamma rays were detected using two large-volume NaI spectrometers with energy resolution (σ_E/E) better than 2%. The combined effect of …

Neutron Spectroscopy Of The Parity-Violating 0.734 Ev Neutron Resonance In Lanthanum-139 In Preparation For The Noptrex Time Reversal Violation Experiment, Danielle Schaper

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

One of the most outstanding questions in physics is the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe, resulting from excess baryogenesis processes during the early moments of the formation of the Universe. At present, the types of processes needed to explain this matter excess, so-called `CP-violating processes' are known to exist within the present framework of the Standard Model of particle physics. However, decades of research has shown that our understanding of the origin of these processes is incomplete, as we do not presently know of enough sources of CP-violating processes to account for the large baryon asymmetry that we observe. The …

Extraction Of Deep Inelastic Cross Sections Using A 10.4 Gev Electron Beam And A Polarized Helium-3 Target, Murchhana Roy

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Experiment E12-06-121 at Jefferson Lab aims to do a precision measurement of the neutron spin structure function g₂ using inclusive inelastic scattering of electrons over a large kinematic range of x and Q². The third moment of the linear combination of the spin structure functions g₁ and g₂, d₂, is one of the cleanest higher twist observables and contains information on quark-gluon correlations. It is connected to the "color polarizability" or "color Lorentz force" of the nucleon. The experimental data taking was successfully conducted in Hall C using a longitudinally polarized electron …

Energy Integrated Ratio Analysis Of The Anomalous Precession Frequency In The Fermilab Muon G-2 Experiment, Ritwika Chakraborty

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The muon’s anomalous magnetic moment, a_μ, provides a unique way for probing physics beyond the standard model experimentally as it gathers contributions from all the known and unknown forces and particles in nature. The theoretical prediction of a_μ has been in greater than 3 σ tension with the experimental measurement since the results of the Muon g-2 Experiment at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (E-821) were published in the early 2000s with a precision of 540 ppb. To settle this tension, the new Fermilab Muon g - 2 Experiment (E-989) is currently taking data with the aim of …

Studies Of Time Variations Of The Magnetic Field In The Nedm@Sns Experiment, Mojtaba Behzadipour

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

It is thought that equal quantities of matter and antimatter were generated at the moment of the Big Bang. However, observations of the Universe show that there is a significant excess of matter over antimatter. The matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe (baryon to photon ratio) is observed to be of the order of 10^-10 [1]. Baryogenesis is a possible explanation for the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe. In 1967, Sakharov proposed three criteria necessary for Baryogenesis. The three conditions are: 1) baryon number violation, 2) C and CP violation and 3) departure from thermal equilibrium. However, the Standard Model's …

High Performance Data Acquisition And Analysis Routines For The Nab Experiment, David Mathews

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Probes of the Standard Model of particle physics are pushing further and further into the so-called “precision frontier”. In order to reach the precision goals of these experiments, a combination of elegant experimental design and robust data acquisition and analysis is required. Two experiments that embody this philosophy are the Nab and Calcium-45 experiments. These experiments are probing the understanding of the weak interaction by examining the beta decay of the free neutron and Calcium-45 respectively. They both aim to measure correlation parameters in the neutron beta decay alphabet, a and b. The parameter a, the electron-neutrino correlation coefficient, is …

Theoretical Study On Η′ → Π+Π−Π+(0)Π−(0), Ehsan Jafari, Bing An Li

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The η′ meson is associated with the U(1) anomaly. In this paper, a successful effective chiral theory of mesons has been applied to study the anomalous decays of η′ → π⁺π⁻π⁺⁽⁰⁾π⁻⁽⁰⁾. Contribution of triangle and box diagrams is calculated, which indicates that the box anomaly has a significant contribution to the decay amplitudes.

[Please download the article to see the rest of the abstract.]

Analyzing The Effect Of Second-Class Currents On Neutron Beta Decay Observables And The Effect Of Thomas Rotation On The Relativistic Transformations Of Electromagnetic Fields, Lakshya Malhotra

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The next generation of neutron beta decay measurements will attempt to analyze various beta decay observables of up to O(10^-4) precision. At this level of experimental precision, the effects of second-class currents will contribute theoretical uncertainties to the interpretation of these measurements. Therefore, it is important to investigate the effects of these second-class currents on decay parameters, such as the Fierz interference term b which is linear in beyond standard model couplings. A maximum likelihood statistical framework and Rfit techniques are employed to study these second-class currents effects. Inputs to the Rfit technique are obtained through …

Effective Field Theory Applications: From Dark Matter To Neutrino Nucleon Scattering, Qing Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Weakly-interacting-massive-particles (WIMPs) are a large class of viable dark matter candidates. We compute cross sections for electroweak-doublet WIMPs scattering on atomic nuclei, at leading and subleading order using heavy WIMP effective field theory. Neutrino-nucleon charged current elastic scattering is an important process in the detectors of long baseline accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments. We compute QED radiative corrections to this process employing soft-collinear effective field theory.

Study Of Cell Charging Effects For The Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Mark Broering

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) collaboration at the Spallation Neutron Source plans to use ultra-cold neutrons in superfluid helium to improve the nEDM limit by about two orders of magnitude. In this apparatus, neutrons are stored in poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, cells located in a strong, stable electric field. This electric field is produced by high voltage electrodes located outside of the neutron cells. Several sources generate charged particles inside the neutron cells. The electric field pulls these charges farther apart, attracting each to the oppositely charged electrode. As the charges build up on the cells walls, they create an …

The Pion Form Factor And Momentum And Angular Momentum Fractions Of The Proton In Lattice Qcd, Gen Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) provides a way to have a precise calculation and a new way of understanding the hadrons from first principles. From this perspective, this dissertation focuses first on a precise calculation of the pion form factor using overlap fermions on six ensembles of 2+1-flavor domain-wall configurations generated by the RBC/UKQCD collaboration with pion masses varying from 137 to 339 MeV. Taking advantage of the fast Fourier transform, low-mode substitution (LMS) and the multi-mass algorithm to access many combinations of source and sink momenta, we have done a simulation with various valence quark masses and with a range …

Sensitivity Of Electron-Proton Coincidence Asymmetries In Neutron Beta-Decay To Scalar And Tensor Interactions, Subash C. Nepal

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

We study the combined sensitivity of measurements of electron-proton coincidence asymmetries in polarized neutron beta-decay together with a measurement of the electron energy spectrum in unpolarized neutron beta-decay to beyond Standard Model (BSM) scalar and tensor interactions, via the appearance of such BSM physics in the Fierz interference terms b and b_v. Whereas measurements of the electron energy spectrum directly probe b, both the proton and neutrino asymmetries for which experimental results exist are not sensitive to b_v, but effectively to b - b_v. This results in reduced sensitivity to BSM scalar and …

Measurement Of Double-Polarization Asymmetries In The Quasi-Elastic 3He→(E→, E'P) Process, M. Mihovilovic, G. Jin, E. Long, Y. -W. Zhang, K. Allada, B. Anderson, J. R. M. Annand, T. Averett, W. Bertozzi, W. Boeglin, P. Bradshaw, A. Camsonne, M. Canan, G. D. Cates, C. Chen, J. P. Chen, E. Chudakov, R. De Leo, X. Deng, A. Deltuva, A. Deur, Chiranjib Dutta, L. El Fassi, D. Flay, S. Frullani, F. Garibaldi, H. Gao, S. Gilad, R. Gilman, O. Glamazdin, Wolfgang Korsch

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report on a precise measurement of double-polarization asymmetries in electron-induced breakup of ³He proceeding to pd and ppn final states, performed in quasi-elastic kinematics at Q² = 0.25(GeV/c)² for missing momenta up to 250MeV/c. These observables represent highly sensitive tools to investigate the electromagnetic and spin structure of ³He and the relative importance of two- and three-body effects involved in the breakup reaction dynamics. The measured asymmetries cannot be satisfactorily reproduced by state-of-the-art calculations of ³He unless their three-body segment is adjusted, indicating that the spin-dependent part of the nuclear …

Prompt Fission Neutron Energy Spectrum Of N+235U, Jason M. Mcginnis

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Despite nuclear fission prominence in nuclear physics, there are still several fundamental open questions about this process. One uncertainty is the energy distribution of neutrons emitted immediately after fission. In particular the relative energy distribution of neutrons above 8~MeV has been difficult to measure. This experiment measured the prompt neutron energy spectrum of n+²³⁵U from 3-10~MeV. The measurement took place at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and used a double time-of-flight technique to measure both the beam and fission neutron kinetic energies. Fission event timing was measured with a parallel plate avalanche counter. The fission neutron time-of-flight was …

A Detection And Data Acquisition System For Precision Beta Decay Spectroscopy, Aaron P. Jezghani

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Free neutron and nuclear beta decay spectroscopy serves as a robust laboratory for investigations of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. Observables such as decay product angular correlations and energy spectra overconstrain the Standard Model and serve as a sensitive probe for Beyond the Standard Model physics. Improved measurement of these quantities is necessary to complement the TeV scale physics being conducted at the Large Hadron Collider. The UCNB, ⁴⁵Ca, and Nab experiments aim to improve upon existing measurements of free neutron decay angular correlations and set new limits in the search for exotic couplings in beta decay. To …

Magnetic Field Monitoring In The Sns Neutron Edm Experiment, Alina Aleksandrova

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

It is a well known fact that the visible universe is made almost entirely of baryonic matter. Yet, this is also one of the greatest puzzles that physicists are trying to solve: Where did all of this matter come from in the first place? The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics predicts a baryon asymmetry that is much smaller than what is observed in nature. In order to try and explain this discrepancy, Sakharov (1967) postulated three necessary conditions for baryogenesis in the early universe. One of these is the requirement that charge conjugation (C) and the product of C …

Improved Measurement Of The Longitudinal Spin Transfer To Λ And Λ¯ Hyperons In Polarized Proton-Proton Collisions At √S = 200 Gev, J. Adam, L. Adamczyk, J. R. Adams, James K. Adkins, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, I. Alekseev, D. M. Anderson, R. Aoyama, A. Aparin, D. Arkhipkin, E. C. Aschenauer, M. U. Ashraf, F. Atetalla, A. Attri, G. S. Averichev, X. Bai, V. Bairathi, K. Barish, A. J. Bassill, A. Behera, R. Bellwied, A. Bhasin, A. K. Bhati, J. Bielcik, J. Bielcikova, L. C. Bland, I. G. Bordyuzhin, J. D. Brandenburg, Renee H. Fatemi, Suvarna Ramachandran

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The longitudinal spin transfer D_LL to Λ and Λ¯ hyperons produced in high-energy polarized proton-proton collisions is expected to be sensitive to the helicity distribution functions of strange quarks and antiquarks of the proton, and to longitudinally polarized fragmentation functions. We report an improved measurement of D_LL from data obtained at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 200  GeV with the STAR detector at RHIC. The data have an approximately twelve times larger figure of merit than prior results and cover |η| < 1.2 in pseudorapidity with transverse momenta p_T up to 6  GeV/c. In the forward scattering hemisphere …