Nuclear Commons^™

Next-To-Next-To-Leading Power Corrections To Unpolarized Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering, Ian Balitsky, Alexei Prokudin

Physics Faculty Publications

Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering (SIDIS) is a key tool for exploring the three-dimensional structure of the nucleon through Transverse Momentum Dependent parton distributions and fragmentation functions. While leading-power contributions to the SIDIS cross-section are well established, next-to-leading power (NLP) corrections of order 1/Q and next-to-next-to-leading power (NNLP) corrections of order 1/Q²  to the hadronic tensor have only recently begun to be systematically investigated. These corrections are essential for reliable phenomenology and interpretation of modern high-precision data. In recent papers by one of the authors, NNLP corrections to the Drell-Yan process were derived using the rapidity factorization formalism. In the present …

Studying Electroweak Few-Body Observables In Chiral Effective Field Theory, Alex Gnech

Physics Faculty Publications

The use of nuclei to study electroweak probes is becoming increasingly relevant experimentally. The success of dark matter and neutrino experiments strongly depends on the ability to control nuclear effects in order to extract the fundamental parameters associated with external probes. Therefore, reliable theoretical calculations of nuclear structure and reactions, with well-controlled errors, are crucial for the success of experimental efforts. Currently, chiral effective field theory (χ EFT) coupled with {\it ab-initio} methods represents one of the best approaches that fulfills these requirements. To use this approach as a tool for studying fundamental physics, it is essential to validate it …

Baryon-Antibaryon Photoproduction Cross Sections Off The Proton, F. Afzal, M. Albrecht, M. Amaryan, S. Arrigo, V. Arroyave, A. Asaturyan, A. Austregesilo, Z. Baldwin, F. Barbosa, J. Barlow, E. Barriga, R. Barsotti, D. Barton, V. Baturin, V. V. Berdnikov, A. Berger, W. Boeglin, M. Boer, W. J. Briscoe, T. Britton, R. Brunner, S. Cao, C. Chen, E. Chudakov, G. Chung, P. L. Cole, O. Cortes, V. Crede, M. M. Dalton, D. Darulis, A. Deur, L. Dietrich, S. Dobbs, A. Dolgolenko, M. Dugger, R. Dzhygadlo, D. Ebersole, M. Edo, H. Egiyan, P. Eugenio, A. Fabrizi, C. Fanelli, S. Fang, M. Fritsch, S. Furletov, L. Gan, H. Gao, A. Gardner, A. Gasparian, D. I. Glazier, C. Gleason, B. Grube, J. Guo, J. Hernandez, K. Hernandez, N. Herrmann, N. D. Hoffman, D. Hornidge, G. M. Huber, P. Hurck, W. Imoehl, D. G. Ireland, M. M. Ito, I. Jaegle, N. S. Jarvis, T. Jeske, M. Jing, R. T. Jones, V. Kayokan, G. Kalicy, X. Kang, V. Khachatryan, C. Kourkoumelis, A. Laduke, I. Larin, D. Lawrence, D. I. Lersch, H. Li, B. Liu, K. Livingston, L. Lorenti, V. Lyubovitskij, H. Marukyan, V. Matveev, M. Mccaughan, M. Mccracken, C. A. Mayer, R. Miskimen, R. E. Mitchell, P. Moran, L. Ng, E. Nissen, S. Orešić, A. I. Ostrovidov, Z. Papandreou, L. Pentchev, K. J. Peters, L. Puthiya Veetil, S. Rakshit, J. Reinhold, A. Remington, J. Ritman, G. Rodriguez, K. Saldana, S. Schadmand, A. M. Schertz, K. Scheuer, A. Schmidt, R. A. Schumacher, J. Schwiening, M. Scott, N. Septian, P. Sharp, V. J. Shen, X. Shen, M. R. Shepherd, J. Sikes, H. Singh, A. Smith, E. S. Smith, A. Somov, S. Somov, J. R. Stevens, I. I. Strakovsky, B. Sumner, K. Suresh, V. V. Tarasov, S. Taylor, A. Teymurazyan, A. Thiel, M. Thomson, T. Viducic, T. Whitlatch, Y. Wunderlich, B. Yu, J. Zarling, Z. Zhang, X. Zhou, B. Zihlmann

Physics Faculty Publications

The GLUEX experiment at Jefferson Lab has observed p(p) over bar and, for the first time, ΛΛ over bar and p Λ over bar photoproduction from a proton target at photon energies up to 11.6 GeV. The angular distributions are forward peaked for all produced pairs, consistent with Regge-like t-channel exchange. Asymmetric wide-angle antibaryon distributions show the presence of additional processes. In a phenomenological model, we find consistency with a double-t-channel exchange process where antibaryons are created only at the middle vertex. The model matches all observed distributions with a small number of free parameters. In the hyperon channels, we …

Search For The Y(2175) In The Photoproduction Cross Section Measurement Of 𝛾p → 𝜙𝜋⁺𝜋⁻P At Gluex, F. Afzal, M. Albrecht, M. Amaryan, S. Arrigo, V. Arroyave, A. Asaturyan, A. Austregesilo, Z. Baldwin, F. Barbosa, J. Barlow, E. Barriga, R. Barsotti, D. Barton, V. Baturin, V. V. Berdnikov, A. Berger, W. Boeglin, M. Boer, W. J. Briscoe, T. Britton, R. Brunner, S. Cao, C. Chen, E. Chudakov, G. Chung, P. L. Cole, O. Cortes, V. Crede, M. M. Dalton, D. Darulis, A. Deur, S. Dobbs, A. Dolgolenko, M. Dugger, R. Dzhygadlo, D. Ebersole, M. Edo, H. Egiyan, P. Eugenio, A. Fabrizi, C. Fanelli, S. Fang, M. Fritsch, S. Furletov, L. Gan, H. Gao, A. Gardner, A. Gasparian, D. I. Glazier, C. Gleason, K. Goetzen, B. Grube, J. Guo, A. Hamdi, J. Hernandez, K. Hernandez, N. D. Hoffman, D. Hornidge, G. M. Huber, P. Hurck, W. Imoehl, D. G. Ireland, M. M. Ito, I. Jaegle, N. S. Jarvis, T. Jeske, M. Jing, R. T. Jones, V. Mateev, M. Mccaughan, M. Mccracken, C. A. Meyer, R. Miskimen, R. E. Mitchell, P. Moran, F. Nerling, L. Ng, E. Nissen, S. Orešić, A. I. Ostrovidov, Z. Papandeou, L. Pentchev, K. J. Peters, L. Puthiya Veetil, S. Rakshit, J. Reinhold, A. Remington, J. Ritman, G. Rodriguez, K. Saldana, S. Schadmand, A. M. Schertz, K. Scheuer, A. Schmidt, R. A. Schumacher, J. Schwiening, M. Scott, N. Septian, P. Sharp, V. J. Shen, X. Shen, M. R. Shepherd, J. Sikes, H. Singh, A. Smith, E. S. Smith, A. Somov, J. R. Stevens, I. I. Strakovsky, B. Sumner, K. Suresh, V. V. Tarasov, S. Taylor, Y. Teymurazyan, A. Thiel, M. Thomson, T. Viducic, T. Whitlatch, Y. Wunderlich, B. Yu, J. Zarling, Z. Zhang, X. Zhou, B. Zihlmann, The Glue X Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Based on 334 pb-¹ of photoproduction data collected with the GlueX detector at Jefferson Lab, we have measured for the first time the cross section of the exclusive reaction 𝛾 + p → φ(1020)π⁺π⁻p by reconstructing the final state K⁺K⁻π⁺π⁻p produced with a photon beam of energies between 8.0 and 11.6 GeV. Based on the measured differential cross section, we have performed a search for the strangeoniumlike exotic candidate Y(2175), recently renamed to φ(2170). This state has been reported by different e⁺e⁻ annihilation experiments and it is addressed here for the first time in a photoproduction experiment. We do not …

First Measurement Of Polarized Spin-Density Matrix Elements And Differential Cross Sections Dσ/Dt In Ω Photoproduction Off The Proton For 2.7 < E𝛾 < 5.2 Gev Using Clas At Jefferson Lab, T. Hu, Z. Akbar, V. Crede, J. M. Laget, V. Mathieu, M. J. Amaryan, W. R. Armstrong, H. Atac, N. A. Baltzell, L. Barion, M. Battaglieri, I. Bedlinskiy, B. Benkel, F. Benmokhtar, A. Bianconi, L. Biondo, A. Biselli, M. Bondi, F. Bossu, S. Boiarinov, W. J. Briscoe, S. Bueltmann, D. Bulumulla, V. D. Burkert, R. Capobianco, D. S. Carman, J. C. Carvajal, A. Celentano, T. Chetry, G. Ciullo, G. Clash, P. L. Cole, M. Contalbrigo, G. Costantini, A. D'Angelo, N. Dashyan, R. De Vita, M. Defurne, A. Deur, S. Diehl, C. Djalali, R. Dupre, H. Egiyan, A. El Alaoui, L. El Fassi, L. Elouadrhiri, P. Eugenio, S. Fegan, A. Filippi, G. Gavalian, Y. Ghandilyan, G. P. Gilfoyle, F. X. Girod, A. A. Golubenko, G. Gosta, R. W. Gothe, K. A. Griffioen, M. Guidal, K. Hafidi, H. Hakobyan, M. Hattawy, T. B. Hayward, D. Heddle, A. Hobart, M. Holtrop, Y. Ilieva, D. G. Ireland, E. L. Isupov, D. Jenkins, H. S. Jo, K. Joo, S. Joosten, D. Keller, A. Khanal, M. Khandaker, A. Kim, W. Kim, F. J. Klein, V. Klimenko, A. Kripko, V. Kubarovsky, V. Lagerquist, L. Lanza, M. Leali, P. Lenisa, K. Livingston, I.J.D. Macgregor, D. Marchand, L. Marsicano, V. Mascagna, M. E. Mccracken, B. Mckinnon, Z. E. Meziani, S. Migliorati, R. G. Milner, T. Mineeva, M. Mirazita, V. Mokeev, C. Munoz Camacho, P. Nadel-Turonski, K. Neupane, J. Newton, S. Niccoai, M. Nicol, G. Niculescu, M. Osipenko, A. I. Ostrovidov, P. Pandey, M. Paolone, L. L. Pappalardo, R. Paremuzyan, E. Pasyuk, S. J. Paul, W. Phelps, N. Pilleux, O. Pogorelko, J. W. Price, Y. Prok, B. A. Raue, T. Reed, M. Ripani, J. Ritman, A. Rizzo, G. Rosner, F. Sabatié, C. Salgado, S. Schadmand, A. Schmidt, R. A. Schumacher, E. V. Shirokov, U. Shrestha, P. Simmerling, D. Sokhan, N. Sparveris, S. Stepanyan, I. I. Strakovsky, S. Strauch, R. Tyson, M. Ungaro, L. Venturelli, H. Voskanyan, A. Vossen, E. Voutier, D. P. Watts, X. Wei, M. H. Wood, B. Yale, M. Yurov, N. Zachariou, J. Zhang, The Clas Collaboration At Jefferson Laboratory

Physics Faculty Publications

We report on the differential cross sections dσ/dt, the unpolarized spin-density matrix elements ρ⁰₀₀, ρ⁰₁₋₁, Re ρ⁰₁₀, and the first extraction of the polarized elements Im ρ³₁₀, Im ρ³₁₋₁ for the reaction γp → pω using the CLAS spectrometer at Jefferson Laboratory. The ω mesons were detected in their dominant charged decay mode, ω→π+π−π⁰, and all t-dependent results are presented in a fine binning for incident photon energies between 2.73 and 5.16 GeV (corresponding to the center-of-mass energy range W ∈ [ 2.45, 3.25 ] GeV). All matrix elements are first measurements for −t>0.6 GeV². …

Geochemical Fingerprinting Of Tanzanian Uranium Deposits: The Insights Of Ree Ratios (La/Ce, Nd/Ce, And Sm/Nd) As A Provenance Tool, Lazaro H. Meza, John W. Kondoro, Iyabo T. Usman, Najat K. Mohammed, Titus A. Msagati, Mwingereza John Kumwenda, Mohamed S. Mazunga

Tanzania Journal of Science

Accurate uranium provenance determination is crucial for nuclear non-proliferation and environmental protection, yet a forensic-level geochemical framework for Tanzanian uranium deposits has been lacking. This study establishes a robust analytical method using forty-five samples from three major deposits (Mkuju, Manyoni, and Bahi), analyzing elemental compositions, particularly Rare Earth Elements (REEs), via ICP-MS, and validating results using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Despite their proximity, the deposits exhibit distinct geochemical signatures as revealed by key REE ratios and anomalies. Mkuju (mean La/Ce 1.17, Nd/Ce 0.62, Sm/Nd 0.56) is characterized by a positive Europium (Eu) anomaly and heavy …

Relativistic Three Particle Scattering, Md Habib E Islam

Physics Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, we develop and apply a relativistic framework for studying three-body scattering amplitudes, their analytic structure, and the emergence of universal phenomena such as the Efimov effect. The work integrates three complementary components.

First, we introduce a systematically improvable numerical method for solving relativistic three-body integral equations in momentum space. By discretizing the continuum problem into finite matrix equations and extrapolating to the continuum limit, we obtain stable partial-wave amplitudes in the presence of a two-body bound state. Two complementary treatments of the pole contribution are implemented and shown to reproduce previous finite volume results, with controlled estimates …

Determining The 17f(Α,P)20ne Reaction Rate For Application In Type I X-Ray Bursts, William Braverman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ¹⁷F(α, p)²⁰Ne reaction has been identified as an alternate pathway for breakout from the hot-CNO cycle that can be important in some X-ray burst scenarios. The ¹⁷F(α, p)²⁰Ne reaction rate was previously determined through a parameterized exponential S-factor with a large enhancement from thermally-excited states based on statistical models with large uncertainties. We have measured the time-inverse ²⁰Ne(p,α)¹⁷F cross section at center-of-mass energies ranging from 5.50 to 7.10 MeV using an activation method with a proton beam on a neon gas cell. Coincident detections of 511-keV γ-rays, resulting from electron-positron …

Collisional Excitation Of Hcn By Co To Refine The Modeling Of Cometary Comae, Francesca Tonolo, Ernesto Quintas-Sánchez, Adrian Batista-Planas, Richard Dawes, François Lique

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present the first dataset of collisional (de)-excitation rate coefficients of HCN induced by CO, one of the main perturbing gases in cometary atmospheres. The dataset spans the temperature range of 5–50 K. It includes both state-to-state rate coefficients involving the lowest ten and nine rotational levels of HCN and CO, respectively, and the so-called "thermalized" rate coefficients over the rotational population of CO at each kinetic temperature. The derivation of these coefficients exploited the good performance of the statistical adiabatic channel model (SACM) on top of an accurate interaction potential computed at the CCSD(T)-F12b/CBS level of theory. The reliability …

Correlation Of Radon Gas Concentrations And Associated Radiological Risks In Soil Using Ssntds With Gis And Spss At Najaf Governorate, Iraq, Rafal Mohamed Abdulsada, Lubna A. Alasadi

Al-Bahir

All human beings are affected by soil directly or indirectly. This study focuses on the effect of radon gas and related radiological risks using SSNTDs, specifically CR-39 detectors, in eighty secondary schools in Najaf and Kufa cities, Najaf Governorate, Iraq. As we recognize the importance of soil and its strong connection to humans, the study focused on areas where public and private schools were built, where students are present, and the potential for radiation risks to affect students' health. The results show that the average concentrations of C, C_Rn were 64.329±59.149 Bq / m³ and 3150.699±2897.036 Bq / …

Nuclear Structure Of Neutron-Deficient Cesium-126 And Cesium-127, Connor M. Gautam

Theses and Dissertations

Lifetimes of seven excited states of ¹²⁷Cs, including the states populating the isomer, were measured through a combination of spectroscopic methods. The spin and parity of the states leading up to the 171-μs isomeric level of ¹²⁶Cs were assigned for the first time, new values were measured for the lifetimes of the two isomeric states, and new evidence was presented for the assignment of a detached sequence of gamma rays to the ¹²⁶Cs nucleus.

Spin State Of Positronium In Two Dimensions, Emille Bryant

Theses and Dissertations

We investigate the spin state of the electron-positron system positronium to determine experimental criteria that can identify a positronium anyon. Anyons have been posited to be the basis for a truly fault-tolerant quantum computer, but they have not been indisputably observed in experimental systems. Through the analysis of the fully relativistic symmetry group of fermions and bosons in three dimensions, we investigate the symmetry of its subgroups to determine that positronium in two dimensions behaves as a scalar with respect to rotations. We conclude that positronium in two dimensions has an arbitrary relative spin orientation of annihilation photons and only …

How The Inter-Nucleon Force Shapes Emergent Collectivity And Imparts Uncertainties In Ab Initio Nuclear Observables, Kevin Becker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The importance of collective motion in atomic nuclei has been well-established for many decades. Even before the advent of the nuclear shell model and its much-needed answers to surprising empirical phenomena, collectivity and surface deformation have played a vital role in broadening our knowledge. Reconciling the collective and single-particle camps into a unified description required tremendous strides in the application of group theory and advances in high-performance supercomputing, and thanks to these efforts the symmetry-adapted no-core shell model, or SA-NCSM, has developed into a reliable model for the study of deformed light and medium-mass nuclei. State-of-the-art calculations reveal remarkably simple …

Comparative Modeling Of Nuclear Energy Consumption In The United States And France: An Optimized Structure-Adaptive Grey Model, Alae Chahid '25, Naima Shifa

Student Research

This study investigates nuclear energy consumption trends in the United States, and France by applying advanced time-series modeling and computational optimization techniques. Using annual consumption data from 2005 to 2023, the research compares the predictive accuracy under data scarcity of the AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Grey Model (1,1,t), Grey Model(1,1,t²), and an Optimized Structure-Adaptive Grey Model (OSGM). This OSGM (1,1,_) the traditional Grey Model (1,1) by introducing time-dependent terms and parameter tuning through particle swarm optimization and Monte Carlo simulations. Models are trained and tested using an in-sample and out-of-sample period framework. Then, forecast accuracies are compared using Mean …

The Effects Of I-127 On A High-Granularity Lii(Eu) Bonner Sphere Spectrometer Response Matrix, Adam Card, Andrew W. Decker

Student Publications

The measurement of neutron energy spectra using a Bonner Sphere Spectrometer (BSS) requires spectrum unfolding. One necessary component of spectrum unfolding is an accurate neutron response matrix, which describes the energy shift experienced by neutrons when passing through different moderation configurations prior to detection. Leveraging the recently-released ENDF/B-VIII.0 cross-section library, this work details the development of a new LiI(Eu) scintillator response matrix that features improved energy binning granularity as well as increased isotopic and statistical accuracy. Using MCNP6.2, detector responses were modeled at 105 discrete log-equi-spaced incident neutron energies from 1.000 × 10⁻⁹ to 2.512 × 10¹ MeV …

Enhancing The Design Of Strained Superlattice Gallium Arsenide Based Photocathodes With Distributed Bragg Reflector, Adam D. A. Masters

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Particle accelerators play a crucial role in our understanding of matter and the universe and have numerous practical applications in various fields. These devices enable scientists to examine the smallest components of matter, study the forces that govern their interactions, and probe conditions from the early universe. Moreover, accelerators are valuable in medicine, industry, and research, enhancing imaging methods, cancer therapies, and manufacturing techniques. As the experiments conducted at these facilities evolve and require higher precision, improved particle sources must continue to advance to keep up with their requirements. To do that, we enhanced the design of spin polarized electron …

Facilitating The Clinical Translation Of Flash Radiotherapy Through Dosimetry Development And Beam Parameter Optimization, Kevin Liu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Advisory Professor: Emil Schüler, PhD

Radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial component of curative cancer therapy, with a majority of cancer patients in the United States receiving RT as part of treatment. The goal of RT is to maximize the therapeutic index in curing disease while minimizing any associated normal-tissue complications¹. Recently, ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR) RT (mean dose rates ≥40 Gy/s for a total duration of ≤200 ms) has been reported to selectively spare normal tissues and organs while maintaining an isoeffective tumoricidal effect compared to conventional (CONV) dose rate RT in a variety of in vivo preclinical …

Unfolding Particle Detector Effects And Solving Qcd Inverse Problem With Generative Ai, Tareq Saeed Alghamdi

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionized high-energy physics by enabling generative models to address key detector-related Challenges. This work explores the generative model to mitigate smearing, acceptance, and inefficiency in particle detectors, enhancing experimental precision.

We present a generative model-based framework to model and correct detector distortions. Using the Jefferson Lab CLAS g11 experiment as a case study, our approach successfully unfolds detector effects in multi-particle final states while preserving multidimensional correlations despite complex reaction mechanisms. A key focus is addressing the acceptance problem—accurately modeling detector acceptance without computationally expensive simulations. By training generative model-based framework on simulated detector …

Unraveling Nonperturbative Qcd With Transverse Momentum Hadronic Structures, Tommaso Rainaldi

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate the theoretical foundations of the factorization theorems that involve transverse quark and gluon momentum distributions, and to better understand the interface between foundational questions and phenomenological applications. Many of these applications involve using transverse parton momentum dependent (TMD) correlation functions as tools for probing the complex nonperturbative structures of the hadrons.

We first introduce the concepts of collinear and TMD factorization in a toy-model theory and, by leveraging the comparative simplicity of such a model, we test the range of validity and limitations of the factorization approach. At the same time, …

A Promising Statistical Approach For Studying The Collisional Excitation Induced By Co: Application To The Cs-Co System, Amélie Godard Palluet, Richard Dawes, Ernesto Quintas-Sánchez, Adrian Batista-Planas, François Lique

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The calculations of rate coefficients for the interpretation of molecular spectra are a recognized computationally expensive task. This is particularly true for media like comets, where the dominant species (CO, CO₂, and H₂O) have relatively high masses. Currently, no clear methodology exists to treat the collisional excitation of heavy species at low temperatures, thus limiting the number of collisional studies on such species. We present here a promising statistical approach to determine collisional rate coefficients of heavy systems as an alternative to fully quantum calculations when heavy projectiles such as CO are considered. This is illustrated …