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MoEDAL zeroes in on magnetic monopoles

The MoEDAL detector (Image: CERN) The late physicist Joseph Polchinski once said the existence of magnetic monopoles is “one of the safest bets that one can make about physics not yet seen”. In its quest for these particles, which have a magnetic charge and are predicted by several theories that extend the Standard Model, the MoEDAL collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has not yet proven Polchinski right, but its latest findings mark a significant stride forward. The results, reported in two papers posted on the arXiv preprint server, considerably narrow the search window for these hypothetical particles. At the LHC, pairs of magnetic monopoles could be produced in interactions between protons or heavy ions. In collisions between protons, they could be formed from a single virtual photon (the Drell–Yan mechanism) or the fusion of two virtual photons (the photon-fusion mechanism). Pairs of magnetic monopoles could also be produced from the vacuum in the enormous magnetic fields created in near-miss heavy-ion collisions, through a process called the Schwinger mechanism. Since it started taking data in 2012, MoEDAL has achieved several firsts, including conducting the first searches at the LHC for magnetic monopoles produced via the photon-fusion mechanism and through the Schwinger mechanism. In the first of its latest studies, the MoEDAL collaboration sought monopoles and high-electric-charge objects (HECOs) produced via the Drell–Yan and photon-fusion mechanisms. The search was based on proton–proton collision data collected during Run 2 of the LHC, using the full MoEDAL detector for the first time. The full detector comprises two main systems sensitive to magnetic monopoles, HECOs and other highly ionising hypothetical particles. The first can permanently register the tracks of magnetic monopoles and HECOs, with no background signals from Standard Model particles. These tracks are measured using optical scanning microscopes at INFN Bologna. The second system consists of roughly a tonne of trapping volumes designed to capture magnetic monopoles. These trapping volumes – which make MoEDAL the only collider experiment in the world that can definitively and directly identify the magnetic charge of magnetic monopoles – are scanned at ETH Zurich using a special type of magnetometer called a SQUID to look for any trapped monopoles they may contain. In their latest scanning of the trapping volumes, the MoEDAL team found no magnetic monopoles or HECOs, but it set bounds on the mass and production rate of these particles for different values of particle spin, an intrinsic form of angular momentum. For magnetic monopoles, the mass bounds were set for magnetic charges from 1 to 10 times the fundamental unit of magnetic charge, the Dirac charge (gD), and the existence of monopoles with masses as high as about 3.9 trillion electronvolts (TeV) was excluded. For HECOs, the mass limits were established for electric charges from 5e to 350e, where e is the electron charge, and the existence of HECOs with masses ranging up to 3.4 TeV was ruled out. “MoEDAL’s search reach for both monopoles and HECOs allows the collaboration to survey a huge swathe of the theoretical ‘discovery space’ for these hypothetical particles,” says MoEDAL spokesperson James Pinfold. In its second latest study, the MoEDAL team concentrated on the search for monopoles produced via the Schwinger mechanism in heavy-ion collision data taken during Run 1 of the LHC. In a unique endeavour, it scanned a decommissioned section of the CMS experiment beam pipe, instead of the MoEDAL detector’s trapping volumes, in search of trapped monopoles. Once again, the team found no monopoles, but it set the strongest-to-date mass limits on Schwinger monopoles with a charge between 2gD and 45gD, ruling out the existence of monopoles with masses of up to 80 GeV. “The vital importance of the Schwinger mechanism is that the production of composite monopoles is not suppressed compared to that of elementary ones, as is the case with the Drell–Yan and photon-fusion processes,” explains Pinfold. “Thus, if monopoles are composite particles, this and our previous Schwinger-monopole search may have been the first-ever chances to observe them.” The MoEDAL detector will soon be joined by the MoEDAL Apparatus for Penetrating Particles, MAPP for short, which will allow the experiment to cast an even broader net in the search for new particles.

Zurich , Züsz , Switzerland , Joseph-polchinski , Standard-model , Large-hadron-collider , Penetrating-particles , Physics , Ern , Arge-hadron-collider , Hc

Smeared R-ratio from lattice QCD

The ratio 𝑅(𝐸) of the cross-sections for 𝑒+𝑒−→ hadrons and 𝑒+𝑒−→𝜇+𝜇− is an extremely interesting hadronic observable due to its phenomenological applications.

Physics , Ern , Arge-hadron-collider , Hc , Igh-energy-physics , Articles , Cience ,

The charm and beauty associated with the electroweak gauge bosons with ATLAS

The production of electroweak gauge bosons is a probe for a wide range of important physics aspects at the LHC.

Physics , Ern , Arge-hadron-collider , Hc , Igh-energy-physics , Articles , Cience ,

ALICE gets the green light for new subdetectors

Two detector upgrades of ALICE, the dedicated heavy-ion physics experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), have recently been approved for installation during the next long shutdown of the LHC, which will take place from 2026 to 2028. The first one is an upgrade of the innermost three layers of the Inner Tracking System (ITS3), and the second is a new forward calorimeter (FoCal), optimised for photon detection in the forward direction of the ALICE detector. High-energy collisions of heavy ions like lead nuclei at the LHC recreate quark–gluon plasma: the hottest and densest fluid ever studied in a laboratory. Besides studying the properties of quark–gluon plasma, the ALICE programme covers a broad array of topics involving strong interaction, such as determining the structure of nuclei and the interactions between unstable particles, as presented in "A journey through the quark-gluon plasma and beyond". Inner Tracking System (ITS3) ALICE’s current Inner Tracking System, installed for the ongoing LHC run, is the world’s largest pixel detector to date, with 10 m2 of active silicon area and nearly 13 billion pixels. The new Inner Tracking System, ITS3, builds on the successful use of monolithic active pixel sensors and takes this concept to the next level. “ALICE is like a high-resolution camera, capturing intricate details of particle interactions. ITS3 is all set to boost the pointing resolution of the tracks by a factor of 2 compared to the current ITS detector,” said Alex Kluge and Magnus Mager, the project leaders of ITS3. “This will strongly enhance the measurements of thermal radiation emitted by the quark–gluon plasma and provide insights into the interactions of charm and beauty quarks when they propagate through the plasma.” The ITS3 sensors are 50 µm thick and as large as 26×10 cm2. To achieve this, a novel stitching technology was used to connect individual sensors together into a large structure. These sensors can now be bent around the beampipe in a truly cylindrical shape. The first layer will be placed only 2 mm from the beampipe and 19 mm from the interaction point. It can now be cooled by air instead of water and has a much lighter support structure, significantly reducing the materials and their effect on the particle trajectories seen in the detector. Forward Calorimeter (FoCal) The FoCal detector consists of an electromagnetic calorimeter (FoCal-E) and a hadronic calorimeter (FoCal-H). FoCal-E is a highly granular calorimeter composed of 18 layers of silicon pad sensors, each as small as 1×1 cm2, and two additional special layers with pixels of 30×30 μm2. FoCal-H is made of copper capillar tubes and scintillating fibres. “By measuring inclusive photons and their correlations with neutral mesons, and the production of jets and charmonia, FoCal offers a unique possibility for a systematic exploration of QCD at small Bjorken-x. FoCal extends the scope of ALICE by adding new capabilities to explore the small-x parton structure of nucleons and nuclei,” said Constantin Loizides, project leader of FoCal at the ALICE collaboration. The newly built FoCal prototypes have recently been tested with beams in the CERN accelerator complex, at the Proton Synchrotron and Super Proton Synchrotron, demonstrating their performance in line with expectations from detector simulations. The ITS3 and FoCal projects have reached the important milestone of completing their Technical Design Reports, which were endorsed by the CERN review committees in March 2024. The construction phase of ITS3 and FoCal starts now, with the detectors due to be installed in early 2028 in order to be ready for data taking in 2029.

Magnus-mager , Alex-kluge , Constantin-loizides , Large-hadron-collider , Inner-tracking-system , Tracking-system , Proton-synchrotron , Super-proton-synchrotron , Technical-design-reports , Physics , Ern

The Kuranos Project; Monitoring and Analysis of Parkinson's Disease Motor Symptoms Using Wearables - a KT-MA Project

Abstract: "Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most widespread neuro-degenerati

Garmin , Apple-watch , Big-data , Physics , Ern , Arge-hadron-collider , Hc , Igh-energy-physics , Articles , Cience ,

CERN's edge AI data analysis techniques used to detect marine plastic pollution

Earth Observation (EO) and particle physics research have more in common than you might think. In both environments, whether capturing fleeting particle collisions or detecting transient traces of ocean plastics, rapid and accurate data analysis is paramount. On this Earth Day, as we reflect on our responsibility to reduce plastics for the benefit of our society and all life on our planet, we are excited to present a new EU project, Edge SpAIce. It applies CERN’s cutting-edge AI technology to monitor the Earth’s ecosystems from space in order to detect and track plastic pollution in our oceans. “In particle physics, the trigger system plays a critical role by swiftly determining which data from the particle detector should be retained, given that only a small fraction of the 40 million collision snapshots taken each second can be recorded. As the data influx at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has grown significantly over the years, physicists and computer scientists are continually innovating to upgrade this process - and this is where AI technology comes in,” says Sioni Summers, a CERN physicist working on the CMS experiment at the LHC, who is supervising this work. Edge SpAIce is a collaborative endeavour involving CERN, EnduroSat (BG) and NTU Athens (GR) and coordinated by AGENIUM Space. Its aim is to develop a specially designed on-board system for satellites that will make it possible to acquire and process high-resolution pictures using a DNN (Deep Neural Network). The system will use the “edge AI” approach, in which data is processed in near real-time directly on the satellite, mirroring the efficient filtering of LHC data in particle detectors at CERN. This means that it is not necessary to transmit all of the captured data back to Earth but only the relevant information - in this case, the presence of marine plastic litter. The system will also be deployed on FPGA hardware developed in Europe, which will improve competitiveness. This could open the door for a whole new market for EO services and applications. As modern life increasingly relies on technology, the solution that the project offers adeptly addresses the growing demand for data processing and the rapid expansion of EO satellites. By eliminating the need for heavy processing in Earth-based data centres, it not only reduces the carbon footprint but also helps to relieve the burden on these facilities. The innovative approach holds potential for broader applications in domains such as agriculture, urban planning, disaster relief and climate change. Additionally, this technology will provide environmental scientists and policymakers with invaluable data for targeted clean-up operations. It will advance our understanding of plastic pollution patterns, thereby enhancing our capacity to address environmental challenges effectively. “AGENIUM Space is thrilled to have found synergies with CERN in developing innovative solutions for our planet’s future,” said Dr Andis Dembovskis, a business development executive with AGENIUM Space. The Edge SpAIce project exemplifies how creative thinking by partners across diverse fields can lead to a collaborative knowledge transfer project that tackles major societal challenges. To discover how other CERN knowledge transfer and innovation projects are making a positive impact on the environment, please visit: https://kt.cern/environment

Athens , Attikír , Greece , Neural-network , Earth-observation , Earth-day , Large-hadron-collider , Sioni-summers , Deep-neural-network , Physics , Ern

SHiP sets sail to explore the hidden sector

The SHiP (Search for Hidden Particles) collaboration was in high spirits at its annual meeting this week. Its project to develop a large detector and target to be installed in one of the underground caverns of the accelerator complex has been accepted by the CERN Research Board. Thus, SHiP plans to sail to explore the hidden sector in 2031. Scientists hope to capture particles that interact very feebly with ordinary matter – so feebly, in fact, that they have not yet been detected. This group of hypothetical particles includes dark photons, axions and axion-like particles, heavy neutral leptons and others. These particles, which could be among the dark matter, particles, are predicted by several theoretical models that extend beyond the Standard Model, the current theory describing elementary particles and the forces that unite them. Although very solid, the Standard Model does not explain certain phenomena. The particles predicted by the Model – in other words, the ordinary matter that we know – account for just 5% of the Universe. The rest is thought to be unknown matter and energy, which scientists refer to as dark matter and dark energy. Their effects can be observed in the Universe, but their nature is a mystery that a growing number of experiments are trying to uncover. This is where SHiP comes in. The idea is simple: the more particles that are produced, the greater the chances of finding feebly interacting particles. A high-intensity proton beam from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator will be repeatedly sent to a target, a large metal block, producing a vast number of particles. Among them, scientists hope to find particles from the hidden sector. Thanks to the very high beam intensity, SHiP will be more sensitive than the existing experiments. Another special feature of SHiP is that its detectors will be placed several tens of metres away from the target in order to detect relatively long-lived particles and eliminate “background noise”, in other words, particles such as muons that could interfere with the detection of long-lived particles. The experiment is equipped with a magnet system to divert the flow of muons and a large 50 m-long chamber in which the particles of interest can decay into known particles. The experiment therefore complements the large LHC experiments, whose detectors surround the collision point and are unable to study the feebly interacting particles that travel several tens of metres before transforming. Theoretical models predict that the lower their mass and the weaker their coupling (the intensity of the interaction), the longer the lifetime of these particles. SHiP will therefore be sensitive to particles with relatively low masses. In their journey through the detector, these particles could either disintegrate into known particles or collide with an atom of ordinary matter, which would also produce particles. The SHiP detectors have been designed to detect their signals. Beyond the hypothetical dark-matter particles, SHiP will also study neutrinos which, despite being known particles of the Standard Model, are difficult to intercept and still hold many mysteries. The target and the experiment will be installed in an existing underground cavern at CERN and supplied by a beam line from the SPS, CERN’s second largest accelerator, which supplies several experiments and pre-accelerates particles for the LHC. The target is a complex device that is more like a beam dump than a conventional fixed target. Under study for several years, it is a 1.5-metre-thick block made of several different metals in order to produce the specific particles required by SHiP and fitted with a cooling and shielding system. Part of the SHiP collaboration during its annual meeting, which was held at CERN this week. (Image: Marina Cavazza/CERN)

Research-board , Hidden-particles , Standard-model , Super-proton-synchrotron , Physics , Ern , Arge-hadron-collider , Hc , Igh-energy-physics , Articles , Cience

ProtoDUNE's argon filling underway

CERN’s Neutrino Platform houses a prototype of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) known as ProtoDUNE, which is designed to test and validate the technologies that will be applied to the construction of the DUNE experiment in the United States. Recently, ProtoDUNE has entered a pivotal stage: the filling of one of its two particle detectors with liquid argon. Filling such a detector takes almost two months, as the chamber is gigantic – almost the size of a three-storey building. ProtoDUNE’s second detector will be filled in the autumn. ProtoDUNE will use the proton beam from the Super Proton Synchrotron to test the detecting of charged particles. This argon-filled detector will be crucial to test the detector response for the next era of neutrino research. Liquid argon is used in DUNE due to its inert nature, which provides a clean environment for precise measurements. When a neutrino interacts with argon, it produces charged particles that ionise the atoms, allowing scientists to detect and study neutrino interactions. Additionally, liquid argon's density and high scintillation light yield enhance the detection of these interactions, making it an ideal medium for neutrino experiments. Interestingly, the interior of the partially filled detector now appears green instead of its usual golden colour. This is because when the regular LED light is reflected inside the metal cryostat, the light travels through the liquid argon and the wavelength of the photons is shifted, producing a visible green effect. The DUNE far detector, which will be roughly 20 times bigger than protoDUNE, is being built in the United States. DUNE will send a beam of neutrinos from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) near Chicago, Illinois, over a distance of more than 1300 kilometres through the Earth to neutrino detectors located 1.5 km underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Sanford, South Dakota. Watch a short time-lapse video of protoDUNE being filled with liquid argon:

Illinois , United-states , South-dakota , Chicago , Fermi-national-accelerator-laboratory-fermilab , Sanford-underground-research-facility , Deep-underground-neutrino-experiment , Super-proton-synchrotron , Fermi-national-accelerator-laboratory , Physics , Ern

Journal Club on Strings & QFT, Chintan Patel

NOTE: The journal club will only include a seminar by the speaker. The discussion of interesting arxiv papers since the last JC is subject to availability of time.

Physics , Ern , Arge-hadron-collider , Hc , Igh-energy-physics , Articles , Cience ,

Primordial black holes from Supercooled First-Order Phase Transition

Cosmological first-order phase transitions are said to be strongly supercooled when the nucleation temperature is much smaller than the critical temperature. The phase transition takes place slowly and the probability distribution of bubble nucleation times is maximally spread.

Physics , Ern , Arge-hadron-collider , Hc , Igh-energy-physics , Articles , Cience ,