INPA

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | María Martínez (Universidad de Zaragoza)
2021-07-02 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Speaker: María Martínez ​(​Universidad de Zaragoza​)​
Location: via Zoom
Title: Annual ​M​odulation ​R​esults ​F​rom ​Three​ ​–​Y​ear ​E​xposure of ANAIS-112
Abstract:
For more than 20 years, the DAMA/LIBRA experiment at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (Italy) has claimed a positive dark matter detection: an annual modulation in the low-energy detection rate compatible with the expected signal induced by dark matter particles due to the Earth rotation around the Sun. This signal is in strong tension with the negative results of other very sensitive experiments. However, until recently a direct comparison using the same target material (NaI(Tl)) was lacking. ANAIS (annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) is a dark matter direct detection experiment located at the Canfranc Underground

Laboratory (LSC, Spain). Its main goal is to test in a model independent way the DAMA/LIBRA positive result. ANAIS-112 operates 112.5 kg of NaI(Tl) scintillators at the LSC since August 2017 and is taking data smoothly with excellent performances. Results from the first three years are compatible with the absence of modulation and incompatible with the DAMA/LIBRA measured modulation at more than 2.5 sigma C.L.

In this seminar I will briefly review the DAMA/LIBRA puzzle and the status of the experiments trying to reproduce it. Then I will introduce the ANAIS-112 experimental set-up, the detector performance and analysis methods. Finally, I will present the results of the annual modulation analysis corresponding to three years of ANAIS data, the physical implications and the prospects for the 5 years of scheduled operation time.

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​https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95105088780
Meeting ID: 951 0508 8780

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Alessio Porcelli (Ghent University)
2021-07-09 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Alessio Porcelli (Ghent University)
Title: Method To Measure The Cosmic Rays Mass Composition With IceCube/IceTop
Abstract:
There is an intrinsic difficulty in measuring the mass of Cosmic rays at Ultra-High Energy. The only possible way involves measuring the Extensive Air Showers (EAS) characteristics produced by hadronic interactions of the incoming particle (primary) with the atmosphere: it behaves as a calorimeter producing secondary particles. EAS are characterized by a longitudinal profile along the shower development and a lateral one at the ground around the shower core. In the latter distribution, because of the shower physics, the information of the mass is delivered by the muon component.
IceTop is part of the IceCube experiment, sited at the geographic South Pole. While the latter consists of 86 strings drilled inside the ice covering a kilometer cube to detect neutrinos from astrophysical origins, the former are stations on the top of such strings used to veto atmospheric neutrinos. IceTop consists of 81 stations, each with two water Cherenkov detectors with two Photomultiplier Tubes each, able to detect Cherenkov light produced by the crossing charged particles. This setup of detectors can also be used to measure the EAS lateral distribution, letting IceCube be able to measure also Cosmic Rays with energies above 1 PeV and up to 1 EeV.
Two different approaches will be presented in the seminar, using IceTop alone or together with the in-ice part of IceCube. Moreover, improvement attempts will be depicted: analysis strategies and the incoming extension IceCube-Gen2.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/93261885135?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 932 6188 5135
Passcode: [REDACTED]

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, July 16, 2021
2021-07-16 12:00 - 13:00

SPECIAL VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Jingkai Xia (Shanghai Tech)
2021-07-21 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Jingkai Xia (Shanghai Tech)
Title: Detector Study For New Generation Of Neutrino And Dark Matter Experiments In China
Abstract:
Non-zero neutrino mass and the existence of dark matter are two important observations beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Research on neutrino properties and dark matter detection will help to promote the discovery of new physics. New generation of neutrino and dark matter experiments are under construction or in commissioning in China, where advanced detectors are the key to meet the scientific goals. In this talk, I will introduce my work in detector research efforts in JUNO and PandaX-4T experiments, as well as study on detector technique which may be utilized in future experiments in China.

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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/96324647091?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 963 2464 7091
Passcode: [REDACTED]

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR| Friday, July 23, 2021
2021-07-23 12:00 - 13:00

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, August 6, 2021
2021-08-06 12:00 - 13:00

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, August 13, 2021
2021-08-13 12:00 - 13:00

CANCELLED VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Nikolay Markov (JLab)
2021-08-20 12:00 - 13:00

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, August 27, 2021
2021-08-27 12:00 - 13:00

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, September 3, 2021
2021-09-03 12:00 - 13:00

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, September 10, 2021
2021-09-10 12:00 - 13:00

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, September 17, 2021
2021-09-17 12:00 - 13:00

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Friday, September 24, 2021
2021-09-24 12:00 - 13:00

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Andreas Biekert (UC Berkeley)
2021-10-01 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Andreas Biekert (UC Berkeley)
Title: Scintillation Yield From Electronic and Nuclear Recoils In Superfluid 4He
Abstract:
HeRALD is a proposed sub-GeV scale dark matter detector based on a superfluid 4He target and transition edge sensor readout, supported as part of the TESSERACT project. Possible signal channels available for readout include prompt photons, triplet excimers, and roton and phonon quasiparticles, but the relative strength of these signals for low energy nuclear recoils requires experimental verification. We have measured the superfluid 4He scintillation yield at 1.75 K from nuclear recoils in the range of 50-1100 keV using a 16 cm3 target volume read out by six superfluid-immersed PMTs. Elastic scattering of 2.8 MeV neutrons produced by a deuterium-deuterium neutron generator and Compton scattering of 662 keV 137Cs gamma rays were used to determine the relative scintillation yield. Yields of both prompt and delayed scintillation components were measured and compared to a semi-empirical response model based on helium-helium and electron-helium scattering cross sections. We also discuss the development of a 24 keV neutron source to extend our measurements to smaller nuclear recoil energies.
Join Zoom Meeting https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91625792208?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 916 2579 2208
Passcode: [REDACTED]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Kevin Thieme (Univ. of Zurich)
2021-10-08 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Kevin Thieme (University of Zurich)
Title: A Measurement of the Mean Electronic Excitation Energy of Liquid Xenon

Abstract:
Detectors using liquid xenon as target are widely deployed in rare event searches. Conclusions on the interacting particle rely on a precise reconstruction of the deposited energy which requires calibrations of the energy scale of the detector by means of radioactive sources. However, a microscopic calibration, i.e. the translation from the number of excitation quanta into deposited energy, also necessitates good knowledge of the energy required to produce single scintillation photons or ionisation electrons in liquid xenon. The sum of these excitation quanta is directly proportional to the deposited energy in the target. The proportionality constant is the mean excitation energy and is commonly known as W-value. Here we present a measurement of the W-value with electronic recoil interactions in a small dual-phase xenon time projection chamber with a hybrid (photomultiplier tube and silicon photomultipliers) photosensor configuration. Our result is based on calibrations at O(1–10 keV) with internal 37-Ar and 83m-Kr sources and single electron events. We obtain a value of W=(11.5 +0.2 -0.3 (syst.)) eV, with negligible statistical uncertainty, which is lower than previously measured at these energies. If further confirmed, our result will be relevant for modelling the absolute response of liquid xenon detectors to particle interactions.

Join Zoom Meeting https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/93376704948?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 933 7670 4948
Passcode: [REDACTED]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Peter Taylor (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory )
2021-10-15 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Peter Taylor (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory )
Title: The RSD Sorting Hat
Abstract:
Redshift-space distortions (RSD) and weak lensing (WL) studies yield some of the tightest cosmological constraints. Large overlapping data sets from Euclid, the Rubin Observatory, the Roman Space Science Telescope and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instruments will enable a joint RSD/WL analysis. Such an analysis could significantly outperform WL and RSD analyses performed in isolation. In this talk I show how to optimally extract information from the RSD signal using angular statistics. This is a first step towards combing WL and RSD.

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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91769253333?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 917 6925 3333
Passcode: [REDACTED]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Noah Kurinsky (SLAC )
2021-10-22 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Noah Kurinsky (SLAC)
Title: Quantum Sensors for Direct Detection of Sub-GeV Dark Matter
Abstract:
Over the last 20 years, searches for dark matter above the proton mass have advanced significantly across direct and indirect searches, but sub-GeV dark matter has until recently been comparatively unprobed. In this talk, I will discuss the state of the Sub-GeV direct detection field, and prospects for applying quantum measurement techniques to lowering mass thresholds for new searches with event thresholds at the eV-scale. I will then discuss the outlook for the field in the next 5-10 years, in the context of synergy with ongoing research in materials science and quantum information science. The goal over the next decade is to run background-free dark matter searches at gram-year exposures with meV-scale thresholds, an exciting challenge that requires a broad range of expertise, and comes with enormous scientific discovery potential.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98007893520?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 980 0789 3520
Passcode: [REDACTED]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Luca Pagani (UC Davis )
2021-10-29 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Luca Pagani (UC Davis)
Title: First Results From The ARTIE Experiment
Abstract:
A measurement of the transmission coefficient for neutrons through a thick (~3 atoms/b) liquid natural argon target in the energy range 30-70 keV was performed by the Argon Resonance Transmission Interaction Experiment (ARTIE) using a time of flight neutron beam at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In this energy range theory predicts an anti-resonance in the 40-Ar cross section near 57 keV, but the existing data, coming from an experiment performed in the 90s (Winters. et al.), does not support this. This discrepancy gives rise to significant uncertainty in the penetration depth of neutrons through liquid argon, an important parameter for next generation neutrino and dark matter experiments.In this talk, the first results from the ARTIE experiment will be presented. The ARTIE measurement of the total cross section as a function of energy confirms the existence of the anti-resonance near 57 keV, but not as deep as the theory prediction.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/96839979915pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 968 3997 9915
Passcode: [REDACTED]

NO VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR
2021-11-05 12:00 - 13:00, 2021-11-12 12:00 - 13:00, 2021-11-26 12:00 - 13:00, 2022-01-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2022-02-04 12:00 - 13:00

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR |Charlotte Alison Ward (Univ. of Maryland at College Park)
2021-11-19 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Charlotte Alison Ward (Univ. of Maryland at College Park)
Title: Using The Zwicky Transient Facility and Vera C. Rubin Observatory To Study Black Hole Seeds, Discover High-Z Quasars, and Measure Time Delays From Lensed Supernovae
Abstract:
Over the last 3 years, the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) has demonstrated the potential of wide-field transient surveys for the discovery of black hole populations which trace the formation of the first BH seeds and their merger-driven growth. For instance, our search for off-nuclear AGN in ZTF revealed 9 supermassive black holes (SMBHs) which may have been ejected from their host galaxy by gravitational wave recoil from SMBH mergers with misaligned spins. Likewise, our search for faintly variable intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) in dwarf galaxies with ZTF and WISE found 200 new IMBH candidates, most of which could not have been found via their spectroscopic or multi-wavelength signatures. We found these rare BH populations by using the latest techniques in forward modeling to improve photometric sensitivity, resolve blended sources and measure the separations between variable objects and their host galaxies. Our work is an exciting precursor to the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which we expect to detect large populations of recoiling SMBHs, IMBH candidates, and high-z quasars—especially when combined with large spectroscopic surveys. LSST is also predicted to find thousands of strongly gravitationally lensed, multiply-imaged supernovae, and application of the forward modeling techniques we previously demonstrated for ZTF will enable improved measurements of the Hubble constant.

Join Zoom Meeting https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98918084629?pwd=[REDACTED] Meeting ID: 989 1808 4629
Passcode: [REDACTED]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Phillipp Windischofer (University of Oxford)
2021-12-03 12:00 - 13:00
Location: via Zoom
Speaker: Phillipp Windischofer (University of Oxford)
Title: Detectors for Physics and Physics For Detectors
Abstract:
Powerful instrumentation has been a key enabler for many discoveries at the forefront of fundamental physics, from gravitational waves to the Higgs boson. In this seminar, I will argue that the converse is also true. I will show that applying established tools from physics to the study of particle detectors is a compelling strategy for identifying synergies and moving beyond the current boundaries of our instrumentation.

Starting from classical electrodynamics, I will explain how reciprocity relations give rise to a rigorous description of the electrical signals induced in detectors by moving charged particles, and how this opens up new possibilities for the simulation of radio arrays for neutrino detection. Continuing with many-body quantum mechanics, I will then highlight how Fock-space methods can be used to characterise the time resolution of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). Taken together, these calculations suggest that SPADs can also act as fast detectors for charged particles, and I will end by presenting the first results from a recent beam test at the CERN SPS that demonstrate this capability.

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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/93457647521
Meeting ID: 934 5764 7521

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Chiara Salemi (MIT)
2021-12-10 12:00 - 13:00
Location: via Zoom
Speaker: Chiara Salemi (Massachusettes Institute of Technology)
Title: Seeing the Invisible: Search for Low-Mass Axion Dark Matter
Abstract:
Multiple astrophysical and cosmological observations have shown that the visible matter described by the Standard Model is only a small fraction of the energy in the universe. We believe that there is about five times as much dark matter, which is likely comprised of massive particles that interact very little or not at all with other matter. One of the most well-motivated candidates to be the dark matter is the axion, a hypothetical particle that is predicted by the solution to another long-standing mystery in physics, the strong CP problem. This talk presents ABRACADABRA-10 cm, the first direct search for low-mass axion dark matter, which used an innovative lumped element detection method. This prototype experiment set world-leading limits on axions and set the stage for the DOE-funded DMRadio program, a series of larger detectors that will be capable of finding axions or definitively excluding them over a large range of masses below 1 μeV.
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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/93849799393
Meeting ID: 938 4979 9393

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Jason Sun (CalTech )
2021-12-17 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Jason Sun (CalTech)
Title: Understanding the Cosmological Evolution of Galaxies with Intensity Mapping
Abstract:
The intensity mapping (IM) technique has been devised as a powerful tool to investigate the formation/evolution of the large scale structure and galaxies, alternative and complementary to the more traditional means relying on galaxy detection. In the high-redshift universe, in particular, synergies of multiple IM tracers have been widely perceived as a promising way of revealing the connection between the emergence of first stars and galaxies and the reionization, a still mysterious chapter of cosmic history that even the JWST might not fully elucidate. I will present two main themes of my research on applications of the IM technique to understand the cosmological evolution of galaxies. On the experimental side, I will introduce the analysis and forecasting work I led for the Tomographic Ionized-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME). TIME is a novel imaging spectrometer array recently commissioned that pioneers the quest for measuring large-scale intensity fluctuations of the 158-micron [CII] line emission redshifted from the epoch of reionization, which serves an ideal probe of ongoing cosmic star formation that sources the hydrogen-ionizing radiation background. I will discuss how TIME, with an optimization of survey strategy, can inform us about the reionization on its own and through synergies with other probes like galaxy surveys. I will also discuss challenges and opportunities arising from low-redshift “line interlopers”, namely rotational CO lines at z ≈ 0.5 to 2 for TIME, which require some exquisite cleaning strategy to be removed but at the same time allow a census of the molecular gas content of galaxies near the “cosmic high noon”. On the theory side, I will introduce LIMFAST, a fast, semi-numerical simulation developed to physically and self-consistently simulate a large set of high-redshift line-intensity mapping (LIM) data in different frequency regimes, including tracers of neutral gas (e.g., HI 21cm) and star-forming galaxies (e.g., Lyα, [CII]). I will elaborate on the scientific applications of LIMFAST to simulate multi-tracer LIM observations of high-redshift galaxies and their interplay with the intergalactic medium during reionization. Particular emphases will be on (1) how various LIM signals, such as Hα, Lyα and [CII], and their cross-correlations with the HI 21cm signal, may be affected by the astrophysics governing galaxy formation, such as feedback and star formation laws; and (2) how these astrophysical processes may be studied with future LIM experiments to deepen our understanding of high-redshift galaxy populations from both observational and theoretical perspectives.

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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98739327626
Meeting ID: 987 3932 7626

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Matthew Ho (Carnegie Mellon)
2022-01-14 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Matthew Ho (Carnegie Mellon)
Title: Galaxy Cluster Mass Estimation Using Deep Learning
Abstract:
In this talk, I will discuss how we use modern deep learning models to infer galaxy cluster masses with high precision, reliable uncertainty, and computational efficiency. I will describe our work in using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to mitigate systematics in the virial scaling relation to produce dynamical mass estimates of galaxy clusters, using projected galaxies, with remarkably low bias and scatter. I will also discuss how we can recover and empirically verify Bayesian uncertainties on deep learning mass predictions using variational weight distributions. I will describe how we’ve validated our methods on real observational systems like the Coma, CLASH, and HeCS clusters as well as projections for how we can use these models to study cluster cosmology using data from current and upcoming sky surveys. Lastly, I will mention results from our ongoing work on combining multi-wavelength observables to produce fully informed observational probes of cluster dark matter.

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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/93651647483
Meeting ID: 936 5164 7483

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Lingyuan Ji (John Hopkins)
2022-01-21 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Lingyuan Ji (John Hopkins)
Title: Cosmological Neutrino Perturbations Without The Boltzmann Hierarchy
Abstract:
We present a formulation of cosmological perturbation theory where the Boltzmann hierarchies that evolve the neutrino phase-space distributions are replaced by integrals that can be evaluated easily with Fast Fourier transforms. The simultaneous evaluation of these integrals combined with the differential equations for the rest of the system (dark matter, photons, baryons) are then solved with an iterative scheme that converges quickly. The formulation is particularly powerful for massive neutrinos, where the phase space is three-dimensional rather than two-dimensional, and even more so for three different neutrino mass eigenstates. Therefore, it has the potential to significantly speed up the computation times of cosmological perturbation calculations. This approach should also be applicable to models with other non-cold collisionless relics.

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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/94493465642
Meeting ID: 944 9346 5642

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Julie Pagès (University of Zurich)
2022-01-28 12:00 - 13:00
Location: via Zoom
Speaker: Julie Pagès (University of Zurich)
Title: Different Flavors For Different Particles: Mass Hierarchies, B Anomalies, and Neutrinos
Abstract:
Despite many advances in neutrino physics, their masses are still not known and their mass generation remains mysterious. On the other hand, quarks and charged leptons exhibit a very hierarchical mass spectrum which can be well described by an approximate U(2)5 flavor symmetry. Coincidently, the B anomalies, hinting at Lepton Flavor Universality Violation, seem to require the same flavor structure of new interactions. The flavor non-universal Pati-Salam model establishes the connection explicitly by unifying quarks and leptons, providing a combined explanation of the charged and neutral current B anomalies and, at the same time, of the mass hierarchies in the SM… except for the neutrinos, which once again seem to defy the trend with their anarchic mass spectrum. In this talk, I will discuss a resolution to this apparent problem through the Inverse Seesaw mechanism and briefly mention how a natural interpretation can be found in the context of extra-dimensions. Finally, I will present the main signatures to expect from this neutrino extension.

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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/99536414141
Meeting ID: 995 3641 4141
