INPA

NO INPA TODAY
2023-07-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-07-21 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)

NO INPA
2023-07-28 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-08-18 12:00 - 13:00

Speaker: Jonathan Echevers (UC Berkeley)- Title: The EXO program: Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Searches in Xe-136
2023-08-04 12:00 - 13:00
DATE: August 4, 2023
TIME: 12:00- 1:00 PM
SPEAKER: Jonathan Echevers (UC Berkeley)- Title: The EXO program: Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Searches in Xe-136
TITLE: The EXO program: Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Searches in Xe-136
ABSTRACT: Neutrinoless double beta (0vBB) decay is currently one of the most compelling searches in nuclear and particle physics. If found, it would imply the existence of Majorana fermions and lepton number violation, both new physics beyond the Standard Model. The EXO-200 experiment consisted of a time projection chamber (TPC) with 200 kg of enriched liquid xenon (LXe), optimized to search for 0vBB of Xe-136. Data acquisition took place from 2011 to the end of 2018, with a total exposure of 234.1kg yr. We found no statistically significant evidence for 0vBB, leading to a lower limit on the half-life of 3.5×10^25 yr at the 90% confidence level (CL). The ultra-low background necessary for this search also provides a unique opportunity to probe other exotic processes, such as Lorentz violation in double-beta decay, electron recoils from dark matter, Majoron emitting modes of double-beta decay, and others. The first part of this talk will focus on the EXO-200 experiment and recent results for exotic-physics searches using this detector. In the second half of this presentation I will discuss the next generation experiment, nEXO, a 5 tonne LXe TPC with a projected 0vBB half-life sensitivity of 1.35×10^28 yr at the 90% CL in 10 years of data-taking.
Join Zoom
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Damian Goeldi (ETH Zurich)- TITLE: Testing weak equivalence with the LEMING experiment
2023-08-11 12:00 - 13:00
DATE: August 11, 2023
TIME: 12:00- 1:00 PM
SPEAKER: Damian Goeldi (ETH Zurich)
TITLE: Testing weak equivalence with the LEMING experiment
ABSTRACT: The LEMING experiment aims to test weak equivalence in leptonic antimatter. We will employ atomic interferometry to measure the vertical deviation of a horizontal cold muonium (M = μ+ + e−) beam. Existing muonium production schemes are unsuitable for such a precise measurement due to their large velocity and angular spread. To overcome this limitation we have demonstrated a new technique leveraging the chemical potential of superfluid helium (SFHe) to produce a cold muonium beam with a very well defined velocity and angular spectrum. Due to the SFHe our particle detectors need to operate at temperatures below 1K. We have successfully achieved sub-kelvin operation of commercial silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). Furthermore, a strong background suppression is required in order to reach the intended sensitivity. This can be achieved via a reliable detection of the atomic electron from the muonium, left over after the decay of the antimuon. However, these electrons possess very low energies. Hence, a second detector is required which not only operates below 1K, but also features an energy detection threshold below 1keV. We are currently testing several candidate detectors including perovskite nanocrystals and superconducting nanowires. This talk will give an overview of the LEMING experiment with a focus on the cold muonium beam as well as the cryogenic particle detectors.
Join Zoom
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

NO INPA SEMINAR
2023-08-25 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-09-22 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-09-29 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-10-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-10-20 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-11-24 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-12-01 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-12-15 12:00 - 13:00 and 3 more dates

NO INPA SEMINAR TALK
2023-09-01 12:00 - 13:00

Speaker: Naim Göksel Karaçaylı (Ohio State University) Title: 1D Lyman-alpha forest power spectrum from the DESI early data
2023-09-08 12:00 - 13:00
DATE: September 8, 2023
TIME: 12:00- 1:00 PM
LOCATION: 50A-5-5132-CR-Sessler
SPEAKER: Naim Göksel Karaçaylı (Ohio State University)
TITLE: 1D Lyman-alpha forest power spectrum from the DESI early data
ABSTRACT: The one-dimensional power spectrum P1D of the Lya forest provides important information including constraints on warm dark matter models, the sum of the neutrino masses, and the thermal state of the intergalactic medium. I will present the first measurement of P1D with the quadratic maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) applied to 54,600 quasars from DESI early data. Our analysis demonstrates the percent-level performance of the spectroscopic pipeline noise estimation and the spectrograph resolution matrix. Even though the pipeline is exceptional, noise calibration and spectrograph resolution remain as major sources of systematics.
Join Zoom
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Wenbo Ma (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)-Title: Search for solar neutrino and light dark matter with the PandaX-4T experiment
2023-09-15 12:00 - 13:00
DATE: September 15, 2023
TIME: 12:00- 1:00 PM
LOCATION: 50A-5-5132-CR-Sessler
SPEAKER: Wenbo Ma (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)
TITLE: Search for solar neutrino and light dark matter with the PandaX-4T experiment
ABSTRACT: The PandaX-4T experiment aims to search for potential dark matter interactions. With significant technical improvements, PandaX-4T achieves unprecedented sensitivity at the low-energy edge of LXe detectors, opening a new window for observing solar neutrinos. Using commissioning data, two hybrid analyses are carried out to search for dark matter interactions, yielding world-leading results for neutrino-nucleus coherent elastic scattering from solar B8 neutrino, as well as for dark matter interactions with nucleons and electrons. These results demonstrate PandaX-4T’s unique capability to search for low-energy interactions from solar and galactic sources.
Join Zoom
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Yifei Luo (UCSC)- Title: The Merian Survey: Characterizing dark matter and feedback in star-forming dwarf galaxies with medium-band filters on DECam
2023-10-06 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, October 6, 2023

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Yifei Luo(UCSC)
Title: The Merian Survey: Characterizing dark matter and feedback in star-forming dwarf galaxies with medium-band filters on DECam
Abstract: The Merian survey is an ongoing medium-band imaging survey on the CTIO 4-meter Blanco telescope. With two custom made medium-band filters on DECam, we expect to detect 80,000 star-forming dwarf galaxies at z~0.1 in the HSC-SSP wide field, aiming to characterize dark matter halo and stellar feedback in dwarf galaxies. The Merian survey will allow us to measure the full dark matter profile of dwarf galaxies via weak gravitational lensing for the first time. In this talk, I will present how we optimized the Merian filter design for our science goals, and discuss the filter performance with mock and actual Merian data. I will also show that the Merian medium-band filter set is able to select objects at higher redshifts out to z~4.8.
Zoom Information:
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Jose María Palencia (Instituto de Física de Cantabria, Spain) - Title: Probing the Universe: Extremely Magnified Stars and Gravitational Lensing
2023-10-27 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, October 27, 2023

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Jose María Palencia (Instituto de Física de Cantabria, Spain)
Title: Probing the Universe: Extremely Magnified Stars and Gravitational Lensing
Abstract: In 2018, an intriguing astronomical phenomenon came to light – Extremely Magnified Stars. These transients are a consequence of gravitational lensing, facilitated by the combined influence of galaxy clusters and intracluster microlenses, leading to an amplification of individual star brightness by a factor exceeding 1000. This presentation will delve into the underlying gravitational lensing mechanism responsible for this unique phenomenon. In the second part of the talk, we will explore the utility of Extremely Magnified Stars for improving our understanding of the formation of massive stars in the early universe, investigating the presence of empirical limits observed within our local universe, and using these events as valuable tools for probing dark matter models.
Zoom Information:
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Shawn Westerdale(UC Riverdale)- Title:Dark matter searches with the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration: Status of the DEAP-3600 and DarkSide-20k experiments
2023-11-03 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, November 3, 2023

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Speaker: Shawn Westerdale(UC Riverdale)
Title: Dark matter searches with the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration: Status of the DEAP-3600 and DarkSide-20k experiments
Abstract: The Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration (GADMC) is the union of the ArDM, DarkSide, DEAP, and MiniCLEAN dark matter direct detection experiments, aiming to fully explore the experimentally accessible dark matter parameter space down to the neutrino fog. While the experimental collaborations that joined to form GADMC all used argon-based detectors, they employed a variety of detector designs. This presentation will give an overview of the DarkSide-50 and DEAP-3600 detectors and present their latest results, which include some of the strongest direct detection constraints on light and ultra-heavy dark matter. In addition to their physics results, these experiments developed key technology that enables future detectors. We will discuss plans for these future detectors, including DarkSide-20k — currently under construction — and DarkSide-LowMass, covering an overview of their design and expected sensitivity.
Zoom Information:
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

NO INPA SEMINAR (Veterans Day- Optional LBL Holiday)
2023-11-10 12:00 - 13:00

Speaker: David Maibach (Heidelberg)-Title: "Cosmic Strings and where to find them"
2023-11-17 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, November 17, 2023

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: David Maibach (Heidelberg)
Title: “Cosmic Strings and where to find them”
Abstract: “A large class of particle physics models beyond the Standard Model admit topologically stable string configurations, so-called Cosmic Strings. If Nature is described by such a theory, a network of strings will form during a symmetry-breaking phase transition in the early universe and leave traceable features in various probes. The search for these signatures provides an interesting interplay between particle physics and cosmology that can constrain particle physics from the high energy end downwards. In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to the intricate world of Cosmic Strings and explore potential probes of string signatures within the regime of electromagnetic and gravitational radiation.”
Zoom Information:
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Richard Feder-Staehle ( Caltech) Title: Uncovering the Near-Infrared Universe through Galaxy Surveys and Intensity Mapping
2023-12-08 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, December 8, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Richard Feder-Staehle (Caltech)
Title: Uncovering the Near-Infrared Universe through Galaxy Surveys and Intensity Mapping
Abstract: In this talk I will discuss two complementary methods for measuring large-scale structure, namely through galaxy surveys and broad-band intensity mapping. In the first half will present updated galaxy simulations and redshift forecasts for SPHEREx, NASA’s next MIDEX mission which will conduct the first all-sky spectrophotometric survey in the near-infrared (0.75 – 5 um, R~30-140). In the second half I will present preliminary results from a fluctuation analysis of imager data taken at 1.1 and 1.8 um during the final flight of the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment (CIBER), a sounding rocket payload designed to characterize and decompose the extragalactic background light.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Leire Larizgoitia (DIPC (Spain), U. Chicago) Title: High-pressure gaseous TPCs for CEvNS detection at the ESS
2024-01-12 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, January 12, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Leire Larizgoitia (DIPC (Spain), U. Chicago)
Title: High-pressure gaseous TPCs for CEvNS detection at the ESS
Abstract: The recent detection of the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) opens the possibility to detect neutrinos with small-size detectors and with different techniques, opening a new window to explore possible BSM physics.
The CEνNS process generates signals at the few-keV level, requiring sensitive detection technologies for its observation. The European Spallation Source (ESS) has been identified as the best possible site for the exploration this CEνNS process.
Within the NuESS program, two different detector approaches are currently under development at Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC). The GanESS project, a high-pressure gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) and the CoSI project, which employs cryogenic undoped CsI crystals.
These next-generation technologies will be capable of observing the process with lower energy threshold and better energy resolution than current detectors. In addition, the combination of these detectors will allow for a complete phenomenological exploitation of the CEνNS signal. In particular, these measurements will not be statistically limited due to the synergy between larger neutrino fluxes at the ESS and these improved detectors.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Bradford Welliver (UCB/ LBL)Title: Results from the CUPID-Mo Experiment
2024-01-19 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, January 19, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Bradford Welliver (UCB/ LBL)
Title: Results from the CUPID-Mo Experiment
Abstract: The recent detection of the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) opens the possibility to detect neutrinos with small-size detectors and with different techniques, opening a new window to explore possible BSM physics.
The CEνNS process generates signals at the few-keV level, requiring sensitive detection technologies for its observation. The European Spallation Source (ESS) has been identified as the best possible site for the exploration this CEνNS process.
Within the NuESS program, two different detector approaches are currently under development at Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC). The GanESS project, a high-pressure gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) and the CoSI project, which employs cryogenic undoped CsI crystals.
These next-generation technologies will be capable of observing the process with lower energy threshold and better energy resolution than current detectors. In addition, the combination of these detectors will allow for a complete phenomenological exploitation of the CEνNS signal. In particular, these measurements will not be statistically limited due to the synergy between larger neutrino fluxes at the ESS and these improved detectors.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Bharath Nagam (Groningen) Title:Finding strong lenses using deep learning with upcoming Euclid data
2024-01-26 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Friday, January 26, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Sessler Conference Room–50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Bharath Nagam (Groningen)
Title: Finding strong lenses using deep learning with upcoming Euclid data
Abstract: “Detecting strong lenses in a large dataset such as Euclid is very challenging due to the unbalanced nature of dataset. Existing CNN models are producing large amount of false positives, for example one strong
lens candidate will be accompanied by 100’s of false positives in the final sample. To over come this challenge, we have developed a novel ML pipeline called DenseLens, which consists of three components namely Classification ensemble, Regression ensemble and Segmentation. Classification ensemble is an ensemble of DenseNet-CNNs which provides predictions in range [0,1] and Regression ensemble rank-orders strong lenses based on Information Content i.e., higher the rank, the more visually convincing features. Finally we use the segmentation model to predict the source pixels of the rank-ordered image. We use this additional information from this predicted source pixels to classify whether the candidate is a strong lens or not. We applied this the novel approach of combing different ML models to the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) data and we reduced the false positives by an enormous factor.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

Passcode: [REDACTED]

[Special] Speaker: Mark Anderson(Queen's University) Title: Advancing nuclear and particle physics with deep learning: from event reconstruction to signal denoising
2024-02-01 12:00 - 13:00
SPECIAL INPA SEMINAR
Date: Thursday, February 1, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: INPA Conference Room–5026 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Mark Anderson (Queen’s University)
Title: Advancing nuclear and particle physics with deep learning: from event reconstruction to signal denoising
Abstract: In this talk, I will present my research on advancing nuclear and particle physics using deep learning. The first portion of the presentation will focus on the SNO+ experiment, a multi-purpose neutrino experiment with the primary goal of searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay. In particular, my work involves developing deep learning-based techniques for event reconstruction of particle interactions in the detector. Currently, SNO+ uses a chain of algorithms involving maximum likelihood estimation. I will demonstrate that my independent, deep learning approach can be used to improve the reconstruction accuracy, while also offering substantial gains in speed. This has implications on volume fiducialization and background rejection.
In the second part of my talk, I will present studies on a deep convolutional autoencoder designed to remove electronic noise from a p-type point contact high purity germanium detector. With their intrinsic purity and excellent energy resolutions, these detectors are suitable for a variety of rare event searches such as neutrinoless double-beta decay, dark matter candidates, and other exotic physics. However, noise from the readout electronics can make identifying events of interest more challenging. I will highlight several studies that show that detector performance can be improved when signals are denoised with the autoencoder, leading to better physics outcomes.
While both of these projects are applied to data from specific detector technologies, the methods I have developed are broadly applicable. The groups I work with have begun exploring new applications of my research with promising results. At the end of the talk, I will discuss some specific extensions and provide an outlook for the future.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95016696011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]
