We study the cosmology of multi-field Dark Energy, using a well-motivated axio-dilaton model that contains the minimal number of fields to have the 2-derivative sigma-model interactions that power-counting arguments show naturally compete with General Relativity at low energies. Our analysis differs from earlier, related, studies by treating the case where the dilaton's couplings to matter are large enough to require screening to avoid unacceptable dilaton-mediated forces in the solar system. We use a recently proposed screening mechanism that exploits the interplay between stronger-than-gravitational axion-matter couplings with the 2-derivative axion-dilaton interactions to suppress the couplings of the dilaton to bulk matter. The required axion-matter couplings also modify cosmology, with the axion's background energy density turning out to resemble early dark energy. We compute the properties of the axion fluid describing the rapid oscillations of the axion field around the time-dependent minimum of its matter-dependent effective potential, extending the usual formalism to include nontrivial kinetic sigma-model interactions. We explore the implications of these models for the Cosmic Microwave Background and the growth of structure and find that for dilaton potentials of the Albrecht-Skordis form (itself well-motivated by UV physics), successful screening can be consistent with the early dark energy temporarily comprising as much as 10% of the total density in the past. We find that increasing the dilaton-matter coupling the growth of structure due to enhanced Hubble friction, an effect that dominates the usual fifth-force effects that amplify structure growth.

It is a continued open question how there can be an azimuthal anisotropy of high particles quantified by a sizable in p+Pb collisions when, at the same time, the nuclear modification factor is consistent with unity. We address this puzzle within the framework of the jet quenching model Jewel. In the absence of reliable medium models for small collision systems we use the number of scatterings per parton times the squared Debye mass to characterise the strength of medium modifications. Working with a simple brick medium model we show that, for small systems and not too strong modifications, and approximately scale with this quantity. We find that a comparatively large number of scatterings is needed to generate measurable jet quenching. Our results indicate that the corresponding to the observed could fall within the experimental uncertainty. Thus, while there is currently no contradiction with the measurements, our results indicate that and go hand-in-hand. We also discuss departures from scaling, in particular, due to sizable inelastic energy loss.

We present a detailed investigation of the performance of transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters with Ho atoms embedded by ion implantation, as part of the HOLMES experiment aimed at neutrino mass determination. The inclusion of Ho atoms introduces an excess heat capacity due to a pronounced Schottky anomaly, which can affect the detector's energy resolution, signal height, and response time. We fabricated TES arrays with varying levels of Ho activity and characterized their performance in terms of energy resolution, decay time constants, and heat capacity. The intrinsic energy resolution was found to degrade with increasing Ho activity, consistent with the expected scaling of heat capacity. From the analysis, we determined the specific heat capacity of Ho to be J/K/mol at  mK, close to the literature values for metallic holmium. No additional long decay time constants correlated with Ho activity were observed, indicating that the excess heat capacity does not introduce weakly coupled thermodynamic systems. These results suggest that our present TES microcalorimeters can tolerate Ho activities up to approximately 5 Bq, with only about a factor of three degradation in performance compared to detectors without Ho. For higher activities, reducing the TES transition temperature is necessary to maintain or improve the energy resolution. These findings provide critical insights for optimizing TES microcalorimeters for future neutrino mass experiments and other applications requiring embedded radioactive sources. The study also highlights the robustness of TES technology in handling limited amounts of implanted radionuclides while maintaining high-resolution performance.

In this study, we investigate the application of the New Physics Learning Machine (NPLM) algorithm as an alternative to the standard CWoLa method with Boosted Decision Trees (BDTs), particularly for scenarios with rare signal events. NPLM offers an end-to-end approach to anomaly detection and hypothesis testing by utilizing an in-sample evaluation of a binary classifier to estimate a log-density ratio, which can improve detection performance without prior assumptions on the signal model. We examine two approaches: (1) a end-to-end NPLM application in cases with reliable background modelling and (2) an NPLM-based classifier used for signal selection when accurate background modelling is unavailable, with subsequent performance enhancement through a hyper-test on multiple values of the selection threshold. Our findings show that NPLM-based methods outperform BDT-based approaches in detection performance, particularly in low signal injection scenarios, while significantly reducing epistemic variance due to hyperparameter choices. This work highlights the potential of NPLM for robust resonant anomaly detection in particle physics, setting a foundation for future methods that enhance sensitivity and consistency under signal variability.

The beta decay of Ge and Ge, both produced by neutron capture on Ge, is a potential background for Germanium based neutrinoless double-beta decay search experiments such as GERDA or the LEGEND experiment. In this work we present a search for Ge decays in the full GERDA Phase II data set. A delayed coincidence method was employed to identify the decay of Ge via the isomeric state of As ( , , , As). New digital signal processing methods were employed to select and analyze pile-up signals. No signal was observed, and an upper limit on the production rate of Ge was set at nuc/(kg yr) (90% CL). This corresponds to a total production rate of Ge and Ge of nuc/(kg  yr) (90% CL), assuming equal production rates. A previous Monte Carlo study predicted a value for in-situ Ge and Ge production of (0.21 ± 0.07) nuc/(kg.yr), a prediction that is now further corroborated by our experimental limit. Moreover, tagging the isomeric state of As can be utilised to further suppress the Ge background. Considering the similar experimental configurations of LEGEND-1000 and GERDA, the cosmogenic background in LEGEND-1000 at LNGS is estimated to remain at a sub-dominant level.

There is lattice evidence that the QCD matter above the chiral restoration temperature and below the deconfinement temperature , called stringy fluid, is characterized by approximate chiral spin symmetry, which is a symmetry of confinement in QCD with light quarks. The energy density, pressure and entropy density in the stringy fluid scale as , which is in contrast to the scaling in the hadron gas and to the scaling in the quark-gluon plasma. Here we clarify the origin of the scaling. We employ a solvable field-theoretical large chirally symmetric and confining model. In vacuum the confining potential induces a spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry. The mesons are spatially localized states of quarks and antiquarks. Still in the confining regime the system undergoes the chiral restoration phase transition at because of Paili blocking of the quark levels required for the existence of the quark condensate, by the thermal excitation of quarks and antiquarks. The same Paili blocking leads to a delocalization of the color singlet low-spin meson-like states that become infinitely large in the chiral limit. Consequently the stringy fluid represents a very dense medium of the overlapping huge color-singlet low-spin quark-antiquark systems. The Bethe-Salpeter equation that determines the rest-frame excitation energies of the color-singlet quark-antiquark system is -independent both in vacuum and in the medium in the confining regime. The excitation energy of the quark-antiquark color-singlet systems scales as , i.e. as meson mass in vacuum. The scaling of the energy density in the stringy fluid is provided by the fluctuations of the color-singlet quark-antiquark systems.

The CYGNO experiment is developing a high-resolution gaseous Time Projection Chamber with optical readout for directional dark matter searches. The detector uses a helium-tetrafluoromethane (He:CF 60:40) gas mixture at atmospheric pressure and a triple Gas Electron Multiplier amplification stage, coupled with a scientific camera for high-resolution 2D imaging and fast photomultipliers for time-resolved scintillation light detection. This setup enables 3D event reconstruction: photomultiplier signals provide depth information, while the camera delivers high-precision transverse resolution. In this work, we present a Bayesian Network-based algorithm designed to reconstruct the events using only the photomultiplier signals, inferring a 3D description of the particle trajectories. The algorithm models the light collection process probabilistically and estimates spatial and intensity parameters on the Gas Electron Multiplier plane, where light emission occurs. It is implemented within the Bayesian Analysis Toolkit and uses Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling for posterior inference. Validation using data from the CYGNO LIME prototype shows accurate reconstruction of localized and extended straight tracks. Results demonstrate that the Bayesian approach enables robust 3D description and, when combined with camera data, opens the way to future improvements in spatial and energy resolution. This methodology represents a significant step forward in directional dark matter detection, enhancing the identification of nuclear recoil tracks with high spatial resolution.

We present a search for new scalar bosons predicted by the Inert Doublet Model at an machine with centre-of-mass energies of 240 and 365 . Within this model, four additional scalar bosons ( and ) are predicted. Due to an additional symmetry, the lightest new scalar, here chosen to be , is stable and provides an adequate dark matter candidate. The search for pair production of the new scalars is investigated in final states with two electrons or two muons, in the context of the future circular collider proposal, FCC-ee. Building on previous studies in the context of the CLIC proposal, this analysis extends the search to detector-level objects, using a parametric neural network to enhance the signal contributions over the Standard Model backgrounds, and sets projected exclusion and discovery contours in the vs. plane. With a total integrated luminosity of 10.8 (2.7)  for 240 (365)  , the discovery reach for the model goes up to for   at 240 (365)  . For exclusion, almost the entire phase-space available in the vs. plane is expected to be ruled out at 95% CL, reaching up to   .

In this paper, we studied the impact of the off-diagonal SNSI parameters in the future long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments DUNE and P2SO. In our analysis, we found that the sensitivities of these experiments altered in a very non-trivial way due to the presence of these parameters. Depending on the values of these parameters, they can either completely mimic the standard scenario or can wash out their CP sensitivity. For large values of parameters and , we obtained larger mass ordering and octant sensitivities as compared to the standard three flavour scenario. For the parameter , the mass ordering sensitivity and the precision of deteriorated compared to the standard scenario. Our results also showed that the sensitivities were significantly influenced by the phases of the off-diagonal parameters.

The mass and width of the lightest scalar open-charm state listed in the Review of Particle Physics, the , are in puzzling tension with predictions from unitarized chiral perturbation theory (UChPT) and lattice QCD, which favor a lighter state at around 2100 MeV. However, to date, no direct experimental evidence for this lighter state exists. In an effort to facilitate a direct observation, we introduce angular asymmetries of decays that allow for a direct extraction of the S-wave phase shift and discuss a novel measurement strategy for the Belle II experiment. We conduct a sensitivity study, finding that the Belle II experiment can determine the pole location with sufficient precision to firmly establish the using the currently available data set. We also investigate the possibility and necessary statistics of measuring the isospin 1/2 scattering length with an accuracy sufficient to distinguish between the predictions from both UChPT and lattice QCD and the measurement by ALICE using femtoscopy.

Event-by-event QCD kinetic theory simulations are hindered by the large numerical cost of evaluating the high-dimensional collision integral in the Boltzmann equation. In this work, we show that a neural network can be used to obtain an accurate estimate of the collision integral in a fraction of the time required for the ordinary Monte Carlo evaluation of the integral. We demonstrate that for isotropic and anisotropic distribution functions, the network accurately predicts the time evolution of the distribution function, which we verify by performing traditional evaluations of the collision integral and comparing several moments of the distribution function. This work sets the stage for an event-by-event modeling of the pre-equilibrium initial stages in heavy-ion collisions.

The precise description of jet processes requires observables capable of efficiently capturing the dynamics of the energy flow in hadronic final states. We consider a class of transverse-momentum like resolution variables that smoothly describe the to jet transition in multi-jet processes. We discuss a general method for the computation of the corresponding quark jet function at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD. Rapidity divergences are regulated by using a time-like auxiliary vector. We present explicit results for a variant of in the -scheme and in the WTA scheme.

Providing accurate theoretical predictions in the Standard Model for processes with polarised electroweak bosons is crucial to understand more in-depth the electroweak-symmetry breaking mechanism and to enhance the sensitivity to potential new-physics effects. Motivated by the rapidly increasing number of polarisation analyses of di-boson processes with LHC data, we carry out a comprehensive study of the inclusive production of two polarised Z bosons in the decay channel with four charged leptons. We perform a detailed comparison of fixed-order predictions obtained with various Monte Carlo programs which rely on different signal-definition strategies, assessing non-resonant and interference effects by contrasting polarised results with unpolarised and full off-shell ones. For the first time, we accomplish the combination of NNLO QCD and NLO EW corrections, setting the new state-of-the-art perturbative accuracy for polarised Z-boson pairs at the LHC. The impact of parton-shower matching and multi-jet merging is investigated by scrutinising calculations obtained with event generators that are typically used in experimental analyses. Integrated and differential results are discussed in a realistic fiducial setup and compared to publicly available ATLAS results.

We present a determination of the strong coupling from a global dataset including both fixed-target and collider data from deep-inelastic scattering and a variety of hadronic processes, with a simultaneous determination of parton distribution functions (PDFs) based on the NNPDF4.0 methodology. This determination is performed at NNLO and approximate LO ( LO) perturbative QCD accuracy, including QED corrections and a photon PDF up to NLO accuracy. We extract using two independent methodologies, both of which take into account the cross-correlation between and the PDFs. The two methodologies are validated by closure tests that allow us to detect and remove or correct for several sources of bias, and lead to mutually consistent results. We account for all correlated experimental uncertainties, as well as correlated theoretical uncertainties related to missing higher order perturbative corrections (MHOUs). We study the perturbative convergence of our results and the impact of QED corrections. We assess individual sources of uncertainty, specifically MHOUs and the value of the top quark mass. We provide a detailed appraisal of methodological choices, including the choice of input dataset, the form of solution of evolution equation, the treatment of the experimental covariance matrix, and the details of Monte Carlo data generation. We find at accuracy, consistent with the latest PDG average and with recent lattice results.

We improve upon previous explicit estimates of charm rescattering contributions to the decay by including contributions from dipole interactions with the intermediate charm-meson states, and by further investigating the structure of the electromagnetic form factors. Using a model of fundamental meson fields inspired by heavy-hadron chiral perturbation theory, augmented by form factors motivated by theoretical considerations as well as experimental data, we provide a thorough investigation of rescattering contributions induced by intermediate states.

We reassess foundational aspects of Metric-Affine Gravity (MAG) in light of the Dressing Field Method, a tool allowing to systematically build gauge-invariant field variables. To get MAG started, one has to deal with the problem of "gauge translations". We first recall that Cartan geometry is the proper mathematical foundation for gauge theories of gravity, and that this problem never arises in that framework, which still allows to clarify the geometric status of gauge translations. Then, we show how the MAG kinematics is obtained via dressing in a technically streamlined way, which highlights that it reduces to a Cartan-geometric kinematics.

We improve upon the results presented in Casadio et al. (Phys Rev D 105:124026, 2022) deriving a quantum-corrected Reissner-Nordström geometry containing an integrable singularity at its center while being devoid of spurious oscillations around the classical configuration. We further investigate some relevant physical observables, related to geodesics and quasinormal modes of scalar perturbations, associated with this geometry to complement our theoretical analysis.

We consider fermionic and scalar dark matter (DM) candidates that couple predominantly to third-generation Standard Model fermions, describing their interactions within an effective field theory framework. We show that current direct-detection constraints on these interactions are more than an order of magnitude weaker than those for flavor-universal couplings: effective scales in the few-TeV range remain allowed by existing data, leaving open the possibility of a connection between this type of new physics and a solution to the electroweak hierarchy problem. Imposing the observed relic abundance from thermal freeze-out within the same effective theory, a well-defined region for a fermionic DM candidate with mass in the 1-2 TeV range emerges. Notably, this region will be fully probed by upcoming direct-detection experiments. Finally, we show that additional parameter space for both fermion and scalar cases can be recovered by going beyond the effective theory, through the introduction of a suitable vector mediator enabling resonant DM annihilation.

The Crab (Calibrated nuclear Recoils for Accurate Bolometry) project aims to precisely characterize the response of cryogenic detectors to sub-keV nuclear recoils of direct interest for coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering and dark matter search experiments. The Crab method relies on the radiative capture of thermal neutrons in the target detector, resulting in a nuclear recoil with a well-defined energy. We present a new experimental setup installed at the TRIGA Mark-II reactor at Atominstitut (Vienna), providing a low intensity beam of thermal neutrons sent to the target cryogenic detector mounted inside a wet dilution refrigerator Kelvinox 100. After the presentation of all components of the setup we report the analysis of first commissioning data with CaWO detectors of the Nucleus experiment. They show stable operation of the cryostat and detectors on a week-scale. Due to an energy resolution currently limited to 20 eV we use neutron beam induced events at high energy, in the 10 to 100 keV range, to demonstrate the excellent agreement between the data and simulation and the accurate understanding of external background. Thanks to these data we also propose an updated decay scheme of the low-lying excited states of W. Finally, we present the first evidence of neutron-capture induced coincidences between BaF -detectors installed around the dewar and the inner cryogenic detector. These promising results pave the way for an extensive physics program with various detector materials, like CaWO , Al O , Ge and Si.

It is well-known that the momentum spectra of particles confined to finite spatial volumes deviate from the continuous spectra used for unconfined particles. In this article, we consider real scalar particles confined to finite volumes with periodic boundary conditions, such that the particles' spectra are discrete. We directly compute the density matrices describing the decay processes and , and subsequently derive expressions for the decay probabilities both for confined and unconfined particles. The latter decay process is used as a rough toy model for a neutron decaying into a proton, an electron, and an anti-electron neutrino. We propose that finite volume effects can have an impact on the outcomes of experiments measuring the neutron lifetime. In addition, our findings at the toy model level suggest that taking into account possible initial correlations between neutrons and their daughter particles might be relevant as well.

This study investigates the performance of bent silicon crystals intended to channel hadrons in a fixed-target experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The phenomenon of planar channelling in bent crystals enables extremely high effective bending fields for positively charged hadrons within compact volumes. Particles trapped in the potential well of high-purity, ordered atomic lattices follow the mechanical curvature of the crystal, resulting in macroscopic deflections. Although the bend angle remains constant across different momenta (i.e., the phenomenon is non-dispersive), the channelling acceptance and efficiency still depend on the particle momentum. Crystals with lengths in the range of 5 to 10 cm, bent to angles between 5 and 15 mrad, are under consideration for measurements of the electric and magnetic dipole moments of short-lived charmed baryons, such as the . Such large deflection angles over short distances cannot be achieved using conventional magnets. The principle of inducing spin precession through bent crystals for magnetic dipole moment measurements was first demonstrated experimentally in the 1990s. Building on this concept, experimental layouts are now being explored for implementation at the LHC. The feasibility of such measurements depends, among other factors, on the availability of crystals that exhibit the required mechanical properties to reach the necessary channelling performance. To address this, a dedicated machine experiment - TWOCRYST - has been installed in the LHC to carry out beam tests in the TeV energy range. The bent crystals for TWOCRYST were fabricated and tested using both X-ray diffraction and high-momentum hadron beams at 180 GeV/c at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) extraction lines. Two crystals based on established technologies were included in this test. In addition, a crystal bent via anodic bonding was tested for the first time with high-energy hadrons to assess its potential for future accelerator applications. This paper presents an analysis of the performance of the three tested crystals and, where possible, outlines key differences in their properties attributed to the respective bending techniques.