Showing 1–50 of 58 results for author: Yuan, Y

Modification of $Υ$ production in $p$O and OO collisions at LHCb

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, M. Abdelfatah, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, S. Akar, K. Akiba, H. Al Saleh, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, R. Aleksiejunas, F. Alessio, P. Alvarez Cartelle, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis, Z. Amos , et al. (1166 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The production rates of $\mathitΥ(2S)$ and $\mathitΥ(3S)$ mesons relative to that of the $\mathitΥ(1S)$ state are measured in $pp$, $p$O, and OO collisions by the LHCb collaboration. The ratios measured in $pp$ data are consistent with previous LHCb measurements at different center-of-mass energies. Only slight relative suppression of the $\mathitΥ(2S)$ and $\mathitΥ(3S)$ states is found in $p$O c… ▽ More The production rates of $\mathitΥ(2S)$ and $\mathitΥ(3S)$ mesons relative to that of the $\mathitΥ(1S)$ state are measured in $pp$, $p$O, and OO collisions by the LHCb collaboration. The ratios measured in $pp$ data are consistent with previous LHCb measurements at different center-of-mass energies. Only slight relative suppression of the $\mathitΥ(2S)$ and $\mathitΥ(3S)$ states is found in $p$O collisions, while in OO collisions the $\mathitΥ(2S)$ is suppressed by a factor of $\sim2$, with evidence for suppression of the $\mathitΥ(3S)$. The significant suppression in OO data, compared to the small effect in $p$O data, shows the emergence of additional suppression mechanisms in the relatively small OO collision system. Models incorporating quark-gluon plasma formation in OO collisions successfully describe the data. Implications for the interplay between cold nuclear matter effects and color screening in a deconfined quark-gluon plasma are discussed. △ Less

Submitted 31 July, 2026; originally announced August 2026.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcb-glance.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/6994/ (LHCb public pages)

Report number: LHCb-PAPER-2026-027, CERN-EP-2026-207

Measurement of the average transverse momentum of forward prompt charged particles in $pp$ and $p\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02\; \mathrm{TeV}$

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, M. Abdelfatah, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, R. Aleksiejunas, F. Alessio, P. Alvarez Cartelle, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis, L. An, L. Anderlini , et al. (1105 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: This letter presents the first measurements of the average transverse momentum of prompt charged particles in $pp$ and $p\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions as a function of collision multiplicity and pseudorapidity. The data were recorded at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02\; \mathrm{TeV}$ with the LHCb experiment. The pseudorapidity dependence of the multiplicity distribution is a… ▽ More This letter presents the first measurements of the average transverse momentum of prompt charged particles in $pp$ and $p\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions as a function of collision multiplicity and pseudorapidity. The data were recorded at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02\; \mathrm{TeV}$ with the LHCb experiment. The pseudorapidity dependence of the multiplicity distribution is also measured. The average transverse momentum results show a decreasing trend with pseudorapidity, more pronounced in high-multiplicity events, consistent with the collective behaviour of the produced matter. The measurements are reproduced by state-of-the-art (3+1D) hydrodynamic calculations, while saturation models are not compatible with the data. △ Less

Submitted 12 August, 2026; v1 submitted 29 July, 2026; originally announced July 2026.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcb-glance.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/5570/ (LHCb public pages)

Report number: CERN-EP-2026-177, LHCb-PAPER-2026-012

Study of nuclear effects on charm production in light-ion collisions

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, M. Abdelfatah, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, R. Aleksiejunas, F. Alessio, P. Alvarez Cartelle, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis, L. An, L. Anderlini , et al. (1105 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The onset of nuclear effects in light-ion collisions is studied by measuring the ratio of $D^0$ meson production between NeNe and OO collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $5.36\,{\rm TeV}$ recorded by the LHCb detector. The $D^0$ meson yields are measured differentially in transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) for $0.5<p_{\rm T}<20\,{\rm GeV}$ in the rapidity ($y$) region… ▽ More The onset of nuclear effects in light-ion collisions is studied by measuring the ratio of $D^0$ meson production between NeNe and OO collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $5.36\,{\rm TeV}$ recorded by the LHCb detector. The $D^0$ meson yields are measured differentially in transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) for $0.5<p_{\rm T}<20\,{\rm GeV}$ in the rapidity ($y$) region $2.0<y<4.5$, and are normalized to the total number of recorded inelastic nucleus-nucleus collisions in each data sample. The resulting production ratio shows evidence of variation as a function of $p_{\rm T}$, which is inconsistent with predictions based on nuclear modification of nucleon structure alone. This measurement is consistent with the onset of quark-gluon plasma production with increasing nucleus size in high-energy nuclear collisions. △ Less

Submitted 26 May, 2026; originally announced May 2026.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/6142/ (LHCb public pages)

Report number: LHCb-PAPER-2026-008, CERN-EP-2026-141

Study of $\barΛ$-$p$ Annihilation into Light Mesons

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, X. C. Ai, C. S. Akondi, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. H. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, H. -R. Bao, X. L. Bao, M. Barbagiovanni, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. B. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko , et al. (736 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The annihilation of $\barΛ$-$p$ into light mesons is studied using $(10.087\pm0.044)\times10^{9}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring. The $\barΛ$ baryons are produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΛ\barΛ$ and interact with the protons in the hydrogen nuclei in the cooling oil of the beam pipe. The reactions $\barΛp\rightarrow K^+π^+π^-$ and $K^+2π^+2π^-$ are… ▽ More The annihilation of $\barΛ$-$p$ into light mesons is studied using $(10.087\pm0.044)\times10^{9}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring. The $\barΛ$ baryons are produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΛ\barΛ$ and interact with the protons in the hydrogen nuclei in the cooling oil of the beam pipe. The reactions $\barΛp\rightarrow K^+π^+π^-$ and $K^+2π^+2π^-$ are observed for the first time, evidence for the reaction $\barΛp\rightarrow K^0_S2π^+π^-$ is found, and no significant signals are seen for the reactions $\barΛp\rightarrow K^0_Sπ^+$, $K^+3π^+3π^-$ and $2K^+K^-$. The cross sections of these reactions are also measured at $P_{\barΛ}\approx 1.074$ GeV/$c$. Furthermore, no significant structures are observed in the combinations of the final state particles for these reactions. The annihilation of $\barΛ$-$p$ into light mesons presents the similar behavior as $\bar{n}$-$p$ reactions in this energy region. These new measurements will serve as important inputs for the theoretical understanding of the antihyperon-nucleon interaction, and further contribute to understanding antibaryon-baryon interaction in a unified perspective. △ Less

Submitted 4 February, 2026; originally announced February 2026.

Comments: 9 pages, 2 figures

Observation of $\barΛp\to K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}π^{0}$ and $\barΛp\to K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}2π^{0}$

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, X. C. Ai, C. S. Akondi, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. H. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, Y. Ban, H. -R. Bao, X. L. Bao, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. B. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko , et al. (728 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using $(10087 \pm 44) \times 10^6$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=3.097$ GeV, the antihyperon-nucleon annihilation processes $\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- + kπ^0$ ($k=1,2,3$) are studied at an incident $\barΛ$ momentum of approximately 1.074 GeV/$c$. The reactions $\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- π^0$ and $\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- 2π^0$ are observed for t… ▽ More Using $(10087 \pm 44) \times 10^6$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=3.097$ GeV, the antihyperon-nucleon annihilation processes $\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- + kπ^0$ ($k=1,2,3$) are studied at an incident $\barΛ$ momentum of approximately 1.074 GeV/$c$. The reactions $\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- π^0$ and $\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- 2π^0$ are observed for the first time, with corresponding cross sections $σ_{\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- π^0} = 8.5^{+1.2}_{-1.1} (\rm{stat.}) \pm 0.4 (\rm {syst.})$ mb and $σ_{\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- 2π^0} = 7.9^{+1.9}_{-1.7} \pm 0.4$ mb. No significant signal is found for $\barΛ p \to K^+ π^+ π^- 3π^0$, and an upper limit of 7.2 mb is set at a 90\% confidence level. An evidence for the $K^{*}(892)^+$ resonance is seen in the $K^+π^0$ invariant mass spectrum $M_{K^+π^0}$ for $k=1$, and the corresponding cross section for $\barΛ p \to K^{*}(892)^+ π^+ π^-$ is measured to be $σ_{\barΛ p \to K^{*}(892)^+ π^+ π^-} = 12.5^{+3.8}_{-3.4} \pm 1.2$ mb. Owing to the limited statistics, possible interference effects are not considered. These findings offer crucial input to deepen our understanding of the antihyperon-nucleon interactions. △ Less

Submitted 15 April, 2026; v1 submitted 1 February, 2026; originally announced February 2026.

Journal ref: Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 171904 (2026)

Precise $^{136}$Xe Double Beta Decay Measurement in PandaX-4T with Implications on the Nuclear Matrix Elements and Majorons

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Zhe Yuan, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Chen Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Manna Deng, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Xuanye Fu, Zhixing Gao, Yujie Ge, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Xunan Guo, Xuyuan Guo, Zichao Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Houqi Huang, Junting Huang , et al. (89 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The continuous spectrum of double beta decay ($ββ$) provides a sensitive probe to test the predictions of the standard model and to search for signatures of new physics beyond it. We present a comprehensive analysis of the $^{136}$Xe $ββ$ spectrum utilizing $39.1 \pm 0.7~\textrm{kg}\cdot\textrm{yr}$ of $^{136}$Xe exposure from the PandaX-4T experiment. The analysis yields the most precise measurem… ▽ More The continuous spectrum of double beta decay ($ββ$) provides a sensitive probe to test the predictions of the standard model and to search for signatures of new physics beyond it. We present a comprehensive analysis of the $^{136}$Xe $ββ$ spectrum utilizing $39.1 \pm 0.7~\textrm{kg}\cdot\textrm{yr}$ of $^{136}$Xe exposure from the PandaX-4T experiment. The analysis yields the most precise measurement to date of the $^{136}$Xe two-neutrino double beta decay ($2νββ$) half-life, $(2.14 \pm 0.05) \times 10^{21}$ years, the uncertainty of which is reduced by a factor of 2 compared to our previous result. We measure the parameter $ξ_{31}^{2ν}$, defined as the ratio between the subleading and leading components of the $^{136}$Xe $2νββ$ nuclear matrix element, to be $0.59^{+0.41}_{-0.38}$, which is consistent with theoretical predictions. We also search for Majoron-emitting modes of $^{136}$Xe $ββ$, establishing the most stringent limit for the spectral index $n=7$. △ Less

Submitted 9 April, 2026; v1 submitted 4 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Comments: 8 pages, 4 figures

Journal ref: Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 162501 (2026)

Experimental study of the reaction $Ξ^{0}n\rightarrowΛΛX$ using $Ξ^{0}$-nucleus scattering

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, X. C. Ai, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, Y. Ban, H. -R. Bao, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere, A. Brueggemann, H. Cai , et al. (707 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using $(10087\pm44)\times10^{6}$$J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring in $2009$, $2012$, $2018$, and $2019$, we perform a search for the reaction $Ξ^0n\rightarrowΛΛX$, where $X$ denotes any additional final particles. Given the highly suppressed phase space for producing extra pions, the $X$ consists of either nothing or a photon, corresponding to the… ▽ More Using $(10087\pm44)\times10^{6}$$J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring in $2009$, $2012$, $2018$, and $2019$, we perform a search for the reaction $Ξ^0n\rightarrowΛΛX$, where $X$ denotes any additional final particles. Given the highly suppressed phase space for producing extra pions, the $X$ consists of either nothing or a photon, corresponding to the processes $Ξ^0 n \rightarrow ΛΛ$ and $Ξ^{0}n\rightarrowΛΣ^0\rightarrowΛΛγ$. The $Ξ^0$ comes from the decay of $J/ψ\rightarrowΞ^0\barΞ^0$, while the neutron originates from material of the beam pipe. A signal is observed for the first time with a statistical significance of 6.4$σ$. The cross section for the reaction $Ξ^0+{^9\rm{Be}}\rightarrowΛ+Λ+X$ is measured to be $(43.6\pm10.5_{\text{stat}}\pm11.1_{\text{syst}})$ mb at $P_{Ξ^0}\approx0.818$ GeV/$c$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. No significant $H$-dibaryon signal is observed in the $ΛΛ$ final state. △ Less

Submitted 26 February, 2026; v1 submitted 4 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Comments: 9 pages, 3 figures

Tomographic beta-gamma spectroscopy of nuclear beta decay

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Zhe Yuan, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Chen Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Manna Deng, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Xuanye Fu, Zhixing Gao, Yujie Ge, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Xunan Guo, Xuyuan Guo, Zichao Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Houqi Huang, Junting Huang , et al. (89 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Nuclear $β$ decay, a sensitive probe of nuclear structure and weak interactions, has become a precision test bed for physics beyond the Standard Model, driven by recent advances in spectrometric techniques. Here we introduce tomographic $β$-$γ$ spectroscopy (TBGS) of nuclear $β$ decay, a method that detects the energies of $β$, $γ$, and internal conversion electrons while simultaneously reconstruc… ▽ More Nuclear $β$ decay, a sensitive probe of nuclear structure and weak interactions, has become a precision test bed for physics beyond the Standard Model, driven by recent advances in spectrometric techniques. Here we introduce tomographic $β$-$γ$ spectroscopy (TBGS) of nuclear $β$ decay, a method that detects the energies of $β$, $γ$, and internal conversion electrons while simultaneously reconstructing the energy deposition vertices. Using the PandaX-4T detector operated as a TBGS, we obtain a precise and unbiased decay scheme of $^{214}$Pb, a key background isotope in searches for dark matter and Majorana neutrinos. For the first time, transitions of $^{214}$Pb to both the ground and excited states of $^{214}$Bi are measured concurrently, revealing discrepancies in branching ratios of up to 4.7$σ$ relative to previous evaluations. Combined with state-of-the-art theoretical spectral-shape calculations, these results establish a new benchmark for background modelling in rare-event searches and highlight the potential of TBGS as a versatile tool for fundamental physics and nuclear applications. △ Less

Submitted 29 November, 2025; v1 submitted 28 October, 2025; originally announced October 2025.

Measurement of transverse $Λ$ and $\barΛ$ hyperon polarization in $p$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, Z. Ajaltouni, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, F. Alessio, Z. Aliouche, P. Alvarez Cartelle, R. Amalric, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis, L. An , et al. (1128 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The transverse polarization of $Λ$ and $\barΛ$ hyperons is measured in $p$Pb collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of $5.02$ TeV. The polarization is averaged over hyperon transverse momentum in the ranges $0.15 < p_{T} < 6.00 $ GeV/$c$, and Feynman-$x$ in the ranges $0.005 < x_{F} < 0.040$ (forward region) and $-0.10 < x_{F} < -0.01$ (backward regi… ▽ More The transverse polarization of $Λ$ and $\barΛ$ hyperons is measured in $p$Pb collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of $5.02$ TeV. The polarization is averaged over hyperon transverse momentum in the ranges $0.15 < p_{T} < 6.00 $ GeV/$c$, and Feynman-$x$ in the ranges $0.005 < x_{F} < 0.040$ (forward region) and $-0.10 < x_{F} < -0.01$ (backward region) defined relative to the proton beam direction. The transverse polarization is found to be compatible with zero for both $Λ$ and $\barΛ$ hyperons. The results are also measured as a function of $p_{T}$ and $x_{F}$ with no significant dependence on these variables observed. The results are compared with previous experimental measurements at different center-of-mass energies and collision environments. △ Less

Submitted 5 January, 2026; v1 submitted 3 August, 2025; originally announced August 2025.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/3242 (LHCb public pages)

Report number: LHCb-PAPER-2025-004, CERN-EP-2025-153

Journal ref: Phys. Rev. D112 (2025) 112022

Precise Measurement of $^{216}$Po Half-life with Exact Parent-daughter Pairing in PandaX-4T

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Chenxiang Li, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Chen Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Manna Deng, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Xuanye Fu, Zhixing Gao, Yujie Ge, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Xunan Guo, Xuyuan Guo, Zichao Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Houqi Huang, Junting Huang , et al. (86 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We report a precise measurement of $^{216}\rm Po$ half-life using the PandaX-4T liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC). $^{220}\rm Rn $, emanating from a $^{228}\rm Th $ calibration source, is injected to the detector and undergoes successive $α$ decays, first to $^{216}\rm Po$ and then to $^{212}\rm Pb$. PandaX-4T detector measures the 5-dimensional (5D) information of each decay, including t… ▽ More We report a precise measurement of $^{216}\rm Po$ half-life using the PandaX-4T liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC). $^{220}\rm Rn $, emanating from a $^{228}\rm Th $ calibration source, is injected to the detector and undergoes successive $α$ decays, first to $^{216}\rm Po$ and then to $^{212}\rm Pb$. PandaX-4T detector measures the 5-dimensional (5D) information of each decay, including time, energy, and 3-dimensional positions. Therefore, we can identify the $^{220}\rm Rn $ and $^{216}\rm Po$ decay events and pair them exactly to extract the lifetime of each $^{216}\rm Po$. With a large data set and high-precision $^{220}\rm $Rn-$^{216}\rm $Po pairing technique, we measure the $^{216}\rm Po$ half-life to be $143.7\pm0.5$ ms, which is the most precise result to date and agrees with previously published values. The leading precision of this measurement demonstrates the power of 5D calorimeter and the potential of exact parent-daughter pairing in the xenon TPC. △ Less

Submitted 17 July, 2025; originally announced July 2025.

Measurement of $ψ(2S)$ to $J/ψ$ cross-section ratio as function of multiplicity in $p$Pb collisions at$\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, Z. Ajaltouni, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, F. Alessio, Z. Aliouche, P. Alvarez Cartelle, R. Amalric, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis, L. An , et al. (1137 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The production ratio of $ψ(2S)$ to $J/ψ$ charmonium states is presented as a function of multiplicity in proton-lead collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=8.16$ TeV, for both prompt and nonprompt sources. The total luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment corresponds to 13.6 $pb^{-1}$ for $p$Pb collisions and 20.8 $pb^{-1}$ for Pb$p$ collisions, where the first particle indicat… ▽ More The production ratio of $ψ(2S)$ to $J/ψ$ charmonium states is presented as a function of multiplicity in proton-lead collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=8.16$ TeV, for both prompt and nonprompt sources. The total luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment corresponds to 13.6 $pb^{-1}$ for $p$Pb collisions and 20.8 $pb^{-1}$ for Pb$p$ collisions, where the first particle indicates the forward direction of the detector. Measurements are performed in the dimuon final state at forward (backward) centre-of-mass rapidity $1.5<y^*<4.0$ ($-5.0<y^*<-2.5$) for $p$Pb (Pb$p$) collisions.A multiplicity dependence of the prompt production ratio is observed in $p$Pb collisions, whereas no dependence is found in nonprompt production, nor in either prompt or nonprompt production in Pb$p$ collisions. These results suggest that in the Pb-going direction additional suppression mechanisms beyond comover effects may be present, possibly related to the formation of quark-gluon plasma. This highlights a transition from small to large collision systems and provides important insight into the suppression of charmonia in proton-nucleus collisions. △ Less

Submitted 17 February, 2026; v1 submitted 10 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/4177/ (LHCb public pages)

Report number: LHCb-PAPER-2025-011, CERN-EP-2025-114

Journal ref: JHEP11(2025)169

Coherent photoproduction of $ρ^0, ω$ and excited vector mesons in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, Z. Ajaltouni, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, F. Alessio, Z. Aliouche, P. Alvarez Cartelle, R. Amalric, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis, L. An , et al. (1127 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The invariant-mass distribution for the coherent photoproduction of dipions in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions is measured using data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $224.6 \pm 9.6 μ$b$^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb experiment in 2018 at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV. In the mass range from 400 to 1200 MeV, the results are consistent with previou… ▽ More The invariant-mass distribution for the coherent photoproduction of dipions in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions is measured using data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $224.6 \pm 9.6 μ$b$^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb experiment in 2018 at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV. In the mass range from 400 to 1200 MeV, the results are consistent with previous experiments, with the spectrum dominated by the $ρ^0$ meson, which interferes with a nonresonant component, together with a smaller $ω$ meson contribution. In an extended mass range up to 2300 MeV, models previously used do not fit the data and a consistent description requires the introduction of two resonances at masses of $1350\pm20$ MeV and $1790\pm20$ MeV with widths of about 300 MeV. The cross-section for each meson is measured differentially in twelve bins of rapidity from 2.05 to 4.90. The $ρ^0$ cross-section increases with rapidity from about 400 to 600 mb and is measured with a typical precision of 8\%, while the cross-section times branching fraction for the $ω,ρ^\prime$ and $ρ^{\prime\prime}$, with the statistical precision of the data, do not have a pronounced rapidity dependence and are between 0.5 and 1.5 mb, with uncertainties up to 30\%. A large nuclear suppression is observed for the $ρ^0$ meson compared to expectations based on photoproduction on the proton that use the impulse approximation. Significant suppression is also observed compared to that predicted by elastic scattering described in the Glauber approach, or with the addition of inelastic scattering in a Gribov--Glauber model. △ Less

Submitted 31 December, 2025; v1 submitted 6 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 31 pages, 7 figures, as published in JHEP 11 (2025) 103. All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/3795 (LHCb public pages)

Report number: CERN-EP-2025-106, LHCb-PAPER-2024-042

Journal ref: JHEP 11 (2025) 103

First measurement of $Σ^{+}n\rightarrowΛp$ and $Σ^{+}n\rightarrowΣ^{0}p$ cross sections via $Σ^+$-nucleus scattering at an electron-positron collider

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, X. C. Ai, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, Y. Ban, H. -R. Bao, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere, A. Brueggemann, H. Cai , et al. (680 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using $(1.0087\pm0.0044)\times10^{10}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the reactions $Σ^{+}n\rightarrowΛp$ and $Σ^{+}n\rightarrowΣ^{0}p$ are studied, where the $Σ^{+}$ baryon is produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΣ^{+}\barΣ^-$ and the neutron is a component of the $^9\rm{Be}$, $^{12}\rm{C}$ and $^{197}\rm{Au}$ nuclei in the beam pipe. Clear signals o… ▽ More Using $(1.0087\pm0.0044)\times10^{10}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the reactions $Σ^{+}n\rightarrowΛp$ and $Σ^{+}n\rightarrowΣ^{0}p$ are studied, where the $Σ^{+}$ baryon is produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΣ^{+}\barΣ^-$ and the neutron is a component of the $^9\rm{Be}$, $^{12}\rm{C}$ and $^{197}\rm{Au}$ nuclei in the beam pipe. Clear signals of these two reactions are observed for the first time. Their cross sections are measured to be $σ(Σ^{+}+{^9\rm{Be}}\rightarrowΛ+p+X)=(45.2\pm12.1_{\rm{stat}}\pm7.2_{\rm{sys}})$ mb and $σ(Σ^{+}+{^9\rm{Be}}\rightarrowΣ^{0}+p+X)=(29.8\pm9.7_{\rm{stat}}\pm6.9_{\rm{sys}})$ mb for a $Σ^{+}$ average momentum of $0.992$ GeV/$c$, within a range of $\pm0.015$ GeV/$c$, where $X$ represents the residual nucleus. This is the first study of $Σ^{+}$-nucleon scattering at an electron-positron collider. △ Less

Submitted 24 March, 2026; v1 submitted 26 May, 2025; originally announced May 2025.

Comments: 9 pages, 2 figures

Journal ref: Physical Review C 113, L032201 (2026)

Rapidity and multiplicity dependence of charged-particle flow in $p$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV

Authors: R. Aaij, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, Z. Ajaltouni, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, F. Alessio, Z. Aliouche, P. Alvarez Cartelle, R. Amalric, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis, L. An, L. Anderlini , et al. (1126 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The elliptic and triangular flow of charged particles are measured using two-particle angular correlations in $p$Pb collisions in the pseudorapidity range \cal{2.0 $< |η| <$ 4.8}. The data sample was collected by the LHCb experiment in 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV, containing in total approximately 1.5 billion collision events. Non-flow contributio… ▽ More The elliptic and triangular flow of charged particles are measured using two-particle angular correlations in $p$Pb collisions in the pseudorapidity range \cal{2.0 $< |η| <$ 4.8}. The data sample was collected by the LHCb experiment in 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV, containing in total approximately 1.5 billion collision events. Non-flow contributions are obtained in low-multiplicity collisions and subtracted to extract the flow harmonics. The results are presented as a function of event multiplicity and hadron transverse momentum. Comparisons with a full (3+1)D dynamic model indicate that it overestimates the measured elliptic flow. A comparison between the forward and backward regions reveals no significant differences in flow parameters, suggesting that final-state effects may dominate over initial-state effects in the origin of flow in small systems. △ Less

Submitted 30 October, 2025; v1 submitted 14 May, 2025; originally announced May 2025.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/3799 (LHCb public pages)

Report number: CERN-EP-2025-090, LHCb-PAPER-2025-003

Journal ref: JHEP 10 (2025) 124

High-Precision Physics Experiments at Huizhou Large-Scale Scientific Facilities

Authors: FengPeng An, Dong Bai, Siyuan Chen, Xurong Chen, Hongyue Duyang, Leyun Gao, Shao-Feng Ge, Jun He, Junting Huang, Zhongkui Huang, Igor Ivanov, Chen Ji, Huan Jia, Junjie Jiang, Xiaolin Kang, Soo-Bong Kim, Chui-Fan Kong, Wei Kou, Qiang Li, Qite Li, Jiajun Liao, Jiajie Ling, Cheng-en Liu, Xinwen Ma, Hao Qiu , et al. (17 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: In response to the capabilities presented by the High-Intensity Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) and the Accelerator-Driven Subcritical System (CiADS), as well as the proposed Chinese Advanced Nuclear Physics Research Facility (CNUF), we are assembling a consortium of experts in relevant discipline--both domestically and internationally--to delineate high-precision physics experiments that le… ▽ More In response to the capabilities presented by the High-Intensity Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) and the Accelerator-Driven Subcritical System (CiADS), as well as the proposed Chinese Advanced Nuclear Physics Research Facility (CNUF), we are assembling a consortium of experts in relevant discipline--both domestically and internationally--to delineate high-precision physics experiments that leverage the state-of-the-art research environment afforded by CNUF. Our focus encompasses six primary domains of inquiry: hadron physics--including endeavors such as the super eta factory and investigations into light hadron structures; muon physics; neutrino physics; neutron physics; the testing of fundamental symmetries; and the exploration of quantum effects within nuclear physics, along with the utilization of vortex accelerators. We aim to foster a well-rounded portfolio of large, medium, and small-scale projects, thus unlocking new scientific avenues and optimizing the potential of the Huizhou large scientific facility. The aspiration for international leadership in scientific research will be a guiding principle in our strategic planning. This initiative will serve as a foundational reference for the Institute of Modern Physics in its strategic planning and goal-setting, ensuring alignment with its developmental objectives while striving to secure a competitive edge in technological advancement. Our ambition is to engage in substantive research within these realms of high-precision physics, to pursue groundbreaking discoveries, and to stimulate progress in China's nuclear physics landscape, positioning Huizhou as a preeminent global hub for advanced nuclear physics research. △ Less

Submitted 30 October, 2025; v1 submitted 28 April, 2025; originally announced April 2025.

Comments: 26 pages, 11 figures, published in CPL

$Z=14$ Magicity Revealed by the Mass of the Proton Dripline Nucleus $^{22}$Si

Authors: Y. M. Xing, Y. F. Luo, Y. H. Zhang, M. Wang, X. H. Zhou, J. G. Li, K. H. Li, Q. Yuan, Y. F. Niu, J. Y. Guo, J. C. Pei, F. R. Xu, G. de Angelis, Yu. A. Litvinov, K. Blaum, I. Tanihata, T. Yamaguchi, Y. Yu, X. Zhou, H. S. Xu, Z. Y. Chen, R. J. Chen, H. Y. Deng, C. Y. Fu, W. W. Ge , et al. (14 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using the $Bρ$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry technique, we conducted the first mass measurement of the proton dripline nucleus $^{22}$Si. We confirm that $^{22}$Si is bound against particle emission with $S_p/S_{2p}=+1412(114)/+229(54)$ keV, fixing the proton dripline location for the Si element. By analyzing the mass differences of the neighboring $sd$-shell nuclei, we find that $^{22}$Si… ▽ More Using the $Bρ$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry technique, we conducted the first mass measurement of the proton dripline nucleus $^{22}$Si. We confirm that $^{22}$Si is bound against particle emission with $S_p/S_{2p}=+1412(114)/+229(54)$ keV, fixing the proton dripline location for the Si element. By analyzing the mass differences of the neighboring $sd$-shell nuclei, we find that $^{22}$Si exhibits a doubly-magic character similar to its mirror partner $^{22}$O, and that the mirror energy difference of $^{22}$Si-$^{22}$O deviates from the predictions assuming mirror symmetry. Gamow shell-model calculations reveal that the average occupations of valence protons in $^{22}$Si are nearly identical to those of valence neutrons in $^{22}$O, supporting the $Z=14$ magicity in $^{22}$Si. The observed mirror-symmetry breaking is attributed to the extended proton distribution in $^{22}$Si arising from a small contribution of the unbound $\pi2s_{1/2}$ orbital. △ Less

Submitted 3 March, 2025; originally announced March 2025.

Search for Double Beta Decay of $^{136}$Xe to the $0^+_1$ Excited State of $^{136}$Ba with PandaX-4T

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Lingyin Luo, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Zhaokan Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Yingji Fang, Deqing Fang, Zhixing Gao, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Xunan Guo, Xuyuan Guo, Zichao Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Di Huang, Houqi Huang, Junting Huang, Ruquan Hou, Yu Hou , et al. (76 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We perform a search of double beta decay of $^{136}$Xe to the excited state, $0^+_1$, of $^{136}$Ba (2$νββ$-0$_1^+$), using the dual-phase xenon detector of PandaX-4T with the first 94.9-day commissioning data. The multi-site events are reconstructed up to the MeV energy scale, which helps to improve the background model significantly. The background contribution from the stainless steel platform… ▽ More We perform a search of double beta decay of $^{136}$Xe to the excited state, $0^+_1$, of $^{136}$Ba (2$νββ$-0$_1^+$), using the dual-phase xenon detector of PandaX-4T with the first 94.9-day commissioning data. The multi-site events are reconstructed up to the MeV energy scale, which helps to improve the background model significantly. The background contribution from the stainless steel platform outside PandaX-4T cryostat is evaluated for the first time. No significant evidence for 2$νββ$-$0_1^+$ is observed, resulting in a lower limit on half-life of $7.5 \times 10^{22}$ yr at the 90% confidence level. This is the first experimental limit on such a rare decay in a natural xenon-based detector. △ Less

Submitted 7 March, 2025; v1 submitted 5 February, 2025; originally announced February 2025.

Measurement of the multiplicity dependence of $\mitΥ$ production ratios in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, Z. Ajaltouni, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, F. Alessio, M. Alexander, Z. Aliouche, P. Alvarez Cartelle, R. Amalric, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis , et al. (1127 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The $\mitΥ(\mathrm{2}S)$ and $\mitΥ(\mathrm{3}S)$ production cross-sections are measured relative to that of the $\mitΥ(\mathrm{1}S)$ meson, as a function of charged-particle multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $13$ TeV. The measurement uses data collected by the LHCb experiment in 2018 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2 $\text{fb}^{-1}$. Both the… ▽ More The $\mitΥ(\mathrm{2}S)$ and $\mitΥ(\mathrm{3}S)$ production cross-sections are measured relative to that of the $\mitΥ(\mathrm{1}S)$ meson, as a function of charged-particle multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $13$ TeV. The measurement uses data collected by the LHCb experiment in 2018 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2 $\text{fb}^{-1}$. Both the $\mitΥ(\mathrm{2}S)$-to-$\mitΥ(\mathrm{1}S)$ and $\mitΥ(\mathrm{3}S)$-to-$\mitΥ(\mathrm{1}S)$ cross-section ratios are found to decrease significantly as a function of event multiplicity, with the $\mitΥ(\mathrm{3}S)$-to-$\mitΥ(\mathrm{1}S)$ ratio showing a steeper decline towards high multiplicity. This hierarchy is qualitatively consistent with the comover model predictions, indicating that final-state interactions play an important role in bottomonia production in high-multiplicity events. △ Less

Submitted 16 May, 2025; v1 submitted 21 January, 2025; originally announced January 2025.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/1782/ (LHCb public pages)

Report number: LHCb-PAPER-2024-038, CERN-EP-2024-318

Journal ref: JHEP 05 (2025) 011

Searching for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of $^{136}$Xe with PandaX-4T

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Shu Zhang, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Zhaokan Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Zhixing Gao, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Xunan Guo, Xuyuan Guo, Zichao Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Di Huang, Houqi Huang, Junting Huang, Ruquan Hou, Yu Hou , et al. (77 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We report the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{136}$Xe from the PandaX-4T experiment with a 3.7-tonne natural xenon target. The data reconstruction and the background modeling are optimized in the MeV energy region. A blind analysis is performed with data from the commissioning run and the first science run. No significant excess of signal over the background is observed. A lower li… ▽ More We report the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{136}$Xe from the PandaX-4T experiment with a 3.7-tonne natural xenon target. The data reconstruction and the background modeling are optimized in the MeV energy region. A blind analysis is performed with data from the commissioning run and the first science run. No significant excess of signal over the background is observed. A lower limit on the half-life of $^{136}$Xe neutrinoless double-beta decay is established to be $2.1 \times 10^{24}$~yr at the 90\% confidence level, with a $^{136}$Xe exposure of 44.6~kg$\cdot$year. Our result represents the most stringent constraint from a natural xenon detector to date. △ Less

Submitted 18 December, 2024; originally announced December 2024.

Comments: 9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables

Measurement of two-neutrino double electron capture half-life of $^{124}$Xe with PandaX-4T

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Zhaokan Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Zhixing Gao, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Xunan Guo, Xuyuan Guo, Zichao Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Di Huang, Houqi Huang, Junting Huang, Ruquan Hou, Yu Hou, Xiangdong Ji , et al. (77 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Detailed studies of two-neutrino double electron capture (2$ν$DEC) is a crucial step towards searching for the neutrino-less mode to explore the Majorana nature of neutrinos. We have measured precisely the half-life of the 2$ν$DEC process in $^{124}$Xe, utilizing a total exposure of 1.73 tonne$\cdot$year from the commissioning run and the first science run of the PandaX-4T experiment. A time-depen… ▽ More Detailed studies of two-neutrino double electron capture (2$ν$DEC) is a crucial step towards searching for the neutrino-less mode to explore the Majorana nature of neutrinos. We have measured precisely the half-life of the 2$ν$DEC process in $^{124}$Xe, utilizing a total exposure of 1.73 tonne$\cdot$year from the commissioning run and the first science run of the PandaX-4T experiment. A time-dependent background model in the $\mathcal{O}$(10 keV) energy is constructed for the first time in PandaX-4T data. With an unbinned maximum likelihood fit, we determine the half-life of the 2$ν$DEC process to be $(1.03\pm0.15_{\rm stat}\pm0.08_{\rm sys})\times 10^{22}$$\,$yr. Furthermore, we have evaluated the branching ratio for both electrons captured from the $K$ shell ($KK$) to be $(65\pm5)\%$, which aligns with the $^{124}$Xe nuclear model calculations within 1.8$\,$$σ$. △ Less

Submitted 16 May, 2025; v1 submitted 21 November, 2024; originally announced November 2024.

Comments: 19 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables; version3 accepted by JHEP

Measurement of $φ(1020)$ meson production in fixed-target $\textit{p}$Ne collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 68.5 GeV

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, Z. Ajaltouni, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, F. Alessio, M. Alexander, Z. Aliouche, P. Alvarez Cartelle, R. Amalric, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis , et al. (1127 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The first measurement of $φ(1020)$ meson production in fixed-target $p$Ne collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=68.5$ GeV is presented. The $φ(1020)$ mesons are reconstructed in their $K^{+}K^{-}$ decay in a data sample consisting of proton collisions on neon nuclei at rest, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $21.7 \pm 1.4$ nb$^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb detector at CERN. The $φ(1020)$ producti… ▽ More The first measurement of $φ(1020)$ meson production in fixed-target $p$Ne collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=68.5$ GeV is presented. The $φ(1020)$ mesons are reconstructed in their $K^{+}K^{-}$ decay in a data sample consisting of proton collisions on neon nuclei at rest, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $21.7 \pm 1.4$ nb$^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb detector at CERN. The $φ(1020)$ production cross-section in the centre-of-mass rapidity range of $-1.8<y^*<0$ and transverse momentum range of $800<p_{T}<6500$ MeV/c is found to be $σ=182.7\pm2.7~\text{(stat.)}\pm14.1~\text{(syst)}~μ$b/nucleon. A double-differential measurement of the cross-section is also provided in four regions of rapidity and six regions of transverse momentum of the $φ(1020)$ meson and compared with the predictions from Pythia and EPOS4, which are found to underestimate the experimental values. △ Less

Submitted 24 March, 2025; v1 submitted 14 November, 2024; originally announced November 2024.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/3673 (LHCb public pages)

Report number: LHCb-PAPER-2024-036, CERN-EP-2024-274

Journal ref: JHEP 03 (2025) 151

Measurement of the $ψ(2S)$ to $J/ψ$ cross-section ratio as a function of centrality in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV

Authors: LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb, C. Abellan Beteta, F. Abudinén, T. Ackernley, A. A. Adefisoye, B. Adeva, M. Adinolfi, P. Adlarson, C. Agapopoulou, C. A. Aidala, Z. Ajaltouni, S. Akar, K. Akiba, P. Albicocco, J. Albrecht, F. Alessio, M. Alexander, Z. Aliouche, P. Alvarez Cartelle, R. Amalric, S. Amato, J. L. Amey, Y. Amhis , et al. (1128 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The dissociation of quarkonium states with different binding energies produced in heavy-ion collisions is a powerful probe for investigating the formation and properties of the quark-gluon plasma. The ratio of production cross-sections of $ψ(2S)$ and $J/ψ$ mesons times the ratio of their branching fractions into the dimuon final state is measured as a function of centrality using data collected by… ▽ More The dissociation of quarkonium states with different binding energies produced in heavy-ion collisions is a powerful probe for investigating the formation and properties of the quark-gluon plasma. The ratio of production cross-sections of $ψ(2S)$ and $J/ψ$ mesons times the ratio of their branching fractions into the dimuon final state is measured as a function of centrality using data collected by the LHCb detector in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The measured ratio shows no dependence on the collision centrality, and is compared to the latest theory predictions and to the recent measurements in literature. △ Less

Submitted 13 November, 2025; v1 submitted 8 November, 2024; originally announced November 2024.

Comments: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lbfence.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/3695 (LHCb public pages)

Report number: CERN-EP-2024-272, LHCb-PAPER-2024-041

Journal ref: JHEP07(2025)235

Nuclear structure of dripline nuclei elucidated through precision mass measurements of $^{23}$Si, $^{26}$P, $^{27,28}$S, and $^{31}$Ar

Authors: Y. Yu, Y. M. Xing, Y. H. Zhang, M. Wang, X. H. Zhou, J. G. Li, H. H. Li, Q. Yuan, Y. F. Niu, Y. N. Huang, J. Geng, J. Y. Guo, J. W. Chen, J. C. Pei, F. R. Xu, Yu. A. Litvinov, K. Blaum, G. de Angelis, I. Tanihata, T. Yamaguchi, X. Zhou, H. S. Xu, Z. Y. Chen, R. J. Chen, H. Y. Deng , et al. (17 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using the B$ρ$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry technique, we report the first determination of the $^{23}$Si, $^{26}$P, $^{27}$S, and $^{31}$Ar masses and improve the precision of the $^{28}$S mass by a factor of 11. Our measurements confirm that these isotopes are bound and fix the location of the proton dripline in P, S, and Ar. We find that the mirror energy differences of the mirror-nucl… ▽ More Using the B$ρ$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry technique, we report the first determination of the $^{23}$Si, $^{26}$P, $^{27}$S, and $^{31}$Ar masses and improve the precision of the $^{28}$S mass by a factor of 11. Our measurements confirm that these isotopes are bound and fix the location of the proton dripline in P, S, and Ar. We find that the mirror energy differences of the mirror-nuclei pairs $^{26}$P-$^{26}$Na, $^{27}$P-$^{27}$Mg, $^{27}$S-$^{27}$Na, $^{28}$S-$^{28}$Mg, and $^{31}$Ar-$^{31}$Al deviate significantly from the values predicted assuming mirror symmetry. In addition, we observe similar anomalies in the excited states, but not in the ground states, of the mirror-nuclei pairs $^{22}$Al-$^{22}$F and $^{23}$Al-$^{23}$Ne. Using $ab~ initio$ VS-IMSRG and mean field calculations, we show that such a mirror-symmetry breaking phenomeon can be explained by the extended charge distributions of weakly-bound, proton-rich nuclei. When observed, this phenomenon serves as a unique signature that can be valuable for identifying proton-halo candidates. △ Less

Submitted 23 October, 2024; originally announced October 2024.

Observation of a rare beta decay of the charmed baryon with a Graph Neural Network

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, O. Afedulidis, X. C. Ai, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, I. Balossino, Y. Ban, H. -R. Bao, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere , et al. (637 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The beta decay of the lightest charmed baryon $Λ_c^+$ provides unique insights into the fundamental mechanism of strong and electro-weak interactions, serving as a testbed for investigating non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics and constraining the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix parameters. This article presents the first observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed decay… ▽ More The beta decay of the lightest charmed baryon $Λ_c^+$ provides unique insights into the fundamental mechanism of strong and electro-weak interactions, serving as a testbed for investigating non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics and constraining the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix parameters. This article presents the first observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed decay $Λ_c^+ \rightarrow n e^+ ν_{e}$, utilizing $4.5~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of electron-positron annihilation data collected with the BESIII detector. A novel Graph Neural Network based technique effectively separates signals from dominant backgrounds, notably $Λ_c^+ \rightarrow Λe^+ ν_{e}$, achieving a statistical significance exceeding $10σ$. The absolute branching fraction is measured to be $(3.57\pm0.34_{\mathrm{stat.}}\pm0.14_{\mathrm{syst.}})\times 10^{-3}$. For the first time, the CKM matrix element $\left|V_{cd}\right|$ is extracted via a charmed baryon decay as $0.208\pm0.011_{\rm exp.}\pm0.007_{\rm LQCD}\pm0.001_{τ_{Λ_c^+}}$. This work highlights a new approach to further understand fundamental interactions in the charmed baryon sector, and showcases the power of modern machine learning techniques in experimental high-energy physics. △ Less

Submitted 15 January, 2025; v1 submitted 17 October, 2024; originally announced October 2024.

Comments: 27 pages, 5 figures

Journal ref: Nature Commun. 16, 681 (2025)

Efficient transmutation of long-lived fission products in a Gamma Factory beam driven advanced nuclear energy system

Authors: Hu Baolong, Mieczyslaw Witold Krasny, Wieslaw Placzek, Yun Yuan, Xiaoming Shi, Kaijun Luo, Wen Luo

Abstract: The Gamma Factory (GF) project aims to generate high-intensity $γ$-ray beams of tunable energy and relatively small energy spread. Such beams can be optimized to generate an intense photo-neutron source, capable of driving an advanced nuclear energy system (ANES) for nuclear waste transmutation and supplying electrical power that is necessary for the GF operation mode of the Large Hadron Collider… ▽ More The Gamma Factory (GF) project aims to generate high-intensity $γ$-ray beams of tunable energy and relatively small energy spread. Such beams can be optimized to generate an intense photo-neutron source, capable of driving an advanced nuclear energy system (ANES) for nuclear waste transmutation and supplying electrical power that is necessary for the GF operation mode of the Large Hadron Collider storage ring. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of driving ANES with the GF beam which is optimized to maximize the neutron production rate. The dependence of the ANES thermal power on the distance between the positions of the ANES and the GF $γ$-ray source is evaluated. For the $γ$-ray beam reaching the intensity of $\sim$$10^{19}$ photons per second, the ANES thermal power could exceed $500\,$MWt. Under the assumption that ANES operates over $20$ years, the transmutation rate could reach $30\%$ for five typical long-lived fission products (LLFPs): $^{79}$Se, $^{99}$Tc, $^{107}$Pd, $^{129}$I, $^{137}$Cs. Our comparative studies show that although the neutron production efficiency of the GF $γ$-ray beam (per MW of the beam power) is approximately $14$ times lower than that of the $500\,$MeV proton beam, the overall net ANES power production efficiency for the GF beam driver scheme could be comparable to that of the proton beam driver scheme, while providing additional transmutation capacity, not available for the proton beam driven scheme. It is suggested that the GF-based ANES could provide a viable solution for the efficient transmutation of LLFPs without isotopic separation. △ Less

Submitted 19 September, 2024; originally announced September 2024.

Comments: 15 pages, 10 figures

First Indication of Solar $^8$B Neutrino Flux through Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering in PandaX-4T

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Zhaokan Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Zhixing Gao, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Xunan Guo, Xuyuan Guo, Zichao Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Di Huang, Houqi Huang, Junting Huang, Ruquan Hou, Yu Hou, Xiangdong Ji , et al. (77 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The PandaX-4T liquid xenon detector at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory is used to measure the solar $^8$B neutrino flux by detecting neutrinos through coherent scattering with xenon nuclei. Data samples requiring the coincidence of scintillation and ionization signals (paired), as well as unpaired ionization-only signals (US2), are selected with energy threshold of approximately 1.1 keV (… ▽ More The PandaX-4T liquid xenon detector at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory is used to measure the solar $^8$B neutrino flux by detecting neutrinos through coherent scattering with xenon nuclei. Data samples requiring the coincidence of scintillation and ionization signals (paired), as well as unpaired ionization-only signals (US2), are selected with energy threshold of approximately 1.1 keV (0.33 keV) nuclear recoil energy. Combining the commissioning run and the first science run of PandaX-4T, a total exposure of 1.20 and 1.04 tonne$\cdot$year are collected for the paired and US2, respectively. After unblinding, 3 and 332 events are observed with an expectation of 2.8$\pm$0.5 and 251$\pm$32 background events, for the paired and US2 data, respectively. A combined analysis yields a best-fit $^8$B neutrino signal of 3.5 (75) events from the paired (US2) data sample, with $\sim$37\% uncertainty, and the background-only hypothesis is disfavored at 2.64$σ$ significance. This gives a solar $^8$B neutrino flux of ($8.4\pm3.1$)$\times$10$^6$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$, consistent with the standard solar model prediction. It is also the first indication of solar $^8$B neutrino ``fog'' in a dark matter direct detection experiment. △ Less

Submitted 13 September, 2024; v1 submitted 15 July, 2024; originally announced July 2024.

Comments: Accepted by Physical Review Letters

Ground-state mass of $^{22}$Al and test of state-of-the-art \textit{ab initio} calculations

Authors: M. Z. Sun, Y. Yu, X. P. Wang, M. Wang, J. G. Li, Y. H. Zhang, K. Blaum, Z. Y. Chen, R. J. Chen, H. Y. Deng, C. Y. Fu, W. W. Ge, W. J. Huang, H. Y. Jiao, H. H. Li, H. F. Li, Y. F. Luo, T. Liao, Yu. A. Litvinov, M. Si, P. Shuai, J. Y. Shi, Q. Wang, Y. M. Xing, X. Xu , et al. (11 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The ground-state mass excess of the $T_{z}=-2$ drip-line nucleus $^{22}$Al is measured for the first time to be $18103(10)$ keV using the newly-developed B$ρ$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry method at the cooler storage ring in Lanzhou. The new mass excess value allowed us to determine the excitation energies of the two low-lying $1^+$ states in $^{22}$Al with significantly reduced uncertain… ▽ More The ground-state mass excess of the $T_{z}=-2$ drip-line nucleus $^{22}$Al is measured for the first time to be $18103(10)$ keV using the newly-developed B$ρ$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry method at the cooler storage ring in Lanzhou. The new mass excess value allowed us to determine the excitation energies of the two low-lying $1^+$ states in $^{22}$Al with significantly reduced uncertainties of 51 keV. Comparing to the analogue states in its mirror nucleus $^{22}$F, the mirror energy differences of the two $1^+$ states in the $^{22}$Al-$^{22}$F mirror pair are determined to be $-625(51)$ keV and $-330(51)$ keV, respectively. The excitation energies and the mirror energy differences are used to test the state-of-the-art \textit{ab initio} valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group calculations with four sets of interactions derived from the chiral effective field theory. The mechanism leading to the large mirror energy differences is investigated and attributed to the occupation of the $πs_{1/2}$ orbital. △ Less

Submitted 26 January, 2024; originally announced January 2024.

Comments: 8 pages, 5 figures

First study of antihyperon-nucleon scattering $\barΛp\rightarrow\barΛp$ and measurement of $Λp\rightarrowΛp$ cross section

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, O. Afedulidis, X. C. Ai, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, I. Balossino, Y. Ban, H. -R. Bao, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere , et al. (634 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using $(10.087\pm0.044)\times10^{9}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the processes $Λp\rightarrowΛp$ and $\barΛp\rightarrow\barΛp$ are studied, where the $Λ/\barΛ$ baryons are produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΛ\barΛ$ and the protons are the hydrogen nuclei in the cooling oil of the beam pipe. Clear signals are observed for the two reactions. The cr… ▽ More Using $(10.087\pm0.044)\times10^{9}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the processes $Λp\rightarrowΛp$ and $\barΛp\rightarrow\barΛp$ are studied, where the $Λ/\barΛ$ baryons are produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΛ\barΛ$ and the protons are the hydrogen nuclei in the cooling oil of the beam pipe. Clear signals are observed for the two reactions. The cross sections in $-0.9\leq\rm{cos}θ_{Λ/\barΛ}\leq0.9$ are measured to be $σ(Λp\rightarrowΛp)=(12.2\pm1.6_{\rm{stat}}\pm1.1_{\rm{sys}})$ mb and $σ(\barΛ p\rightarrow\barΛ p)=(17.5\pm2.1_{\rm{stat}}\pm1.6_{\rm{sys}})$ mb at the $Λ/\barΛ$ momentum of $1.074$ GeV/$c$ within a range of $\pm0.017$ GeV/$c$, where the $θ_{Λ/\barΛ}$ are the scattering angles of the $Λ/\barΛ$ in the $Λp/\barΛp$ rest frames. Furthermore, the differential cross sections of the two reactions are also measured, where there is a slight tendency of forward scattering for $Λp\rightarrowΛp$, and a strong forward peak for $\barΛp\rightarrow\barΛp$. We present an approach to extract the total elastic cross sections by extrapolation. The study of $\barΛp\rightarrow\barΛp$ represents the first study of antihyperon-nucleon scattering, and these new measurements will serve as important inputs for the theoretical understanding of the (anti)hyperon-nucleon interaction. △ Less

Submitted 18 May, 2024; v1 submitted 17 January, 2024; originally announced January 2024.

Comments: 9 pages, 5 figures

Searching for Two-Neutrino and Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay of $^{134}$Xe with the PandaX-4T Experiment

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Xiyu Yan, Zhaokan Cheng, Abdusalam Abdukerim, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Chen Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Changbo Fu, Mengting Fu, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Linhui Gu, Xuyuan Guo, Chencheng Han, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Di Huang, Yanlin Huang, Junting Huang, Zhou Huang , et al. (72 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: $^{134}$Xe is a candidate isotope for neutrinoless double beta decay~($0νββ$) search. In addition, the two-neutrino case ($2νββ$) allowed by the Standard Model of particle physics has not yet been observed. Utilizing the 10.4% of $^{134}$Xe in the natural xenon in the PandaX-4T detector and its first 94.9-day exposure, we have established the most stringent constraints on $2νββ$ and $0νββ$ of $^{1… ▽ More $^{134}$Xe is a candidate isotope for neutrinoless double beta decay~($0νββ$) search. In addition, the two-neutrino case ($2νββ$) allowed by the Standard Model of particle physics has not yet been observed. Utilizing the 10.4% of $^{134}$Xe in the natural xenon in the PandaX-4T detector and its first 94.9-day exposure, we have established the most stringent constraints on $2νββ$ and $0νββ$ of $^{134}$Xe half-lives, with limits of $2.8\times10^{22}$ yr and $3.0\times10^{23}$ yr at 90% confidence level, respectively. The $2νββ$ ($0νββ$) limit surpasses the previously reported best result by a factor of 32 (2.7), highlighting the potential of large monolithic natural xenon detectors. △ Less

Submitted 28 April, 2024; v1 submitted 25 December, 2023; originally announced December 2023.

Journal ref: Phys.Rev.Lett. 132 (2024) 15, 152502

First measurement of $ΛN$ inelastic scattering with $Λ$ from $e^{+} e^{-} \rightarrow J/ψ\to Λ\barΛ$

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, O. Afedulidis, X. C. Ai, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, I. Balossino, Y. Ban, H. -R. Bao, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere , et al. (626 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using an $e^+ e^-$ collision data sample of $(10087 \pm 44)\times10^6 ~J/ψ$ events taken at the center-of-mass energy of $3.097~\rm{GeV}$ by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the process $Λ+N \rightarrow Σ^+ + X$ is studied for the first time employing a novel method. The $Σ^{+}$ hyperons are produced by the collisions of $Λ$ hyperons from $J/ψ$ decays with nuclei in the material of the… ▽ More Using an $e^+ e^-$ collision data sample of $(10087 \pm 44)\times10^6 ~J/ψ$ events taken at the center-of-mass energy of $3.097~\rm{GeV}$ by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the process $Λ+N \rightarrow Σ^+ + X$ is studied for the first time employing a novel method. The $Σ^{+}$ hyperons are produced by the collisions of $Λ$ hyperons from $J/ψ$ decays with nuclei in the material of the BESIII detector. The total cross section of $Λ+ ^{9}{\rm Be} \rightarrow Σ^+ + X$ is measured to be $σ= (37.3 \pm 4.7 \pm 3.5)~{\rm mb}$ at $Λ$ beam momenta within $[1.057, 1.091]~{\rm GeV}/c$, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. This analysis is the first study of $Λ$-nucleon interactions at an $e^+ e^-$ collider, providing information and constraints relevant for the strong-interaction potential, the origin of color confinement, the unified model for baryon-baryon interactions, and the internal structure of neutron stars. △ Less

Submitted 1 October, 2023; originally announced October 2023.

Efficient production of nuclear isomer $^{93m}$Mo with laser-accelerated proton beam and an astrophysical implication on $^{92m}$Mo production

Authors: Wenru Fan, Wei Qi, Jingli Zhang, Zongwei Cao, Haoyang Lan, Xinxiang Li, Yi Xu, Yuqiu Gu, Zhigang Deng, Zhimeng Zhang, Changxiang Tan, Wen Luo, Yun Yuan, Weimin Zhou

Abstract: Nuclear isomers play a key role in the creation of the elements in the universe and have a number of fascinating potential applications related to the controlled release of nuclear energy on demand. Particularly, $^{93m}$Mo isomer is a good candidate for studying the depletion of nuclear isomer via nuclear excitation by electron capture. For such purposes, efficient approach for $^{93m}$Mo product… ▽ More Nuclear isomers play a key role in the creation of the elements in the universe and have a number of fascinating potential applications related to the controlled release of nuclear energy on demand. Particularly, $^{93m}$Mo isomer is a good candidate for studying the depletion of nuclear isomer via nuclear excitation by electron capture. For such purposes, efficient approach for $^{93m}$Mo production needs to be explored. In the present work, we demonstrate experimentally an efficient production of $^{93m}$Mo through $^{93}$Nb(p, n) reaction induced by intense laser pulse. When a ps-duration, 100-J laser pulse is employed, the $^{93m}$Mo isomer at 2425 keV (21/2$^+$, $T_{1/2}$ = 6.85 h) are generated with a high yield of $1.8\times10^6$ particles/shot. The resulting peak efficiency is expected to be $10^{17}$ particles/s, which is at least five orders of magnitudes higher than using classical proton accelerator. The effects of production and destruction of $^{93m}$Mo on the controversial astrophysical p-isotope $^{92}$Mo are studied. It is found that the $^{93}$Nb(p, n)-$^{93m}$Mo reaction is an important production path for ^{93m}Mo seed nucleus, and the influence of ^{93m}Mo-^{92}Mo reaction flow on ^{92}Mo production cannot be ignored. In addition, we propose to directly measure the astrophysical rate of (p, n) reaction using laser-induced proton beam since the latter one fits the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution well. We conclude that laser-induced proton beam opens a new path to produce nuclear isomers with high peak efficiency towards the understanding of p-nuclei nucleosythesis. △ Less

Submitted 5 August, 2023; originally announced August 2023.

Comments: 21 pages, 9 figure

First study of reaction $Ξ^{0}n\rightarrowΞ^{-}p$ using $Ξ^0$-nucleus scattering at an electron-positron collider

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, M. R. An, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, I. Balossino, Y. Ban, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, J. Bloms, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere, A. Brueggemann , et al. (593 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using $(1.0087\pm0.0044)\times10^{10}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the process $Ξ^{0}n\rightarrowΞ^{-}p$ is studied, where the $Ξ^0$ baryon is produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΞ^0\barΞ^0$ and the neutron is a component of the $^9\rm{Be}$, $^{12}\rm{C}$ and $^{197}\rm{Au}$ nuclei in the beam pipe. A clear signal is observed with a statistical si… ▽ More Using $(1.0087\pm0.0044)\times10^{10}$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the process $Ξ^{0}n\rightarrowΞ^{-}p$ is studied, where the $Ξ^0$ baryon is produced in the process $J/ψ\rightarrowΞ^0\barΞ^0$ and the neutron is a component of the $^9\rm{Be}$, $^{12}\rm{C}$ and $^{197}\rm{Au}$ nuclei in the beam pipe. A clear signal is observed with a statistical significance of $7.1σ$. The cross section of the reaction $Ξ^0+{^9\rm{Be}}\rightarrowΞ^-+p+{^8\rm{Be}}$ is determined to be $σ(Ξ^0+{^9\rm{Be}}\rightarrowΞ^-+p+{^8\rm{Be}})=(22.1\pm5.3_{\rm{stat}}\pm4.5_{\rm{sys}})$ mb at the $Ξ^0$ momentum of $0.818$ GeV/$c$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. No significant $H$-dibaryon signal is observed in the $Ξ^-p$ final state. This is the first study of hyperon-nucleon interactions in electron-positron collisions and opens up a new direction for such research. △ Less

Submitted 28 May, 2023; v1 submitted 26 April, 2023; originally announced April 2023.

Comments: 13 pages, 7 figures, with Supplemental Material

$Bρ$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry: a new approach for high-precision mass measurements of short-lived nuclei

Authors: M. Wang, M. Zhang, X. Zhou, Y. H. Zhang, Yu. A. Litvinov, H. S. Xu, R. J. Chen, H. Y. Deng, C. Y. Fu, W. W. Ge, H. F. Li, T. Liao, S. A. Litvinov, P. Shuai, J. Y. Shi, M. Si, R. S. Sidhu, Y. N. Song, M. Z. Sun, S. Suzuki, Q. Wang, Y. M. Xing, X. Xu, T. Yamaguchi, X. L. Yan , et al. (4 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: A novel technique for broadband high-precision mass measurements of short-lived exotic nuclides is reported. It is based on the isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) and realizes simultaneous determinations of revolution time and velocity of short-lived stored ions at the cooler storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou. The new technique, named as the $Bρ$-defined IMS or $Bρ$-IMS, boosts the efficiency, sensiti… ▽ More A novel technique for broadband high-precision mass measurements of short-lived exotic nuclides is reported. It is based on the isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) and realizes simultaneous determinations of revolution time and velocity of short-lived stored ions at the cooler storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou. The new technique, named as the $Bρ$-defined IMS or $Bρ$-IMS, boosts the efficiency, sensitivity, and accuracy of mass measurements, and is applied here to measure masses of neutron-deficient $fp$-shell nuclides. In a single accelerator setting, masses of $^{46}$Cr, $^{50}$Fe and $^{54}$Ni are determined with relative uncertainties of (5~-~6)$\times10^{-8}$, thereby improving the input data for testing the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark mixing matrix. This is the technique of choice for future high-precision measurements of the most rarely produced shortest-lived nuclides. △ Less

Submitted 3 November, 2022; originally announced November 2022.

Comments: 8 pages, 4 figures

Journal ref: Physical Review C 106, L051301 (2022)

Model Independent Approach of the JUNO $^8$B Solar Neutrino Program

Authors: JUNO Collaboration, Jie Zhao, Baobiao Yue, Haoqi Lu, Yufeng Li, Jiajie Ling, Zeyuan Yu, Angel Abusleme, Thomas Adam, Shakeel Ahmad, Rizwan Ahmed, Sebastiano Aiello, Muhammad Akram, Abid Aleem, Tsagkarakis Alexandros, Fengpeng An, Qi An, Giuseppe Andronico, Nikolay Anfimov, Vito Antonelli, Tatiana Antoshkina, Burin Asavapibhop, João Pedro Athayde Marcondes de André, Didier Auguste, Weidong Bai , et al. (579 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The physics potential of detecting $^8$B solar neutrinos will be exploited at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), in a model independent manner by using three distinct channels of the charged-current (CC), neutral-current (NC) and elastic scattering (ES) interactions. Due to the largest-ever mass of $^{13}$C nuclei in the liquid-scintillator detectors and the {expected} low backg… ▽ More The physics potential of detecting $^8$B solar neutrinos will be exploited at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), in a model independent manner by using three distinct channels of the charged-current (CC), neutral-current (NC) and elastic scattering (ES) interactions. Due to the largest-ever mass of $^{13}$C nuclei in the liquid-scintillator detectors and the {expected} low background level, $^8$B solar neutrinos would be observable in the CC and NC interactions on $^{13}$C for the first time. By virtue of optimized event selections and muon veto strategies, backgrounds from the accidental coincidence, muon-induced isotopes, and external backgrounds can be greatly suppressed. Excellent signal-to-background ratios can be achieved in the CC, NC and ES channels to guarantee the $^8$B solar neutrino observation. From the sensitivity studies performed in this work, we show that JUNO, with ten years of data, can reach the {1$σ$} precision levels of 5%, 8% and 20% for the $^8$B neutrino flux, $\sin^2θ_{12}$, and $Δm^2_{21}$, respectively. It would be unique and helpful to probe the details of both solar physics and neutrino physics. In addition, when combined with SNO, the world-best precision of 3% is expected for the $^8$B neutrino flux measurement. △ Less

Submitted 6 March, 2024; v1 submitted 15 October, 2022; originally announced October 2022.

Comments: 19 pages, 7 figures, accepted version to appear in The Astrophysical Journal. Yufeng Li and Jiajie Ling are corresponding authors

Journal ref: Astrophysical Journal 965 (2024) 122

$Bρ$-defined Isochronous Mass Spectrometry and Mass Measurements of $^{58}$Ni Fragments

Authors: M. Zhang, X. Zhou, M. Wang, Y. H. Zhang, Yu. A. Litvinov, H. S. Xu, R. J. Chen, H. Y. Deng, C. Y. Fu, W. W. Ge, H. F. Li, T. Liao, S. A. Litvinov, P. Shuai, J. Y. Shi, R. S. Sidhu, Y. N. Song, M. Z. Sun, S. Suzuki, Q. Wang, Y. M. Xing, X. Xu, T. Yamaguchi, X. L. Yan, J. C. Yang , et al. (3 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: A novel isochronous mass spectrometry, termed as $Bρ$-defined IMS, is established at the experimental cooler-storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou. Its potential has been studied through high precision mass measurements of $^{58}$Ni projectile fragments. Two time-of-flight detectors were installed in one of the straight sections of CSRe, thus enabling simultaneous measurements of the velocity and the revol… ▽ More A novel isochronous mass spectrometry, termed as $Bρ$-defined IMS, is established at the experimental cooler-storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou. Its potential has been studied through high precision mass measurements of $^{58}$Ni projectile fragments. Two time-of-flight detectors were installed in one of the straight sections of CSRe, thus enabling simultaneous measurements of the velocity and the revolution time of each stored short-lived ion. This allows for calculating the magnetic rigidity $Bρ$ and the orbit length $C$ of each ion. The accurate $Bρ(C)$ function has been constructed, which is a universal calibration curve used to deduce the masses of the stored nuclides. The sensitivity to single stored ions, quickness, and background-free characteristics of the method are ideally suited to address nuclides with very short lifetimes and tiniest production yields. In the limiting case of just a single particle, the attained mass resolving power allows one us to determine its mass-over-charge ratio $m/q$ with a remarkable precision of merely $\sim5$ keV. Masses of $T_z = -3/2$ fp-shell nuclides are re-determined with high accuracy, and the validity of the isospin multiplet mass equation is tested up to the heaviest isospin quartet with $A = 55$. The new masses are also used to investigate the mirror symmetry of empirical residual proton-neutron interactions. △ Less

Submitted 12 September, 2022; originally announced September 2022.

Measurement of Double Beta Decay Half-life of $^{136}$Xe with the PandaX-4T Detector

Authors: PandaX Collaboration, Lin Si, Zhaokan Cheng, Abdusalam Abdukerim, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Chen Cheng, Yunshan Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Changbo Fu, Mengting Fu, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Linhui Gu, Xuyuan Guo, Ke Han, Changda He, Jinrong He, Di Huang, Yanlin Huang, Zhou Huang , et al. (63 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Precise measurement of two-neutrino double beta decay (DBD) half-life is an important step for the searches of Majorana neutrinos with neutrinoless double beta decay. We report the measurement of DBD half-life of $^{136}$Xe using the PandaX-4T dual-phase Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with 3.7-tonne natural xenon and the first 94.9-day physics data release. The background model in the fiducial volu… ▽ More Precise measurement of two-neutrino double beta decay (DBD) half-life is an important step for the searches of Majorana neutrinos with neutrinoless double beta decay. We report the measurement of DBD half-life of $^{136}$Xe using the PandaX-4T dual-phase Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with 3.7-tonne natural xenon and the first 94.9-day physics data release. The background model in the fiducial volume is well constrained in situ by events in the outer active region. With a $^{136}$Xe exposure of 15.5 kg-year, we establish the half-life as $2.27 \pm 0.03 (stat.)\pm 0.10 (syst.)\times 10^{21}$ years. This is the first DBD half-life measurement with natural xenon and demonstrates the physics capability of a large-scale liquid xenon TPC in the field of rare event searches. △ Less

Submitted 12 December, 2022; v1 submitted 25 May, 2022; originally announced May 2022.

Comments: 6 pages, 4 figures

Journal ref: Research, vol. 2022, Article ID 9798721, 2022

Charge resolution in the isochronous mass spectrometry and the mass of $^{51}$Co

Authors: Xu Zhou, Meng Wang, Yu-Hu Zhang, Hu-Shan Xu, You-Jin Yuan, Jian-Cheng Yang, Yu. A. Litvinov, S. A. Litvinov, Bo Mei, Xin-Liang Yan, Xing Xu, Peng Shuai, Yuan-Ming Xing, Rui-Jiu Chen, Xiang-Cheng Chen, Chao-Yi Fu, Qi Zeng, Ming-Ze Sun, Hong-Fu Li, Qian Wang, Tong Bao, Min Zhang, Min Si, Han-Yu Deng, Ming-Zheng Liu , et al. (3 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) of heavyion storage rings is a powerful tool for the mass measurements of short-lived nuclei. In IMS experiments, masses are determined through precision measurements of the revolution times of the ions stored in the ring. However, the revolution times cannot be resolved for particles with nearly the same mass-to-charge (m/q) ratios. To overcome this limitation… ▽ More Isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) of heavyion storage rings is a powerful tool for the mass measurements of short-lived nuclei. In IMS experiments, masses are determined through precision measurements of the revolution times of the ions stored in the ring. However, the revolution times cannot be resolved for particles with nearly the same mass-to-charge (m/q) ratios. To overcome this limitation and to extract the accurate revolution times for such pairs of ion species with very close m/q ratios, in our early work on particle identification, we analyzed the amplitudes of the timing signals from the detector based on the emission of secondary electrons. Here, the previous data analysis method is further improved by considering the signal amplitudes, detection efficiencies, and number of stored ions in the ring. A sensitive Z-dependent parameter is introduced in the data analysis, leading to a better resolution of $^{34}$Ar$^{18+}$ and $^{51}$Co$^{27+}$ with A/Z=17/9. The mean revolution times of $^{34}$Ar$^{18+}$ and $^{51}$Co$^{27+}$ are deduced, although their time difference is merely 1.8 ps. The uncorrected, overlapped peak of these ions has a full width at half maximum of 7.7 ps. The mass excess of $^{51}$Co was determined to be -27332(41) keV, which is in agreement with the previous value of -27342(48) keV. △ Less

Submitted 20 December, 2021; v1 submitted 21 November, 2021; originally announced November 2021.

Comments: 8 pages, 6 figures

Report number: NUCL SCI TECH (2021) 32:37

Observation of a near-threshold structure in the $K^+$ recoil-mass spectra in $e^+e^-\to K^+ (D_s^- D^{*0} + D^{*-}_s D^0)$

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, S. Ahmed, M. Albrecht, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Anita, X. H. Bai, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, R. Baldini Ferroli, I. Balossino, Y. Ban, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, J Biernat, J. Bloms, A. Bortone, I. Boyko , et al. (481 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We report a study of the processes of $e^+e^-\to K^+ (D_s^- D^{*0} + D^{*-}_s D^0)$ based on $e^+e^-$ annihilation samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at BEPCII at five center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.628 to 4.698 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 3.7 fb$^{-1}$. An excess over the known contributions of the conventional charmed mesons is observed near the… ▽ More We report a study of the processes of $e^+e^-\to K^+ (D_s^- D^{*0} + D^{*-}_s D^0)$ based on $e^+e^-$ annihilation samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at BEPCII at five center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.628 to 4.698 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 3.7 fb$^{-1}$. An excess over the known contributions of the conventional charmed mesons is observed near the $D_s^- D^{*0}$ and $D^{*-}_s D^0$ mass thresholds in the $K^{+}$ recoil-mass spectrum for events collected at $\sqrt{s}=4.681$ GeV. The structure matches a mass-dependent-width Breit-Wigner line shape, whose pole mass and width are determined as $(3982.5^{+1.8}_{-2.6}\pm2.1)$ MeV/$c^2$ and $(12.8^{+5.3}_{-4.4}\pm3.0)$ MeV, respectively. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The significance of the resonance hypothesis is estimated to be 5.3 $σ$ over the contributions only from the conventional charmed mesons. This is the first candidate of the charged hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness, decaying into $D_s^- D^{*0}$ and $D^{*-}_s D^0$. However, the properties of the excess need further exploration with more statistics. △ Less

Submitted 12 March, 2021; v1 submitted 16 November, 2020; originally announced November 2020.

Comments: 17 pages; Version published in Phys. Rev. Lett

Journal ref: Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 102001 (2021)

Particle identification and revolution time corrections for the isochronous mass spectrometry in storage rings

Authors: Y. M. Xing, Y. H. Zhang, M. Wang, Yu. A. Litvinov, R. J. Chen, X. C. Chen, C. Y. Fu, H. F. Li, P. Shuai, M. Si, M. Z. Sun, X. L. Tu, Q. Wang, H. S. Xu, X. Xu, X. L. Yan, J. C. Yang, Y. J. Yuan, Q. Zeng, P. Zhang, M. Zhang, X. Zhou, X. H. Zhou

Abstract: In the isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) performed at storage rings, masses of short-lived nuclides are determined through precision measurements of their mean revolution times. However, the distribution of revolution times could be seriously deteriorated by instabilities of the ring's magnetic fields. This becomes a significant obstacle for the particle identifications and mass determinations.… ▽ More In the isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) performed at storage rings, masses of short-lived nuclides are determined through precision measurements of their mean revolution times. However, the distribution of revolution times could be seriously deteriorated by instabilities of the ring's magnetic fields. This becomes a significant obstacle for the particle identifications and mass determinations. A data analysis method is described in this paper which is able to largely remove the uncertainties caused by the magnetic field instabilities in the particle identifications and the mean revolution times. We show that this method is very effective for the IMS experiments even when the magnetic fields of a storage ring vary slowly up to a level of $ΔB/B\sim 10^{-4}$. △ Less

Submitted 27 October, 2020; originally announced October 2020.

Comments: 11 pages, 13 figures

Journal ref: Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research, A 941 (2019) 162331

Internal Calibration of the PandaX-II Detector with Radon Gaseous Sources

Authors: Wenbo Ma, Abdusalam Abdukerim, Zihao Bo, Wei Chen, Xun Chen, Yunhua Chen, Chen Cheng, Xiangyi Cui, Yingjie Fan, Deqing Fang, Changbo Fu, Mengting Fu, Lisheng Geng, Karl Giboni, Linhui Gu, Xuyuan Guo, Ke Han, Changda He, Shengming He, Di Huang, Yan Huang, Yanlin Huang, Zhou Huang, Xiangdong Ji, Yonglin Ju , et al. (43 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We have developed a low-energy electron recoil (ER) calibration method with $^{220}$Rn for the PandaX-II detector. $^{220}$Rn, emanated from natural thorium compounds, was fed into the detector through the xenon purification system. From 2017 to 2019, we performed three dedicated calibration campaigns with different radon sources. We studied the detector response to $α$, $β$, and $γ$ particles wit… ▽ More We have developed a low-energy electron recoil (ER) calibration method with $^{220}$Rn for the PandaX-II detector. $^{220}$Rn, emanated from natural thorium compounds, was fed into the detector through the xenon purification system. From 2017 to 2019, we performed three dedicated calibration campaigns with different radon sources. We studied the detector response to $α$, $β$, and $γ$ particles with focus on low energy ER events. During the runs in 2017 and 2018, the amount of radioactivity of $^{222}$Rn were on the order of 1\% of that of $^{220}$Rn and thorium particulate contamination was negligible, especially in 2018. We also measured the background contribution from $^{214}$Pb for the first time in PandaX-II with the help from a $^{222}$Rn injection. Calibration strategy with $^{220}$Rn and $^{222}$Rn will be implemented in the upcoming PandaX-4T experiment and can be useful for other xenon-based detectors as well. △ Less

Submitted 4 January, 2021; v1 submitted 16 June, 2020; originally announced June 2020.

Comments: 14 pages, 8 figures. published in JINST

Journal ref: JINST 15 P12038 (2020)

TAO Conceptual Design Report: A Precision Measurement of the Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum with Sub-percent Energy Resolution

Authors: JUNO Collaboration, Angel Abusleme, Thomas Adam, Shakeel Ahmad, Sebastiano Aiello, Muhammad Akram, Nawab Ali, Fengpeng An, Guangpeng An, Qi An, Giuseppe Andronico, Nikolay Anfimov, Vito Antonelli, Tatiana Antoshkina, Burin Asavapibhop, João Pedro Athayde Marcondes de André, Didier Auguste, Andrej Babic, Wander Baldini, Andrea Barresi, Eric Baussan, Marco Bellato, Antonio Bergnoli, Enrico Bernieri, David Biare , et al. (568 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO, also known as JUNO-TAO) is a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). A ton-level liquid scintillator detector will be placed at about 30 m from a core of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor antineutrino spectrum will be measured with sub-percent energy resolution, to provide a reference spectrum for future re… ▽ More The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO, also known as JUNO-TAO) is a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). A ton-level liquid scintillator detector will be placed at about 30 m from a core of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor antineutrino spectrum will be measured with sub-percent energy resolution, to provide a reference spectrum for future reactor neutrino experiments, and to provide a benchmark measurement to test nuclear databases. A spherical acrylic vessel containing 2.8 ton gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator will be viewed by 10 m^2 Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) of >50% photon detection efficiency with almost full coverage. The photoelectron yield is about 4500 per MeV, an order higher than any existing large-scale liquid scintillator detectors. The detector operates at -50 degree C to lower the dark noise of SiPMs to an acceptable level. The detector will measure about 2000 reactor antineutrinos per day, and is designed to be well shielded from cosmogenic backgrounds and ambient radioactivities to have about 10% background-to-signal ratio. The experiment is expected to start operation in 2022. △ Less

Submitted 18 May, 2020; originally announced May 2020.

Comments: 134 pages, 114 figures

New Test of Modulated Electron Capture Decay of Hydrogen-Like $^{142}$Pm Ions: Precision Measurement of Purely Exponential Decay

Authors: F. C. Ozturk, B. Akkus, D. Atanasov, H. Beyer, F. Bosch, D. Boutin, C. Brandau, P. Bühler, R. B. Cakirli, R. J. Chen, W. D. Chen, X. C. Chen, I. Dillmann, C. Dimopoulou, W. Enders, H. G. Essel, T. Faestermann, O. Forstner, B. S. Gao, H. Geissel, R. Gernhäuser, R. E. Grisenti, A. Gumberidze, S. Hagmann, T. Heftrich , et al. (70 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: An experiment addressing electron capture (EC) decay of hydrogen-like $^{142}$Pm$^{60+}$ ions has been conducted at the experimental storage ring (ESR) at GSI. The decay appears to be purely exponential and no modulations were observed. Decay times for about 9000 individual EC decays have been measured by applying the single-ion decay spectroscopy method. Both visually and automatically analysed d… ▽ More An experiment addressing electron capture (EC) decay of hydrogen-like $^{142}$Pm$^{60+}$ ions has been conducted at the experimental storage ring (ESR) at GSI. The decay appears to be purely exponential and no modulations were observed. Decay times for about 9000 individual EC decays have been measured by applying the single-ion decay spectroscopy method. Both visually and automatically analysed data can be described by a single exponential decay with decay constants of 0.0126(7) s$^{-1}$ for automatic analysis and 0.0141(7) s$^{-1}$ for manual analysis. If a modulation superimposed on the exponential decay curve is assumed, the best fit gives a modulation amplitude of merely 0.019(15), which is compatible with zero and by 4.9 standard deviations smaller than in the original observation which had an amplitude of 0.23(4). △ Less

Submitted 9 August, 2019; v1 submitted 16 July, 2019; originally announced July 2019.

Journal ref: Physics Letters B 797 (2019) 134800

Masses of ground and isomeric states of $^{101}$In and configuration-dependent shell evolution in odd-$A$ indium isotopes

Authors: X. Xu, J. H. Liu, C. X. Yuan, Y. M. Xing, M. Wang, Y. H. Zhang, X. H. Zhou, Yu. A. Litvinov, K. Blaum, R. J. Chen, X. C. Chen, C. Y. Fu, B. S. Gao, J. J. He, S. Kubono, Y. H. Lam, H. F. Li, M. L. Liu, X. W. Ma, P. Shuai, M. Si, M. Z. Sun, X. L. Tu, Q. Wang, H. S. Xu , et al. (18 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We report first precision mass measurements of the $1/2^-$ isomeric and $9/2^+$ ground states of $^{101}$In. The determined isomeric excitation energy continues a smooth trend of odd-$A$ indium isotopes up to the immediate vicinity of $N=50$ magic number. This trend can be confirmed by dedicated shell model calculations only if the neutron configuration mixing is considered. We find that the singl… ▽ More We report first precision mass measurements of the $1/2^-$ isomeric and $9/2^+$ ground states of $^{101}$In. The determined isomeric excitation energy continues a smooth trend of odd-$A$ indium isotopes up to the immediate vicinity of $N=50$ magic number. This trend can be confirmed by dedicated shell model calculations only if the neutron configuration mixing is considered. We find that the single particle energies are different for different states of the same isotope. The presented configuration-dependent shell evolution, type II shell evolution, in odd-$A$ nuclei is discussed for the first time. Our results will facilitate future studies of single-particle neutron states. △ Less

Submitted 10 July, 2019; originally announced July 2019.

Comments: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to physical review C, under review

Journal ref: Phys. Rev. C 100, 051303 (2019)

Improving the resolving power of Isochronous Mass Spectrometry by employing an in-ring mechanical slit

Authors: J. H. Liu, X. Xu, P. Zhang, P. Shuai, X. L. Yan, Y. H. Zhang, M. Wang, Yu. A. Litvinov, H. S. Xu, K. Blaum, T. Bao, H. Chen, X. C. Chen, R. J. Chen, C. Y. Fu, D. W. Liu, W. W. Ge, R. S. Mao, X. W. Ma, M. Z. Sun, X. L. Tu, Y. M. Xing, J. C. Yang, Y. J. Yuan, Q. Zeng , et al. (9 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Isochronous Mass Spectrometry (IMS) in heavy-ion storage rings is an excellent experimental method for precision mass measurements of exotic nuclei. In the IMS, the storage ring is tuned in a special isochronous ion-optical mode. Thus, the mass-over-charge ratios of the stored ions are directly reflected by their respective revolution times in first order. However, the inevitable momentum spread o… ▽ More Isochronous Mass Spectrometry (IMS) in heavy-ion storage rings is an excellent experimental method for precision mass measurements of exotic nuclei. In the IMS, the storage ring is tuned in a special isochronous ion-optical mode. Thus, the mass-over-charge ratios of the stored ions are directly reflected by their respective revolution times in first order. However, the inevitable momentum spread of secondary ions increases the peak widths in the measured spectra and consequently limits the achieved mass precision. In order to achieve a higher mass resolving power, the ring aperture was reduced to 60 mm by applying a mechanical slit system at the dispersive straight section. The momentum acceptance was reduced as well as better isochronous conditions were achieved. The results showed a significant improvement of the mass resolving power reaching $5.2 \times 10^{5}$, though at the cost of about 40\% ion loss. △ Less

Submitted 28 May, 2019; originally announced May 2019.

Comments: 6 pages, 6 figures, proceeding of EMIS2018

Application of isochronous mass spectrometry for the study of angular momentum population in projectile fragmentation reactions

Authors: X. L. Tu, A. Kelic-Heil, Yu. A. Litvinov, Zs. Podolyak, Y. H. Zhang, W. J. Huang, H. S. Xu, K. Blaum, F. Bosch, R. J. Chen, X. C. Chen, C. Y. Fu, B. S. Gao, Z. Ge, Z. G. Hu, D. W. Liu, S. A. Litvinov, X. W. Ma, R. S. Mao, B. Mei, P. Shuai, B. H. Sun, Y. Sun, Z. Y. Sun, P. M. Walker , et al. (15 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Isochronous mass spectrometry was applied to measure isomeric yield ratios of fragmentation reaction products. This approach is complementary to conventional gamma-ray spectroscopy in particular for measuring yield ratios for long-lived isomeric states. Isomeric yield ratios for the high-spin I = 19/2 states in the mirror nuclei 53Fe and 53Co are measured to study angular momentum population follo… ▽ More Isochronous mass spectrometry was applied to measure isomeric yield ratios of fragmentation reaction products. This approach is complementary to conventional gamma-ray spectroscopy in particular for measuring yield ratios for long-lived isomeric states. Isomeric yield ratios for the high-spin I = 19/2 states in the mirror nuclei 53Fe and 53Co are measured to study angular momentum population following the projectile fragmentation of 78Kr at energies of 480A MeV on a beryllium target. The 19/2 state isomeric ratios of 53Fe produced from different projectiles in the literature have also been extracted as a function of mass number difference between projectile and fragment (mass loss). The results are compared to ABRABLA07 model calculations. The isomeric ratios of 53Fe produced using different projectiles suggest that the theory underestimates not only the previously reported dependence on the spin but also the dependence on the mass loss. △ Less

Submitted 22 November, 2018; originally announced November 2018.

Comments: 6 pages, 5 figures

A method to measure the transition energy $γ_{t}$ of the isochronously tuned storage ring

Authors: R. J. Chen, X. L. Yan, W. W. Ge, Y. J. Yuan, M. Wang, M. Z. Sun, Y. M. Xing, P. Zhang, C. Y. Fu, P. Shuai, X. Xu, Y. H. Zhang, T. Bao, X. C. Chen, X. J. Hu, W. J. Huang, H. F. Li, J. H. Liu, Yu. A. Litvinov, S. A. Litvinov, L. J. Mao, B. Wu, H. S. Xu, J. C. Yang, D. Y. Yin , et al. (5 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The Isochronous Mass Spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful technique developed in heavy-ion storage rings for measuring masses of very short-lived exotic nuclei. The IMS is based on the isochronous setting of the ring. One of the main parameters of this setting is the transition energy $γ_{t}$. %The transition energy $γ_{t}$ plays an important role in the isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS). It has bee… ▽ More The Isochronous Mass Spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful technique developed in heavy-ion storage rings for measuring masses of very short-lived exotic nuclei. The IMS is based on the isochronous setting of the ring. One of the main parameters of this setting is the transition energy $γ_{t}$. %The transition energy $γ_{t}$ plays an important role in the isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS). It has been a challenge to determine the $γ_{t}$ and especially to monitor the variation of $γ_{t}$ during experiments. In this paper we introduce a method to measure the $γ_{t}$ online during IMS experiments by using the acquired experimental data. Furthermore, since the storage ring has (in our context) a relatively large momentum acceptance, the variation of the $γ_{t}$ across the ring acceptance is a source of systematic uncertainty of measured masses. With the installation of two time-of-flight (TOF) detectors, the velocity of each stored ion and its revolution time are simultaneously available for the analysis. These quantities enabled us to determine the $γ_{t}$ as a function of orbital length in the ring. The presented method is especially important for future IMS experiments planned at the new-generation storage ring facilities FAIR in Germany and HIAF in China. △ Less

Submitted 22 November, 2018; originally announced November 2018.

Comments: 7 pages

Polarization and Entanglement in Baryon-Antibaryon Pair Production in Electron-Positron Annihilation

Authors: BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, S. Ahmed, M. Albrecht, M. Alekseev, A. Amoroso, F. F. An, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, R. Baldini Ferroli, Y. Ban, K. Begzsuren, D. W. Bennett, J. V. Bennett, N. Berger, M. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Boger, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere, H. Cai, X. Cai , et al. (444 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using a sample of $1.31\times 10^9$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector, we report the first observation of spin polarization of $Λ$ and $\barΛ$ hyperons from the coherent production in the $J/ψ\toΛ\barΛ$ decay. We measure the phase between the hadronic form factors to be $ΔΦ=(42.4\pm0.6\pm0.5)^\circ$. The decay parameters for $Λ\to pπ^-$ ($α_-$), $\barΛ\to\bar pπ^+$ ($α_+$) and… ▽ More Using a sample of $1.31\times 10^9$ $J/ψ$ events collected with the BESIII detector, we report the first observation of spin polarization of $Λ$ and $\barΛ$ hyperons from the coherent production in the $J/ψ\toΛ\barΛ$ decay. We measure the phase between the hadronic form factors to be $ΔΦ=(42.4\pm0.6\pm0.5)^\circ$. The decay parameters for $Λ\to pπ^-$ ($α_-$), $\barΛ\to\bar pπ^+$ ($α_+$) and $\barΛ\to\bar nπ^0$ ($\barα_0$) are measured to be $α_-=0.750\pm0.009\pm0.004$, $α_+=-0.758\pm0.010\pm0.007$ and $\barα_0=-0.692\pm0.016\pm0.006$, respectively. The obtained value of $α_-$ is higher by $(17\pm 3)\%$ than the current world average. In addition, the $CP$ asymmetry of $-0.006\pm0.012\pm0.007$ is extracted with substantially improved precision. The ratio $\barα_0/α_{+} = 0.913\pm 0.028 \pm 0.012$ is also measured. △ Less

Submitted 27 August, 2018; originally announced August 2018.

Comments: 12 pages, 6 figures

First application of combined isochronous and Schottky mass spectrometry: Half-lives of fully ionized 49Cr24+ and 53Fe26+ atoms

Authors: X. L. Tu, X. C. Chen, J. T. Zhang, P. Shuai, K. Yue, X. Xu, C. Y. Fu, Q. Zeng, X. Zhou, Y. M. Xing, J. X. Wu, R. S. Mao, L. J. Mao, K. H. Fang, Z. Y. Sun, M. Wang, J. C. Yang, Yu. A. Litvinov, K. Blaum, Y. H. Zhang, Y. J. Yuan, X. W. Ma, X. H. Zhou, H. S. Xu

Abstract: Lifetime measurements of b -decaying highly charged ions have been performed in the storage ring CSRe by applying the isochronous Schottky mass spectrometry. The fully ionized 49Cr and 53Fe ions were produced in projectile fragmentation of 58Ni primary beam and were stored in the CSRe tuned into the isochronous ion-optical mode. The new resonant Schottky detector was applied to monitor the intensi… ▽ More Lifetime measurements of b -decaying highly charged ions have been performed in the storage ring CSRe by applying the isochronous Schottky mass spectrometry. The fully ionized 49Cr and 53Fe ions were produced in projectile fragmentation of 58Ni primary beam and were stored in the CSRe tuned into the isochronous ion-optical mode. The new resonant Schottky detector was applied to monitor the intensities of stored uncooled 49Cr24+ and 53Fe26+ ions. The extracted half-lives T1/2(49Cr24+) = 44.0(27) min and T1/2(53Fe26+) = 8.47(19) min are in excellent agreement with the literature half-life values corrected for the disabled electron capture branchings. This is an important proof-of-principle step towards realizing the simultaneous mass and lifetime measurements on exotic nuclei at the future storage ring facilities. △ Less

Submitted 8 April, 2018; originally announced April 2018.

Mass Measurements of Neutron-Deficient Y, Zr, and Nb Isotopes and Their Impact on $rp$ and $νp$ Nucleosynthesis Processes

Authors: Y. M. Xing, K. A. Li, Y. H. Zhang, X. H. Zhou, M. Wang, Yu. A. Litvinov, K. Blaum, S. Wanajo, S. Kubono, G. Martínez-Pinedo, A. Sieverding, R. J. Chen, P. Shuai, C. Y. Fu, X. L. Yan, W. J. Huang, X. Xu, X. D. Tang, H. S. Xu, T. Bao, X. C. Chen, B. S. Gao, J. J. He, Y. H. Lam, H. F. Li , et al. (26 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Using isochronous mass spectrometry at the experimental storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou, the masses of $^{82}$Zr and $^{84}$Nb were measured for the first time with an uncertainty of $\sim 10$ keV, and the masses of $^{79}$Y, $^{81}$Zr, and $^{83}$Nb were re-determined with a higher precision. %The latter differ significantly from their literature values. The latter are significantly less bound than… ▽ More Using isochronous mass spectrometry at the experimental storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou, the masses of $^{82}$Zr and $^{84}$Nb were measured for the first time with an uncertainty of $\sim 10$ keV, and the masses of $^{79}$Y, $^{81}$Zr, and $^{83}$Nb were re-determined with a higher precision. %The latter differ significantly from their literature values. The latter are significantly less bound than their literature values. Our new and accurate masses remove the irregularities of the mass surface in this region of the nuclear chart. Our results do not support the predicted island of pronounced low $α$ separation energies for neutron-deficient Mo and Tc isotopes, making the formation of Zr-Nb cycle in the $rp$-process unlikely. The new proton separation energy of $^{83}$Nb was determined to be 490(400)~keV smaller than that in the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2012. This partly removes the overproduction of the $p$-nucleus $^{84}$Sr relative to the neutron-deficient molybdenum isotopes in the previous $νp$-process simulations. △ Less

Submitted 6 April, 2018; originally announced April 2018.

Towards the full realization of the RIBLL2 beam line at the HIRFL-CSR complex

Authors: Bao-Hua Sun, Jian-Wei Zhao, Xue-Heng Zhang, Li-Na Sheng, Zhi-Yu Sun, Isao Tanihata, Satoru Terashima, Yong Zheng, Li-Hua Zhu, Li-Min Duan, Liu-Chun He, Rong-Jiang Hu, Guang-Shuai Li, Wen-Jian Lin, Wei-Ping Lin, Chuan-Ye Liu, Zhong Liu, Chen-Gui Lu, Xin-Wen Ma, Li-Jun Mao, Yi Tian, Feng Wang, Meng Wang, Shi-Tao Wang, Jia-Wen Xia , et al. (9 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The RIBLL2 in-flight separator at IMP, the secondary beam line between two storage rings at the \blue{\uwave{Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL-CSR)}}, has been commissioned to study the rare-isotope beam (RIB) physics at around 300 MeV/nucleon for the first time, in combination of the external target facility (ETF). The unambiguous particle identification in mass and charge states for… ▽ More The RIBLL2 in-flight separator at IMP, the secondary beam line between two storage rings at the \blue{\uwave{Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL-CSR)}}, has been commissioned to study the rare-isotope beam (RIB) physics at around 300 MeV/nucleon for the first time, in combination of the external target facility (ETF). The unambiguous particle identification in mass and charge states for $^{18}$O and $^{40}$Ar fragments has been achieved in recent experiments. A full realization of RIBLL2 will open many potentials to address important RIB physics problems at around 300 MeV/nucleon. △ Less

Submitted 11 February, 2018; v1 submitted 7 December, 2017; originally announced December 2017.

Comments: 3 pages, 2 figures

Journal ref: Science Bulletin 63 (2018) 78-80