Particles, Volume 7, Issue 3 (September 2024) – 10 articles

We review and meta-analyze particle data and properties of hadrons with measured rest masses. The results of our study are summarized as follows. (1) The strong-force suppression of the repulsive Coulomb forces between quarks is sufficient to explain the differences between mass deficits in nucleons and pions (and only them), the ground states with the longest known mean lifetimes; (2) unlike mass deficits, the excitations in rest masses of all particle groups are effectively quantized, but the rules are different in baryons and mesons; (3) the strong field is aware of the extra factor of ${\vartheta }_{\mathrm{e}}=2$ in the charges (Q) of the positively charged quarks; (4) mass deficits incorporate contributions proportional to the mass of each valence quark; (5) the scaling factor of these contributions is the same for each quark in each group of particles, provided that the factor ${\vartheta }_{\mathrm{e}}=2$ is taken into account; (6) besides hypercharge (Y), the much lesser-known “strong charge” ($Q^{\prime }=Y-Q$) is very useful in SU(3) in describing properties of particles located along the right-leaning sides and diagonals of the weight diagrams; (7) strong decays in which $Q^{\prime }$ is conserved are differentiated from weak decays, even for the same particle; and (8) the energy diagrams of (anti)quark transitions indicate the origin of CP violation. Full article

This paper attempts to classify various blinding strategies used in particle physics. It argues that the blinding technique is not used consistently throughout searches for new physics. More importantly, the blinding technique, in its traditional sense, cannot be applicable for many current and future searches when the statistical precision of data significantly exceeds the current level of our understanding of Standard Model (SM) backgrounds. Full article

Unruh effect entropy is estimated for a spherically symmetric source with an exponential energy distribution; angular degrees of freedom are suggested to be equally likely to contribute. Calculations are performed with an assumption about finite energy and multiplicity ranges. The result is represented in the units of Schwarzschild black hole entropy, with the analytical ratio being expressed analytically and generalized to homogeneous distribution over other degrees of freedom. Full article

Focusing on elastic neutrino–electron scattering events, we explore the prospect of constraining new physics beyond the Standard Model at the DUNE Near Detector (ND). Specifically, we extract the attainable sensitivities for motivated scenarios such as neutrino generalized interactions (NGIs), the sterile neutrino dipole portal and unitarity violation. We furthermore examine the impact of the $\tau$-optimized flux at the DUNE-ND and compare our results with those obtained using the standard CP-optimized flux. We find that our present analysis is probing a previously unexplored region of the parameter space, complementing existing results from cosmological observations and terrestrial experiments. Full article

Any Geiger counter can be used as an effective cosmic ray detector on its own. In fact, it is known that even in the absence of a radioactive source, the instrument detects what is known as background radiation, which consists of various types of ionizing particles present in the environment. Remarkably, it is estimated that up to 15% of this background radiation is attributable to cosmic rays, high-energy particles originating from outer space. The remaining radiation detected by the Geiger counter originates from terrestrial sources, such as natural radioactivity in the ground and in the air. The main goal of this project is to build a muon detector for scientific and educational purposes using two commercial DIY Geiger counter kits and just a few additional components. To identify cosmic radiation from terrestrial radiation and improve the accuracy of cosmic ray measurements, the use of a coincident circuit is essential. This coincident circuit was introduced in cosmic ray physics by Walther Bothe and Bruno Rossi in the early 1930s and allows for the detection of a subatomic particle passing through two or more sensors, thereby reducing false positives and enhancing the reliability of cosmic ray detection. The following idea is an alternative replica of our AMD5 detectors, instruments that we have been using for years to teach and perform scientific experiments in the cosmic ray field under the umbrella of the ADA project (2023 Particles, Arcani et al.). The resulting device, named AMD5ALI, offers a reliable and inexpensive solution for the same goal, making it a valuable tool for both educational purposes and scientific surveys. Practical applications range from cosmic ray physics to radioactivity, including the relationship between cosmic ray flux and meteorology, the zenithal effect, the Regener–Pfotzer curve in the atmosphere, and the anti-correlation of cosmic particle intensity with solar activity. Full article

The deformed shell model (DSM), based on Hartree–Fock intrinsic states with angular momentum projection and band mixing, has been found to be quite successful in describing many spectroscopic properties of nuclei in the A = 60–100 region. More importantly, DSM has been used recently with good success in calculating nuclear structure factors, which are needed for a variety of weak interaction processes. In this article, in addition to giving an overview of this, we discuss the applications of DSM to obtain cross-sections for coherent and incoherent neutrino nucleus scattering on ^96,98,100Mo targets and also for obtaining two neutrino double beta decay nuclear transition matrix elements for ¹⁰⁰Mo. Full article

Background: From new results presented in the literature we discuss the hypothesis, presented in an our previous work, that the ultrafast periodic spectral modulations at $f_S=0.607\pm 0.08$ THz found in the spectra of 236 stars of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) were due to oscillations induced by dark matter (DM) cores in their centers that behave as oscillating boson stars. Two other frequencies were found by Borra in the redshift-corrected SDSS galactic spectra, $f_{1,G}={9.71}_{-0.19}^{+0.20}$ THz and $f_{2,G}={9.17}_{-0.16}^{+0.18}$ THz; the latter was then shown by Hippke to be a spurious frequency introduced by the data analysis procedure. Results: Within the experimental errors, the frequency $f_{1,G}$ is the beating of the two frequencies, the spurious one, $f_{2,G}$ and $f_S$ that was also independently detected in a real solar spectrum, but not in the Kurucz’s artificial solar spectrum by Hippke, suggesting that $f_S$ could actually be a real frequency. Independent SETI observations by Isaacson et al., taken at different epochs, of four of these 236 stars could not confirm with high confidence—without completely excluding—the presence of $f_S$ in their power spectra and with the same power initially observed. Instead, the radio SETI deep-learning analysis with artificial intelligence (AI) gave an indirect confirmation of the presence of $f_S$ through the detection of a narrowband Doppler drifting of the observed radio signals in two stars, over a sample of 7 with a high S/N. These two stars belong to the set of the 236 SDSS stars. Numerical simulations confirm that this drifting can be due to frequency and phase modulation in time of the observed frequencies (1.3–1.7 GHz) with $f_S$. Conclusions: Assuming the DM hypothesis, the upper mass limit of the axion-like DM particle is $m_a\simeq 2.4\times {10}^3\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$, in agreement with the results from the gamma ray burst GRB221009A, laser interferometry experiments, suggesting new physics with additional axion-like particle fields for the muon g-2 anomaly. Full article

The mass spectrum of different meson particles is generated using an effective Lagrangian of the extended linear-sigma model (eLSM) for scalar and pseudoscalar meson fields and quark flavors, up, down, strange, and charm. Analytical formulas for the masses of scalar, pseudoscalar, vector, and axialvector meson states are derived assuming global chiral symmetry. The various eLSM parameters are analytically deduced and numerically computed. This enables accurate estimations of the masses of sixteen noncharmed and thirteen charmed meson states at vanishing temperature. The comparison of these results to a recent compilation of the particle data group (PDG) allows us to draw the conclusion that the masses of sixteen noncharmed and thirteen charmed meson states calculated in the eLSM are in good agreement with the PDG. This shows that the eLSM, with its configurations and parameters, is an effective theoretical framework for determining the mass spectra of various noncharmed and charmed meson states, particularly at vanishing temperature. Full article

Equations of a heavy rotating body with one fixed point can be deduced starting from a variational problem with holonomic constraints. When applying this formalism to the particular case of a Lagrange top, in the formulation with a diagonal inertia tensor the potential energy has a more complicated form as compared with that assumed in the literature on dynamics of a rigid body. This implies the corresponding improvements in equations of motion. Therefore, we revised this case, presenting several examples of analytical solutions to the improved equations. The case of precession without nutation has a surprisingly rich relationship between the rotation and precession rates, which is discussed in detail. Full article

Inspired by recent findings that semi-inclusive detections of heavy hadrons exhibit fair stabilization patterns in high-energy resummed distributions against (missing) higher-order corrections, we review and extend our studies on the hadroproduction of light and heavy hadrons tagged in forward and far-forward rapidity ranges. We analyze the $\mathrm{NLL}/{\mathrm{NLO}}^{+}$ behavior of rapidity rates and angular multiplicities via the Jethad method, where the resummation of next-to-leading energy logarithms and beyond is consistently embodied in the collinear picture. We explore kinematic regions that are within LHC typical acceptances, as well as novel sectors accessible thanks the combined tagging of a far-forward light or heavy hadron at future Forward Physics Facilities and a of central particle at LHC experiments via a precise timing-coincidence setup. Full article