The spin-exotic hybrid meson $\pi_{1}(1600)$ is predicted to have a large decay rate to the $\omega\pi\pi$ final state. Using 76.6~pb$^{-1}$ of data collected with the GlueX detector, we measure the cross sections for the reactions $\gamma p \to \omega \pi^+ \pi^- p$, $\gamma p \to \omega \pi^0 \pi^0 p$, and $\gamma p\to\omega\pi^-\pi^0\Delta^{++}$ in the range $E_\gamma =$ 8-10 GeV. Using isospin conservation, we set the first upper limits on the photoproduction cross sections of the $\pi^{0}_{1}(1600)$ and $\pi^{-}_{1}(1600)$. We combine these limits with lattice calculations of decay widths and find that photoproduction of $\eta'\pi$ is the most sensitive two-body system to search for the $\pi_1(1600)$.
A measurement of the WZ$γ$ triboson production cross section is presented. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis focuses on the final state with three charged leptons, $\ell^\pmν\ell^+\ell^-$, where $\ell$ = e or $μ$, accompanied by an additional photon. The observed (expected) significance of the WZ$γ$ signal is 5.4 (3.8) standard deviations. The cross section is measured in a fiducial region, where events with an $\ell$ originating from a tau lepton decay are excluded, to be 5.48 $\pm$ 1.11 fb, which is compatible with the prediction of 3.69 $\pm$ 0.24 fb at next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. Exclusion limits are set on anomalous quartic gauge couplings and on the production cross sections of massive axion-like particles.
The total cross section for Compton scattering off atomic electrons, $γ+e\rightarrowγ'+e'$, was measured using photons with energies between 6.5 and 11.1 GeV incident on a $^9$Be target as part of the PrimEx-eta experiment in Hall D at Jefferson Lab. This is the first measurement of this fundamental QED process within this energy range. The total uncertainties of the cross section, combining the statistical and systematic components in quadrature, averaged to 3.4% across all energy bins. This not only demonstrates the capability of this experimental setup to perform precision cross-section measurements at forward angles but also allows us to compare with state-of-the-art QED calculations.
We measure the spin-density matrix elements (SDMEs) for the photoproduction of $ϕ(1020)$ off of the proton in its decay to $K_S^0K_L^0$, using 105 pb$^{-1}$ of data collected with a linearly polarized photon beam using the GlueX experiment. The SDMEs are measured in nine bins of the squared four-momentum transfer $t$ in the range $-t=0.15-1.0$ GeV$^2$, providing the first measurement of their $t$-dependence for photon beam energies $E_γ= 8.2-8.8$ GeV. We confirm the dominance of Pomeron exchange in this region, and put constraints on the contribution of other Regge exchanges. We also find that helicity amplitudes where the helicity of the photon and the $ϕ(1020)$ differ by two units are negligible.
The GlueX experiment at Jefferson Lab has observed $p\bar{p}$ and, for the first time, $Λ\barΛ$ and $p\barΛ$ photoproduction from a proton target at photon energies up to 11.6 GeV. The angular distributions are forward peaked for all produced pairs, consistent with Regge-like $t$-channel exchange. Asymmetric wide-angle anti-baryon distributions show the presence of additional processes. In a phenomenological model, we find consistency with a double $t$-channel exchange process where anti-baryons are created only at the middle vertex. The model matches all observed distributions with a small number of free parameters. In the hyperon channels, we observe a clear distinction between photoproduction of the $Λ\barΛ$ and $p\barΛ$ systems but general similarity to the $p\bar{p}$ system. We report both total cross sections and cross sections differential with respect to momentum transfer and the invariant masses of the created particle pairs. No narrow resonant structures were found in these reaction channels. The suppression of $s\bar{s}$ quark pairs relative to $d\bar{d}$ quark pairs is similar to what has been seen in other reactions.
A search for low-mass dilepton resonances in Higgs boson decays is conducted in the four-lepton final state. The decay is assumed to proceed via a pair of beyond the standard model particles, or one such particle and a Z boson. The search uses proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$, at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the standard model expectation is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on model-independent Higgs boson decay branching fractions. Additionally, limits on dark photon and axion-like particle production, based on two specific models, are reported.
Inclusive and differential measurements of the top-antitop ($t\bar{t}$) charge asymmetry $A_\text{C}^{t\bar{t}}$ and the leptonic asymmetry $A_\text{C}^{\ell\bar{\ell}}$ are presented in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement uses the complete Run 2 dataset, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$, combines data in the single-lepton and dilepton channels, and employs reconstruction techniques adapted to both the resolved and boosted topologies. A Bayesian unfolding procedure is performed to correct for detector resolution and acceptance effects. The combined inclusive $t\bar{t}$ charge asymmetry is measured to be $A_\text{C}^{t\bar{t}} = 0.0068 \pm 0.0015$, which differs from zero by 4.7 standard deviations. Differential measurements are performed as a function of the invariant mass, transverse momentum and longitudinal boost of the $t\bar{t}$ system. Both the inclusive and differential measurements are found to be compatible with the Standard Model predictions, at next-to-next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics perturbation theory with next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections. The measurements are interpreted in the framework of the Standard Model effective field theory, placing competitive bounds on several Wilson coefficients.
We report measurements of $\varUpsilon(1S)$, $\varUpsilon(2S)$ and $\varUpsilon(3S)$ production in $\textit{p+p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=500\:\mathrm{GeV}$ by the STAR experiment in year 2011, corresponding to an integrated luminosity $\mathcal{L}_{int}=13\:\mathrm{pb^{-1}}$. The results provide precise cross sections, transverse momentum ($p_{T}$) and rapidity ($y$) spectra, as well as cross section ratios for $p_{\mathrm{T}}<10\:\mathrm{GeV/c}$ and $|y|<1$. The dependence of the $\varUpsilon$ yield on charged particle multiplicity has also been measured, offering new insights into the mechanisms of quarkonium production. The data are compared to various theoretical models: the Color Evaporation Model (CEM) accurately describes the $\varUpsilon(1S)$ production, while the Color Glass Condensate + Non-relativistic Quantum Chromodynamics (CGC+NRQCD) model overestimates the data, particularly at low $p_{T}$. Conversely, the Color Singlet Model (CSM) underestimates the rapidity dependence. These discrepancies highlight the need for further development in understanding the production dynamics of heavy quarkonia in high-energy hadronic collisions. The trend in the multiplicity dependence is consistent with CGC/Saturation and String Percolation models or $\varUpsilon$ production happening in multiple parton interactions modeled by PYTHIA8.
Atomic nuclei are self-organized, many-body quantum systems bound by strong nuclear forces within femtometer-scale space. These complex systems manifest a variety of shapes, traditionally explored using non-invasive spectroscopic techniques at low energies. However, at these energies, their instantaneous shapes are obscured by long-timescale quantum fluctuations, making direct observation challenging. Here we introduce the ``collective flow assisted nuclear shape imaging'' method, which images the nuclear global shape by colliding them at ultrarelativistic speeds and analyzing the collective response of outgoing debris. This technique captures a collision-specific snapshot of the spatial matter distribution within the nuclei, which, through the hydrodynamic expansion, imprints patterns on the particle momentum distribution observed in detectors. We benchmark this method in collisions of ground state Uranium-238 nuclei, known for their elongated, axial-symmetric shape. Our findings show a large deformation with a slight deviation from axial symmetry in the nuclear ground state, aligning broadly with previous low-energy experiments. This approach offers a new method for imaging nuclear shapes, enhances our understanding of the initial conditions in high-energy collisions and addresses the important issue of nuclear structure evolution across energy scales.
In a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), the fundamental building blocks of matter, quarks and gluons, are under extreme conditions of temperature and density. A QGP could exist in the early stages of the Universe, and in various objects and events in the cosmos. The thermodynamic and hydrodynamic properties of the QGP are described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and can be studied in heavy-ion collisions. Despite being a key thermodynamic parameter, the QGP temperature is still poorly known. Thermal lepton pairs ($e^+e^-$ and $\mu^+\mu^-$) are ideal penetrating probes of the true temperature of the emitting source, since their invariant-mass spectra suffer neither from strong final-state interactions nor from blue-shift effects due to rapid expansion. Here we measure the QGP temperature using thermal $e^+e^-$ production at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The average temperature from the low-mass region (in-medium $\rho^0$ vector-meson dominant) is $(1.99 \pm 0.24) \times 10^{12}$ K, consistent with the chemical freeze-out temperature from statistical models and the phase transition temperature from LQCD. The average temperature from the intermediate mass region (above the $\rho^0$ mass, QGP dominant) is significantly higher at $(3.40 \pm 0.55)\times 10^{12}$ K. This work provides essential experimental thermodynamic measurements to map out the QCD phase diagram and understand the properties of matter under extreme conditions.