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1. Quantum state control on the chemical reactivity of a transition metal vanadium cation in carbon dioxide activation

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C9CP00575G  

   Chang, Yih Chung; Xu, Yuntao; Ng, Cheuk-Yiu (March 2019, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   By combining a newly developed two-color laser pulsed field ionization-photoion (PFI-PI) source and a double-quadrupole–double-octopole (DQDO) mass spectrometer, we investigated the integral cross sections ( σ s) of the vanadium cation (V + ) toward the activation of CO 2 in the center-of-mass kinetic energy ( E cm ) range from 0.1 to 10.0 eV. Here, V + was prepared in single spin–orbit levels of its lowest electronic states, a 5 D J ( J = 0–4), a 5 F J ( J = 1–5), and a 3 F J ( J = 2–4), with well-defined kinetic energies. For both product channels VO + + CO and VCO + + O identified, V + (a 3 F 2,3 ) is found to be greatly more reactive than V + (a 5 D 0,2 ) and V + (a 5 F 1,2 ), suggesting that the V + + CO 2 reaction system mainly proceeds via a “weak quintet-to-triplet spin-crossing” mechanism favoring the conservation of total electron spins. In addition, no J -state dependence was observed. The distinctive structures of the quantum electronic state selected integral cross sections observed as a function of E cm and the electronic state of the V + ion indicate that the difference in the chemical reactivity of the title reaction originated from the quantum-state instead of energy effects. Furthermore, this work suggests that the selection of the quantum electronic states a 3 F J ( J = 2–4) of the transition metal V + ion can greatly enhance the efficiency of CO 2 activation. 

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2. Quantum electronic control on chemical activation of methane by collision with spin–orbit state selected vanadium cation

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CP04333H  

   Ng, Cheuk-Yiu; Xu, Yuntao; Chang, Yih-Chung; Wannenmacher, Anna; Parziale, Matthew; Armentrout, P. B. (January 2021, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   null (Ed.)

   By coupling a newly developed quantum-electronic-state-selected supersonically cooled vanadium cation (V + ) beam source with a double quadrupole-double octopole (DQDO) ion–molecule reaction apparatus, we have investigated detailed absolute integral cross sections ( σ 's) for the reactions, V + [a 5 D J ( J = 0, 2), a 5 F J ( J = 1, 2), and a 3 F J ( J = 2, 3)] + CH 4 , covering the center-of-mass collision energy range of E cm = 0.1–10.0 eV. Three product channels, VH + + CH 3 , VCH 2 + + H 2 , and VCH 3 + + H, are unambiguously identified based on E cm -threshold measurements. No J -dependences for the σ curves ( σ versus E cm plots) of individual electronic states are discernible, which may indicate that the spin–orbit coupling is weak and has little effect on chemical reactivity. For all three product channels, the maximum σ values for the triplet a 3 F J state [ σ (a 3 F J )] are found to be more than ten times larger than those for the quintet σ (a 5 D J ) and σ (a 5 F J ) states, showing that a reaction mechanism favoring the conservation of total electron spin. Without performing a detailed theoretical study, we have tentatively interpreted that a weak quintet-to-triplet spin crossing is operative for the activation reaction. The σ (a 5 D 0 , a 5 F 1 , and a 3 F 2) measurements for the VH + , VCH 2 + , and VCH 3 + product ion channels along with accounting of the kinetic energy distribution due to the thermal broadening effect for CH 4 have allowed the determination of the 0 K bond dissociation energies: D 0 (V + –H) = 2.02 (0.05) eV, D 0 (V + –CH 2 ) = 3.40 (0.07) eV, and D 0 (V + –CH 3 ) = 2.07 (0.09) eV. Detailed branching ratios of product ion channels for the titled reaction have also been reported. Excellent simulations of the σ curves obtained previously for V + generated by surface ionization at 1800–2200 K can be achieved by the linear combination of the σ (a 5 D J , a 5 F J , and a 3 F J ) curves weighted by the corresponding Boltzmann populations of the electronic states. In addition to serving as a strong validation of the thermal equilibrium assumption for the populations of the V + electronic states in the hot filament ionization source, the agreement between these results also confirmed that the V + (a 5 D J , a 5 F J , and a 3 F J ) states prepared in this experiment are in single spin–orbit states with 100% purity. 

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3. Search for the dark photon in B0 → A′A′, A′ → e+e−, μ+μ−, and π+π− decays at Belle

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2021)191  

   Park, S.-H.; Kwon, Y.-J.; Adachi, I.; Aihara, H.; Al Said, S.; Asner, D. M.; Atmacan, H.; Aushev, T.; Ayad, R.; Babu, V.; et al (April 2021, Journal of High Energy Physics)

   null (Ed.)

   A bstract We present a search for the dark photon A ′ in the B 0 → A ′ A ′ decays, where A ′ subsequently decays to e + e − , μ + μ − , and π + π − . The search is performed by analyzing 772 × 10 6 $$ B\overline{B} $$ B B ¯ events collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB e + e − energy-asymmetric collider at the ϒ(4 S ) resonance. No signal is found in the dark photon mass range 0 . 01 GeV /c 2 ≤ m A ′ ≤ 2 . 62 GeV /c 2 , and we set upper limits of the branching fraction of B 0 → A ′ A ′ at the 90% confidence level. The products of branching fractions, $$ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left({B}^0\to A^{\prime }A^{\prime}\right)\times \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}{\left(A\prime \to {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\right)}^2 $$ ℬ B 0 → A ′ A ′ × ℬ A ′ → e + e − 2 and $$ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left({B}^0\to A^{\prime }A^{\prime}\right)\times \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}{\left(A\prime \to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)}^2 $$ ℬ B 0 → A ′ A ′ × ℬ A ′ → μ + μ − 2 , have limits of the order of 10 − 8 depending on the A ′ mass. Furthermore, considering A ′ decay rate to each pair of charged particles, the upper limits of $$ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left({B}^0\to A^{\prime }A^{\prime}\right) $$ ℬ B 0 → A ′ A ′ are of the order of 10 − 8 –10 − 5 . From the upper limits of $$ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left({B}^0\to A^{\prime }A^{\prime}\right) $$ ℬ B 0 → A ′ A ′ , we obtain the Higgs portal coupling for each assumed dark photon and dark Higgs mass. The Higgs portal couplings are of the order of 10 − 2 –10 − 1 at $$ {m}_{h\prime}\simeq {m}_{B^0} $$ m h ′ ≃ m B 0 ± 40 MeV /c 2 and 10 − 1 –1 at $$ {m}_{h\prime}\simeq {m}_{B^0} $$ m h ′ ≃ m B 0 ± 3 GeV /c 2 . 

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4. Nuclear C(e, e′p) Transparencies in a Relativistic Glauber Model

   https://doi.org/10.3390/physics4020045  

   Cosyn, Wim; Ryckebusch, Jan (June 2022, Physics)

   In light of the recent Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) data for the nuclear 12C(e,e′p) transparencies, calculations, obtained in a relativistic multiple scattering Glauber approximation, are discussed. The shell-separated 12C transparencies are shown and it is concluded that the p-shell nucleons are 75% more transparent than the s-shell ones. The presented comparisons between the calculations made here and the current 12C(e,e′p) data show no clear indication for the onset of color transparency when implemented within the color diffusion model with standard parameters. 

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5. Detection of the 4.4-MeV gamma rays from 16O( ν, ν ′)16O(12.97 MeV, 2−) with a water Cherenkov detector in supernova neutrino bursts

   https://doi.org/10.1093/ptep/ptac168  

   Sakuda, Makoto; Suzuki, Toshio; Reen, Mandeep Singh; Nakazato, Ken’ichiro; Suzuki, Hideyuki (January 2023, Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics)

   Abstract We first discuss and determine the isospin mixing of the two 2− states (12.53 MeV and 12.97 MeV) of the16O nucleus using inelastic electron scattering data. We then evaluate the cross section of 4.4-MeV γ rays produced in the neutrino neutral-current (NC) reaction 16O(ν, ν′)16O(12.97 MeV, 2−) in a water Cherenkov detector at a low energy, below 100 MeV. The detection of γ rays for Eγ > 5 MeV from the NC reaction 16O(ν, ν′)16O(Ex > 16 MeV, T = 1) with a water Cherenkov detector in supernova neutrino bursts has been proposed and discussed by several authors previously. In this article, we discuss a new NC reaction channel from 16O(12.97 MeV, 2−) producing a 4.4-MeV γ ray, the cross section of which is more robust and even larger at low energy (Eν < 25 MeV) than the NC cross section from 16O(Ex > 16 MeV, T = 1). We also evaluate the number of such events induced by neutrinos from supernova explosion which can be observed by the Super-Kamiokande, an Earth-based 32-kton water Cherenkov detector. 

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