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1. Highly-excited Rydberg excitons in synthetic thin-film cuprous oxide

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41465-y  

   DeLange, Jacob; Barua, Kinjol; Paul, Anindya Sundar; Ohadi, Hamid; Zwiller, Val; Steinhauer, Stephan; Alaeian, Hadiseh (December 2023, Scientific Reports)

   Abstract Cuprous oxide ($$\hbox {Cu}{}_2\hbox {O}$$ $\text{Cu}{}_2\text{O}$) has recently emerged as a promising material in solid-state quantum technology, specifically for its excitonic Rydberg states characterized by large principal quantum numbers (n). The significant wavefunction size of these highly-excited states (proportional to$$n^2$$ $n^2$) enables strong long-range dipole-dipole (proportional to$$n^4$$ $n^4$) and van der Waals interactions (proportional to$$n^{11}$$ $n^{11}$). Currently, the highest-lying Rydberg states are found in naturally occurring$$\hbox {Cu}_2\hbox {O}$$ ${\text{Cu}}_2\text{O}$. However, for technological applications, the ability to grow high-quality synthetic samples is essential. The fabrication of thin-film$$\hbox {Cu}{}_2\hbox {O}$$ $\text{Cu}{}_2\text{O}$samples is of particular interest as they hold potential for observing extreme single-photon nonlinearities through the Rydberg blockade. Nevertheless, due to the susceptibility of high-lying states to charged impurities, growing synthetic samples of sufficient quality poses a substantial challenge. This study successfully demonstrates the CMOS-compatible synthesis of a$$\hbox {Cu}{}_2\hbox {O}$$ $\text{Cu}{}_2\text{O}$thin film on a transparent substrate that showcases Rydberg excitons up to$$n = 8$$ $n=8$which is readily suitable for photonic device fabrications. These findings mark a significant advancement towards the realization of scalable and on-chip integrable Rydberg quantum technologies. 

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2. JUNO sensitivity to invisible decay modes of neutrons

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13638-0  

   Abusleme, Angel; Adam, Thomas; Adamowicz, Kai; Ahmad, Shakeel; Ahmed, Rizwan; Aiello, Sebastiano; An, Fengpeng; An, Qi; Andronico, Giuseppe; Anfimov, Nikolay; et al (January 2025, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract We explore the decay of bound neutrons in the JUNO liquid scintillator detector into invisible particles (e.g.,$$n\rightarrow 3 \nu $$ $n\to 3\nu$or$$nn \rightarrow 2 \nu $$ $nn\to 2\nu$), which do not produce an observable signal. The invisible decay includes two decay modes:$$ n \rightarrow { inv} $$ $n\to \mathrm{inv}$and$$ nn \rightarrow { inv} $$ $nn\to \mathrm{inv}$. The invisible decays ofs-shell neutrons in$$^{12}\textrm{C}$$ $_{}^{12}\text{C}$will leave a highly excited residual nucleus. Subsequently, some de-excitation modes of the excited residual nuclei can produce a time- and space-correlated triple coincidence signal in the JUNO detector. Based on a full Monte Carlo simulation informed with the latest available data, we estimate all backgrounds, including inverse beta decay events of the reactor antineutrino$${\bar{\nu }}_e$$ ${\overline{\nu }}_e$, natural radioactivity, cosmogenic isotopes and neutral current interactions of atmospheric neutrinos. Pulse shape discrimination and multivariate analysis techniques are employed to further suppress backgrounds. With two years of exposure, JUNO is expected to give an order of magnitude improvement compared to the current best limits. After 10 years of data taking, the JUNO expected sensitivities at a 90% confidence level are$$\tau /B( n \rightarrow { inv} ) > 5.0 \times 10^{31} \, \textrm{years}$$ $\tau /B(n\to \mathrm{inv})>5.0\times {10}^{31}\text{years}$and$$\tau /B( nn \rightarrow { inv} ) > 1.4 \times 10^{32} \, \textrm{years}$$ $\tau /B(nn\to \mathrm{inv})>1.4\times {10}^{32}\text{years}$. 

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3. Positron pair interactions in a nearly free-electron metal

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/s10053-022-00406-6  

   Mills, Jr., Allen Paine; Fuentes-Garcia, Melina (June 2022, The European Physical Journal D)

   AbstractThe electric field surrounding a single positron in a metal is screened by an increase in the local electron density which, in the case of nearly free-electron metals (like Al, Na, etc.), has a radial distribution similar to that of the electron in positronium (Ps). In such metals, a singlet pair of positrons would experience an attractive interaction and at low enough electron densities could possibly form a bound state that is held together by exchange and correlation energies, thus forming structures analogous to that of the positronium molecule (Ps$$_2$$ ${}_2$), with binding energies of a few tenths of an eV. Such di-positrons could be prevalent at positron densities of around 10$$^{18}$$ ${}^{18}$cm$$^{-3}$$ ${}^{-3}$and, if so, would be evident from an apparent broadening of the sharp step at the Fermi surface in measurements of the electron momentum distribution by the angular correlation of the 2$$\gamma $$ $\gamma$annihilation radiation. Even if di-positrons are not directly formed in a metal, optical spectroscopy of Ps$$_2$$ ${}_2$formed in vacuum via pairs of positrons simultaneously being emitted from the surface could be applied to the direct measurement of the momentum distribution of Cooper pairs. If they exist, di-positrons in metals would yield interesting information about electron and positron interactions and at very high densities might allow the study of a di-positron Bose–Einstein condensate immersed in an electron gas. Graphic Abstract 

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4. Measurement of the production cross section of prompt $$\Xi ^0_{\textrm{c}}$$ baryons in p–Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{{\textrm{NN}}}}=5.02$$ TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13531-w  

   Acharya, S; Adamová, D; Agarwal, A; Aglieri_Rinella, G; Aglietta, L; Agnello, M; Agrawal, N; Ahammed, Z; Ahmad, S; Ahn, S U; et al (January 2025, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract The transverse momentum ($$p_{\textrm{T}}$$ $p_{\text{T}}$) differential production cross section of the promptly produced charm-strange baryon$$\mathrm {\Xi _{c}^{0}}$$ ${\Xi }_c^0$(and its charge conjugate$$\overline{\mathrm {\Xi _{c}^{0}}}$$ $\overline{{\Xi }_c^0}$) is measured at midrapidity via its hadronic decay into$$\mathrm{\pi ^{+}}\Xi ^{-}$$ ${\pi }^{+}{\Xi }^{-}$in p–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision$$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}~=~5.02$$ $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The$$\mathrm {\Xi _{c}^{0}}$$ ${\Xi }_c^0$nuclear modification factor ($$R_{\textrm{pPb}}$$ $R_{\text{pPb}}$), calculated from the cross sections in pp and p–Pb collisions, is presented and compared with the$$R_{\textrm{pPb}}$$ $R_{\text{pPb}}$of$$\mathrm {\Lambda _{c}^{+}}$$ ${\Lambda }_c^{+}$baryons. The ratios between the$$p_{\textrm{T}}$$ $p_{\text{T}}$-differential production cross section of$$\mathrm {\Xi _{c}^{0}}$$ ${\Xi }_c^0$baryons and those of$$\mathrm {D^0}$$ $D^0$mesons and$$\mathrm {\Lambda _{c}^{+}}$$ ${\Lambda }_c^{+}$baryons are also reported and compared with results at forward and backward rapidity from the LHCb Collaboration. The measurements of the production cross section of prompt$$\Xi ^0_\textrm{c}$$ ${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^0$baryons are compared with a model based on perturbative QCD calculations of charm-quark production cross sections, which includes only cold nuclear matter effects in p–Pb collisions, and underestimates the measurement by a factor of about 50. This discrepancy is reduced when the data is compared with a model that includes string formation beyond leading-colour approximation or in which hadronisation is implemented via quark coalescence. The$$p_{\textrm{T}}$$ $p_{\text{T}}$-integrated cross section of prompt$$\Xi ^0_\textrm{c}$$ ${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^0$-baryon production at midrapidity extrapolated down to$$p_{\textrm{T}}$$ $p_{\text{T}}$= 0 is also reported. These measurements offer insights and constraints for theoretical calculations of the hadronisation process. Additionally, they provide inputs for the calculation of the charm production cross section in p–Pb collisions at midrapidity. 

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5. Measurement of non-prompt $${{\textrm{D}}^{0}}$$-meson elliptic flow in Pb–Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} = 5.02$$ TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-12259-3  

   Acharya, S; Adamová, D; Aglieri_Rinella, G; Agnello, M; Agrawal, N; Ahammed, Z; Ahmad, S; Ahn, S U; Ahuja, I; Akindinov, A; et al (December 2023, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract The elliptic flow$$(v_2)$$ $\left(v_2\right)$of$${\textrm{D}}^{0}$$ ${\text{D}}^0$mesons from beauty-hadron decays (non-prompt$${\textrm{D}}^{0})$$ ${\text{D}}^0)$was measured in midcentral (30–50%) Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair$$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} = 5.02$$ $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The$${\textrm{D}}^{0}$$ ${\text{D}}^0$mesons were reconstructed at midrapidity$$(|y|<0.8)$$ $\left(\right|y|<0.8)$from their hadronic decay$$\mathrm {D^0 \rightarrow K^-\uppi ^+}$$ $D^0\to K^{-}{\pi }^{+}$, in the transverse momentum interval$$2< p_{\textrm{T}} < 12$$ $2<p_{\text{T}}<12$ GeV/c. The result indicates a positive$$v_2$$ $v_2$for non-prompt$${{\textrm{D}}^{0}}$$ ${\text{D}}^0$mesons with a significance of 2.7$$\sigma $$ $\sigma$. The non-prompt$${{\textrm{D}}^{0}}$$ ${\text{D}}^0$-meson$$v_2$$ $v_2$is lower than that of prompt non-strange D mesons with 3.2$$\sigma $$ $\sigma$significance in$$2< p_\textrm{T} < 8~\textrm{GeV}/c$$ $2<p_{\text{T}}<8\text{GeV}/c$, and compatible with the$$v_2$$ $v_2$of beauty-decay electrons. Theoretical calculations of beauty-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding medium describe the measurement within uncertainties. 

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