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Creators/Authors contains: "Johnston, R"

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  1. Abstract We propose a new measurement of the ratio of positron-proton to electron-proton elastic scattering at DESY. The purpose is to determine the contributions beyond single-photon exchange, which are essential for the Quantum Electrodynamic (QED) description of the most fundamental process in hadronic physics. By utilizing a 20 cm long liquid hydrogen target in conjunction with the extracted beam from the DESY synchrotron, we can achieve an average luminosity of$$2.12\times 10^{35}$$ 2.12 × 10 35  cm$$^{-2}\cdot $$ - 2 · s$$^{-1}$$ - 1  ($$\approx 200$$ 200 times the luminosity achieved by OLYMPUS). The proposed two-photon exchange experiment (TPEX) entails a commissioning run at a beam energy of 2 GeV, followed by measurements at 3 GeV, thereby providing new data up to$$Q^2=4.6$$ Q 2 = 4.6  (GeV/c)$$^2$$ 2 (twice the range of current measurements). We present and discuss the proposed experimental setup, run plan, and expectations. 
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  2. Abstract The search for a dark photon holds considerable interest in the physics community. Such a force carrier would begin to illuminate the dark sector. Many experiments have searched for such a particle, but so far it has proven elusive. In recent years the concept of a low mass dark photon has gained popularity in the physics community. Of particular recent interest is the 8 Be and 4 He anomaly, which could be explained by a new fifth force carrier with a mass of 17 MeV/ c 2 . The proposed Darklight experiment would search for this potential low mass force carrier at ARIEL in the 10-20 MeV/ c 2 e + e − invariant mass range. This proceeding will focus on the experimental design and physics case of the Darklight experiment. 
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  3. Abstract The Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC) is a collection of short-duration (transient) gravitational-wave signals identified by the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration in gravitational-wave data produced by the eponymous detectors. The catalog provides information about the identified candidates, such as the arrival time and amplitude of the signal and properties of the signal’s source as inferred from the observational data. GWTC is the data release of this dataset, and version 4.0 extends the catalog to include observations made during the first part of the fourth LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA observing run up until 2024 January 31. This Letter marks an introduction to a collection of articles related to this version of the catalog, GWTC-4.0. The collection of articles accompanying the catalog provides documentation of the methods used to analyze the data, summaries of the catalog of events, observational measurements drawn from the population, and detailed discussions of selected candidates. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available December 9, 2026
  4. Abstract We report the observation of gravitational waves from two binary black hole coalescences during the fourth observing run of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA detector network, GW241011 and GW241110. The sources of these two signals are characterized by rapid and precisely measured primary spins, nonnegligible spin–orbit misalignment, and unequal mass ratios between their constituent black holes. These properties are characteristic of binaries in which the more massive object was itself formed from a previous binary black hole merger and suggest that the sources of GW241011 and GW241110 may have formed in dense stellar environments in which repeated mergers can take place. As the third-loudest gravitational-wave event published to date, with a median network signal-to-noise ratio of 36.0, GW241011 furthermore yields stringent constraints on the Kerr nature of black holes, the multipolar structure of gravitational-wave generation, and the existence of ultralight bosons within the mass range 10−13–10−12eV. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available October 28, 2026
  5. Abstract On 2023 November 23, the two LIGO observatories both detected GW231123, a gravitational-wave signal consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses 13 7 18 + 23 M and 10 1 50 + 22 M (90% credible intervals), at a luminosity distance of 0.7–4.1 Gpc, a redshift of 0.4 0 0.25 + 0.27 , and with a network signal-to-noise ratio of ∼20.7. Both black holes exhibit high spins— 0.9 0 0.19 + 0.10 and 0.8 0 0.52 + 0.20 , respectively. A massive black hole remnant is supported by an independent ringdown analysis. Some properties of GW231123 are subject to large systematic uncertainties, as indicated by differences in the inferred parameters between signal models. The primary black hole lies within or above the theorized mass gap where black holes between 60–130Mshould be rare, due to pair-instability mechanisms, while the secondary spans the gap. The observation of GW231123 therefore suggests the formation of black holes from channels beyond standard stellar collapse and that intermediate-mass black holes of mass ∼200Mform through gravitational-wave-driven mergers. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available October 27, 2026
  6. The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses m 1 = 33.6 0.8 + 1.2 M and m 2 = 32.2 1.3 + 0.8 M , and small spins χ 1 , 2 0.26 (90% credibility) and negligible eccentricity e 0.03 . Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar ( = | m | = 2 ) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone. We constrain the modes’ frequencies to ± 30 % of the Kerr spectrum, providing a test of the remnant’s Kerr nature. We also examine Hawking’s area law, also known as the second law of black hole mechanics, which states that the total area of the black hole event horizons cannot decrease with time. A range of analyses that exclude up to five of the strongest merger cycles confirm that the remnant area is larger than the sum of the initial areas to high credibility. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available September 1, 2026
  7. The double-spin-polarization observable E for γ p → pπ0 has been measured with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at photon beam energies Eγ from 0.367 to 2.173 GeV (corresponding to center-ofmass energies from 1.240 to 2.200 GeV) for pion center-ofmass angles, cos θc.m. π0 , between − 0.86 and 0.82. These new CLAS measurements cover a broader energy range and have smaller uncertainties compared to previous CBELSA data and provide an important independent check on systematics. These measurements are compared to predictions as well as new global fits from The George Washington University, Mainz, and Bonn-Gatchina groups. Their inclusion in multipole analyses will allow us to refine our understanding of the single-pion production contribution to the Gerasimov-Drell- Hearn sum rule and improve the determination of resonance properties, which will be presented in a future publication. 
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