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Creators/Authors contains: "V. Hawkes, Christine"

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  1. The determination of the direction of a stellar core collapse via its neutrino emission is crucial for the identification of the progenitor for a multimessenger follow-up. A highly effective method of reconstructing supernova directions within the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is introduced. The supernova neutrino pointing resolution is studied by simulating and reconstructing electron-neutrino charged-current absorption on Ar 40 and elastic scattering of neutrinos on electrons. Procedures to reconstruct individual interactions, including a newly developed technique called “brems flipping,” as well as the burst direction from an ensemble of interactions are described. Performance of the burst direction reconstruction is evaluated for supernovae happening at a distance of 10 kpc for a specific supernova burst flux model. The pointing resolution is found to be 3.4 degrees at 68% coverage for a perfect interaction-channel classification and a fiducial mass of 40 kton, and 6.6 degrees for a 10 kton fiducial mass respectively. Assuming a 4% rate of charged-current interactions being misidentified as elastic scattering, DUNE’s burst pointing resolution is found to be 4.3 degrees (8.7 degrees) at 68% coverage. Published by the American Physical Society2025 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available May 1, 2026
  2. This paper presents a search for massive, charged, long-lived particles with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using an integrated luminosity of $$140~fb^{−1}$$ of proton-proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$~TeV. These particles are expected to move significantly slower than the speed of light. In this paper, two signal regions provide complementary sensitivity. In one region, events are selected with at least one charged-particle track with high transverse momentum, large specific ionisation measured in the pixel detector, and time of flight to the hadronic calorimeter inconsistent with the speed of light. In the other region, events are selected with at least two tracks of opposite charge which both have a high transverse momentum and an anomalously large specific ionisation. The search is sensitive to particles with lifetimes greater than about 3 ns with masses ranging from 200 GeV to 3 TeV. The results are interpreted to set constraints on the supersymmetric pair production of long-lived R-hadrons, charginos and staus, with mass limits extending beyond those from previous searches in broad ranges of lifetime 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available July 1, 2026
  3. Abstract This paper introduces a novel track-length extension fitting algorithm for measuring the kinetic energies of inelastically interacting particles in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs). The algorithm finds the most probable offset in track length for a track-like object by comparing the measured ionization density as a function of position with a theoretical prediction of the energy loss as a function of the energy, including models of electron recombination and detector response. The algorithm can be used to measure the energies of particles that interact before they stop, such as charged pions that are absorbed by argon nuclei. The algorithm's energy measurement resolutions and fractional biases are presented as functions of particle kinetic energy and number of track hits using samples of stopping secondary charged pions in data collected by the ProtoDUNE-SP detector, and also in a detailed simulation. Additional studies describe the impact of thedE/dxmodel on energy measurement performance. The method described in this paper to characterize the energy measurement performance can be repeated in any LArTPC experiment using stopping secondary charged pions. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available February 1, 2026
  4. Top-quark pair production is observed in lead–lead ( Pb + Pb ) collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider with the ATLAS detector. The data sample was recorded in 2015 and 2018, amounting to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 nb 1 . Events with exactly one electron and one muon and at least two jets are selected. Top-quark pair production is measured with an observed (expected) significance of 5.0 (4.1) standard deviations. The measured top-quark pair production cross section is σ t t ¯ = 3.6 0.9 + 1.0 ( stat ) 0.5 + 0.8 ( syst ) μ b , with a total relative uncertainty of 31%, and is consistent with theoretical predictions using a range of different nuclear parton distribution functions. The observation of this process consolidates the evidence of the existence of all quark flavors in the preequilibrium stage of the quark-gluon plasma at very high energy densities, similar to the conditions present in the early Universe. © 2025 CERN, for the ATLAS Collaboration2025CERN 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 1, 2026
  5. A<sc>bstract</sc> A study of the Higgs boson decaying into bottom quarks (H→$$ b\overline{b} $$ b b ¯ ) and charm quarks (H→$$ c\overline{c} $$ c c ¯ ) is performed, in the associated production channel of the Higgs boson with aWorZboson, using 140 fb−1of proton-proton collision data at$$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector. The individual production ofWHandZHwithH→$$ b\overline{b} $$ b b ¯ is established with observed (expected) significances of 5.3 (5.5) and 4.9 (5.6) standard deviations, respectively. Differential cross-section measurements of the gauge boson transverse momentum within the simplified template cross-section framework are performed in a total of 13 kinematical fiducial regions. The search for theH→$$ c\overline{c} $$ c c ¯ decay yields an observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level of 11.5 (10.6) times the Standard Model prediction. The results are also used to set constraints on the charm coupling modifier, resulting in|κc| <4.2 at 95% confidence level. Combining theH→$$ b\overline{b} $$ b b ¯ andH→$$ c\overline{c} $$ c c ¯ measurements constrains the absolute value of the ratio of Higgs-charm and Higgs-bottom coupling modifiers (|κcb|) to be less than 3.6 at 95% confidence level. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 1, 2026
  6. The international collaboration designing and constructing the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) at the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) has developed a two-phase strategy toward the implementation of this leading-edge, large-scale science project. The 2023 report of the US Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) reaffirmed this vision and strongly endorsed DUNE Phase I and Phase II, as did the European Strategy for Particle Physics. While the construction of the DUNE Phase I is well underway, this White Paper focuses on DUNE Phase II planning. DUNE Phase-II consists of a third and fourth far detector (FD) module, an upgraded near detector complex, and an enhanced 2.1 MW beam. The fourth FD module is conceived as a "Module of Opportunity", aimed at expanding the physics opportunities, in addition to supporting the core DUNE science program, with more advanced technologies. This document highlights the increased science opportunities offered by the DUNE Phase II near and far detectors, including long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics, neutrino astrophysics, and physics beyond the standard model. It describes the DUNE Phase II near and far detector technologies and detector design concepts that are currently under consideration. A summary of key R&D goals and prototyping phases needed to realize the Phase II detector technical designs is also provided. DUNE's Phase II detectors, along with the increased beam power, will complete the full scope of DUNE, enabling a multi-decadal program of groundbreaking science with neutrinos. 
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  7. A<sc>bstract</sc> Differential measurements of Higgs boson production in theτ-lepton-pair decay channel are presented in the gluon fusion, vector-boson fusion (VBF),VHand$$ t\overline{t}H $$ t t ¯ H associated production modes, with particular focus on the VBF production mode. The data used to perform the measurements correspond to 140 fb−1of proton-proton collisions collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Two methods are used to perform the measurements: theSimplified Template Cross-Section(STXS) approach and anUnfolded Fiducial Differentialmeasurement considering only the VBF phase space. For the STXS measurement, events are categorized by their production mode and kinematic properties such as the Higgs boson’s transverse momentum ($$ {p}_{\textrm{T}}^{\textrm{H}} $$ p T H ), the number of jets produced in association with the Higgs boson, or the invariant mass of the two leading jets (mjj). For the VBF production mode, the ratio of the measured cross-section to the Standard Model prediction formjj> 1.5 TeV and$$ {p}_{\textrm{T}}^{\textrm{H}} $$ p T H > 200 GeV ($$ {p}_{\textrm{T}}^{\textrm{H}} $$ p T H < 200 GeV) is$$ {1.29}_{-0.34}^{+0.39} $$ 1.29 0.34 + 0.39 ($$ {0.12}_{-0.33}^{+0.34} $$ 0.12 0.33 + 0.34 ). This is the first VBF measurement for the higher-$$ {p}_{\textrm{T}}^{\textrm{H}} $$ p T H criteria, and the most precise for the lower-$$ {p}_{\textrm{T}}^{\textrm{H}} $$ p T H criteria. Thefiducialcross-section measurements, which only consider the kinematic properties of the event, are performed as functions of variables characterizing the VBF topology, such as the signed ∆ϕjjbetween the two leading jets. The measurements have a precision of 30%–50% and agree well with the Standard Model predictions. These results are interpreted in the SMEFT framework, and place the strongest constraints to date on the CP-odd Wilson coefficient$$ {c}_{H\overset{\sim }{W}} $$ c H W ~
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available March 1, 2026
  8. ProtoDUNE Single-Phase (ProtoDUNE-SP) is a 770-ton liquid argon time projection chamber that operated in a hadron test beam at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2018. We present a measurement of the total inelastic cross section of charged kaons on argon as a function of kaon energy using 6 and 7 GeV / c beam momentum settings. The flux-weighted average of the extracted inelastic cross section at each beam momentum setting was measured to be 380 ± 26 mbarns for the 6 GeV / c setting and 379 ± 35 mbarns for the 7 GeV / c setting. Published by the American Physical Society2024 
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  9. A<sc>bstract</sc> This paper presents measurements of top-antitop quark pair ($$ t\overline{t} $$ t t ¯ ) production in association with additionalb-jets. The analysis utilises 140 fb−1of proton–proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Fiducial cross-sections are extracted in a final state featuring one electron and one muon, with at least three or fourb-jets. Results are presented at the particle level for both integrated cross-sections and normalised differential cross-sections, as functions of global event properties, jet kinematics, andb-jet pair properties. Observable quantities characterisingb-jets originating from the top quark decay and additionalb-jets are also measured at the particle level, after correcting for detector effects. The measured integrated fiducial cross-sections are consistent with$$ t\overline{t}b\overline{b} $$ t t ¯ b b ¯ predictions from various next-to-leading-order matrix element calculations matched to a parton shower within the uncertainties of the predictions. State-of-the-art theoretical predictions are compared with the differential measurements; none of them simultaneously describes all observables. Differences between any two predictions are smaller than the measurement uncertainties for most observables. 
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  10. The Module-0 Demonstrator is a single-phase 600 kg liquid argon time projection chamber operated as a prototype for the DUNE liquid argon near detector. Based on the ArgonCube design concept, Module-0 features a novel 80k-channel pixelated charge readout and advanced high-coverage photon detection system. In this paper, we present an analysis of an eight-day data set consisting of 25 million cosmic ray events collected in the spring of 2021. We use this sample to demonstrate the imaging performance of the charge and light readout systems as well as the signal correlations between the two. We also report argon purity and detector uniformity measurements and provide comparisons to detector simulations. 
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