Search

We study the finite-temperature critical point of QCD in the heavy-quark region by a scaling study of the Binder cumulant on large lattices. Extending our previous study at $N_t=4$, we perform simulations on $N_t=6$ and 8 lattices with spatial volumes up to the aspect ratio $LT=N_s/N_t=18$ and 15 ($N_s=108$ and 120), respectively, to determine the critical point in the thermodynamic limit with a high precision. To enable simulations with large spatial volumes, we adopt the hopping parameter expansion combined with a method to effectively incorporate high order terms of the expansion. The reliability of the method is confirmed by examining the effect of high order terms. Using the results of the critical point at $N_t=4$, 6, and 8, we also attempt a preliminary continuum extrapolation of the critical point in physical units., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Contribution to the 41st International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (LATTICE2024), 28 July - 3 August 2024, Liverpool, UK

$^{76}$Ge can $\beta\beta$ decay into three possible excited states of $^{76}$Se, with the emission of two or, if the neutrino is Majorana, zero neutrinos. None of these six transitions have yet been observed. The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR was designed to study $\beta\beta$ decay of $^{76}$Ge using a low background array of high purity germanium detectors. With 98.2 kg-y of isotopic exposure, the DEMONSTRATOR sets the strongest half-life limits to date for all six transition modes. For $2\nu\beta\beta$ to the $0^+_1$ state of $^{76}$Se, this search has begun to probe for the first time half-life values predicted using modern many-body nuclear theory techniques, setting a limit of $T_{1/2}>1.5\times10^{24}$ y (90% CL)., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

The background index is an important quantity which is used in projecting and calculating the half-life sensitivity of neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) experiments. A novel analysis framework is presented to calculate the background index using the specific activities, masses and simulated efficiencies of an experiment's components as distributions. This Bayesian framework includes a unified approach to combine specific activities from assay. Monte Carlo uncertainty propagation is used to build a background index distribution from the specific activity, mass and efficiency distributions. This analysis method is applied to the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, which deployed arrays of high-purity Ge detectors enriched in $^{76}$Ge to search for $0\nu\beta\beta$. The framework projects a mean background index of $\left[8.95 \pm 0.36\right] \times 10^{-4}$cts/(keV kg yr) from $^{232}$Th and $^{238}$U in the DEMONSTRATOR's components., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures

Binder-cumulant analysis of the critical point in the heavy-quark region of QCD is performed by Monte-Carlo simulations with the hopping-parameter expansion at $N_t=6$. We extend our previous analysis at $N_t=4$ to finer lattices and perform high-precision analyses on large spatial volumes up to the aspect ratio $LT=N_s/N_t=18$. Higher order terms in the hopping-parameter expansion are incorporated effectively up to 14th order. The numerical results show that the violation of the finite-size scaling becomes more prominent on the finer lattice at a given aspect ratio., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures

The MONUMENT experiment measures ordinary muon capture (OMC) on isotopes relevant for neutrinoless double-beta (0$\nu\beta\beta$) decay and nuclear astrophysics. OMC is a particularly attractive tool for improving the theoretical description of 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay. It involves similar momentum transfers and allows testing the virtual transitions involved in 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay against experimental data. During the 2021 campaign, MONUMENT measured OMC on $^{76}$Se and $^{136}$Ba, the isotopes relevant for next-generation 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay searches, like LEGEND and nEXO. The experimental setup has been designed to accurately extract the total and partial muon capture rates, which requires precise reconstruction of energies and time-dependent intensities of the OMC-related $\gamma$ rays. The setup also includes a veto counter system to allow selecting a clean sample of OMC events. This work provides a detailed description of the MONUMENT setup operated during the 2021 campaign, its two DAQ systems, calibration and analysis approaches, and summarises the achieved detector performance. Future improvements are also discussed., Comment: 18 pages, 20 figures, submitted to EPJC

The existence of cosmic dark matter and neutrino properties are long-standing problems in cosmology and particle physics. These problems have been investigated by using radiation detectors. We will discuss the application of inorganic crystal scintillators to studies on dark matter and neutrino properties. A large volume and high-purity inorganic crystal is a promising detector for investigating dark matter and neutrino.

We perform a finite-size scaling analysis of the critical point in the heavy-quark region of QCD at nonzero temperature. Our previous analysis on the Binder cumulant at $N_t=4$ is extended to finer lattices with $N_t=6$ and $8$. The aspect ratio is also extended up to $15$ to suppress the non-singular contribution. High-precision analysis of the Binder cumulant is realized by an efficient Monte-Carlo simulation with the hopping-parameter expansion (HPE). Effects of higher-order terms in the HPE are incorporated by the reweighting method., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, proceedings of Lattice 2023

We determine the location of the critical point where the first-order deconfining transition in the heavy-quark region turns into a crossover in finite-temperature and density lattice QCD with 2+1 flavors of Wilson quarks. Combining a hopping parameter expansion (HPE) of the quark determinant with a reweighting method, we evaluate the chemical potential dependence of the critical point. By systematically calculating the coefficients of the hopping parameter expansion up to a high order of HPE at finite chemical potential, we find that the higher order terms are strongly correlated with the Polyakov loop, which is the leading-order term, on each configuration. Moreover, their complex phases themselves, which are important at finite density, are also found to be strongly correlated with the complex phase of the Polyakov loop. Using this property, we develop a method for estimating the critical point incorporating high-order terms from calculations with only low-order terms. We report that the first-order phase transition region in the heavy-quark region becomes narrower exponentially with increasing the chemical potential. Since the hopping parameter of the critical point decreases exponentially as the density increases, the sign problem does not become serious even when the density increases, and critical points can be evaluated up to high densities., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings of the 40th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2023), July 31st - August 4th, 2023, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

The dark matter observation claim by the DAMA/LIBRA collaboration has been a long-standing puzzle within the particle physics community. Efforts of other research groups to verify the claim have been insufficient by significant radioactivity of present NaI(Tl) crystals. PICOLON (Pure Inorganic Crystal Observatory for LOw-energy Neut(ra)lino) experiment conducts independent search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) using NaI(Tl) crystals. Our NaI(Tl) crystal manufactured in 2020 (Ingot #85) reached the same purity level as DAMA/LIBRA crystals. In this report, we describe the radiopurity of the new Ingot #94 crystal produced using the same purification technique as Ingot #85. The $\alpha$-ray events were selected by pulse-shape discrimination method. The impurities in the Ingot #94, $^{232}$Th, $^{226}$Ra and $^{210}$Po radioactivity were $4.6\pm 1.2~\mathrm{\mu Bq/kg}$, $7.9\pm 4.4~\mathrm{\mu Bq/kg}$, and $19\pm 6~\mathrm{\mu Bq/kg}$, which are equivalent to those of the DAMA/LIBRA crystals. The background rate in the energy region of 2-6 keV , was 2-5 events/d/kg/keV without applying a veto trigger., Comment: We have found duplicate contents in Fig.6 to Fig.8 that overlap with the KEK proceedings(page. 154-155 in https://lib-extopc.kek.jp/preprints/PDF/2023/2325/2325001.pdf), so the data analysis needs to be redone. In addition, we are withdrawing this paper because removing these contents would significantly reduce the quality of the paper

In this paper, we prove that an algebraic fiber space $f:X\to Y$ over a perfect field $k$ of characteristic $p>0$ with nef relative anti-canonical divisor $-K_{X/Y}$ splits into the product after taking the base change along a finite cover of $Y$, if the geometric generic fiber has mild singularities and if one of the following conditions holds: (i) $k\subseteq\overline{\mathbb F_p}$; (ii) $\pi^{et}(Y)$ is finite; (iii) $-K_X$ is semi-ample and $Y$ is an abelian variety. As its application, we generalize Patakfalvi and Zdanowicz's Beauville-Bogomolov decomposition in positive characteristic to the case when the anti-canonical divisor is numerically equivalent to a semi-ample divisor, which is applied to study the abundance conjecture in a new case and the fundamental group of an $F$-split variety with semi-ample anti-canonical divisor. We also show that a variety over a finite field with nef anti-canonical divisor satisfying some conditions has a rational point. Furthermore, to show the splitting theorem, we generalize partially Popa and Schnell's global generation theorem and Viehweg's weak positivity theorem to the case of generalized pairs in positive characteristic., Comment: 46 pages, v2: Theorems 1.7 and 7.9 and Corollaries 1.13 and 7.16 added. Typos corrected

The enclosed data release consists of a subset of the calibration data from the Majorana Demonstrator experiment. Each Majorana event is accompanied by raw Germanium detector waveforms, pulse shape discrimination cuts, and calibrated final energies, all shared in an HDF5 file format along with relevant metadata. This release is specifically designed to support the training and testing of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms upon our data. This document is structured as follows. Section I provides an overview of the dataset's content and format; Section II outlines the location of this dataset and the method for accessing it; Section III presents the NPML Machine Learning Challenge associated with this dataset; Section IV contains a disclaimer from the Majorana collaboration regarding the use of this dataset; Appendix A contains technical details of this data release. Please direct questions about the material provided within this release to liaobo77@ucsd.edu (A. Li)., Comment: DataPlanet Access: https://dataplanet.ucsd.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=perma:83.ucsddata/UQWQAV

In this paper, we study when positivity conditions of vector bundles are preserved by extension. We prove that an extension of a big (resp. pseudo-effective) line bundle by an ample (resp. a nef) vector bundle is big (resp. pseudo-effective). We also show that an extension of an ample line bundle by a big line bundle is not necessarily pseudo-effective. In particular, this implies that an almost nef vector bundle is not necessarily pseudo-effective., Comment: v2: 8 pages, completely revised version, to appear in Mathematische Zeitschrift. v1: 7 pages, comments are welcome

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR was a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) in the $^{76}$Ge isotope. It was staged at the 4850-foot level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. The experiment consisted of 58 germanium detectors housed in a low background shield and was calibrated once per week by deploying a $^{228}$Th line source for 1 to 2 hours. The energy scale calibration determination for the detector array was automated using custom analysis tools. We describe the offline procedure for calibration of the Demonstrator germanium detectors, including the simultaneous fitting of multiple spectral peaks, estimation of energy scale uncertainties, and the automation of the calibration procedure.

$^{180m}$Ta is a rare nuclear isomer whose decay has never been observed. Its remarkably long lifetime surpasses the half-lives of all other known $\beta$ and electron capture decays due to the large K-spin differences and small energy differences between the isomeric and lower energy states. Detecting its decay presents a significant experimental challenge but could shed light on neutrino-induced nucleosynthesis mechanisms, the nature of dark matter and K-spin violation. For this study, we repurposed the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, an experimental search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{76}$Ge using an array of high-purity germanium detectors, to search for the decay of $^{180m}$Ta. More than 17 kilograms, the largest amount of tantalum metal ever used for such a search was installed within the ultra-low background detector array. In this paper we present results from the first year of Ta data taking and provide an updated limit for the $^{180m}$Ta half-life on the different decay channels. With new limits up to 1.5 x $10^{19}$ years, we improved existing limits by one to two orders of magnitude. This result is the most sensitive search for a single $\beta$ and electron capture decay ever achieved.

We prove the Demailly--Peternell--Schneider conjecture in positive characteristic: if $X$ is a smooth projective variety over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p>0$ with $-K_X$ is nef, then the Albanese morphism $a: X \to A$ is surjective. We also show strengthenings either allowing mild singularities for $X$, or proving more special properties of $a$. The above statement for compact K\"ahler manifolds was conjectured originally by Demailly, Peternell and Schneider in 1993, and for smooth projective varieties of characteristic zero it was shown by Zhang in 1996. In positive characteristic, all earlier results involved tameness assumptions either on cohomology or on the singularities of the general fibers of $a$. The main feature of the present article is the development of a technology to avoid such assumptions., Comment: Comments are welcomed

In the gradient flow method of lattice gauge theory, coarse graining is performed so as to reduce the action, and as the coarse graining progresses, the field strength becomes very small. However, the confinement property that particles interact strongly is not lost by the gradient flow. It is seemingly mysterious, and something stable against coarse graining is expected to be behind the nature of confinement. By performing Monte Carlo simulations of U(1) lattice gauge theory, we discuss the relationship between the gradient flow and magnetic monopoles created by the compactness of the U(1) gauge group. Many magnetic monopoles are generated in the confinement phase but not so many in the deconfinement phase. Since the monopole is a kind of topological quantity, the number of monopoles does not change much by the coarse graining. To investigate why the confinement properties are not lost by the gradient flow, we computed Wilson loops and Polyakov loops separating them into the field strength and the monopole contributions. We found that the field strength, which decreases with the gradient flow, does not affect confinement properties, and the monopole and the confinement properties are strongly related. Furthermore, we discuss the relationship between the magnetic monopole and the center symmetry, which is the symmetry broken by the confinement phase transition., Comment: 30 pages, 46 figures

In this paper, we prove that a smooth projective globally $F$-split variety with numerically flat tangent bundle is an \'etale quotient of an ordinary abelian variety. We also show its logarithmic analog, which contains a characterization of toric varieties. We further prove that, without assumption of global $F$-splitting, a smooth projective separably rationally connected variety of arbitrary characteristic with numerically flat log cotangent bundle is a toric variety., Comment: 12 pages

Experimental studies for nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for neutrinoless double beta decays (DBDs) and astro-neutrino inverse beta decays (IBDs) are crucial for neutrino studies beyond the standard model and the astro neutrino reactions since theoretical model calculations for the NMEs are hard due to the high sensitivities of the NMEs to the models. The NMEs associated with DBDs and IBDs are found for the first time to be studied experimentally by measuring electro-magnetic (gamma) transitions from isobalic analogue states (IASs) of the DBD and IBD nuclei. They are used to help the theoretical model calculations for them. The IAS gamma cross sections and the event rates are estimated to show the feasibility of the experiments., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

\item[Background] The nuclear responses for antineutrinos associated with double beta decays (DBDs) and astro-antineutrino interactions are studied by measuring ordinary muon capture (OMC) rates. \item[Purpose]The experimental studies of absolute OMC rates and their mass number dependence for $^{100}$Mo and the natural Mo are currently of interest in astro-antineutrinos and DBDs. \item[Method]The OMC rates were obtained experimentally by measuring the time spectrum of the trapped muon's decay into electrons to obtain the half-lives of the trapped muons. \item[Results]The OMC rate for the enriched isotope of $^{100}$Mo is $\Lambda$($^{100}$Mo)=(7.07$\pm$0.32)$\times10^{6}$ s$^{-1}$, while that for the natural Mo is $\Lambda$($^{\rm nat}$Mo)=(9.66$\pm$0.44)$\times10^{6}$ s$^{-1}$, i.e., $\Lambda$($^{100}$Mo) is about 27$\%$ of $\Lambda$($^{\rm nat}$Mo), reflecting the blocking effect of the excess neutrons for the proton-to-neutron transformation in OMC. The present experimental observation is consistent with the predictions using Goulard-Primakoff's (GPs) and Primakoff's (Ps) empirical equations. \item[Conclusions] The absolute OMC rates for $^{100}$Mo and $^{\rm nat}$Mo were measured. The large neutron excess in $^{100}$Mo gives a much lower OMC rate than $^{\rm nat}$Mo. On both $^{100}$Mo and $^{\rm nat}$Mo, consistent OMC rates with the GP and P values are observed., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables

In this paper, we prove a positive characteristic analog of Nakayama's inequality on the numerical Kodaira dimension of algebraic fiber spaces when the generic fibers have nef canonical divisors. To this end, we establish variants of Popa and Schnell's global generation theorem, Viehweg's weak positivity theorem and Fujino's global generation theorem in positive characteristic. As a byproduct, we show that Iitaka's conjecture holds true in positive characteristic when the base space is of general type and the canonical divisor of the total space is relatively semi-ample., Comment: 25 pages, v2: added an example which shows that the main theorem fails if the geometric generic fiber is not smooth. v3: Theorems 1.5 and 5.1 (Iitaka's inequality when the base space is of general type and the canonical divisor of the total space is relatively semi-ample) added

We study phase structure and critical point of finite-temperature QCD in the heavy-quark region applying the hopping parameter expansion (HPE). We first study finite-size scaling on the critical point on $N_t=4$ lattices with large spatial volumes taking the leading order (LO) and the next-to-leading order (NLO) effects of the HPE, and find that the critical scaling of the Z(2) universality class expected around the critical point of two-flavor QCD is realized when the aspect ratio of the lattice is larger than about 9. This enables us to determine the critical point in the thermodynamic limit with high precisions. By a study of the convergence of the HPE, we confirm that the result of the critical point with the LO (NLO) approximation of the HPE is fairly accurate for $N_t=4$ (6), while we need to incorporate higher order effects for larger $N_t$. To extend the study to large $N_t$ lattices, we then develop a method to take the effects of higher-order terms of the HPE up to a sufficiently high order. We report on the status of our study on $N_t = 6$ lattice adopting the new method., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Proceedings of the 39th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (LATTICE2022), 8th-13th August 2022, Bonn, Germany

In this note, we prove the coherence of Frobenius stable direct images in a new case. We also show a generation theorem regarding to it. Furthermore, we prove a corresponding theorem in characteristic zero., Comment: 8 pages, v2: a statement on the multiplier ideal sheaf added to Theorem 1.3

In this note, we generalize slightly Popa--Schnell's theorem regarding to direct images of pluricanonical bundles to the case when the ample line bundle is not globally generated. We also treat the case of positive characteristic., Comment: 8 pages, v2:Proof of Theorem 3.1 fixed, typos corrected

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is a neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) experiment containing $\sim$30 kg of p-type point contact germanium detectors enriched to 88% in 76Ge and $\sim$14 kg of natural germanium detectors. The detectors are housed in two electroformed copper cryostats and surrounded by a graded passive shield with active muon veto. An extensive radioassay campaign was performed prior to installation to insure the use of ultra-clean materials. The DEMONSTRATOR achieved one of the lowest background rates in the region of the $0\nu\beta\beta$ Q-value, 15.7 $\pm$ 1.4 cts/(FWHM t y) from the low-background configuration spanning most of the 64.5 kg-yr active exposure. Nevertheless this background rate is a factor of five higher than the projected background rate. This discrepancy arises from an excess of events from the 232Th decay chain. Background model fits aim to understand this deviation from assay-based projections, potentially determine the source(s) of observed backgrounds, and allow a precision measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta decay half-life. The fits agree with earlier simulation studies, which indicate the origin of the 232Th excess is not from a near-detector component and have informed design decisions for the next-generation LEGEND experiment. Recent findings have narrowed the suspected locations for the excess activity, motivating a final simulation and assay campaign to complete the background model., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings from the Low Radioactivity Techniques Workshop 2022 in Rapid City, SD, USA

P-type point contact (PPC) high-purity germanium detectors are an important technology in astroparticle and nuclear physics due to their superb energy resolution, low noise, and pulse shape discrimination capabilities. Analysis of data from the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment deploying PPC detectors enriched in $^{76}$Ge, has led to several novel improvements in the analysis of PPC signals. In this work we discuss charge trapping in PPC detectors and its effect on energy resolution. Small dislocations or impurities in the crystal lattice result in trapping of charge carriers from an ionization event of interest, attenuating the signal and degrading the measured energy. We present a modified digital pole-zero correction to the signal energy estimation that counters the effects of charge trapping and improves the energy resolution of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR by approximately 30% to around 2.4 keV FWHM at 2039 keV, the $^{76}$Ge $Q$-value. An alternative approach achieving similar resolution enhancement is also presented., Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR searched for neutrinoless double-$\beta$ decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) of $^{76}$Ge using modular arrays of high-purity Ge detectors operated in vacuum cryostats in a low-background shield. The arrays operated with up to 40.4 kg of detectors (27.2 kg enriched to $\sim$88\% in $^{76}$Ge). From these measurements, the DEMONSTRATOR has accumulated 64.5 kg yr of enriched active exposure. With a world-leading energy resolution of 2.52 keV FWHM at the 2039 keV $Q_{\beta\beta}$ (0.12\%), we set a half-life limit of $0\nu\beta\beta$ in $^{76}$Ge at $T_{1/2}>8.3\times10^{25}$ yr (90\% C.L.). This provides a range of upper limits on $m_{\beta\beta}$ of $(113-269)$ meV (90\% C.L.), depending on the choice of nuclear matrix elements., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures