Next Seminars


Nov 18, 2024
Latest measurement of the $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ \nu \bar{\nu}$ decay rate with the NA62 experiment
Radoslav Marchevski (EPFL (CH))
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Abstract: The $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ \nu \bar{\nu}$  decay is a golden mode for flavour physics. Its branching ratio is predicted with a high precision by the Standard Model to be less than $\mathcal{O}(10^{-10})$. This decay mode is highly sensitive to indirect effects of new physics up to the highest mass scales. The NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS is designed to study the $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ \nu \bar{\nu}$ decay, and provided the world’s most precise investigation of this decay using 2016-18 data. Building on this success, the first results from a significantly improved analysis of new data, taken in 2021-22 after beam-line and detector upgrades, are presented, as well as the combination with the 2016-18 results.

Start:
Monday, November 18, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time
End:
Monday, November 18, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Standard Time
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Nov 25, 2024
DESI cosmological results (TBC)
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Start:
Monday, November 25, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time
End:
Monday, November 25, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Standard Time
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Dec 2, 2024
3rd Year PhD Student Presentations
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Start:
Monday, December 2, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time
End:
Monday, December 2, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Standard Time
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Dec 9, 2024
3rd Year PhD Student Presentations
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Start:
Monday, December 9, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time
End:
Monday, December 9, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Standard Time
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Dec 16, 2024
First axion and dark photon dark matter searches with MADMAX
Fabrice Hubaut (CPPM, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3)
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The MAgnetized Disk and Mirror Axion eXperiment (MADMAX) is a future experiment aiming to detect dark matter 
axions from the galactic halo by resonant conversion to photons in a strong magnetic field. It uses a novel 
concept based on a stack of dielectric disks, called booster, to enhance the potential signal from axion-photon 
conversion over a significant mass range. In its final version, MADMAX will scan the uncharted QCD axion mass range 
around 100 mu-eV, favoured by post-inflationary theories. Several small scale prototypes have been tested these 
last three years, allowing to validate the dielectric haloscope novel concept and perform competitive axion and 
dark photon dark matter searches. The seminar will give an overview of these results.
The next foreseen steps will also be discussed, as well as the french contributions to the MADMAX project.
Start:
Monday, December 16, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time
End:
Monday, December 16, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Standard Time
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5 last Seminars


Nov 4, 2024
3rd Year PhD Student Presentations
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Start:
Monday, November 4, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time
End:
Monday, November 4, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Standard Time
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Oct 7, 2024
Physics at ISOLDE
Sean Freeman (CERN/The University of Manchester)
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ISOLDE (Isotope Separator On-Line DEvice) is a radioactive ion beam facility at CERN. ISOLDE provides radioactive ion beams with high intensity and excellent emittance, at a wide range of energies including post-accelerated beams. The beams from ISOLDE are used in a very rich and diverse scientific programme with a focus on the physics of exotic nuclei, but extending to atomic and molecular physics, solid-state physics, material science and medical isotopes. This seminar will provide an introduction to the facility and illustrate some of the physics highlights for non-experts.

Start:
Monday, October 7, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Summer Time
End:
Monday, October 7, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Summer Time
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Sep 16, 2024
The “green” use of fluorocarbons in Cherenkov detectors and silicon tracker cooling systems - challenges and opportunities
Gregory Hallewell (Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille)
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Description :
Saturated fluorocarbons (SFCs: of chemical form C_nF_(2n+2)) are chosen for their optical properties (refractive index and UV transparency) for use as Cherenkov radiators, with C4F10 and CF4 used in the COMPASS and LHCb RICH1&2 ring imaging Cherenkov detectors to provide mu/pi/K/p particle identification over a wide momentum range.
Non-conductivity, non-flammability and radiation resistance also make SFCs ideal coolants, with C6F14 liquid used in all LHC experiments, while C3F8 evaporatively cools the ATLAS silicon tracker. 
These fluids however have high GWPs (>5000*CO2),  and represented around 36% of CERN’s CO2-equivalent emissions in 2018. There is thus an impetus to reduce their use, losses in purification and wastage through leaks, via improved monitoring and closed circulation system design.
While not yet industrialised over the full C_nF_2nO range, spur-oxygenated  fluoro-ketones can offer similar performance at very low, or zero GWP. The radiation tolerance and thermal performance of 3M 'NOVEC 649' (C6F12O) was sufficiently promising for it to be chosen by CERN to replace C6F14. Subject to optical testing, 3M 'NOVEC 5110'  (C5F10O) - blended with nitrogen and monitored in real time by sound velocity gas analysis - might replace C4F10 and CF4 in RICH detectors.
Ultrasonic gas mixture analysis is very sensitive to concentration changes of a heavy vapour in a light carrier, and is used  for real-time monitoring of C3F8 coolant leaks from the ATLAS pixel and SCT silicon trackers into their nitrogen-flushed environmental volumes, where a  typical C3F8 sensitivity of better than 10^-5 is achieved. Advanced new ultrasonic algorithms allow measurement of the concentrations  of a pair of gases of particular interest on top of a varying known baseline of other gases. The technique could be used to blend fluoro-ketones with nitrogen or argon to reduce the GWP “load” of large volume Cherenkov radiators. The technique is also of interest in xenon-based anaesthesia, whch has a similar problematic.
Light fluoro-ketone  molecules (e.g. C2F4O, with similar thermodynamics to C2F6) - might allow lower temperature, 0GWP operation than evaporative CO2 in Si trackers operated at high luminosity.
This  seminar outlines an approach to GWP reduction with fluoro-ketone fluids and the blending of heritage SFCs or fluoro-ketones with lighter gases using ultrasonic monitoring and control. Possible avenues for the use of fluoro-ketones in liquid phase  and evaporative cooling of silicon trackers are discussed.
Start:
Monday, September 16, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Summer Time
End:
Monday, September 16, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Summer Time
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Jul 1, 2024
Exploring the unknown side of the B-meson decays at Belle II
Valerio Bertacchi (Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM, Marseille, France)
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Abstract: Our knowledge of $B$-meson decays to hadrons is limited, and about 40% of the total $B$ width is not known in terms of exclusive branching fractions. Therefore, the unmeasured decays are usually simulated with relevant assumptions and coarse approximations for the description of the dynamics, as in the PYTHIA fragmentation model. This limits the capability of understanding and controlling the backgrounds of many $B$-decay analyses. A large part of the Belle II experiment physics program relies on the so-called $B$-tagging, i.e. identifying the partner $B$ meson produced in association with the signal $B$ meson to infer the properties of the signal. The impact of our limited knowledge of hadronic $B$ decays on $B$-tagging and Belle II measurements in general are discussed in this seminar. The Belle II collaboration is doing a great effort to mitigate the problem, studying new high-purity hadronic $B$ decay channels. The unknown fraction of the total $B$ width is spread across multiple exclusive channels, therefore improvements are not expected from single results, but require the systematic exploration of a significant fraction of them. This effort is presented, with a particular attention to the recent $\overline B\to D^{(*)} K^- K^{(*)0}_{(S)}$ and $B^-\to D^0\rho(770)^-$ Belle II measurements.

Start:
Monday, July 1, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Summer Time
End:
Monday, July 1, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM Central European Summer Time
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Jun 24, 2024
A new extragalactic CMB foreground. Large scale anomalies and the Cold spot.
Diego García Lambas (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina)
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Description :
In this talk I will briefly review the serendipitous discovery of a new extragalactic foreground associated with nearby Spiral galaxies and its effect on the Cosmic Microwave Background as well as current ongoing work. In recent papers we have analysed the presence of a systematic decrease in CMB temperatures around nearby large spiral galaxies pointing to an unknown interaction with CMB photons extending to megaparsec scales around these galaxies. Temperature model maps based on nearby galaxies and the Planck CMB map have a remarkable resemblance. Compared to 1000 simulated LCDM  maps, we find  none of them showing such a strong correlation with the foreground map over both large and small angular scales.  In particular, the quadrupole, octopole, and ℓ = 4 and ℓ = 5 modes correlate with the foreground map to a high significance.  The explanation of the largely non-gaussian CMB Cold Spot feature with this model will be particularly discussed. Also I will show new evidence and other possible impacts on our current cosmological scenario.
 
Start:
Monday, June 24, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Central European Summer Time
End:
Monday, June 24, 2024 at 4:00:00 PM Central European Summer Time
Location:
CPPM (Amphitheatre)
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