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X-WR-CALNAME:LBNL Physics Division Research Progress Meetings
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LBNL Physics Division Research Progress Meetings
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TZID:America/Los_Angeles
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
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TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20160313T100000
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TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20161106T090000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170124T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170124T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160922T160019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160922T160019Z
UID:331-1485273600-1485277200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Reserved
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-28/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170119T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170119T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160922T155941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160922T155941Z
UID:329-1484841600-1484845200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Kirit Karkare (Harvard) "B-Mode Polarization Results from BICEP/Keck Array and Beam Systematics in Current and Next-Generation CMB Experiments"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe BICEP/Keck Array cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments located at the South Pole are a series of small-aperture refracting telescopes focused on the degree-scale B-mode signature of inflationary gravitational waves.  I will present our latest results which have produced the most stringent constraints on the tensor-to-scalar ratio to date: sigma(r) = 0.024 and r < 0.09 from B-modes alone (r < 0.07 in combination with other datasets).  These constraints will rapidly improve with upcoming measurements at the multiple frequencies needed to separate Galactic foregrounds from the CMB\, and in combination with higher-resolution experiments to remove B-modes induced by gravitational lensing.  I will provide an update on our expanded frequency coverage and plans for future receivers.\nNext-generation CMB experiments with hundreds of thousands of detectors will require exquisite control of instrumental systematics.  I will review key aspects of the BICEP/Keck instrument design which maximize polarization sensitivity and reduce systematics at large angular scales\, including the ability to measure beams in the far field with high precision.  Finally\, I will discuss the prospects for dealing with temperature-to-polarization leakage in future experiments\, and how the beams systematics levels we achieve with current instrument and analysis technology will scale with detector count.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-27/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170117T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170117T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T162406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T162406Z
UID:325-1484668800-1484672400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Aleksandra Dimitrievska (U. Belgrade) "Measurement of the W-boson mass with the ATLAS detector "
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe precise measurements of the W boson\, the Higgs boson and the top quark masses enables to test the consistency of the Standard Model. Constraints on physics beyond the Standard Model are currently limited by the precision of the W-boson mass measurement. In this talk a measurement of the  W-boson mass is presented with the data collected in 2011 at centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the ALTAS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb⁻¹. The measurement is based on about 8 and 6 million W candidates in the muon and electron channels\, respectively. The W-boson mass is extracted from the template fits to the transverse momentum of the charged lepton and to the transverse mass of the W boson distributions. This measurement yields a W-boson mass:\nmW = 80370 ± 7 (stat.) ± 11 (exp. syst.) ± 14 (mod. syst.) MeV = 80370 ± 19 MeV\,\nwhere the first uncertainty is statistical\, the second corresponds to the experimental systematic uncertainty\, and the third to the physics-modelling systematic uncertainty.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-26/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170112T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170112T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161201T111821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161201T111821Z
UID:414-1484236800-1484240400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Siyuan Sun (Harvard) "Gaining Sensitivity to New Physics with a Compressed Mass Spectra at the ATLAS Experiment"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\nThe ATLAS experiment at Large Hadron Collider (LHC) searches for experimental ev-\nidence of many new beyond the standard model physics at the TeV scale. As we collect\nmore data at the LHC we continue to extend our sensitivity to these new phenomenon\,\nparticularly probing increasingly more massive new particles. Despite this progress there\nare still regions of parameter space where constraints remain weak. One common cause of\nthis lack of sensitivity is because the new particle has a very small mass splitting between it\nand its decay products. The particle then has little energy left over to give momenta to its\ndecay products and the low momenta decay products are difficult to experimentally detect.\nThese regions of small mass splitting are called compressed regions. We are able to gain\nsensitivity to these difficult regions by searching for new particles produced in conjunction\nwith strong initial state radiation (ISR). The strong initial state radiation boosts the new\nparticle’s decay products and gives them momentum.\nIn this seminar\, I will cover in detail the search for the supersymmetric partner to the\ntop quark (stop) in the region when the stop and its decay products are nearly degenerate in\nmass. No searches prior to 2016 was sensitive to this region. We were able to exclude stops\nup to a mass of 425 GeV in this region with the 2015 and summer 2016 ATLAS dataset. I will\ndemonstrate a new and more accurate technique for identifying whole initial state radiation\nsystems instead of a single ISR jet. As the LHC provides more data and traditional search\nmethods rule out parameter space at higher masses\, it becomes more important that we also\ngain sensitivity to these compressed regions that are still unconstrained at low masses. I will\nshow that this initial state radiation identification technique is completely generalizable and\nuseful for many other searches that target small mass splittings.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/siyuan-sun-harvard-tba/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170110T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170110T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T162238Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T162238Z
UID:323-1484064000-1484067600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Michael James Wilson (Institute of Astronomy\, U. Edinburgh) "Extracting precision tests of gravity from the intricate pattern of galaxies"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nGalaxy redshift surveys deliver increasingly precise tests of gravity on cosmological scales and shed light on the uncertain nature of Dark Energy.  I will present the VIPERS (http://vipers.inaf.it) census of the galaxy distribution at redshift 0.8 and describe its consistency with the expansion history and rate of gravitational collapse predicted by General Relativity and a Planck (2015) cosmology.  This is facilitated by the anisotropy of the observed clustering\, which is sensitive to both the coherent infall of galaxies towards clusters and the assumption of an expansion history differing from the true one.\nI will then present the results of including a simple density transform prior to this conventional analysis\, which suppresses the most massive structures and extends the validity of the simplest models.  Moreover\, this has been shown to amplify signatures of modified gravity in ‘shielded’ theories and contains information beyond that available to the power spectrum.  To do so requires correcting for many systematics that are characteristic of high-redshift surveys.  I will describe the properties common to VIPERS\, eBOSS and DESI and the potential of a density-weighted analysis with these next-generation surveys.\nFinally\, tests of gravity have predominantly focused on the large-scale velocities of galaxies to date\, but that of clusters is imprinted on the Cosmic Microwave Background by the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect.  The Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 experiments represent ideal test-beds for exploring the latter.  I will discuss this and other future avenues for revealing the properties of Dark Energy with large-scale structure.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-25/
LOCATION:50A-4133 (Director's Conference Room)
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170105T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170105T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161201T111552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161201T111552Z
UID:410-1483632000-1483635600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Eleonora Di Valentino (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris) "New Constraints on Extensions of the Standard Cosmological Model"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements from the Planck mission have significantly improved previous constraints on the neutrino masses\, as well as the bounds on extended models with massive sterile neutrino states or extra particles\, as for example thermal axions. In this talk firstly I will show the recent constraints from cosmology for the thermal axion mass and the neutrino sector\, by considering several combination of datasets and scenarios. In particular\, I will show how the inclusion of additional low redshift priors is mandatory in order to sharpen the CMB neutrino bounds\, and that we are close to test the neutrino mass hierarchy with existing cosmological probes.  Secondly\, I will discuss how these constraints can change by taking into account the possibility that the primordial power spectrum could assume a more general shape than the usual power law description. Finally\, I will present cosmological constraints in a significantly extended scenario\, varying up to 12 cosmological parameters simultaneously\, by looking for a new concordance model that should solve at the same time all the current tensions between the Planck data and the new direct measurements of the Hubble constant by Riess et al. 2016 and the parameters from weak lensing surveys\, such as CFHTLenS and KiDS-450.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/eleonora-di-valentino-institut-dastrophysique-de-paris-tba/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170103T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170103T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161201T111459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161201T111459Z
UID:408-1483459200-1483462800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Zackay Barak (Weizmann Institute of Science) Algorithms for searching Fast radio bursts\, pulsars in tight binary systems and "Planet 9"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nFast radio bursts (FRB’s) are an exciting\, recently discovered\, astrophysical transients which their origins are unknown.\nCurrently\, these bursts are believed to be coming from cosmological distances\, potentially allowing us to probe the electron content on cosmological length scales. Even though their precise localization is crucial for the determination of their origin\, radio interferometers were not extensively employed in searching for them due to computational limitations.\nI will briefly present the Fast Dispersion Measure Transform (FDMT) algorithm\, allowing to reduce the operation count in blind incoherent dedispersion by 2-3 orders of magnitude.\nIn addition\, FDMT enables to probe the unexplored domain of sub-microsecond astrophysical pulses.Pulsars in tight binary systems are among the most important astrophysical objects as they provide us our best tests of general relativity in the strong field regime.\nI will provide a preview to a novel algorithm that enables the detection of pulsars in short binary systems using observation times longer than an orbital period.\nCurrent pulsar search programs limit their searches for integration times shorter than a few percents of the orbital period.\nUntil now\, searching for pulsars in binary systems using observation times longer than an orbital period was considered impossible as one has to blindly enumerate all options for the Keplerian parameters\, the pulsar rotation period\, and the unknown DM.\nUsing the current state of the art pulsar search techniques and all computers on the earth\, such an enumeration would take longer than a Hubble time. I will demonstrate that using the new algorithm\, (called Pruning) it is possible to conduct such an enumeration on a laptop using real data of the double pulsar\, PSR J0737-3039.\nAmong the other (astronomical) applications of the Pruning technique are:\n1) Searching for all pulsars on all sky positions in gamma ray observations of the Fermi LAT satellite.\n2) Blind searching for continuous gravitational wave sources emitted by pulsars with non-axis-symmetric matter distribution.\n\n3) Blind searching for planets in the outskirts of the solar system (AKA “Planet 9”)\, both in imaging data and on GAIA data (through astrometric deflection of background stars).\n \n4) Blind searching for asteroids and Kuiper belt objects in imaging data.\n \n5) Searching for stars in close orbits around the super massive black hole in the galactic center. \n\n\nPrevious attempts to conduct all of the above searches (if even considered) contained substantial sensitivity compromises.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/zackay-barak-weizmann-institute-of-science-tba/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161220T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161220T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T162057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T162057Z
UID:317-1482249600-1482253200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Karol Krizka (U. Chicago) "Dark Matter Mediators and Dijet Resonance Searches by the ATLAS Experiment"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:Using 13 TeV pp collisions\, the ATLAS experiment has used a collection of dijet resonance searches (high-mass dijet\, trigger-level dijet and dijet+ISR) to search for new particles with masses ranging from 200 GeV to 7 TeV. This talk summarizes the searches\, with a focus on new the “dijet+ISR” channel. The dijet+ISR analysis is an LHC-first and reaches mediator masses below 500 GeV by utilizing an ISR jet or photon to trigger the event. This region was previously accessible only by the LEP and Tevatron experiments. This is an important improvement for Dark Matter simplified models\, based on a mediator between a Dark Matter particle and the Standard Model. Cosmological measurements of the Dark Matter relic density prefer the mediator mass to be sub-TeV. By searching for a dijet resonance produced by the mediator decaying back into quarks\, powerful new limits are set on the simplified Dark Matter models.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-22/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161215T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161215T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T162126Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T162126Z
UID:319-1481817600-1481821200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Nan Lu (U. Michigan - Ann Arbor) ""Higgs Boson Property Measurements with ATLAS at the LHC""
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \n“After the discovery of Higgs boson by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the LHC in 2012\, a new era of studying the properties of this new particle has begun. In this talk\, I will give a brief overview of Higgs boson property measurements using LHC Run 1 data\, and then focus on the measurements of Higgs boson production in the four-lepton decay channel and in combination with the diphoton decay channel using 13.3 fb-1 to 14.8 fb-1 of Run 2 data collected at √s=13 TeV by the ATLAS detector.”
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-23/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161213T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161213T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T161937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T161937Z
UID:315-1481644800-1481648400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:ChangHoon Hahn (NYU) "Fundamental Physics with Galaxy Clustering"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \n\nGalaxies’ connection to the cosmic web allows us to use them to trace the matter distribution in the Universe and make precise measurements of large scale structure. The next galaxy surveys (eBOSS and DESI) will expand the cosmic volumes probed with galaxies by an order of magnitude and provide unprecedented statistical power. The main challenges for realizing their full potential are methodological.\n\nI will present how the main challenges can be solved with robust treatment of systematics (e.g. fiber collisions)\, accurate probabilistic inference\, and higher order statistics. By overcoming these challenges and unlocking the full potential of eBOSS and DESI\, I will present how we can measure the growth of structure and total neutrino mass with unprecedented precision.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-21/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161208T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161208T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T161250Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T161250Z
UID:313-1481212800-1481216400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Johanna Nagy (Case Western) "Probing Inflation with SPIDER\, a Balloon-Borne CMB Polarimeter"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\n \nThe generation of a stochastic gravitational wave background is a key prediction of cosmological theories of inflation. At large angular scales\, these gravitational waves imprint a “B-mode” polarization pattern in the Cosmic Microwave Background\, providing a new window into the physics of the early universe and helping to constrain and distinguish between inflationary models. SPIDER is a balloon-borne telescope that has been uniquely optimized to search for the inflationary B-mode signature in the CMB. Over the course of two Antarctic flights\, SPIDER will make polarization maps over 10% of the sky in three frequency bands with degree-scale angular resolution. After an overview of the instrument and science goals\, preliminary results from SPIDER’s 2015 flight will be presented along with a summary of progress towards the second flight.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-20/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161206T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161206T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T161222Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T161222Z
UID:311-1481040000-1481043600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Cristián H. Peña (Caltech) "Searches for New Physics at CMS and Precision Timing Detectors"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\n\n\nSearches for dark matter and supersymmetry are part of an ambitious and well motivated quest to discover new physics at the LHC. In the first part of this seminar I will be presenting two novel searches for new physics using the data collected by the CMS experiment. The first is a search for dark matter in multijet events using the razor variables to discriminate signal from background events. The second is a search for anomalous production of Higgs bosons in association with jets\, where the Higgs is reconstructed through its diphoton decay channel. The second part of my seminar will cover cutting edge detector R&D towards a device with ~10 ps time resolution. Such detectors will have a positively disruptive impact in future experiments such as the High Luminosity upgrade of the LHC by maintaining the current event reconstruction performance\, which is expected to otherwise significantly deteriorate due to the high pileup environment.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-19/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161201T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161201T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T160053Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T160053Z
UID:309-1480608000-1480611600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Evan Pease (Yale) "Searching for WIMPs and More: Results from 3 Years of Underground Science with the LUX Experiment"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nThe Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment recently concluded underground operationat the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This talk will cover the full LUX search for dark matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) and will describe new measurements of xenon’s properties and new analysis techniques developed for further LUX science.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-18/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161130T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161130T130000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161123T094013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161123T094013Z
UID:398-1480507200-1480510800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:SPECIAL SEMINAR: Wai Ling Kimmy Wu (Stanford) "Constraining Inflation with BICEP/Keck and SPT"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \n\nInflation generically predicts a background of stochastic gravitational waves. In the standard cosmological model LCDM\, these primordial gravitational waves (PGW) are the only source to the odd-parity (curl) B-mode polarization on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) at the epoch of recombination. Therefore\, we can learn much about inflation by constraining or potentially detecting primordial gravitational waves. In this talk\, I will present two frontiers that advance the search for primordial gravitational waves: instrumentation of BICEP3 and delensing with SPTpol. I will conclude with the future outlook of such search with CMB-S4.\n\nIn the first part of the talk\, I will discuss the design and performance of BICEP3 — the path-finder of BICEP/Keck program’s Stage-3 effort. The BICEP/Keck telescopes are small aperture (~0.5m) cryogenic refractors that focus on measuring the degree-angular scale feature of the PGW-generated B modes. BICEP3 has ~10x optical throughput compared to BICEP2 due to a larger field-of-view and aperture size. As a result\, we adopt new designs in BICEP3 for thermal filtering\, optical elements selection\, and detector modules packing. We deployed BICEP3 in the Austral summer of 2014-2015 and upgraded the instrument after the first season of testing and observations. I will present the improvements of the noise levels due to this upgrade.\n\nThe second part of my talk will focus on delensing SPTpol data. Gravitational lensing of primordial (curl-free) E modes generates B modes. These lensing B modes are a source of foreground contamination to detecting the PGW-generated B modes. We can characterize and reduce the lensing B-mode contribution through a technique called “delensing.” I will present results of a first demonstration of delensing on polarization data. In this work\, we delens B-mode maps from multi-frequency SPTpol observations of a 100 deg^2 patch of sky by subtracting a lensing B template constructed from two components: SPTpol E-mode maps and a lensing potential map formed from a Herschel 500 μm map of the CIB. In addition\, we build and use a suite of realistic simulations to study the current limitations and expected future improvements in delensing with implications for future experiments.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/special-seminar-wai-ling-kimmy-wu-stanford-constraining-inflation-with-bicepkeck-and-spt/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161129T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161129T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T153236Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T153236Z
UID:307-1480435200-1480438800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Scott Kravitz (Stanford) "Identification of Single Barium Atoms for the nEXO Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Experiment"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nnEXO is a next-generation experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of xenon-136 in a liquid xenon time projection chamber. Positive observation of this decay would determine the neutrino to be a Majorana particle\, as well as measure the absolute neutrino mass scale. In order to greatly reduce background contributions to this search\, the collaboration is developing several “barium tagging” techniques to recover and identify the decay daughter\, barium-136. Barium tagging may be available for a second phase of nEXO operation\, allowing for neutrino mass sensitivity beyond the inverted mass hierarchy. Tagging methods for this phase include barium-ion capture on a probe with identification by resonance ionization laser spectroscopy (RIS). An apparatus has been built to deposit barium atoms onto a surface and recover them using infrared laser desorption followed by RIS\, with the resulting ions passing through a time-of-flight mass spectrometer for further identification. Recent results from this system will be presented\, including those from incorporating an argon ion gun which allows for improved cleaning and preparation of the barium deposition substrate.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-17/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161122T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161122T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T153207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T153207Z
UID:305-1479830400-1479834000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:John Bradmiller-Feld (UCSB) "An Inclusive and Generic Search for Supersymmetry in the Multijet + Missing Momentum Final State Performed on pp Collision Data Collected with the CMS Detector"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\nFor the past two years\, the LHC has collided protons at a record-high center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. This time has provided an opportunity to search for beyond standard model particles at the TeV scale\, including those predicted by supersymmetry\, with unprecedented sensitivity.  I will present an overview of a generic search for strongly-produced supersymmetric particles in pp collisions in the multijet + missing transverse momentum final state. The data sample corresponds to 12.9 fb-1 recorded by the CMS experiment in 2016. I will review the theoretical and experimental motivation for this search\, then describe the central challenges of the analysis\, namely the data-driven measurements of the standard model backgrounds. Finally\, I will summarize the results of the analysis\, and look ahead to possible directions for this and similar searches in the coming years.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-16/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161117T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161117T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161007T084842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161007T084842Z
UID:367-1479398400-1479402000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Robert Kirshner (Moore Foundation) "Doing WFIRST Science Now:  Supernovae in the Infrared"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract.- An infrared-capable 2.4m telescope is presently in orbit:  the Hubble Space Telescope.  This makes it possible to do rest-frame infrared observations of Type Ia supernovae.  In the infrared\, SN Ia are more nearly standard candles and there is less obscuration by dust.  I will give a status report on RAISIN2\, an HST program that tiptoes into the realm of WFIRST science today.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/robert-kirshner-gordon-and-betty-moore-foundation-tba/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161115T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161115T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T153125Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T153125Z
UID:301-1479225600-1479229200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Emmanuel Schaan (Princeton) "Non-linearities in the large-scale structure: noise and signal"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:  \nThe primordial density perturbations seen in the cosmic microwave background have collapsed under gravity to form the large-scale structure we see in the universe today. This evolution is non-linear\, and therefore introduces coupling between Fourier modes that would otherwise be independent. I will present two consequences of this non-linear coupling.\nHalo sample variance (arXiv:1406.3330):\nGaussian estimates for the errors in large-scale structure measurements exaggerate the scientific impact of these measurements. Non-linear evolution and finite volume effects are both significant sources of non-Gaussian covariance\, which reduce the ability of power spectrum measurements to constrain cosmological parameters. I will present a joint likelihood for cluster counts\, power spectrum and bispectrum\, including the non-Gaussian covariances\, and show that a joint analysis of these observables can reduce this “information loss”. In some cases\, the resulting improvement on cosmological parameters is equivalent to doubling the survey area.\nLyman-alpha – CMB lensing bispectrum (arXiv:1607.03625): \nThe Lyman-alpha forest seen in the spectra of quasars is a powerful tool for constraining warm dark matter models and the neutrino masses\, as well as properties of the intergalactic medium. Its use as a cosmological probe relies on modeling the connection between neutral gas and dark matter. I will present the first detection of the correlation between the Lyman-alpha forest and the cosmic microwave background\, using data from BOSS and Planck. This signal quantifies the non-linear response of the neutral hydrogen to a large-scale overdensity\, and thus tests our understanding of the connection between neutral gas and the dark matter.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-14/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161115T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161115T150000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161114T084809Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161114T084809Z
UID:385-1479218400-1479222000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Erez Etzion (Tel-Aviv U.) "Higgs hunting episode II - Searches for Beyond the SM Higgs at the LHC"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\nThe discovery of the “Higgs like” particle in summer 2012 completed about fifty years of search. In short time with significantly more data we renamed it to be the Higgs particle and continued with studying its characteristic. In parallel to the precision measurements it increased the effort to look for additional Higgs like particles and Higgs related extensions to the  Standard Model. I will review some of these searches with the ATLAS and CMS experiments focusing on the recent data collected by ATLAS in LHC pp collisions at centre of mass of 13 TeV.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/erez-etzion-tel-aviv-u-higgs-hunting-episode-ii-searches-for-beyond-the-sm-higgs-at-the-lhc/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161110T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161110T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T152845Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T152845Z
UID:299-1478793600-1478797200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Reserved
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-13/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161108T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161108T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T152821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T152821Z
UID:297-1478620800-1478624400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Reserved
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-8/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161103T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161103T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T152800Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T152800Z
UID:295-1478188800-1478192400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Reserved
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved-4/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161101T040000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161101T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160919T152721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160919T152721Z
UID:293-1477972800-1478019600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Reserved
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/reserved/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161027T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161027T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161006T143347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161006T143347Z
UID:363-1477584000-1477587600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Bruce Schumm (UCSC) "Supersymmetry Searches at the LHC: Status and a Thought or Two about the Future"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\n\nI’ll remind us all of the motivation for Supersymmetry searches at the LHC\, and provide a general overview of the status of the search. Since\, even after results making use of in excess of 10 fb-1 of 13 TeV data we see no significant signals\, I’ll end with a discussion of how imperiled SUSY may or may not be at this point.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/bruce-schumm-ucsc-status-of-supersymmetry-searches-at-the-lhc/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161020T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161020T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161006T143006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161006T143006Z
UID:359-1476979200-1476982800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Marilena Loverde (Stony Brook Univ.) "Neutrinos\, Quintessence and Structure Formation in the Universe"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe large-scale structure of our universe (the distribution of galaxies on very large-scales for instance) contains a wealth of information about the origin\, evolution\, and matter content of the universe. Extracting this information relies crucially on understanding how galaxies and other biased objects trace the large-scale matter distribution. In a universe such as our own\, with both cold dark matter and massive neutrinos\, or in alternative cosmologies with clustered quintessence\, this problem is much more complicated. I will discuss new tools that my group has developed to study gravitational evolution in cosmologies with multiple fluids\, the novel signatures we have identified including a new probe of neutrino mass\, and the broader implications for models of large-scale structure.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/marilena-loverde-stony-brook-univ-tba/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161018T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161018T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161006T152245Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161006T152245Z
UID:365-1476806400-1476810000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Greg Aldering\, Bob Cahn\, Alex Kim\, and Saul Perlmutter (LBNL) "Type Ia Supernova Program at LBNL: Status and Plans"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nSupernovae remain a central part of dark energy science\, complementing the programs with BAO and weak lensing.  The LBNL group is active with the nearby supernova search with the SN factory\, a role in the intermediate-redshift DES supernova program\, and the collection of increasing numbers of high-z Type Ia supernovae.  The SuperNova factory has revealed a number of systematic issues and some means to address them.  While LSST will discover hundreds of thousands of supernovae\, only if the systematic issues can be addressed will a Stage-IV experiment be possible.  Combining WFIRST and LSST with what is being learned at the SN factory and at DES can provide the path to Stage-IV.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/robert-cahn-lbnl-tba/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161013T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20161013T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20161006T143256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161006T143256Z
UID:361-1476374400-1476378000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Hans Walter Rix (Max Planck) "Fuel Exploration in the Early Universe: The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nMuch of the exploration of the high-redshift\nUniverse has focussed on first finding sites of ongoing star formation.\nThis can then lead to pointed follow-up of how much\ncold (molecular) gas there is that feeds this star formation.\nALMA now enables ‘blind’ surveys for molecular gas\, the fuel\nsupply for galaxy formation at early epochs.\nI will report on initial results of what such surveys can yield.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/hans-walter-rix-max-planck-tba/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20160915T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20160915T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160912T084446Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160912T084446Z
UID:290-1473955200-1473958800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Nick Kaiser (Hawaii) "The Physics of Gravitational Redshifts in Clusters of Galaxies"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nWojtak\, Hansen and Hjorth and others have measured the long-predicted gravitational redshift of light escaping from galaxy clusters using Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. The effect is very small\, corresponding to a velocity shift of only ~10 km/s in clusters with internal random motions of order 600 km/s\, but the result appears to be robust and is in good agreement with general relativity predictions and possibly in conflict with some alternative theories. It was soon realised that the interpretation of this measurement is more complex than initially thought as one needs to allow for the transverse Doppler (TD) redshift. In this talk I will describe how there are actually two more rather subtle and unexpected physical effects that need to be considered in interpreting these observations; there is a `light cone’ effect that augments the TD shift\, and there is a competing effect that reverses the sign of the transverse Doppler effect so that we actually observe a transverse Doppler blue-shift. I will discuss how these observations constrain gravitation theory\, and along the way discuss some issues concerning the interpretation of astronomical redshifts in a broader context.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/nick-kaiser-hawaii-the-physics-of-gravitational-redshifts-in-clusters-of-galaxies/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20160908T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20160908T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160811T095806Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160811T095806Z
UID:284-1473350400-1473354000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Brian Fujikawa (LBNL) "New Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Results from KamLAND-Zen"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nKamLAND is a one-kiloton liquid scintillator-based neutrino detector and is one of the recipients of the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for its 2002 investigation of neutrino oscillations. KamLAND-Zen is the current phase of KamLAND\, and it is an experiment to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of Xe-136. In this talk\, I will describe the KamLAND experiment and present the new results from KamLAND-Zen. I will conclude by describing the plans and future objectives of KamLAND and KamLAND-Zen.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/brian-fujikawa-lbnl-new-neutrinoless-double-beta-decay-results-from-kamland-zen/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20160825T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20160825T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T181937
CREATED:20160725T150354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160725T150354Z
UID:278-1472140800-1472144400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Neil Spooner (Univ. of Sheffield) " Galactic Signatures and Directional Detection of Particle Dark Matter - the CYGNUS Project and Probing below the Neutrino Floor”
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nI’ll briefly review the arguments for and status of particle dark matter searches and then focus on the possibility of looking for a definitive galactic signature.  There have been several hints for WIMP dark matter over the years\, most notably the DAM/LIBRE annual modulation result.  There are new efforts to study this\, for instance DM-ICE.  I’ll describe the efforts and latest results then focus on prospects for a directional signal using gas Time Projection Chamber technology including the new CYGNUS global collaboration aiming to deploy targets at multiple latitudes deep underground.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/neil-spooner-univ-of-sheffield-tba/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR