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A. Schneider

Publications and source records attributed to A. Schneider.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

White Paper on New Opportunities at the Next-Generation Neutrino Experiments (Part 1: BSM Neutrino Physics and Dark Matter)

With the advent of a new generation of neutrino experiments which leverage high-intensity neutrino beams for precision measurements, it is timely to explore physics topics beyond the standard neutrino-related physics. Given that the realm of beyond the standard model (BSM) physics has been mostly sought at high-energy regimes at colliders, such as the LHC at CERN, the exploration of BSM physics in neutrino experiments will enable complementary measurements at the energy regimes that balance that of the LHC. This is in concert with new ideas for high-intensity beams for fixed target and beam-dump experiments world-wide, e.g., those at CERN. The combination of the high intensity proton beam facilities and massive detectors for precision neutrino oscillation parameter measurements and for CP violation phase measurements will help make BSM physics reachable even in low energy regimes in accelerator based experiments. Large mass detectors with highly precise tracking and energy measurements, excellent timing resolution, and low energy thresholds will enable searches for BSM phenomena from cosmogenic origin, as well. Therefore, it is conceivable that BSM topics in the next generation neutrino experiments could be the dominant physics topics in the foreseeable future, as the precision of the neutrino oscillation parameter and CPV measurements continues to improve. In this spirit, this white paper provides a review of the current landscape of BSM theory in neutrino experiments in two selected areas of the BSM topics - dark matter and neutrino related BSM - and summarizes the current results from existing neutrino experiments to set benchmarks for both theory and experiment. This paper then provides a review of upcoming neutrino experiments throughout the next 10 - 15 year time scale and their capabilities to set the foundation for potential reach in BSM physics in the two aforementioned themes.

hep-ph↗

The VAST Survey - III. The multiplicity of A-type stars within 75 pc

With a combination of adaptive optics imaging and a multi-epoch common proper motion search, we have conducted a large volume-limited (D $\le$ 75 pc) multiplicity survey of A-type stars, sensitive to companions beyond 30 au. The sample for the Volume-limited A-STar (VAST) survey consists of 435 A-type stars: 363 stars were observed with adaptive optics, 228 stars were searched for wide common proper motion companions and 156 stars were measured with both techniques. The projected separation coverage of the VAST survey extends from 30 to 45,000 au. A total of 137 stellar companions were resolved, including 64 new detections from the VAST survey, and the companion star fraction, projected separation distribution and mass ratio distribution were measured. The separation distribution forms a log-normal distribution similar to the solar-type binary distribution, but with a peak shifted to a significantly wider value of 387 (+132,-98) au. Integrating the fit to the distribution over the 30 to 10,000 au observed range, the companion star fraction for A-type stars is estimated as 33.8%+-2.6%. The mass ratio distribution of closer (<125 au) binaries is distinct from that of wider systems, with a flat distribution for close systems and a distribution that tends towards smaller mass ratios for wider binaries. Combining this result with previous spectroscopic surveys of A-type stars gives an estimate of the total companion star fraction of 68.9%+-7.0%. The most complete assessment of higher order multiples was estimated from the 156-star subset of the VAST sample with both adaptive optics and common proper motion measurements, combined with a literature search for companions, yielding a lower limit on the frequency of single, binary, triple, quadruple and quintuple A-type star systems of 56.4 (-4.0,+3.8), 32.1 (-3.5,+3.9), 9.0 (-1.8,+2.8), 1.9 (-0.6,+1.8) and 0.6 (-0.2,+1.4) per cent, respectively.

astro-ph.SR↗

Sub-millimeter observations of IRAS and WISE debris disk candidates

A set of six debris disk candidates identified with IRAS or WISE excesses were observed at either 350 um or 450 um with the CSO. Five of the targets - HIP 51658, HIP 68160, HIP 73512, HIP 76375, and HIP 112460 - have among the largest measured excess emission from cold dust from IRAS in the 25-100 um bands. Single temperature blackbody fits to the excess dust emission of these sources predict 350-450 um fluxes above 240 mJy. The final target - HIP 73165 - exhibits weak excess emission above the stellar photosphere from WISE measurements at 22 um, indicative of a population of warm circumstellar dust. None of the six targets were detected, with 3 sigma upper limits ranging from 51-239 mJy. These limits are significantly below the expected fluxes from SED fitting. Two potential causes of the null detections were explored - companion stars and contamination. To investigate the possible influence of companion stars, imaging data were analyzed from new AO data from the MMT and archival HST, NIRI, and POSS/2MASS data. The images are sensitive to all stellar companions beyond a radius of 1-94 AU. One target is identified as a binary system, but with a separation too large to impact the disk. While the gravitational effects of a companion do not appear to provide an explanation for the submm upper limits, the majority of the IRAS excess targets show evidence for contaminating sources, based on investigation of higher resolution WISE and archival Spitzer and Herschel images. Finally, the exploratory submm measurements of the WISE excess source suggest that the hot dust present around these targets is not matched by a comparable population of colder, outer dust. More extensive and more sensitive Herschel observations of WISE excess sources will build upon this initial example to further define the characteristics of warm debris disks sources.

astro-ph.SR↗

Neutron Star Crust and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

In this book chapter we review plasma crystals in the laboratory, in the interior of white dwarf stars, and in the crust of neutron stars. We describe a molecular dynamics formalism and show results for many neutron star crust properties including phase separation upon freezing, diffusion, breaking strain, shear viscosity and dynamics response of nuclear pasta. We end with a summary and discuss open questions and challenges for the future.

astro-ph.SR↗

Metamaterials proposed as perfect magnetoelectrics

Magnetoelectric susceptibility of a metamaterial built from split ring resonators have been investigated both experimentally and within an equivalent circuit model. The absolute values have been shown to exceed by two orders of magnitude that of classical magnetoelectric materials. The metamaterial investigated reaches the theoretically predicted value of the magnetoelectric susceptibility which is equal to the geometric average of the electric and magnetic susceptibilities.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

On what Terms and why the Thermodynamic Properties of Polymer Solutions Depend on Chain Length up to the Melt

Theoretical considerations based on chain connectivity and conformational variability of polymers have lead to an uncomplicated relation for the dependence of the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, chi, on the volume fraction of the polymer, phi, and on its number of segments, N. The validity of this expression is being tested extensively by means of vapor pressure measurements and inverse gas chromatography (complemented by osmotic and light scattering data from literature) for solutions of poly(dimethylsiloxane) in the thermodynamically vastly different solvents n-octane (n-C8), toluene (TL), and methylethylketone (MEK) over the entire range of composition for at least six different molecular masses of the polymer. The new approach is capable to model the measured chi (phi, N) very well, irrespective of the thermodynamic quality of the solvent, in contrast to traditional expressions, which are often restricted to good solvents but fail for bad ones and vice versa. At constant polymer concentration the chi values result lowest for n-C8 (best solvent) and highest for MEK (theta solvent); the data for TL fall between. The influences of N depend strongly on the thermodynamic quality of the solvent and are not restricted to dilute solutions. For good solvents chi increases with rising N. The effect is most pronounced for n-C8, where the different curves for chi (phi) fan out considerably. The influences of N become less distinct for TL, and for MEK they vanish at the (endothermal) theta temperature. For worse than theta conditions, the chi values of the long chains become less than that of short ones. This change in the sign of N-influences is in agreement with the present concept of conformational relaxation.

cond-mat.soft↗