M. P. Albuquerque | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

From Safeguards Application to Fundamental Physics: Advancements in Reactor Neutrino Detection with the ν-Angra Experiment

Operating on a surface with high noise rates and requiring susceptible, yet small-scale detectors, the Neutrinos-Angra detector is an excellent platform for technological development and expertise in new detection methods. This report details the primary features of the detector, the electronics involved, and preliminary physics results from the operational phase, particularly the ON-OFF analysis comparing the signals with the reactor in operation (ON) and during the maintenance shut-down (OFF), demonstrating the detector's capability to monitor reactor activity. Additionally, we will briefly discuss the prospects of using a cryogenic calorimeter to detect neutrinos via Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS), highlighting potential advancements in neutrino detection technology. Looking ahead, the project promises to play a crucial role in the integration of Latin American scientists and engineers into global scientific collaborations, significantly contributing to the LASF4RI and the broader HECAP strategic framework.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

A Neural Network Gravitational Arc Finder based on the Mediatrix filamentation Method

Automated arc detection methods are needed to scan the ongoing and next-generation wide-field imaging surveys, which are expected to contain thousands of strong lensing systems. Arc finders are also required for a quantitative comparison between predictions and observations of arc abundance. Several algorithms have been proposed to this end, but machine learning methods have remained as a relatively unexplored step in the arc finding process. In this work we introduce a new arc finder based on pattern recognition, which uses a set of morphological measurements derived from the Mediatrix Filamentation Method as entries to an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). We show a full example of the application of the arc finder, first training and validating the ANN on simulated arcs and then applying the code on four Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of strong lensing systems. The simulated arcs use simple prescriptions for the lens and the source, while mimicking HST observational conditions. We also consider a sample of objects from HST images with no arcs in the training of the ANN classification. We use the training and validation process to determine a suitable set of ANN configurations, including the combination of inputs from the Mediatrix method, so as to maximize the completeness while keeping the false positives low. In the simulations the method was able to achieve a completeness of about 90% with respect to the arcs that are input to the ANN after a preselection. However, this completeness drops to $\sim$ 70% on the HST images. The false detections are of the order of 3% of the objects detected in these images. The combination of Mediatrix measurements with an ANN is a promising tool for the pattern recognition phase of arc finding. More realistic simulations and a larger set of real systems are needed for a better training and assessment of the efficiency of the method.

astro-ph.CO↗