arXiv subjects

Weizhi Xiong

Publications and source records attributed to Weizhi Xiong.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Design and Simulation Study of the Hadronic Calorimeter for the EicC Zero Degree Calorimeter

The Zero-Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) at the proposed Electron-Ion Collider in China (EicC) is essential for detecting forward-going neutral particles and supporting the core nucleon spin and 3D imaging physics programs. In this work, a highly compact Spaghetti Calorimeter (SPACAL) architecture is proposed and optimized as the baseline design for the ZDC hadronic section. To systematically and quantitatively evaluate its physics capabilities, a comprehensive end-to-end Geant4 simulation framework was developed, integrating energy deposition, optical photon transport, photo-detection, and modeled front-end signal digitization. The optimized detector demonstrates excellent performance for neutron detection, achieving an energy resolution of $33.42\%/\sqrt{E/\mathrm{GeV}} + 1.47\%$ and a timing resolution of approximately 500 ps, outperforming the targeted specification. Furthermore, full-system simulations incorporating the upstream electromagnetic calorimeter yield a sub-centimeter transverse position resolution. Moreover, topological shower shape analysis across the full detector system provides robust particle identification (PID), with photon-neutron separation accuracy reaching over $99\%$ for high-energy incident particles. These quantitative results confirm that the SPACAL design fully satisfies the stringent operational and physics requirements of the EicC forward kinematic region.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Low-energy Muon-Nucleon scattering experiment: LUNE (White Paper)

The HIAF will provide high-intensity, high-quality muon beams with momenta from 0.5 to 7.5 GeV/c. This energy range is uniquely suited for precision muon scattering, bridging the gap between low-energy electron facilities and future high-energy lepton-ion colliders. In particular, HIAF will enable precision measurements with both positive and negative muon beams over a broad kinematic range, complementing existing electron-scattering facilities such as JLab, EicC and EIC. Based on HIAF muon source, the LUNE Collaboration has been established to address several fundamental questions in nuclear and particle physics, including the proton charge radius puzzle, nucleon electromagnetic structure, and the dynamics of quantum electrodynamics and hadronic interactions. The program proceeds in two phases, from elastic scattering to nucleon structure and beyond-Standard-Model searches. The experiment is expected to determine the proton charge radius with a precision of approximately 1.0\% using elastic muon-proton scattering. It will also perform systematic measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factors with both $μ^+$ and $μ^-$ beams, enabling precise studies of two-photon exchange effects and stringent tests of quantum electrodynamics. Beyond elastic scattering, LUNE will investigate TMD, gravitational form factors, and nuclear charge radii, providing new insights into the 3D structure of nucleons and nuclei. The experiment will further address important topics including Coulomb-distortion corrections, nuclear medium effects, and possible signatures of physics beyond the Standard Model. This white paper presents the scientific motivation, detector concept, expected performance, and long-term strategy of LUNE.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

Sensitivity of a Missing-Mass Search for a Light Dark Photon with a Positron Beam on a Hydrogen Target

We present a Geant4-based simulation study of the sensitivity to a light dark photon, $A'$, using a positron beam incident on a thin liquid-hydrogen target and a high-resolution forward electromagnetic calorimeter for final-state photon reconstruction. This study is motivated by ongoing research and development toward a low-energy positron facility at Jefferson Lab. The proposed search employs the missing-mass technique in the annihilation-in-flight process $e^+e^- \to γA'$, providing sensitivity to the $A'$ independently of its decay mode. We evaluate the expected backgrounds from standard QED annihilation and bremsstrahlung processes and present the projected sensitivity to the kinetic-mixing parameter $ε^2$ as a function of the $A'$ mass. The experiment with 500~MeV beam will provide the data for $A'$ mass range 7-19 MeV. The projected sensitivity on $ε^2$ is $4\times10^{-8}$ at $m_{A'}=19$~MeV.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

Feasibility Study of Pion and Kaon Structure via the Sullivan Process at EicC

The Electron--Ion Collider in China (EicC) provides an excellent opportunity to explore the internal structure of pions and kaons via the Sullivan process in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS). In this study, we present detailed projections for the pion and kaon structure functions, $F_2^π$ and $F_2^K$, at EicC, with a focus on both statistical and systematic uncertainties. Leveraging EicC's high luminosity and broad kinematic coverage, the accessible kinematic region is extended beyond previous measurements. The projected statistical uncertainties for $F_2^π$ and $F_2^K$ are below 5\% and 8\%, respectively, across most kinematic bins. Systematic uncertainties arising from detector effects have been carefully evaluated. These results significantly enhance the precision of meson structure function measurements and provide important constraints on theoretical models of meson parton distributions. Moreover, this study bridges the gap between fixed-target and collider-era measurements, highlighting the pivotal role of EicC in advancing our understanding of hadronic structure.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Conceptual Design of the Muonium-to-Antimuonium Conversion Experiment (MACE)

The spontaneous conversion of muonium to antimuonium is one of the interesting charged lepton flavor violation phenomena offering a sensitive probe of potential new physics and serving as a tool to constrain the parameter space beyond the Standard Model. The Muonium-to-Antimuonium Conversion Experiment (MACE) is designed to utilize a high-intensity muon beam, a Michel electron magnetic spectrometer, a positron transport system, and a positron detection system, to either discover or constrain this rare process with a conversion probability of $\mathcal{O}(10^{-13})$. This article presents an overview of the theoretical framework as well as a detailed description of the experimental design for the search for muonium-to-antimuonium conversion.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Extrapolating Exclusive Charmonium Photoproduction to the Forward Regime Using Gaussian Process

Accessing the forward kinematic regime of exclusive vector meson photoproduction is essential for probing the structure of the proton, yet this region is often experimentally inaccessible. We present a novel extrapolation of near-threshold $γp \to J/ψp$ differential cross section data to the forward regime $dσ/dt|_{t=0}$ by applying a non-parametric Gaussian Process (GP) regression. By employing a two-dimensional GP dependent on both the squared momentum transfer $t$ and the center-of-mass energy $W$, we perform a coherent analysis of world data and provide a robust quantification of the extrapolation uncertainties. Furthermore, we apply the GP in the determination of the proton mass radius from the $J/ψ$ photoproduction data. We find that the extracted radius is subject to large systematic uncertainties, highlighting the challenge in precisely constraining this quantity with current experimental precision. This work demonstrates that GP is a powerful and systematic tool for phenomenological studies in hadron physics, particularly for extrapolations into unmeasured kinematic domains.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Design of a CsI(Tl) Calorimeter for Muonium-to-Antimuonium Conversion Experiment

The Muonium-to-Antimuonium Conversion Experiment (MACE) is proposed to search for charged lepton flavor violation and increase the sensitivity by more than two orders of magnitude compared to the MACS experiment at PSI in 1999. A clear signature of this conversion is the positron produced from antimuonium decay. This paper presents a near-$4π$-coverage calorimeter designed for MACE, which can provide an energy resolution of 10.8% at 511 keV, and a signal efficiency of 78.3% for annihilation $γ$-ray events. Detailed Monte-Carlo simulations using MACE offline software based on Geant4 are performed for geometry optimization, coincidence system design, background estimation, and benchmark detector validation.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Lowest-order QED radiative corrections in unpolarized elastic electron-deuteron scattering beyond the ultra-relativistic limit for the proposed deuteron charge radius measurement at Jefferson Laboratory

Analogous to the well-known proton charge radius puzzle, a similar puzzle exists for the deuteron charge radius, $r_{d}$. There are discrepancies observed in the results of $r_{d}$, measured from electron-deuteron ($e-d$) scattering experiments, as well as from atomic spectroscopy. In order to help resolve the charge radius puzzle of the deuteron, the PRad collaboration at Jefferson Lab has proposed an experiment for measuring $r_{d}$, named DRad. This experiment is designed to measure the unpolarized elastic $e-d$ scattering cross section in a low-$Q^{2}$ region. To extract the cross section with a high precision, having reliable knowledge of QED radiative corrections is important. In this paper, we present complete numerical calculations of the lowest-order radiative corrections in $e-d$ scattering for the DRad kinematics. The calculations have been performed within a covariant formalism and beyond the ultra-relativistic approximation ($m_{e}^{2} \ll Q^{2}$). Besides, we present a systematic uncertainty on $r_{d}$ arising from higher-order radiative corrections, estimated based on our cross-section results.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Proton Charge Radius from Lepton Scattering

Protons are bound states of the strong interaction governed by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Its charge radius ($r_{E}^{p}$) is an important quantity as it characterizes the spatial distribution of the proton's charge, which is carried by the quarks. On the other hand, the proton charge radius is an essential physical input for the bound-state Quantum Electrodynamic (QED) calculations for the hydrogen atomic energy levels. Nevertheless, the large discrepancy between $r_{E}^{p}$ measurements from muonic hydrogen spectroscopy, and those from $ep$ elastic scattering and ordinary hydrogen spectroscopy, have been puzzling physicists for over a decade. Tremendous efforts, in both theoretical and experimental sides, have been dedicated to providing various insights into this puzzle, yet certain issues still remain unresolved, particularly in the field of lepton scatterings. This review will focus on $r_{E}^{p}$ measurements using lepton scatterings, the recent theoretical and experimental developments in this field, as well as future experiments using this technique.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2023

The Solenoidal Large Intensity Device (SoLID) for JLab 12 GeV

The Solenoidal Large Intensity Device (SoLID) is a new experimental apparatus planned for Hall A at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). SoLID will combine large angular and momentum acceptance with the capability to handle very high data rates at high luminosity. With a slate of approved high-impact physics experiments, SoLID will push JLab to a new limit at the QCD intensity frontier that will exploit the full potential of its 12 GeV electron beam. In this paper, we present an overview of the rich physics program that can be realized with SoLID, which encompasses the tomography of the nucleon in 3-D momentum space from Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering (SIDIS), expanding the phase space in the search for new physics and novel hadronic effects in parity-violating DIS (PVDIS), a precision measurement of $J/ψ$ production at threshold that probes the gluon field and its contribution to the proton mass, tomography of the nucleon in combined coordinate and momentum space with deep exclusive reactions, and more. To meet the challenging requirements, the design of SoLID described here takes full advantage of recent progress in detector, data acquisition and computing technologies. In addition, we outline potential experiments beyond the currently approved program and discuss the physics that could be explored should upgrades of CEBAF become a reality in the future.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

Elastic Positron-Proton Scattering at Low Q$^2$

Systematic differences in the the proton's charge radius, as determined by ordinary atoms and muonic atoms, have caused a resurgence of interest in elastic lepton scattering measurements. The proton's charge radius, defined as the slope of the charge form factor at Q$^2$=0, does not depend on the probe. Any difference in the apparent size of the proton, when determined from ordinary versus muonic hydrogen, could point to new physics or need for the higher order corrections. While recent measurements seem to now be in agreement, there is to date no high precision elastic scattering data with both electrons and positrons. A high precision proton radius measurement could be performed in Hall B at Jefferson Lab with a positron beam and the calorimeter based setup of the PRad experiment. This measurement could also be extended to deuterons where a similar discrepancy has been observed between the muonic and electronic determination of deuteron charge radius. A new, high precision measurement with positrons, when viewed alongside electron scattering measurements and the forthcoming MUSE muon scattering measurement, could help provide new insights into the origins of the proton radius puzzle, and also provide new experimental constraints on radiative correction calculations.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

Advanced extraction of the deuteron charge radius from electron-deuteron scattering data

To extract the charge radius of the proton, $r_{p}$, from the electron scattering data, the PRad collaboration at Jefferson Lab has developed a rigorous framework for finding the best functional forms - the fitters - for a robust extraction of $r_{p}$ from a wide variety of sample functions for the range and uncertainties of the PRad data. In this paper we utilize and further develop this framework. Herein we discuss methods for searching for the best fitter candidates as well as a procedure for testing the robustness of extraction of the deuteron charge radius, $r_{d}$, from parametrizations based on elastic electron-deuteron scattering data. The ansatz proposed in this paper for the robust extraction of $r_{d}$, for the proposed low-$Q^{2}$ DRad experiment at Jefferson Lab, can be further improved once there are more data.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

CFNS Ad-Hoc meeting on Radiative Corrections Whitepaper

Current precision scattering experiments and even more so many experiments planed for the Electron Ion Collider will be limited by systematics. From the theory side, a fundamental source of systematic uncertainty is the correct treatment of radiative effects. To gauge the current state of technique and knowledge, help the cross-pollination between different direction of nuclear physics, and to give input to the yellow report process, the community met in an ad-hoc workshop hosted by the Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science, Stony Brook University. This whitepaper is a collection of contributions to this workshop.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

Robust extraction of proton charge radius from electron-proton scattering data

Extracting the proton charge radius from electron scattering data requires determining the slope of the charge form factor at $Q^2$ of zero. But as experimental data never reach that limit, numerous methods for making the extraction have been proposed, though often the functions are determined after seeing the data which can lead to confirmation bias. To find functional forms that will allow for a robust extraction of the input radius for a wide variety of functional forms in order to have confidence in the extraction from upcoming low $Q^2$ experimental data such as the Jefferson Lab PRad experiment, we create a general framework for inputting form-factor functions as well as various fitting functions. The input form factors are used to generate pseudo-data with fluctuations intended to mimic the binning and random uncertainty of a given set of real data. All combinations of input functions and fit functions can then be tested repeatedly against regenerated pseudo-data. Since the input radius is known, this allows us to find fit functions that are robust for radius extractions in an objective fashion. For the range and uncertainty of the PRad data, we find that a two-parameter rational function, a two-parameter continued fraction and the second order polynomial expansion of $z$ can extract the input radius regardless of the input charge form factor function that is used. We have created an easily expandable framework to search for functional forms that allow for a robust extraction of the radius from a given binning and uncertainty of pseudo-data generated from a wide variety of trial functions. This method has enabled a successful search for the best functional forms to extract the radius from the upcoming PRad data and can be used for other experiments.

nucl-ex↗