arXiv subjects

X. Luo

Publications and source records attributed to X. Luo.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

First Measurement of $ν_μ$ Charged-Current $π^{0}$ Production on Argon with a LArTPC

We report the first measurement of the flux-integrated cross section of $ν_μ$ charged-current single $π^{0}$ production on argon. This measurement is performed with the MicroBooNE detector, an 85 ton active mass liquid argon time projection chamber exposed to the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. This result on argon is compared to past measurements on lighter nuclei to investigate the scaling assumptions used in models of the production and transport of pions in neutrino-nucleus scattering. The techniques used are an important demonstration of the successful reconstruction and analysis of neutrino interactions producing electromagnetic final states using a liquid argon time projection chamber operating at the earth's surface.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Demonstration of MeV-Scale Physics in Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers Using ArgoNeuT

MeV-scale energy depositions by low-energy photons produced in neutrino-argon interactions have been identified and reconstructed in ArgoNeuT liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) data. ArgoNeuT data collected on the NuMI beam at Fermilab were analyzed to select isolated low-energy depositions in the TPC volume. The total number, reconstructed energies and positions of these depositions have been compared to those from simulations of neutrino-argon interactions using the FLUKA Monte Carlo generator. Measured features are consistent with energy depositions from photons produced by de-excitation of the neutrino's target nucleus and by inelastic scattering of primary neutrons produced by neutrino-argon interactions. This study represents a successful reconstruction of physics at the MeV-scale in a LArTPC, a capability of crucial importance for detection and reconstruction of supernova and solar neutrino interactions in future large LArTPCs.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

First measurement of the cross section for $ν_μ$ and $\barν_μ$ induced single charged pion production on argon using ArgoNeuT

We report on the first cross section measurement of charged-current single charged pion production by neutrinos and antineutrinos on argon. This analysis was performed using the ArgoNeuT detector exposed to the NuMI beam at Fermilab. The measurements are presented as functions of muon momentum, muon angle, pion angle, and angle between muon and pion. The flux-averaged cross sections are measured to be $2.7\pm0.5(stat)\pm0.5(syst) \times 10^{-37} \textrm{cm}^{2}/\textrm{Ar}$ for neutrinos at a mean energy of 9.6 GeV and $8.4\pm0.9(stat)^{+1.0}_{-0.8}(syst) \times 10^{-38} \textrm{cm}^{2}/\textrm{Ar}$ for antineutrinos at a mean energy of 3.6 GeV with the charged pion momentum above 100 MeV/$c$. The results are compared with several model predictions.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

A Deep Neural Network for Pixel-Level Electromagnetic Particle Identification in the MicroBooNE Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber

We have developed a convolutional neural network (CNN) that can make a pixel-level prediction of objects in image data recorded by a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) for the first time. We describe the network design, training techniques, and software tools developed to train this network. The goal of this work is to develop a complete deep neural network based data reconstruction chain for the MicroBooNE detector. We show the first demonstration of a network's validity on real LArTPC data using MicroBooNE collection plane images. The demonstration is performed for stopping muon and a $ν_μ$ charged current neutral pion data samples.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Ionization Electron Signal Processing in Single Phase LArTPCs II. Data/Simulation Comparison and Performance in MicroBooNE

The single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) provides a large amount of detailed information in the form of fine-grained drifted ionization charge from particle traces. To fully utilize this information, the deposited charge must be accurately extracted from the raw digitized waveforms via a robust signal processing chain. Enabled by the ultra-low noise levels associated with cryogenic electronics in the MicroBooNE detector, the precise extraction of ionization charge from the induction wire planes in a single-phase LArTPC is qualitatively demonstrated on MicroBooNE data with event display images, and quantitatively demonstrated via waveform-level and track-level metrics. Improved performance of induction plane calorimetry is demonstrated through the agreement of extracted ionization charge measurements across different wire planes for various event topologies. In addition to the comprehensive waveform-level comparison of data and simulation, a calibration of the cryogenic electronics response is presented and solutions to various MicroBooNE-specific TPC issues are discussed. This work presents an important improvement in LArTPC signal processing, the foundation of reconstruction and therefore physics analyses in MicroBooNE.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Ionization Electron Signal Processing in Single Phase LArTPCs I. Algorithm Description and Quantitative Evaluation with MicroBooNE Simulation

We describe the concept and procedure of drifted-charge extraction developed in the MicroBooNE experiment, a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). This technique converts the raw digitized TPC waveform to the number of ionization electrons passing through a wire plane at a given time. A robust recovery of the number of ionization electrons from both induction and collection anode wire planes will augment the 3D reconstruction, and is particularly important for tomographic reconstruction algorithms. A number of building blocks of the overall procedure are described. The performance of the signal processing is quantitatively evaluated by comparing extracted charge with the true charge through a detailed TPC detector simulation taking into account position-dependent induced current inside a single wire region and across multiple wires. Some areas for further improvement of the performance of the charge extraction procedure are also discussed.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Critical behavior of two-dimensional intrinsically ferromagnetic semiconductor CrI3

CrI3, which belongs to a rare category of two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic semiconductors, is of great interest for spintronic device applications. Unlike CrCl3 whose magnetism presents a 2D-Heisenberg behavior, CrI3 exhibits a larger van der Waals gap, smaller cleavage energy, and stronger magnetic anisotropy which could lead to a 3D magnetic characteristic. Hence, we investigate the critical behavior of CrI3 in the vicinity of magnetic transition. We use the modified Arrott plot and Kouvel-Fisher method, and conduct critical isotherm analysis to estimate the critical exponents near the ferromagnetic phase transition. This shows that the magnetism of CrI3 follows the crossover behavior of a 3D-Ising model with mean field type interactions where the critical exponents \b{eta}, γ, and δ are 0.323, 0.835, and 3.585, respectively, at the Curie temperature of 64 K. We propose the crossover behavior can be attributed to the strong uniaxial anisotropy and inevitable interlayer coupling. Our experiment demonstrates the applicability of crossover behavior to a 2D ferromagnetic semiconductor.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Magnetoelectric and Raman spectroscopic studies of single-crystalline MnCr2O4

MnCr2O4 that exhibits spin frustration and complex spiral spin order is of great interest from both fundamental as well as application-oriented perspectives. Unlike CoCr2O4 whose ground state presents the coexistence of commensurate spiral spin order (CSSO) and ferroelectric order, MnCr2O4 shows no multiferroicity. One reason is that the spiral spin order is highly sensitive to the oxygen concentration in MnCr2O4. Here, we have successfully grown high-quality single-crystalline MnCr2O4 by the chemical vapor transport method. We observe a new first-order magnetic transition from the incommensurate spiral spin order (ICSSO) at 19.4 K to the CSSO at 17.4 K. This magnetic transition is verified by magnetization, specific heat, and magnetoelectric measurements, which also confirm that the ground state exhibits the coexistence of the CSSO and magnetoelectricity below 17.4 K. Interestingly, the temperature evolution of Raman spectra between 5.4 and 300 K suggests that the structure remains the same. We also find that the phase-transition temperature of the CSSO decreases as applied magnetic field increases up to 45 kOe.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Determination of muon momentum in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using an improved model of multiple Coulomb scattering

We discuss a technique for measuring a charged particle's momentum by means of multiple Coulomb scattering (MCS) in the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). This method does not require the full particle ionization track to be contained inside of the detector volume as other track momentum reconstruction methods do (range-based momentum reconstruction and calorimetric momentum reconstruction). We motivate use of this technique, describe a tuning of the underlying phenomenological formula, quantify its performance on fully contained beam-neutrino-induced muon tracks both in simulation and in data, and quantify its performance on exiting muon tracks in simulation. Using simulation, we have shown that the standard Highland formula should be re-tuned specifically for scattering in liquid argon, which significantly improves the bias and resolution of the momentum measurement. With the tuned formula, we find agreement between data and simulation for contained tracks, with a small bias in the momentum reconstruction and with resolutions that vary as a function of track length, improving from about 10% for the shortest (one meter long) tracks to 5% for longer (several meter) tracks. For simulated exiting muons with at least one meter of track contained, we find a similarly small bias, and a resolution which is less than 15% for muons with momentum below 2 GeV/c. Above 2 GeV/c, results are given as a first estimate of the MCS momentum measurement capabilities of MicroBooNE for high momentum exiting tracks.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Michel Electron Reconstruction Using Cosmic-Ray Data from the MicroBooNE LArTPC

The MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) has been taking data at Fermilab since 2015 collecting, in addition to neutrino beam, cosmic-ray muons. Results are presented on the reconstruction of Michel electrons produced by the decay at rest of cosmic-ray muons. Michel electrons are abundantly produced in the TPC, and given their well known energy spectrum can be used to study MicroBooNE's detector response to low-energy electrons (electrons with energies up to ~50 MeV). We describe the fully-automated algorithm developed to reconstruct Michel electrons, with which a sample of ~14,000 Michel electron candidates is obtained. Most of this article is dedicated to studying the impact of radiative photons produced by Michel electrons on the accuracy and resolution of their energy measurement. In this energy range, ionization and bremsstrahlung photon production contribute similarly to electron energy loss in argon, leading to a complex electron topology in the TPC. By profiling the performance of the reconstruction algorithm on simulation we show that the ability to identify and include energy deposited by radiative photons leads to a significant improvement in the energy measurement of low-energy electrons. The fractional energy resolution we measure improves from over 30% to ~20% when we attempt to include radiative photons in the reconstruction. These studies are relevant to a large number of analyses which aim to study neutrinos by measuring electrons produced by $ν_e$ interactions over a broad energy range.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

The Pandora multi-algorithm approach to automated pattern recognition of cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector

The development and operation of Liquid-Argon Time-Projection Chambers for neutrino physics has created a need for new approaches to pattern recognition in order to fully exploit the imaging capabilities offered by this technology. Whereas the human brain can excel at identifying features in the recorded events, it is a significant challenge to develop an automated, algorithmic solution. The Pandora Software Development Kit provides functionality to aid the design and implementation of pattern-recognition algorithms. It promotes the use of a multi-algorithm approach to pattern recognition, in which individual algorithms each address a specific task in a particular topology. Many tens of algorithms then carefully build up a picture of the event and, together, provide a robust automated pattern-recognition solution. This paper describes details of the chain of over one hundred Pandora algorithms and tools used to reconstruct cosmic-ray muon and neutrino events in the MicroBooNE detector. Metrics that assess the current pattern-recognition performance are presented for simulated MicroBooNE events, using a selection of final-state event topologies.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2017

Measurement of cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiencies in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using a small external cosmic-ray counter

The MicroBooNE detector is a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab designed to study short-baseline neutrino oscillations and neutrino-argon interaction cross-section. Due to its location near the surface, a good understanding of cosmic muons as a source of backgrounds is of fundamental importance for the experiment. We present a method of using an external 0.5 m (L) x 0.5 m (W) muon counter stack, installed above the main detector, to determine the cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiency in MicroBooNE. Data are acquired with this external muon counter stack placed in three different positions, corresponding to cosmic rays intersecting different parts of the detector. The data reconstruction efficiency of tracks in the detector is found to be $ε_{\mathrm{data}}=(97.1\pm0.1~(\mathrm{stat}) \pm 1.4~(\mathrm{sys}))\%$, in good agreement with the Monte Carlo reconstruction efficiency $ε_{\mathrm{MC}} = (97.4\pm0.1)\%$. This analysis represents a small-scale demonstration of the method that can be used with future data coming from a recently installed cosmic-ray tagger system, which will be able to tag $\approx80\%$ of the cosmic rays passing through the MicroBooNE detector.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2017

Manipulation of type-I and type-II Dirac points in PdTe2 superconductor by external pressure

A pair of type-II Dirac cones in PdTe$_2$ was recently predicted by theories and confirmed in experiments, making PdTe$_2$ the first material that processes both superconductivity and type-II Dirac fermions. In this work, we study the evolution of Dirac cones in PdTe$_2$ under hydrostatic pressure by the first-principles calculations. Our results show that the pair of type-II Dirac points disappears at 6.1 GPa. Interestingly, a new pair of type-I Dirac points from the same two bands emerges at 4.7 GPa. Due to the distinctive band structures compared with those of PtSe$_2$ and PtTe$_2$, the two types of Dirac points can coexist in PdTe$_2$ under proper pressure (4.7-6.1 GPa). The emergence of type-I Dirac cones and the disappearance of type-II Dirac ones are attributed to the increase/decrease of the energy of the states at $Γ$ and $A$ point, which have the anti-bonding/bonding characters of interlayer Te-Te atoms. On the other hand, we find that the superconductivity of PdTe$_2$ slightly decreases with pressure. The pressure-induced different types of Dirac cones combined with superconductivity may open a promising way to investigate the complex interactions between Dirac fermions and superconducting quasi-particles.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

The origin of the turn-on phenomenon in Td-MoTe2

We did the resistivity and scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy (STM/STS) experiments at different temperatures and magnetic fields to investigate the origin of the turn-on (t-o) phenomenon of Td-MoTe2. There are two interesting observations. Firstly, magnetoresistance (MR) follows the Kohler rule scaling: MR - (H/p0)m with m - 1.92 and the t-o temperature T under different magnetic fields can also be scaled by T - (H-Hc)u with u = 1/2. Secondly, a combination of compensated electron-hole pockets and a possible electronic structure phase transition induced by the temperature have been validated in Td-MoTe2 by the STM/STS experiments. Compared with the STS of Td-MoTe2 single crystal under H = 0, the STS hardly changes even when the applied field is up to 7 T. The origins of the t-o phenomenon in Td-MoTe2 are discussed. Meanwhile, we analyzed the universality and applicability of the t-o phenomenon in the extreme MR materials with almost balanced hole and electron densities as well as with other systems where the density of hole or electron is in dominant position.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Anomalous Hall effect in two-dimensional non-collinear antiferromagnetic semiconductor Cr0.68Se

Cr0.68Se single crystals with two-dimensional (2D) character have been grown, and the detailed magnetization M(T), electrical transport properties (including longitudinal resistivity and Hall resistivity and thermal transport ones (including heat capacity Cp(T) and thermoelectric power (TEP) S(T)) have been measured. There are some interesting phenomena: (i) Cr0.68Se presents a non-collinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconducting behavior with the Neel temperature TN = 42 K and the activated energy Eg=3.9 meV; (ii) It exhibits the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) below TN and large negative magnetoresistance (MR) about 83.7% (2 K, 8.5 T). The AHE coefficient RS is 0.385 cm-3/C at T=2 K and the AHE conductivity σH is about 1 ohm-1cm-1 at T=40 K, respectively; (iii) The scaling behavior between the anomalous Hall resistivity and the longitudinal resistivity is linear and further analysis implies that the origin of the AHE in Cr0.68Se is dominated by the skew-scattering mechanism. Our results may be helpful for exploring the potential application of these kind of 2D AFM semiconductors.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

The extremely large magnetoresistance in the Candidate Type-II Weyl semimetal MoTe2

We performed the angle dependent magnetoresistance (MR), Hall effect measurements, the temperature dependent magneto-thermoelectric power (TEP) S(T) measurements, and the first-principles calculations to study the electronic properties of orthorhombic phase MoTe2 (Td-MoTe2), which was proposed to be electronically two-dimensional (2D). There are some interesting findings about Td-MoTe2: (1) A scaling approach εθ=(sin2θ+γ-2cos2θ)1/2 is applied, where θ is the magnetic field angle with respect to the c axis of the crystal and γ is the mass anisotropy. Unexpectedly, the electronically 3D character with γ as low as 1.9 is observed in Td-MoTe2; (2) The possible Lifshitz transition and the following electronic structure change can be verified around T~150 K and T~60 K, which is supported by the evidence of the slop changing of the temperature dependence of TEP, the carrier density extracted from Hall resistivity and the onset temperature of γ obtained from the MR measurements. The extremely large MR effect in Td-MoTe2 could originate from the combination of the electron-hole compensation and a particular orbital texture on the electron pocket, which is supported by the calculations of electronic structure. Our results may provide a general scaling relation for the anisotropic MR and help to recognize the origins of the MR effect in other systems, such as the Weyl semimetals and the Dirac ones.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Tricritical behavior of two-dimensional intrinsic ferromagnetic semiconducting CrGeTe3

CrGeTe3 recently emerges as a new two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic semiconductor that is promising for spintronic device applications. Unlike CrSiTe3 whose magnetism can be understood using the 2D-Ising model, CrGeTe3 exhibits a smaller van der Waals gap and larger cleavage energy, which could lead to a transition of magnetic mechanism from 2D to 3D. To confirm this speculation, we investigate the critical behavior CrGeTe3 around the second-order paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition. We obtain the critical exponents estimated by several common experimental techniques including the modified Arrott plot, Kouvel-Fisher method and critical isotherm analysis, which show that the magnetism of CrGeTe3 follows the tricritical mean-field model with the critical exponents \b{eta}, γ, and δ of 0.240, 1.000, and 5.070, respectively, at the Curie temperature of 67.9 K. We therefore suggest that the magnetic phase transition from 2D to 3D for CrGeTe3 should locate near a tricritical point. Our experiment provides a direct demonstration of the applicability of the tricritical mean-field model to a 2D ferromagnetic semiconductor.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Noise Characterization and Filtering in the MicroBooNE Liquid Argon TPC

The low-noise operation of readout electronics in a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) is critical to properly extract the distribution of ionization charge deposited on the wire planes of the TPC, especially for the induction planes. This paper describes the characteristics and mitigation of the observed noise in the MicroBooNE detector. The MicroBooNE's single-phase LArTPC comprises two induction planes and one collection sense wire plane with a total of 8256 wires. Current induced on each TPC wire is amplified and shaped by custom low-power, low-noise ASICs immersed in the liquid argon. The digitization of the signal waveform occurs outside the cryostat. Using data from the first year of MicroBooNE operations, several excess noise sources in the TPC were identified and mitigated. The residual equivalent noise charge (ENC) after noise filtering varies with wire length and is found to be below 400 electrons for the longest wires (4.7 m). The response is consistent with the cold electronics design expectations and is found to be stable with time and uniform over the functioning channels. This noise level is significantly lower than previous experiments utilizing warm front-end electronics.

physics.ins-det↗