arXiv subjects

Z. W. Zhao

Publications and source records attributed to Z. W. Zhao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Three-dimensional imaging of hadrons with hard exclusive reactions: advances in experiment, theory, phenomenology, and lattice QCD

Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) have emerged as a powerful framework for exploring the internal structure of hadrons in terms of their partonic constituents. Over the past three decades, the field has witnessed significant theoretical and experimental advancements. The interpretation of GPDs in impact parameter space offers a vivid three-dimensional visualization of hadron structure, correlating longitudinal momentum and transverse spatial distributions, thereby enabling tomographic imaging of hadrons. Furthermore, the link between GPDs and the matrix elements of the QCD energy-momentum tensor provides access to fundamental properties of hadrons, including spin decomposition and internal pressure distributions. Notably, recent analyses of Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) data have enabled the empirical extraction of the quark pressure profile inside the proton. Motivated by the rapidly evolving experimental landscape, this white paper provides a timely and focused overview of recent developments in GPD theory, phenomenology, and lattice QCD studies. Its scope is shaped by the needs and opportunities of forthcoming experimental programs, and it highlights advances that are particularly relevant for the next generation of dedicated measurements, including the extended Jefferson Lab 12 GeV program and its potential 22 GeV upgrade, J-PARC, COMPASS/AMBER, LHC ultra-peripheral collisions, and the future electron-ion colliders EIC and EicC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Performance of a coarsely pixelated LAPPD photosensor for the SoLID gas Cherenkov detectors

The SoLID spectrometer's gas Cherenkov counters require photosensors that operate in a high luminosity and high background environment. The reference design features arrays of 9 or 16 tiled multi-anode photomultipliers (MaPMTs), distributed across 32 sectors, to serve the light-gas and heavy-gas Cherenkov counters, respectively. To assess the viability of a pixelated INCOM Large Area Picosecond Photodetector (LAPPD$^{\rm TM}$) as an alternative photosensor to replace MaPMT arrays in either detector, we evaluated its performance under realistic SoLID running conditions in Hall C at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). The results of this test confirmed that the coarse-pixelated (2.5$\times$2.5 cm$^2$ pixel size) LAPPD is capable of handling the total projected signal and background rates of the three pillar SoLID experiments. The tested photosensor detected Cherenkov signals with the capability of separating single-electron events from pair production events while rejecting background. Although the design was not aimed at ring-imaging Cherenkov detectors, Cherenkov disk images were captured in two different gas radiators. Through a direct comparison with a GEANT4 simulation, we confirmed the experimental performance of the LAPPD.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Subthreshold production of $J/ψ$ mesons from the deuteron with SoLID

The electro- and photo-production of $J/ψ$ meson near the threshold from the proton is relevant to the search of hidden charm pentaquark candidates reported by the LHCb collaboration, and the study of the QCD trace anomaly's contribution to the proton mass. It is also expected to be sensitive to the QCD van der Waals interaction, that is mediated by multi-gluon exchanges and expected to dominate the interaction between two hadrons with no common valence quarks. Subthreshold production of $J/ψ$ from a nuclear target is expected to enhance such attractive interaction, and also allows for a direct probe of short range correlations inside a nucleus. With the high luminosity capability of the 12-GeV CEBAF facility at Jefferson Lab, high-precision data on $J/ψ$ meson production from the proton is becoming available, providing also a reference for subthreshold $J/ψ$ production from the deuteron. Data from the deuteron will establish the baseline for subthreshold $J/ψ$ production from other nuclear targets. In this paper, we present our findings from a feasibility study of subthreshold $J/ψ$ production from the deuteron using the proposed Solenoidal Large Intensity Device (SoLID), and discuss the potential physics impact of such data.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2022

Proton Compton Scattering from Linearly Polarized Gamma Rays

Differential cross sections for Compton scattering from the proton have been measured at scattering angles of $55^\circ$, $90^\circ$, and $125^\circ$ in the laboratory frame using quasimonoenergetic linearly (circularly) polarized photon beams with a weighted mean energy value of 83.4\,MeV (81.3\,MeV). These measurements were performed at the High Intensity Gamma-Ray Source facility at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory. The results are compared to previous measurements and are interpreted in the chiral effective field theory framework to extract the electromagnetic dipole polarizabilities of the proton, which gives $α_{E1}^p = 13.8\pm1.2_{\rm stat}\pm0.1_{\rm BSR}\pm0.3_{\rm theo}, β_{M1}^p = 0.2\mp1.2_{\rm stat}\pm0.1_{\rm BSR}\mp0.3_{\rm theo}$ in units of 10$^{-4}$\, fm$^3$.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

Double deeply virtual Compton scattering with positron beams at SoLID

Double Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DDVCS) is the only experimental channel for the determination of the dependence of the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) on both the average and the transferred momentum independently. The physics observables of the electron induced di-muon production reaction $\vv{e}^{\pm}p \to e^{\pm}pμ^+μ^-$ off unpolarized hydrogen are discussed. Their measurement with the high luminosity and large acceptance SoLID spectrometer at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, using polarized and unpolarized positron and electron beams at 11 GeV is investigated. This experimental configuration is shown to provide unprecedented access to the GPDs with the determination of the real and imaginary parts of the Compton Form Factor ${\mathcal H}$ in an unexplored phase space, and to enable an exploratory investigation of higher twist effects.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2020

First Measurement of the Asymmetry and the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Integrand from $\vec{{^3}He}(\vecγ,p)d$ reaction at the Incident Photon Energy of 29 MeV

The first measurement of the $\vec{^3He}(\vecγ,p)d$ process was performed at the High Intensity $γ$-ray Source (HI$γ$S) facility at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) using a circularly polarized, monoenergetic $γ$-ray beam and a longitudinally polarized $^3$He target. The spin-dependent asymmetry and the contribution from the two-body photodisintegration to the $^3$He Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integrand are extracted and compared with state-of-the-art three-nucleon system calculations at the incident photon energy of 29.0 MeV. The data are in general agreement with the various theoretical predictions based on the Siegert theorem or on explicit inclusion of meson-exchange currents.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2020

AI-optimized detector design for the future Electron-Ion Collider: the dual-radiator RICH case

Advanced detector R&D requires performing computationally intensive and detailed simulations as part of the detector-design optimization process. We propose a general approach to this process based on Bayesian optimization and machine learning that encodes detector requirements. As a case study, we focus on the design of the dual-radiator Ring Imaging Cherenkov (dRICH) detector under development as part of the particle-identification system at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The EIC is a US-led frontier accelerator project for nuclear physics, which has been proposed to further explore the structure and interactions of nuclear matter at the scale of sea quarks and gluons. We show that the detector design obtained with our automated and highly parallelized framework outperforms the baseline dRICH design within the assumptions of the current model. Our approach can be applied to any detector R&D, provided that realistic simulations are available.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Compton scattering from $^4$He at the TUNL HI$γ$S facility

Differential cross sections for elastic Compton scattering from $^4$He have been measured with high statistical precision at the High Intensity $γ$-ray Source at laboratory scattering angles of $55^\circ$, $90^\circ$, and $125^\circ$ using a quasi-monoenergetic photon beam with a weighted mean energy value of $81.3$ MeV. The results are compared to previous measurements and similar fore-aft asymmetry in the angular distribution of the differential cross sections is observed. This experimental work is expected to strongly motivate the development of effective-field-theory calculations of Compton scattering from $^4$He to fully interpret the data.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2018

Nucleon and nuclear structure through dilepton production

Transverse momentum distributions and generalized parton distributions provide a comprehensive framework for the three-dimensional imaging of the nucleon and the nucleus experimentally using deeply virtual semi-exclusive and exclusive processes. The advent of combined high luminosity facilities and large acceptance detector capabilities enables experimental investigation of the partonic structure of hadrons with time-like virtual probes, in complement to the rich on-going space-like virtual probe program. The merits and benefits of the dilepton production channel for nuclear structure studies are discussed within the context of the International Workshop on Nucleon and Nuclear Structure through Dilepton Production taking place at the European Center for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas (ECT$^{\star}$) of Trento. Particularly, the double deeply virtual Compton scattering, the time-like Compton scattering, the deeply virtual meson production, and the Drell-Yan processes are reviewed and a strategy for high impact experimental measurements is proposed.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2011

Upper limits for the photoproduction cross section for the Phi--(1860) pentaquark state off the deuteron

We searched for the Phi--(1860) pentaquark in the photoproduction process off the deuteron in the Xi- pi- decay channel using CLAS. The invariant mass spectrum of the Xi- pi- system does not indicate any statistically significant enhancement near the reported mass M = 1.860 GeV. The statistical analysis of the sideband-subtracted mass spectrum yields a 90% confidence level upper limit of 0.7 nb for the photoproduction cross section of Phi--(1860) with a consecutive decay into Xi- pi- in the photon energy range 4.5 GeV < Egamma < 5.5 GeV.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2003

Dimensional Crossover of Vortex Dynamics Induced by Gd Substitution on Bi2212 Single Crystals

The vortex dynamics of Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_{1-x}$Gd$_x$Cu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ single crystals is investigated by magnetic relaxation and hysteresis measurements. By substituting $Ca$ with $Gd$, it is found that the interlayer Josephson coupling is weakened and the anisotropy is increased, which leads to the change of vortex dynamics from 3D elastic to 2D plastic vortex creep. Moreover, the second magnetization peak, which can be observed in samples near the optimal doping, is absent in the strongly underdoped (with 2D vortex) region.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Suppression of Superconducting Critical Current Density by Small Flux Jumps in $MgB_2$ Thin Films

By doing magnetization measurements during magnetic field sweeps on thin films of the new superconductor $MgB_2$, it is found that in a low temperature and low field region small flux jumps are taking place. This effect strongly suppresses the central magnetization peak leading to reduced nominal superconducting critical current density at low temperatures. A borderline for this effect to occur is determined on the field-temperature (H-T) phase diagram. It is suggested that the small size of the flux jumps in films is due to the higher density of small defects and the relatively easy thermal diffusion in thin films in comparison with bulk samples.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Possible Superconductivity at 37 K in Graphite-Sulfur Composite

Sulfur intercalated graphite composites with diamagnetic transitions at 6.7 K and 37 K are prepared. The magnetization hysteresis loops (MHL), Xray diffraction patterns, and resistance were measured. From the MHL, a slight superconducting like penetration process is observed at 15 K in low field region. The XRD shows no big difference from the mixture of graphite and sulfur indicating that the volume of the superconducting phase (if any) is very small. The temperature dependence of resistance shows a typical semiconducting behavior with a saturation in low temperature region. This saturation is either induced by the de-localization of conducting electrons or by possible superconductivity in this system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

No Ending Point in The Bragg-to-Vortex Glass Phase Transition Line at Low Temperatures

We have measured the magnetic hysteresis loops and the magnetic relaxation for $Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+δ}$ (Bi-2212) single crystals which exhibit the second magnetization peak effect. Although no second peak effect is observed below 20 K in the measurement with fast field sweeping rate, it is found that the second peak effect will appear again after long time relaxation or in a measurement with very slow field sweeping rate at 16 K. It is anticipated that the peak effect will appear at very low temperatures (approaching zero K) when the relaxation time is long enough. We attribute this phenomenon to the profile of the interior magnetic field and conclude that the phase transition line of Bragg glass to vortex glass has no ending point at low temperatures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Magnetic relaxation and critical current density of $MgB_2$ thin films

Magnetic relaxation and critical current density have been measured on a $MgB_2$ thin film in a wide region of temperature with the magnetic field up to 8 T. The irreversibility line has also been determined. It is found that the relaxation rate has a very weak temperature dependence below $1/2 T_c$ showing a clear residual relaxation rate at zero K, which cannot be easily explained as due to thermally activated flux creep. Furthermore the relaxation rate has a strong field dependence. The flux dynamics of thin films are very similar to that of high pressure synthesized bulks although the relaxation rate in thin film is systematically higher than that of a bulk sample. All the results here together with those from the bulk samples suggest that the flux dynamics may be dominated by the quantum effects, such as quantum fluctuation and tunneling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Intrinsic Percolative Superconductivity in Heavily Overdoped High Temperature Superconductors

Magnetic measurements on heavily overdoped $La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4$, $Tl_2Ba_2CuO_6$, $Bi_2Sr_2CuO_6$ and $Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8$ single crystals reveal a new type magnetization hysteresis loops characterized by the vanishing of usual central peak near zero field. Since this effect has been observed in various systems with very different structural details, it reflects probably a generic behavior for all high temperature superconductors. This easy penetration of magnetic flux can be understood in the picture of percolative superconductivity due to the inhomogeneous electronic state in heavily overdoped regime.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Flux dynamics and vortex phase diagram of the new superconductor $MgB_2$

Magnetic critical current density and relaxation rate have been measured on $MgB_2$ bulks from 1.6 K to $T_c$ at magnetic fields up to 8 Tesla. A vortex phase diagram is depicted based on these measurement. Two phase boundaries $H_{irr}^{bulk}(T)$ and $H_{irr}^{g}(T)$ characterizing different irreversible flux motions are found. The $H_{irr}^{bulk}(T)$ is characterized by the appearance of the linear resistivity and is attributed to quantum vortex melting induced by quantum fluctuation of vortices in the rather clean system. The second boundary $ H_{irr}^g(T) $ reflects the irreversible flux motion in some local regions due to either very strong pinning or the surface barrier on the tiny grains.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Strong quantum fluctuation of vortices in the new superconductor $MgB_2$

By using transport and magnetic measurement, the upper critical field $H_{c2}(T)$ and the irreversibility line $H_{irr}(T)$ has been determined. A big separation between $H_{c2}(0)$ and $H_{irr}(0)$ has been found showing the existence of a quantum vortex liquid state induced by quantum fluctuation of vortices in the new superconductor $MgB_2$. Further investigation on the magnetic relaxation shows that both the quantum tunneling and the thermally activated flux creep weakly depends on temperature. But when the melting field $H_{irr}$ is approached, a drastic rising of the relaxation rate is observed. This may imply that the melting of the vortex matter at a finite temperature is also induced by the quantum fluctuation of vortices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗