BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Award Ceremony and Closing of Conference DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T233000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T234500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1799@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1799/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1799/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Professional Development provided by the McDonald Institute DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T233000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T003000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1798@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:WNPPC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP – EXPANDING DISSEMIN ATION IMPACT\nHave you ever struggled to prepare your presentation before a conference? Have you felt underwhelmed by the response you got after pre senting your research? Sharing the results of your work is a fundamental p art of every scientific career\, but it is also a key skill for career bui lding and networking. Research “dissemination” can take many forms and has a massive range of desired outcomes\; from helping colleagues follow your work\, to convincing funders to support you\, to landing a fellowship in a laboratory\, or just helping family members appreciate what you’ve been doing for the last few years.\nWhether you are presenting your work in journal papers\, classroom lectures\, job applications\, conference pos ters\, public education events\, grant proposals\, media interviews\, or t he dinner table\, we invite you to join Dr. Adrian Kelly and a guest panel for a one-hour workshop to discuss ways you can present your research to maximize the outcomes you want to achieve. The session will start off with a short presentation from Dr. Kelly on how to discuss your research as a narrative and will move to a panel question and answer with opportunities for participants to engage directly. Topics covered will include:\nHelping readers/audience members situate your work in the context of the discipli ne\nCreating an impression that highlights who you are and your main resea rch interests\nHighlighting your capabilities and skills with the needs of a prospective employer or funder\nAGENDA:\n20-minute presentation from Dr . Adrian Kelly\n40-Panel Discussion with Q&A (Edward Thomas - moderator)\n Panelists: Dr. Adrian Kelly\, Dr. Brigitte Vachon (McGill University)\, Dr . Jens Dilling (TRIUMF/UBC)\, Dr. Alexandra Pedersen (McDonald Institute)\ n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1798/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1798/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Welcome DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T173000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T174500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1797@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Thomas Brunner (McGill and TRIUMF)\nhttps://nyx.phys ics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1797/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1797/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Light Tetraquarks Mass Estimates Using QCD Sum Rules DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T181500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T183000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1776@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Barbara Cid Mora (University of Saskatchewan)\nMulti quark states have been of great interest among hadronic physicists\, and d espite the big breakthrough that came in 2003 with the discovery of the ch armonium-like tetraquark candidate X(3872)\, their internal quark structu re (e.g.\, molecular versus diquark clusters) is not well-understood yet. QCD sum-rule mass estimates for multiquark states can provide insights on possible internal quark structures. Previous research suggests that the ne xt-to-leading order (NLO) corrections to QCD sum-rule mass determinations are quite different in heavy and light multiquark states. The study of the se multiquark systems can give us another approach to understanding strong interactions at the elementary level and at different energy scales. The goal of this research is a detailed examination of the NLO corrections to mass estimates of the light scalar tetraquarks using QCD sum-rules.\n\nhtt ps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1776/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1776/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Charged Meson Form Factors at Jefferson Lab Hall C DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T183000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T184500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1757@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Nathan Heinrich (University of Regina)\nQuantum Chro modynamics (QCD) is the accepted theory of the strong force between quarks and gluons and in recent years many successful predictions have come out of perturbative QCD (pQCD). However\, pQCD is restricted by the running co upling constant $\\alpha_s$\, so at lower energies a problem arises where the predictions of pQCD no longer apply. While QCD-based models attempt to understand this region\, they must be guided by experiment. Thus\, many o pen questions remain: How does QCD transition between the perturbative (we ak) and non-perturbative (strong) regimes? What predictions does QCD make for hadronic structure? How do other properties of hadrons\, such as mass and spin\, arise from QCD? In order to help answer these questions\, the form factors of charged mesons\, specifically the $\\pi^+$ and $K^+$\, ar e ideal candidates as they are relatively simple systems for theory to pre dict and are accessible experimentally. As the Goldstone bosons of the st rong interaction\, they are also seen as key to understanding some propert ies of QCD\, such as Dynamic Chiral Symmetry Breaking (DCSB)\, which is th e mechanism believed to generate >98% of the visible mass in the universe. This talk will give an overview of the effort to study the $\\pi^+$ and $ K^+$ form factors at Jefferson Lab\, as well as a quick overview of the fa cilities at Jefferson Lab and Hall C.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/eve nt/253/contributions/1757/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1757/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Simulating DAEMON: A New Complementary Neutron Detector for GRIFFI N DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T221500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T223000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1749@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Harris Bidaman (University of Guelph)\nThe study of neutron rich nuclei far from the valley of stability has become an increas ingly important field of research within nuclear physics. One of the decay mechanisms that opens when the decay Q value becomes sufficiently large i s that of beta-delayed neutron emission. This decay mode is important when studying the astrophysical r-process as it can have a direct effect on th eoretical solar abundance calculations. The utilization of large-scale neu tron detector arrays in future experiments is therefore imperative in orde r to study these beta-delayed neutron emitters and better understand these processes.\nThe deuterated scintillator array\, DESCANT\, was designed to be coupled with the large-scale gamma-spectrometer arrays GRIFFIN and TIG RESS at the TRIUMF ISAC facilities. However\, DESCANT was originally inten ded to be a neutron-tagging array and extracting the neutron energy was no t considered a priority over optimized neutron detection efficiency. This limitation could be overcome through the use of thin plastic scintillators positioned in front of the DESCANT detectors. The energy of the neutrons can then be determined via the TOF technique\, improving the precision of the neutron energy with the existing setup significantly and allow for a m ore in-depth analysis of beta-delayed neutron emitters at the GRIFFIN deca y station. To investigate this augmentation\, GEANT4 will be used to simul ate and optimize the experimental design\, the progress of which will be d iscussed.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1749/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1749/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Experimental Approaches for Constraining Neutron Capture Cross Sections in Exotic Nuclei DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T210000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T213000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1783@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Dennis Muecher (University of Guelph)\nThe synthes is of heavy elements via the r-process involves extremely neutron-rich nuc lei. Compared to light nuclei\, our understanding of the properties of hea vy\, neutron-rich nuclei is sparse. The next-generation radioactive ion be am facilities\, like ARIEL (TRIUMF)\, FAIR (GSI)\, CARIBU(ANL) and FRIB wi ll offer unique possibilities to probe such nuclei. \n\nI will give an ove rview about our current and future nuclear astrophysics program with reacc elerated beams at TRIUMF. The new TI-STAR silicon tracker detector\, unde r development at the University of Guelph and TRIUMF\, is designed for exp eriments with heavy\, exotic beams at the future ARIEL facility. TI-STAR c oupled to the TIGRESS array of HPGe detectors and the new EMMA recoil sepa rator will offer constraining neutron-capture rates in the A=130 key regio n of r-process nucleosynthesis. \n\nThe extraction of neutron capture rate s relies on a more model-independent determination of the nuclear level de nsity in heavy nuclei. I present the newly developed "Shape Method" and pr esent new data from an experiment at Argonne National Laboratory using the SuN Total Absorption Spectrometer. I show that we are able to extract a m odel-independent absolute partial nuclear level density for the short-live d unstable nucleus Kr-88\, for the first time. This is an important step t owards more reliable neutron capture rate data in exotic nuclei. \nThis w ork has been done in collaboration with TRIUMF\, MSU\, ANL and the "Oslo" group.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1783/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1783/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Coulomb Excitation of Rn Isotopes in the Region of Large Octupole Collectivity DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T174500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T180000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1738@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Pietro Spagnoletti (Simon Fraser University)\nReflec tion-asymmetric nuclei are of considerable interest for the understanding of nuclear structure. Reflection asymmetry arises as a consequence of stro ng octupole correlations which occur when states with $\\Delta$j=$\\Delta$ l=3$\\hbar$ lie close to the Fermi surface for both neutrons and protons. Octupole correlations are largest in the region with octupole magic number s Z=88 and N=134. The Z=86 radon isotopes lie close to the centre of the o ctupole-deformed region but have been very difficult to study experimental ly. Excited states have previously been identified in the N=136 isotope 22 2Rn[1]\, forming a characteristic alternating-parity octupole band\, while the first observation of excited states in the more neutron-rich 224\,226 Rn isotopes was recently presented [2] using data from our experiment. An experiment has been performed using the Miniball spectrometer at ISOLDE\, CERN to investigate the E3 moments of some Ra and Rn nuclei. The radioacti ve Rn isotopes were post-accelerated using the HIE-ISOLDE beam line to app roximately 5 MeV/A and were incident upon stable Sn and Ni targets in sepa rate measurements. Excited states in these nuclei were populated via Coulo mb excitation. Analysis of the intensities of transitions using the multip le Coulomb-excitation code GOSIA will provide a direct measurement of both electric quadrupole (E2) and octupole (E3) moments.\n\n[1] J.F.C.Cocks\, Nucl. Phys. A645\, 61 (1999).\n[2] P. A. Butler\, Nature Comm. 10\, 2473 ( 2019)\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1738/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1738/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Searching for Low-Energy Shape Coexistence in $^{80}$Ge DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T173000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T174500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1737@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Fatima H. Garcia (Simon Fraser University)\nStudy of nuclear structure around the magic numbers is key to understanding the ch art of nuclei. The region around $^{78}$Ni is of interest\, not only becau se it is one of the heavier doubly magic nuclei\, but also because it has been proposed as a portal to the fifth island of inversion [Nowacki\, F. * et al.* Phys. Rev. Lett. 117\, 272501]. Evidence for low-lying shape coexi stence near N=40 has been observed\, but\, until recently\, no evidence of low-lying $0_{2}^{+}$ states in the Ge isotopes near N=50 had be reported . An experiment at the ALTO facility identified a $0_{2}^{+}$ state at 639 keV above the $0^{+}$ ground state in $^{80}$Ge [Gottardo\, A. *et al.* P hys. Rev. Lett. 116\, 182501]. However\, $\\beta$-decay studies using the GRIFFIN facility at TRIUMF\, show no evidence for this state. Furthermore\ , the decay of a proposed (2$^{+}$) 2403-keV state to the $0^{+}_{2}$ 639- keV state was not observed\, nor was there other evidence for this state. Large-scale shell model calculations were performed\, using two different valence spaces and interactions\, for $^{78\,80\,82}$Ge. These calculation s were able to reproduce the energies of known $0_{2}^{+}$\, $2_{1\,2}^{+} $ and $4_{1}^{+}$ levels in these Ge isotopes. The $0_{2}^{+}$ state in $^ {80}$Ge is predicted to be near 2 MeV and arises from the recoupling of va lence particles. The search for this state\, will be described\, and the r ecently published findings [Garcia\, F.H. *et al.* Phys. Rev. Lett. 125\, 172501] will be presented.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/cont ributions/1737/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1737/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Measurements of the TUCAN Vertical UCN Source Heat Load Response DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T221500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T223000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1733@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Sean Hansen-Romu (University of Manitoba)\nThe TUCAN collaboration is developing a dense source of Ultracold neutrons (UCN) th at will be used in a neutron Electric Dipole Moment (nEDM) experiment\, wi th a goal sensitivity of 10$^{(-27)}$ e*cm which is 10 times more precise than the best measurement to date. UCNs are neutrons with energies below 3 00 neV\, that are travelling with speeds less than 30 km/h. In order to c arry out a world-leading nEDM experiment higher densities of UCN need to b e produced. The TUCAN UCN are produced by cooling spallation neutrons to cold temperatures in successive layers of increasingly cold moderator\, wh ere the UCN production layer is a liquid He-II vessel\, where cold neutron s (~1 meV) down scatter to UCN energies (~100 neV) by interactions with ph onons and rotons in the fluid. The UCN production becomes more efficient when the He-II is kept at temperatures below 1~K\, which is difficult beca use of the heat flux from the spallation target. Critical to the performan ce of the superfluid helium UCN source is the temperature of the superflui d and its response to heat input. The TUCAN collaboration aims to achieve their goal by developing a next generation UCN source based on superfluid helium. To benchmark the design of the new He-II source\, heater tests we re performed\, and a model of the heating of the source was developed. I n this talk\, I will present the simple heating model that was developed\, and how well the heater test measurements matched this model.\n\nhttps:// nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1733/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1733/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Using Machine Learning to Identify Neutron Captures in Gd Loaded W ater Cherenkov Detectors DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T181500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T183000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1726@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Matthew Stubbs (University of Winnipeg)\nHyper-Kamio kande is the proposed next generation Water Cherenkov neutrino detector in Kamioka\, Japan that began construction in 2020. Hyper-K will have an ord er of magnitude larger fiducial mass than the existing Super-Kamiokande de tector\, enabling the survey of topics in neutrino physics with improved s ensitivity. One handle on detecting neutrino versus anti-neutrino interact ions is to detect the neutron in the inverse beta decay of anti-neutrinos on proton. When an anti-neutrino collides with a proton in the atomic nucl eus\, it yields an anti-lepton and a free neutron. The Cherenkov light fro m the lepton is promptly detected\, while the neutron captures on Gd about one hundred microseconds later. The low-energy signal from the neutron ca pture (totalling about 8 MeV of gamma rays) is recorded by only tens of PM Ts\, making neutron captures difficult to distinguish from dark noise and radioactive backgrounds. This talk presents various machine learning appro aches to optimize the neutron capture detection capability in the new Inte rmediate distance Water Cherenkov (IWCD) detector for Hyper-K. The method s benchmarked are graph neural network models (Graph Convolutional Network s\, attention-based networks)\, Multi-Layered Perceptron\, XGBoost on engi neered features\, and a likelihood-based classifier.\n\nhttps://nyx.physic s.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1726/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1726/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Numerical Loop-Integration Methods for Finite Temperature Effects in QCD Sum Rules DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T214500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T220000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1790@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Siyuan Li (University of Saskatchewan)\nThermal fiel d theory is the extension of quantum field theory to a non-zero temperatur e environment and is achieved by modifying the propagators in loop integra tions represented by Feynman diagrams. The program package pySecDec is des igned to numerically calculate dimensionally-regularized loop integrals in quantum field theory using the sector decomposition approach. It is shown how pySecDec can be applied to thermal field theory numerical calculation using modifications within the Matsubara formalism. Using the formulated algorithm\, a 2-point correlation function (such as those occurring in QC D correlation functions) at finite temperature can be numerically calcula ted for a variety of spacetime dimensions. The topologies of the Feynman d iagrams that the algorithm is targeting would occur in QCD sum rules.\n\nh ttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1790/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1790/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:W$\\gamma\\gamma$ Production in Proton-Proton Collisions at the La rge Hadron Collider with the ATLAS Detector DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T221500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T223000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1780@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Alessandro Ambler (McGill University)\nThe Large Had ron Collider (LHC) at CERN has been colliding protons at an unprecedented centre of mass energy of $13~$TeV since 2015. ATLAS\, a general-purpose pa rticle detector located at one of the LHC's interaction points\, has colle cted nearly $140~\\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of the resulting data\, allowing scien tists to perform some of the most stringent tests of the Standard Model (S M) of particle physics to date. This data set offers a newfound sensitivit y to rare and yet unobserved processes such as the SM production of a W bo son and two photons. This process represents an important test of the elec troweak sector since any deviation from the predicted self couplings of th e gauge bosons would indicate the presence of new physics phenomena at yet unprobed energy scales. The measurement of this process does not come wit hout its challenges however. Multiple background sources are expected to c ontribute to this process's signature in the detector. Though some can be modeled through simulation\, events where a hadronic jet is reconstructed as either a lepton or photon must be estimated using data-driven technique s. This is due to the numerous sources of jets and the complex nature of t heir interaction with the detector which are poorly modeled. The estimatio n of these backgrounds will be crucial to achieving the first observation of $W\\gamma\\gamma$ production in proton-proton collisions and the precis e measurement of its production cross section to test its agreement with S M predictions.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/17 80/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1780/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Precision Measurement of the Z Boson Transverse Momentum with the ATLAS Detector DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T214500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T220000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1779@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Benjamin Davis-Purcell (Carleton University)\nThe AT LAS Experiment at CERN is a general-purpose particle physics detector that measures properties of particles created in high-energy proton-proton col lisions fueled by CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Searching for undi scovered particles is exciting\, but there is still much to be learned abo ut the particles that we know to exist in the Standard Model by making pre cision measurements of these particles. One area where increased precision is needed is the electroweak sector\, where potential tension exists betw een theoretical predictions and the current best measurements on important properties such as the mass of the W-boson. In this talk\, I will discuss our precision measurement of the transverse momentum of the Z boson\, a v ital stepping stone to improving our W-boson mass measurement. I will expl ain how this difficult measurement has been made possible thanks to a uniq ue reduced-background ATLAS dataset.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/even t/253/contributions/1779/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1779/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:The Search for Evidence of Vector Boson Scattering Between a Photo n and a W Boson with the ATLAS Detector DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T183000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T184500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1778@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: John John McGowan (McGill University)\nIt is known t hat the unique shape of the Higgs potential assumed in the Standard Model results in spontaneous symmetry breaking in physics at low energies\, but the exact role of the Higgs in electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) has ye t to be experimentally established. This gap in understanding also leaves the possibility that new physics phenomena could contribute to EWSB. One p articularly powerful approach to search for new physics phenomena is in th e study of the self-couplings of electroweak gauge bosons. In the Standard Model\, the interactions between gauge bosons are completely specified by the non-Abelian SU(2) x U(1) structure of the theory. Any deviations fro m this expectation would indicate the presence of new physics phenomena at unprobed energy scales. The large data samples collected by the ATLAS ex periment at the LHC make it possible to now explore extremely rare process es involving the interaction between four gauge bosons. \nIn this talk I w ill discuss the search for evidence of one of these rare processes\, namel y\, the vector boson scattering between a W boson and a photon\, whose pr oduction cross-section has never before been measured by the ATLAS collabo ration. This measurement comes with exciting challenges related to the pro per modelling of the detector response to jets and adequate modelling of t he large QCD background at high dijet mass. I will discuss data-driven and machine learning approaches to overcoming these challenges.\n\nhttps://ny x.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1778/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1778/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Production Cross-Section and Charge Asymmetry of the W Boson with Jets DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T220000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T221500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1777@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Christina Nelson (McGill University\, (CA))\nW +jets is a curious playground of hard objects like jets\, and electroweak inter actions from the leptonic decay of the W boson. In this region of phase sp ace\, very interesting measurements are made to stringently test the Stand ard Model production mechanisms\, as well as provide inputs to state-of-th e-art parton distribution functions determination\, for example with the W +/W− asymmetry measurement. Additionally W +jets is a dominant backgroun d for many Beyond-the-Standard-Model searches and Higgs measurements\, thu s improving this measurement and reducing systematics will have a large im pact to improve many such analyses and our understanding of fundamental hi gh energy physics.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contribution s/1777/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1777/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Search for New Physics Inside Jets at the ATLAS Detector Using Mac hine Learning DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T174500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T180000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1775@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Jacinthe Pilette (Université de Montréal)\nSince t he discovery of the Higgs Boson at the LHC in 2012\, no sign of new physic s beyond the Standard Model has been found. The SUSY and exotic particles searches have not uncovered signs of new physics\, as the model-dependent searches. In recent years\, multiple unsupervised machine learning methods have been proposed to search for new physics at the LHC. This talk will e xplore the use of a variational auto-encoder (VAE) to perform a general se arch in proton-proton collisions at the LHC using large radius jets in ATL AS simulation data. The algorithm was trained on TopoClusters to different iate between the dominant QCD background and a chosen test signal correspo nding to top quark jets. The most anomalous jets predicted by the VAE were selected to plot the invariant mass spectrum to find the top quark mass p eak. Our study found an important correlation between the jet invariant ma ss and the loss function of the VAE\, resulting in QCD background sculptin g and preventing the apparition of the top peak. We successfully used a ma ss-decorrelation method based on Outlier Exposure to prevent this sculptin g.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1775/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1775/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Long-Lived Particles - Searching for New Physics at the Energy Fro ntier DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T210000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T213000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1774@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Matthias Danninger (Simon Fraser University)\nFor th e last few decades\, High Energy Physics has been a victim of its own earl y success. Despite numerous theoretical arguments why it cannot be the fin al explanation for the interactions of fundamental particles\, the Standar d Model of particle physics continues to withstand intense scrutiny of the most determined experimental physicists. One promising way to search for signs of new physics is at the energy frontier at the LHC\, probing energi es comparable to those present very shortly after the Big Bang.\nIn this t alk\, I will review some recent experimental results for searches for sign s of long-lived new particle signatures using data from the ATLAS experime nt. Searching for these particles is highly challenging as they have the t endency to avoid interactions\, making them elusive to detection. I will d iscuss details about the detector performance\, which are crucial for such searches.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1774/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1774/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:ResNet Convolutional Neural Networks for Particle Identification i n Water Cherenkov Detectors DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T173000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T174500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1773@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Joshua Tindall (TRIUMF)\nCurrent and next generation water Cherenkov detectors require precise event reconstruction to maximis e detectors' capabilities. Machine learning is being explored in numerous areas related to these detectors for its potential to provide this precisi on\, potentially aiding projects like Super-Kamiokande\, and its successor Hyper-Kamiokande. Event reconstruction has been a particular area of focu s of these machine learning efforts\, including tasks such as particle typ e identification. This task is complicated by challenges such as the prese nce of gamma events\, which produce multiple highly proximal Cherenkov rin gs\, resulting in a signal that is very difficult to discriminate from sin gle electron events. This talk will provide a discussion of the progress a nd challenges of ongoing efforts towards event classification in water Che renkov detectors\, with a focus on results achieved with the ResNet archit ecture. This will include an outline of the approach\, an examination of i ts ability to resolve the $e$/$\\gamma$ discrimination problem\, and a com parison of performance with existing reconstruction algorithms. Future dev elopments and applications related to ResNet classifiers will also be expl ored\, such as the characterization of systematic uncertainties.\n\nhttps: //nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1773/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1773/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Machine Learning for Energy Reconstruction in ATLAS Calorimeters DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T180000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T181500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1772@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Luke Polson (University of Victoria)\nA crucial task of the ATLAS calorimeter is energy measurement of detected particles. In the liquid argon (LAr) calorimeter subdetector of ATLAS\, electromagnetica lly and hadronically interacting particles are detected through LAr ioniza tion. Special electronics convert drifting electrons into a measurable cur rent. The analytical technique presently used to extract energy from the m easured current is known as optimal filtering. While this technique is suf ficient for contemporary pile-up conditions in the LHC\, it has been shown to suffer some degradation of performance with the increased luminosity e xpected at the High Luminosity LHC. This presentation will explore machine learning techniques as a substitute for optimal filtering\, examining the strengths\, weaknesses\, and limitations of both energy reconstruction me thods.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1772/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1772/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Potassium Decay Noise Modeling for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Expl orer (P-ONE) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T170000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T171500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1771@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Jakub Stacho (Simon Fraser University)\nRecent obser vations by neutrino observatories such as IceCube have thoroughly cemented the research potential of neutrino astronomy. The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Explorer (P-ONE) is a proposed initiative to construct one of the largest neutrino telescopes deep in the northern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Br itish Columbia. The detector itself will consist of an array of strings li ned with digital optical modules (DOMs) for detecting Cherenkov light indu ced by neutrino interactions. Two Pathfinder missions have been deployed i n order to study the optical properties of the seawater including scatteri ng and absorption lengths as well as noise. As part of this analysis\, the ambient background activity produced by Cherenkov light from the decay of natural $^{40}$K in saltwater needs to be characterized. This presentatio n will detail the modeling process of the undersea environment and detecto r DOMs using Geant4 while also verifying simulation data against in situ m easurements to obtain a full understanding of the $^{40}$K background. Not only is this an important step of the site characterization that will ser ve to improve future event trigger development\, but accurate modeling of ambient $^{40}$K will also prove to be useful for detector efficiency meas urement and recalibration.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/cont ributions/1771/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1771/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Muon Track Reconstruction for the Upcoming P-ONE Telescope DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T164500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T170000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1770@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Dilraj Ghuman (Queen's University)\nThe neutrino\, a fundemental particle\, offers the potential to image parts of the univers e never before seen and can provide an early warning for cosmic events. Wi th their ability to carry information across the universe unperturbed\, ne utrinos offer a clear image of the cosmos and can provide insight into its nature with relative ease. Learning from successful neutrino telescopes s uch as IceCube\, the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Explorer (P-ONE) will be built in the Cascadia Basin in the Pacific Ocean\, supported by an internationa l collaboration. Located 2660 meters below sea level\, P-ONE will consist of 70 strings each armed with at least 20 sensitive photodetectors and 2 c alibrators in an infrastructure provided by Ocean Networks Canada. A key s tep in the data analysis pipeline is the reconstruction of the path of par ticles as they pass through the detector. Using simulated data\, I will pr esent my work in reconstructing muon tracks in this proposed detector thro ugh a likelihood framework.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/con tributions/1770/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1770/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Beam Asymmetry in $\\gamma$p $\\rightarrow$ $\\eta$ $\\Delta^+$ a t GlueX DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T184500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T190000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1769@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Varun Neelamana (University of Regina)\nThe photo-pr oduction mechanism used in the GlueX experiment by impinging an 8.2-8.8 Ge V linearly polarized photon beam on a liquid hydrogen target allows the ma pping of light mesons in unprecedented detail with particular interest in exotic meson candidates. Polarization observables such as beam asymmetry $ \\Sigma$\, extracted from azimuthal ($\\phi$) angular distributions betwe en the meson production plane and the polarized photon beam\, help in un derstanding production mechanisms via t-channel quasi-particle exchange pr ocesses using Regge theory. We report preliminary results on the beam asym metry measurements for $\\eta$ in $\\gamma$p $\\rightarrow$ $\\eta$ $\\Del ta^+$. The reaction $\\gamma$p $\\rightarrow$ $\\eta$ $\\Delta^+$ provides an opportunity for validation of previous $\\eta$ asymmetry measurements and theoretical calculations. Ensuring that exchange mechanisms are under stood is a crucial ingredient to the establishing of new photoproduced lig ht meson states.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/ 1769/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1769/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Particle Physics with Neutrino Telescopes in Canada DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T160000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T163000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1768@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Juan Pablo Yanez (University of Alberta)\nEvery time researchers have pushed the energy boundary in particle physics we have f ound something new about our Universe. Recently\, IceCube has demonstrated that Neutrino Telescopes can use neutrinos from the cosmos as excellent t ools to continue this exploration. In this talk I will cover the latest se arches for new physics using IceCube\, as well as plans to deploy a new Ne utrino Telescope in the Pacific\, off the coast of Vancouver Island: P-ONE .\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1768/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1768/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Measuring the Absorption Length of the Deep Pacific Ocean: Results from STRAW\, a Pathfinder Mission for the Proposed P-ONE Neutrino Telesco pe DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T164500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1767@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Andreas Gaertner (University of Alberta)\nIn the sea rch for astrophysical neutrinos\, neutrino telescopes instrument large vol umes of clear natural water. Photomultiplier tubes placed along mooring li nes detect the Cherenkov light of secondary particles produced in neutrino interactions\, and allow us to search for possible neutrino sources in th e sky. The P-ONE experiment proposes a new neutrino telescope off the shor e of British Columbia.\n\nTo overcome the challenges of a deep-sea install ation\, we have developed prototype mooring lines in collaboration with Oc ean Networks Canada\, an initiative of the University of Victoria\, which provides the infrastructure for many Oceanographic instruments. The STRAW and STRAW-b mooring lines\, deployed in 2018 and 2020\, provide continuous monitoring of optical water properties at a new possible detector site in the Pacific.\n\nWe present the measurements of the attenuation length\, o ne of the defining properties of the site\, based on data taken by the STR AW experiment.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/17 67/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1767/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Measurement of W Boson Drell-Yan Angular Coefficients DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T213000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210212T214500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1766@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Alexander Bachiu (Carleton University)\nThe Large Ha dron Collider located at CERN outside of Geneva\, Switzerland uses proton- proton collisions to produce a wide range of particles. W and Z bosons\, t he mediators of the fundamental weak force\, are some of the particles tha t can be produced in proton-proton collisions and can be used to give a mo re complete understanding of the Standard Model. One of the ways they can decay is into detectable lepton particles\, such as electrons\, which can be measured with the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) detector. The Drell- Yan process is the production of W/Z bosons in proton-proton interactions with leptonic final states. Its differential cross-section expresses the p robability for this process to occur depending on the W/Z bosons’ and de cay products’ kinematic variables. It can be separated into eight spin-r elated ratios\, known as the Drell-Yan angular coefficients. The coefficie nts are coupled to trigonometric polynomials which contain information abo ut the detected leptons. Using the property that the polynomials are ortho gonal to each other\, it is possible to isolate each coefficient. This tal k will cover my research of measuring these coefficients for the W bosons with special data sets. This measurement gives both a unique result for ma ny of the coefficients as well as it helps reduce the uncertainty for othe r measurements like the mass of the W bosons.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgil l.ca/event/253/contributions/1766/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1766/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:A Measurement of Zinc-65 Using Data from the KDK Experiment DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T213000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T214500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1765@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Lilianna Hariasz (Queen's University)\nZinc-65 (Zn-6 5) is a radionuclide of interest in the fields of medicine and gamma-ray s pectroscopy\, within which its continued use as a tracer and common calibr ation source necessitates increasingly-precise nuclear decay data. A Zn-65 dataset was obtained as part of the KDK ("potassium decay") experiment\, whose apparatus consists of an inner X-ray detector and an efficient oute r detector\, the Modular Total Absorption Spectrometer (MTAS)\, to tag ga mma rays. This setup allows for the discrimination of the electron capture decays of Zn-65 to the ground (EC) and excited (EC*) states of Copper-65 (Cu-65) using an emerging technique for such a measurement\, exploiting th e high efficiency ($\\sim$98%) of MTAS. Techniques used to obtain the rati o of EC to EC* decays are applicable to the main KDK analysis\, which is m aking the first such measurement for Potassium-40\, a common background in rare-event searches such as those for dark matter. We present our current methodology and analysis procedures developed to obtain a novel measureme nt of the electron-capture decays of Zinc-65.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgil l.ca/event/253/contributions/1765/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1765/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Characterizing and Removing ER Background Events in the DEAP-3600 Experiment DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T220000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T221500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1764@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Mark Stringer (Queen's University)\nDEAP-3600 search es for dark matter via the coherent scattering of argon nuclei by dark mat ter particles as they traverse the detector. The detector is located at SN OLAB\, and uses 255 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) viewing ~3300 kg of liqui d atmospheric argon (AAr) in a spherical acrylic vessel. The use of liquid argon as a target allows the powerful discrimination of nuclear recoils ( NR) (produced in DM collisions or from background interactions) from beta and gamma electronic recoil (ER) backgrounds. Due to the fraction of Argon -39 naturally present within the AAr\, with activity ~0.95 Bq per kg of AA r\, ER events form the dominant component of the backgrounds. The discrimi nation is only possible due to the large difference in the scintillation l ive times between the triplet (predominantly produced in ER interactions) and singlet (predominantly produced in NR interactions) states of Ar.\n\nA s the scintillation spectrum of Argon peaks at 128 nm\, it needs to be shi fted to a wavelength where the PMTs are sensitive\, this is achieved by co ating the inner surface of the acrylic vessel with TPB wavelength shifter. The fluorescence time profile of the TPB\, and other detector effects nee d to be taken into account when developing a model for the detector respon se. This presentation will cover the development and components of a model for the response of the detector to Argon-39 decays and the application o f the Argon-39 ER band to develop a region of interest for the dark matter search.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1764/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1764/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Towards Validating Misalignment Measurements of Small-Strip Thin G ap Chamber Quadruplets for the ATLAS New Small Wheel DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T181500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T183000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1763@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Lia Formenti (McGill ATLAS Group (Canada))\nThe smal l wheels of the end-caps of the ATLAS muon spectrometer must be replaced t o improve the angular resolution of tracks for precision muon momentum rec onstruction during Run-3. The New Small Wheel (NSW) will be covered with t wo detector technologies\, one of which is small-strip thin gap chambers ( sTGCs). Canada is responsible for one quarter of the required sTGCs: the e lectrode boards are prepared at TRIUMF\; sTGCs are constructed at Carleton University and four sTGCs are glued into a quadruplet\; the quadruplets a re tested at McGill University using a cosmic ray hodoscope\; and finally the quadruplets are sent to CERN for integration into the NSW. The strip e lectrode layers of each sTGC in a quadruplet have 3.2 mm pitch\, chosen so that they can achieve 1 mrad angular resolution on tracks. However\, misa lignments between a quadruplet’s strip layers introduced during construc tion must be corrected for. The charge profile left by an x-ray gun on qua druplets and coordinate measuring machine (CMM) measurements of individual strip layers are being used to define these parameters. Work on using cos mic ray data to validate misalignment parameters derived using the above-m entioned methods will be presented.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event /253/contributions/1763/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1763/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:The Electron Ion Collider – A Canadian Perspective DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T184500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T190000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1762@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Stephen Kay (University of Regina)\nA major future i nitiative of the international nuclear physics community is the constructi on of the world's first electron-nucleus collider in the coming decade\, w ith the flexibility to change the nuclear ion species as well as the beam energies. For electron-proton collisions\, the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) would be the world's first collider where both beams are polarised. Recen tly\, the EIC has been approved for construction by the U.S. Department of Energy (US-DOE)\, at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Long Island\, NY). I n this talk\, I will briefly outline the design specifications and main sc ientific goals of this brand-new facility. In particular\, I will examine the planned and ongoing contributions of the Canadian subatomic physics co mmunity to this exciting new facility.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/ev ent/253/contributions/1762/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1762/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Light Collection in the Scintillation Bubble Chamber DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T214500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T220000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1761@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Hector Hawley Herrera (Queen's University)\nThe ongo ing search for dark matter continues to evolve\, and the quest to reach lo wer cross-sections is leading to new technologies. One of the newer propos als involves the use of a bubble chamber which employs noble elements (suc h as argon and xenon) as the active mass. Combining recent developments of bubble chambers with liquid noble gases allows additional scintillation a nd ionization data to be collected. These channels further suppress backgr ounds allowing the exploration of lower dark matter mass parameter space w ith a lower energy threshold. This talk/poster focuses on the current deve lopment of SBC (scintillating bubble chamber)\, and the SiPMs (silicon pho tomultipliers) used in the detector.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/even t/253/contributions/1761/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1761/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Using Underground Nuclear Accelerators in the Quest for Dark Matte r DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T170000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T171500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1760@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Marianne Moore (TRIUMF)\nThe existence of dark matte r is ubiquitous in cosmological data and its distribution has been mapped across many galaxies. From these observations\, it must be some type of pa rticle beyond the Standard Model. Yet\, numerous underground particle dete ctors on Earth have been thoroughly looking for dark matter without any su ccess. The null results call for bigger and more sensitive detectors\, but this comes at an expensive price. Instead\, I attempt at leveraging the f inest tools present in these underground laboratories to hopefully achieve a successful detection. Here I will discuss how nuclear accelerators\, su ch as LUNA in Gran Sasso\, could provide just what we need to detect dark matter.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1760/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1760/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Neutrons for Characterizing Dark Matter Detectors DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T211500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T213000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1759@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Jean-François Caron (Queen's University)\nAt the Qu een's University Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory (RMTL) we are develo ping a quasi-monoenergetic beam of intermediate-energy neutrons. These ne utrons will be used to do scattering experiments on the nuclei of gas atom s in the NEWS-G dark matter detector to measure the so-called quenching fa ctor. The quenching factor relates the energy measured from nuclear recoi ls (such as from a neutron or dark matter detector) to electronic recoils (from normal calibration sources). The quenching factor depends on the nu clear recoil energy\, so a specific and tunable neutron energy is importan t to get the best possible calibration for NEWS-G. I will describe progre ss made in 2020\, with a new detector\, shielding\, nuclear targets\, and improved positioning and alignment in the experimental room.\n\nhttps://ny x.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1759/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1759/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Analysis and Identification of Alpha Events for NEWS-G DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T210000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T211500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1758@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Jean-Marie Coquillat (Queen's University)\nThe NEWS- G experiment uses a spherical proportional counter filled with gas in orde r to detect potential dark matter particles that can ionize the gas after a nuclear recoil. The detector works by attracting the free electrons towa rds the centre of the sphere where there is a high voltage anode inducing a radial electric field. Near the anode\, the accelerated electrons then c ause a Townsend avalanche that produces many drifting ions\, which creates an identifiable electrical signal. Since this method has been most effici ent at energies below 1 GeV\, that is where keeping the background contami nation at minimum is of utmost importance. However\, there is approximatel y 20 mBq of alpha particles coming from impurities in the copper surface o f the sphere that create a sudden influx of events close to the region of interest for up to five seconds. These alphas also lead to fluctuations in the electric field\, which in turn alters the time taken for electrons to reach the anode at the centre. This presentation aims to show how the con sequences of alpha particles in the detector can be characterized\, as wel l as how those consequences can be used to better identify alpha events in order to remove the correlated influx of low energy events.\n*On behalf o f the NEWS-G collaboration\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/cont ributions/1758/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1758/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:A Novel Algorithm for Alpha Discrimination in PICO Bubble Chambers DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T221500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T223000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1756@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Quintin Trayling (Queen's University)\nA new compreh ensive algorithm is presented for acoustic analysis of the complete exposu re of the PICO-60 dark matter detector. The PICO-60 detector is a bubble c hamber filled with 52 kg of C$_3$F$_8$ operated at the SNOLAB underground laboratory. The bubble chamber experiments run by PICO have been some of t he leading experiments in direct detection of spin-dependent WIMP-proton i nteractions\; the complete exposure of the PICO-60 detector sets an upper bound on the cross-section of these interactions at $2.5 \\times 10^{-41}$ cm$^2$ for a 25 GeV WIMP (Amole et. al\, 2019). One advantage the PICO bu bble chambers have is the Acoustic Parameter (AP) used for rejection of al pha decays of $^{222}$Rn. Using the AP for alpha discrimination of the WIM P search produced 3 events which could not be classified as either alphas or nuclear recoils\, called "mid-AP" events. Using this new algorithm to f ind optimal frequency bands in the acoustic power spectra\, the "Signal to Noise Ratio" (SNR) was able to be calculated to replace the AP\, and Mach ine Learning Algorithms were used to supplement the SNR. Using the SNR\, a ll 3 "mid-AP" events from PICO-60 were able to be classified as alphas or nuclear recoils. Furthermore\, this algorithm can be applied to any other PICO bubble chamber\, or any other bubble chamber with acoustic alpha disc rimination.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1756/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1756/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:The Data Acquisition System for the DarkSide-20k Detector DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T180000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T181500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1755@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Ashlea Kemp (Queen's University)\nThe DarkSide Colla boration intends to build a new direct WIMP search detector DarkSide-20k ( DS-20k)\, a dual-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) with an active mass of 23 t. Located at the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy\, t he DS-20k LAr TPC will be enclosed inside a liquid scintillator neutron ve to and submerged inside an external liquid scintillator bath which will ac t as a cosmogenic veto. The experiment is designed to be “background-fre e”\, achieved with the use of low-radioactivity underground argon\, Puls e-Shape Discrimination (PSD) and the veto systems. The DS-20k experimental designs boasts a projected sensitivity to the spin-independent WIMP-nucle on cross section of 1.2 × 10−47 cm2 for a 1 TeV/c2 WIMP mass\, assuming a 100 tonne-year exposure (5-year run) in the absence of any backgrounds inside the WIMP search region.\n\nScintillation photons generated inside t he TPC and veto will be measured with the use of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). DarkSide-20k will use 50 x 50 mm2 Photodetector Modules (PDMs)\, comprised of a large tile of SiPMs that will act as a single photodetector . There are approximately 5000/3500 PDMs envisioned for the TPC/veto syste ms. To readout such a vast number of PDMs poses various logistical challen ges for the data acquisition (DAQ) system. This talk will outline the prop osed DAQ system/readout strategy for the DS-20k detector and discuss the c hallenges associated with such a system\, with a particular focus on the n eutron veto.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1755 / LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1755/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Superfluid Neutron Matter with a Twist DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T164500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1754@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Georgios Palkanoglou (University of Guelph)\nSuperfl uid neutron matter is a key ingredient in the composition of neutron stars . The physics of the inner crust is largely dependent on that of its $S$-w ave neutron superfluid which has an effect on pulsar glitches and the neut ron star cooling. Moreover\, with recent gravitational-wave observations o f neutron star mergers\, the need for an equation of state for the matter of these compact stars is further accentuated and a model-independent trea tment of neutron superfluidity is important. Ab initio techniques develope d for finite systems can be guided to perform extrapolations to the thermo dynamic limit and attain this model-independent extraction of various quan tities of infinite superfluid neutron matter. To inform such an extrapolat ion scheme\, we performed calculations of the neutron $^1S_0$ pairing gap using the model-independent odd-even staggering in the context of the part icle-conserving\, projected BCS theory under twisted boundary conditions. While the practice of twisted boundary conditions is standard in solid sta te physics and has been used repeatedly in the past to reduce finite-size effects\, this is the first time it is employed in the context of pairing. We find that a twist-averaging approach results in a substantial reductio n of the finite-size effects\, bringing systems with $N> 50$ within a 2% e rror margin from the infinite system. This can significantly reduce extrap olation-related errors in the extraction of superfluid neutron matter quan tities.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1754/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1754/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Advancing Dark Matter Theory with Black Holes\, Exploding Compact Stars\, Supercool Gas\, and Underground Detectors DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T160000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T163000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1753@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Joseph Bramante (Queen's University)\nRecent theoret ical investigation continues to suggest that dark matter could be either a supermassive or superlight particle. Discovering dark matter at these mas s extremes requires radical new approaches. I will survey some fascinating developments\, including dark matter that forms black holes in the sun an d Earth\, dark matter that would make old white dwarfs explode\, supermass ive dark matter detected through its fusion of nuclei in Antarctic ice\, a nd ultralight photon-mixed dark matter heating supercold gas clouds near t he center of the Milky Way.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/con tributions/1753/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1753/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Optimization of Drift Time Measurement in P-Type Point-Contact HPG e Detectors DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T173000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T174500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1752@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Tianai Ye (Queen's University)\nP-type point contact (PPC) high-purity germanium detectors have gained substantial interests i n the search for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\\nu\\beta\\beta$) due to their background-rejection capabilities and excellent energy resolution . The drift time of charge carriers in the detector can be used in determi ning the position of an energy deposition and identifying sources of the b ackground. One can also use drift time to look for evidence of charge trap ping by impurities in the germanium crystal and correct the degraded energ y resolution. In this presentation\, we discuss an optimized method for me asuring the drift time. The results will be demonstrated using both experi mental and simulated data.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/cont ributions/1752/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1752/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:LoLX Experiment DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T174500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T180000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1751@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Bindiya Chana (Carleton University)\nThe Light only Liquid Xenon (LoLX) experiment aims to investigate the emission of scintil lation and Cherenkov light in liquid xenon for its applications in rare ev ent searches in particle physics. LoLX consists of 24 quadruple Hamamatsu VUV4 Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) arranged in an octagonal prism. SiPMs are covered with two different kinds of optical filters used to separate scintillation and Cherenkov light. Out of 24 SiPMs\, 22 are covered with 2 25nm long-pass filters to see Cherenkov light from liquid xenon\, one is c overed with a band-pass filter centred at 175nm to detect the scintillatio n light of liquid xenon and one is left bare. A strontium-90 beta source p laced at centre of the structure is used for light production in LoLX. The beta electrons will deposit energy in liquid xenon and produce scintillat ion and Cherenkov light to be detected by SiPMs. First LoLX data have been taken in cold nitrogen gas to measure the external crosstalk events where photons emitted from surface of one SiPM are detected in another. The fir st data set of LoLX with liquid xenon is planned to be taken at McGill Uni versity by the time of this conference. This talk will give an overview of the LoLX experiment\, its current status and upcoming plans.\n\nhttps://n yx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1751/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1751/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Novel Method for the Detection of Axions by Daily and Annual Modul ations DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T164500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210211T170000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1750@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Connor Adair (University of British Columbia)\nAxion s which were originally proposed as a solution to the Strong CP problem ha ve gained interest as a potential Dark Matter candidate. Axion Quark Nugge ts (AQNs) are a new model for Dark Matter consisting of quark or anti-quar k matter contained within an axion domain wall. AQNs can produce axions wh en they encounter time dependent perturbations (such as passing through th e interior of the Earth) which enable their potential detection. In this t alk\, we will review the basics of the AQN model and give a review of cont emporary Axion cavity search focusing on the CAST-CAPP experiment. Next we will show how the CAST-CAPP experiment and search procedure can be modifi ed to search for AQNs by looking for daily and annual modulations in the C AST data. We will present preliminary results for this new search procedur e and provide comments on future directions for AQN searches.\n\nhttps://n yx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1750/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1750/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Sub-GeV Dark Vector Bosons and their Impacts on Cosmology DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T164500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T170000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1748@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: John Coffey (University of Victoria)\nThe purpose of this presentation is to recognize the effects of electromagnetic energy i njection into the early Universe from decaying sub-GeV dark vectors. Decay widths and energy spectra for the most prominent channels in the sub-GeV region are calculated for various dark vector models. The models include t he kinetic mixing of the dark photon with the Standard Model photon\, $U(1 )_{A'}$ \, a dark vector boson which couples to the baryon minus the lepto n current\, $U(1)_{B-L}$\, and the last three are dark vector bosons which couple one lepton's current minus a different lepton's current\, $U(1)_{L _i - L_j}$ where $i \, j = e\, \\mu\, \\tau $. Measurements from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the Cosmic Microwave Background are used to constrain the lifetime\, mass and coupling constant of the dark vectors.\n\nhttps:// nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1748/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1748/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Mass Measurements around the $N = 32$ and $N = 34$ Shell Closures and Upgrades for TITAN's Measurement Penning Trap DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T220000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T221500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1747@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: William Porter (TRIUMF/UBC)\nMass measurement facili ties are extremely important in furthering our understanding of nuclear st ructure away from the valley of stability. TRIUMF’s Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science (TITAN) is among the world’s premier precision trapp ing facilities\, with the newly added Multiple-Reflection Time-of-Flight M ass Spectrometer (MR-ToF-MS) expanding its reach. The TITAN MR-ToF-MS was used in the measurement of neutron-rich scandium\, vanadium and titanium i sotopes in the $A = 54-57$ mass region. In total\, the masses of $^{54-55} $Sc\, $^{54-57}$V and $^{54-56}$Ti were measured\, resulting in significan t improvements over current literature uncertainties. These masses are cri tical to the evolution of the $N = 32$ and $N = 34$ shell closures\, and o ur new measurements allow for better understanding of trends along these i sotones. Morever\, the Measurement Penning Trap (MPET) at TITAN has underg one a series of upgrades to allow for the measurement of radioactive\, hig hly-charged ions. Along with a new cryogenic cooling system\, the implemen tation of the Phase-Imaging Ion-Cyclotron-Resonance (PI-ICR) technique wil l increase the resolution and precision capabilities of MPET. These upgrad es\, along with the aforementioned mass measurements\, will be discussed.\ n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1747/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1747/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Warming Nuclear Pasta with Dark Matter: Kinetic and Annihilation H eating of Neutron Star Crusts DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T164500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1746@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Javier Fernandez Acevedo (Queen's University)\nNeutr on stars serve as excellent next-generation thermal detectors of dark matt er\, heated by the scattering and annihilation of dark matter falling into them. However\, the composition and dynamics of neutron star cores are un certain\, making it difficult at present to unequivocally compute dark mat ter scattering in this region. On the other hand\, the crust of a neutron star is more robustly understood. Dark matter scattering solely with the l ow-density crust can still kinetically heat neutron stars to infrared temp eratures detectable by forthcoming telescopes\, providing low cross-sectio n sensitivities in a wide dark matter mass range\, with the best sensitivi ty arising from dark matter scattering with a crust constituent called nuc lear pasta. I discuss how these detection prospects are obtained for both spin-independent and spin-dependent scattering with the crust constituents \, as well as the effects of dark matter annihilation in the case the dark matter particles are captured and thermalized by the crust alone.\n\nhttp s://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1746/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1746/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Hunting for the Extreme Accelerators in Our Universe with Multi-Me ssenger Observations DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T160000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T163000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1745@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Nahee Park (Queen's University)\nThe Earth has been bombarded by high-energy particles for millions of years. Known as cosmic rays\, these particles can have higher energies than particles accelerated by the best human-made accelerators. We have studied these energetic part icles for over a hundred years. However\, the sources of these particles r emain a mystery because of the deflection of their trajectories by magneti c fields and their interactions with particles and radiation in interstell ar and intergalactic space. Observations of the neutral particles\, such a s gamma rays and neutrinos\, produced during the interactions experienced by cosmic rays have been studied in order to search for their elusive sour ce sites. Observations of neutrinos provide an essential element in these studies as the neutrinos are only generated by hadronic interactions\, and they can travel much longer distances than gamma rays. The best way to st udy the extreme accelerators in our Universe is to combine all of the info rmation from different messengers - cosmic rays\, gamma rays\, and neutrin os. Recent multi-messenger observations triggered by the IceCube neutrino observatory in the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 showed the potenti al of this approach. I will highlight the role that these high-energy neut rino observations play in the emerging discipline of multi-messenger astro physics and this will allow us to explore fundamental physics\, including searches for decaying dark matter throughout the Universe.\n\nhttps://nyx. physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1745/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1745/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Adapting the Ab-Initio IMSRG for Open-Shell Atomic Systems DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T184500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T190000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1744@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Gaurav Tenkila (University of British Columbia)\nThe nuclear charge distribution and nuclear magnetic moment modify the Coulom b potential in atoms\, resulting in shifts in the electronic levels. Thus\ , atomic spectroscopy provides a way to probe nuclear structure. These mea surements\, however\, require precise calculations of isotope shift factor s and hyperfine constants. The IMSRG is an ab-initio technique\, successfu lly used in nuclei\, that evolves a many-body Hamiltonian using continuous unitary transformations. I will present a new application of the IMSRG to atomic systems for calculating spectra and isotope shift factors. I will discuss first results and the current status of these calculations as well as what we hope to achieve moving forward.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill. ca/event/253/contributions/1744/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1744/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Prototypes of an Ion Trap for the Barium Tagging of nEXO DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T180000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T181500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1743@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Yang Lan (McGill University)\nThe next Enriched Xeno n Observatory (nEXO) is a planned ton-scale experiment to search for neutr inoless double beta decay (0$\\nu{\\beta \\beta}$) in xenon-136. The sensi tivity of nEXO is limited by the natural occurrence of radioactive backgro und events which produce signals indistinguishable from 0$\\nu \\beta \\be ta$ in nEXO's detector. Barium tagging is a planned future upgrade of nEXO to reject backgrounds by identification of a barium ion extracted from th e same vicinity as the detected decay. An ion trap has been developed as a part of a barium tagging approach. Prototypes of the ion trap have been b uilt and tested. Experiments with the prototypes demonstrate successful io n transmission\, trapping\, cooling and ejection to meet the requirements for barium tagging.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributio ns/1743/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1743/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Ab Initio Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Matrix Elements DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T183000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T184500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1742@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Antoine Belley (TRIUMF/UBC)\nAs experiments searchin g for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\\nu\\beta\\beta$) are about to a reach ton-scale era\, an effective way of calculating the nuclear matrix e lements (NMEs)\, which govern the rate of the decay\, is imperative. Obser vation of this decay would show the Majorana nature of neutrinos as well a s potentially giving the absolute mass of the neutrino\, as long as the NM Es are known accurately. The "In-Medium Similarity Renormalization Group" (IMSRG) method allows for an *Ab initio*\, or first principles\, predictio n of the NMEs by approximately solving the nuclear many-body Schrodinger e quation. This work uses the valence space formulation of the IM-SRG (VS-IM SRG) to compute the NMEs of candidate isotopes from A=48 to A=136. These r esults provide the first *Ab initio* NMEs for all isotopes of high interes t for next generation experiments\, including ongoing and future Canadian experiments.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1742 / LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1742/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Precision Branching-Ratio Measurement for the Superallowed Fermi $ \\beta$ Emitter 18Ne DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T214500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T220000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1741@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Kushal Kapoor (University of Regina)\nThe precise st udies of nuclear $\\beta$ decays between I$^{\\pi}$ = 0$^{+}$ isobaric ana logue states provide stringent tests of electroweak interactions. Precisio n measurements of the ft values for superallowed $\\beta$ Fermi emitters b etween isospin T = 1 states has provided by far\, the most precise value o f V$_{ud}$\, the up-down element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) qu ark mixing matrix. Recent survey on superallowed decay\, recommended value of V$_{ud}$ is one standard deviation smaller than its previous value and is due to a new theoretical evaluation of a nucleus independent radiative correction that is universally applied to the ft values. As a result\, t he top row test of CKM unitarity now violates unity at the 3.3$\\sigma$ le vel\, which has motivated a renewed search for any and all possible trivia l sources that may explain this apparent discrepancy.\nIn this work\, we f ocus on a new measurement of the superallowed branching ratio of $^{18}$Ne decay that was deduced from an experiment performed at the GANIL facility in France. To date\, the ft value for this decay has not yet been determ ined precisely enough to be included in the evaluation of V$_{ud}$ and it is perhaps the most interesting case for constraining model dependencies that arise in a second set of theoretical corrections accounting for isosp in symmetry breaking effects. A detailed description of the experiment\, analysis and preliminary results will be presented.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics .mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1741/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1741/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Ab-Initio Calculations of Electric Dipole Moments in Light Nuclei DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T181500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T183000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1740@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Paul Froese (TRIUMF)\nIn any finite system\, the pre sence of a non-zero permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) would require b oth parity (P) and time-reversal (T) violation. The standard model predict s a very small CP violation and consequently any observation of the EDM wo uld imply physics beyond the standard model. Thus\, EDMs have long been pr oposed as a way to test these fundamental symmetries. Experimental studies have placed upper bounds on neutron\, nuclear and atomic EDMs\, while the oretical studies have calculated their magnitudes using a variety of metho ds. In particular\, it has been found that nuclear structure in certain nu clei can enhance the EDM. Here\, we use an ab-initio no-core shell model ( NCSM) framework to theoretically investigate the magnitude of the nuclear EDM. We calculate the EDMs of several light nuclei using chiral two- and t hree-body interactions and a PT-violating Hamiltonian based on a one-meson -exchange model. We will present a successful benchmark calculation for 3H e\, as well as results for the more complex nuclei $^6$Li\, $^7$Li\, $^9$B e\, $^{10}$B\, $^{11}$B\, $^{13}$C\, $^{14}$N\, $^{15}$N\, and $^{19}$F. Our results suggest that different nuclei can be used to probe different t erms of the parity violating interaction. These calculations will allow us to better understand which nuclei may have enhanced EDMs\, and thus allow us to suggest which ones may be good candidates in the search for a measu rable permanent dipole moment.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/ contributions/1740/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1740/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Bound-State Beta-Decay Rate of 205Tl DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T213000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T214500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1739@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Guy Leckenby (TRIUMF)\nBound-state beta-decay ($\\be ta_b$-decay) is an exotic $\\beta^-$-decay mode where the electron is emit ted directly into a bound orbital (often K/L) of the daughter nuclei. Henc e\, the decay mode is only accessible to highly charged ions with no elect rons (HCIs). Thallium-205 is an interesting stable neutral ion\, whilst be ing unstable to $\\beta_b$-decay as a bare ion. This instability at high c harge states could cause a branching point just before the termination of the slow neutron capture process. In addition\, the capture of solar-neutr inos onto 205Tl to produce 205Pb is the lowest energy threshold neutrino-i nduced reaction known. The geochemical activation experiment LOREX (LORand ite EXperiment) aims to calculate the integrated solar neutrino flux from this reaction in thallium bearing Lorandite. The nuclear matrix element o f this reaction is currently unknown but identical to the $\\beta_b$-decay matrix element.\n\nThe experiment was conducted at the GSI Helmholtz Cent re\, Darmstadt\, Germany during March 2020. A 400 MeV/u 205Tl beam was pr oduced by the Fragment Separator (FRS) and stored in the Experimental Stor age Ring (ESR). During storage\, the beam is electron cooled and monitored by resonant Schottky detectors that identify ion species by their revolut ion frequency in the ring. Growth of the 205Pb$^{82+}$ signal in the ring over time is directly attributable to $\\beta_b$-decay. The authors aim to present the motivation\, storage ring methods\, and some preliminary resu lts.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1739/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1739/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Astrophysical tau Neutrinos in the Pacific Ocean DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T170000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210210T171500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1736@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Akanksha Katil (University of Waterloo)\nThe Pacific Ocean Neutrino Explorer (P-ONE) is a planned large-scale Cherenkov neutri no detector to be deployed in Cascadia Basin\, close to Vancouver Island. This detector will join a worldwide network of neutrino telescopes and hol ds exciting possibilities of bringing us a step closer to true neutrino as tronomy as well as unravelling new physics. High energy tau neutrinos\, ab ove energies of 50 TeV\, is one exciting channel that P-ONE could access. These neutrinos must have an astrophysical origin and could be used to ind ependently confirm the flux previously observed by IceCube\, the largest n eutrino telescope in operation\, as well as verify neutrino mixing over co smic distances. This study is a first attempt at developing a method to de tect tau neutrinos in P-ONE.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/co ntributions/1736/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1736/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Search for Dark Matter Produced in Association with a Dark Sector Higgs Boson in Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T211500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T213000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1735@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Danika MacDonell (University of Victoria )\nLongstan ding evidence from observational astronomy indicates that non-luminous "da rk matter" constitutes the majority of all matter in the universe\, yet th is mysterious form of matter continues to elude experimental detection. Th e study presented in this talk is part of an ongoing programme to search f or dark matter production in high-energy proton-proton collisions at the L arge Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. This search targets a model in which d ark matter is produced in association with the emission of a hypothesized heavy Higgs boson in the dark sector\, which then decays to a pair of W bo sons. The final-state signature of this model would be an excess of missin g transverse energy in the detector due to undetected dark matter producti on\, along with two reconstructed W bosons. A search was recently perform ed targeting this final state in the 'hadronic' decay channel\, wherein bo th W bosons decay to a pair of quarks. The semi-leptonic WW decay channel\ , in which one of the bosons instead decays to a lepton and neutrino\, is expected to complement and extend the reach of the existing search in the hadronic channel. Ongoing work towards developing a dark matter search in this semi-leptonic WW decay channel is presented.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.m cgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1735/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1735/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Search for String Resonances in ATLAS DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T213000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T214500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1734@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Fairhurst Lyons (University of Alberta)\nSome string theories predict that the extra dimensions of space must be large. In thi s scenario the energy scale of strings is on the order of TeV and string r esonances can be produced in proton-proton collisions. This makes the theo ry a good candidate for investigation at the Large Hadron Collider. Using the cross sections of string resonances we can simulate particle interacti ons and compare results to data collected by the ATLAS detector. We genera te events at several string scales and study the significance of signals o ver QCD background in the dijet invariant mass distribution. We search res onant for deviations from smooth background and set lower limits on string scale.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1734/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1734/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Light Dark Photon Detection with Atomic Transitions DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T210000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T211500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1731@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Ningqiang Song (Queen's University)\nWe propose to i mprove light-shining-through-wall setup by employing macro coherent super radiance on the detection side. Parahydrogen molecules are pumped to their first excited states by counter-propagating laser beams. The background d ark photon field will interact with the parahydrogen and trigger the colle ctive deexcitation of the atomic system\, resulting in a nonlinear amplifi cation of the two-photon emission process called superradiance. With the s uperradiant amplification the current bound on sub-meV mass dark photon ca n be advanced by orders of magnitude.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/eve nt/253/contributions/1731/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1731/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Towards Atomic Parity Violation in Francium DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T220000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T221500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1730@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Anima Sharma (University of Manitoba)\nLow-energy pr ecision tests of electro-weak physics keep playing an essential role in th e search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Atomic parity violatio n (APV) measures the strength of highly forbidden atomic transitions induc ed by the parity violating (PV) exchange of Z bosons between electrons and quarks in heavy atoms. APV is sensitive to additional interactions such a s leptoquarks\, and is complementary to other approaches such as PV electr on scattering. Our group is working towards the measurement in francium (Z =87)\, the heaviest alkali\, at TRIUMF where we capture Fr atoms in a magn eto-optical trap (MOT) online to ISAC. The APV signal in Fr is $\\approx$1 8 x larger than in Cs. Working on the atomic 7S-8S transition\, the PV obs ervable will be the interference between a parity-conserving amplitude\, a "Stark induced" E1 amplitude created by applying a dc electric field to m ix S and P states\, and the vastly weaker PV amplitude. In preparation\, w e now explore the Stark amplitude\, in particular the ratio of its scalar to vector components. After a review of recent progress\, I will discuss o ur plans for a precision determination of this ratio\, including the chall enge of producing spin-polarized Fr in a MOT environment. \n\nSupported by NSERC\, NRC\, TRIUMF\, U Manitoba\, U Maryland.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mc gill.ca/event/253/contributions/1730/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1730/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Searching for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay at SNOLAB DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T174500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T181500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1729@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Erica Caden (SNOLAB)\nThe nature of the neutrino has been a question puzzling physicists since its discovery. Many experiments are trying to solve this problem by searching for neutrino-less double be ta decay. Two such projects that I work on are SNO+ and nEXO\; using diffe rent technologies and different target isotopes to achieve similar scienti fic goals. I will compare and contrast these experiments\, their sensitivi ties\, and discuss the role that SNOLAB plays in their future success.\n\n https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1729/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1729/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Feature Recognition for Photogrammetry Calibration of the Super-Ka miokande Detector DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T183000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T184500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1728@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Tapendra B C (University of Winnipeg)\nThe Super-Kam iokande detector is a 40m tall cylindrical tank with a 40m diameter\, fill ed with ultra-pure water. It makes detailed measurements of solar\, atmosp heric\, and accelerator neutrinos. About 11\,000 PMTs (photomultiplier tu bes) facing inwards are set up on the detector wall to record neutrino int eraction events. The use of the accurate location of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) on the detector wall will increase the accuracy of the events that the PMTs record. Over 15000 images (57GB) of SuperK were taken in with an underwater drone to reconstruct the locations of the PMTs using photogram metry. In this study\, we used the bolts surrounding each PMT as features. The location of bolts surrounding each PMT is determined using image proc essing techniques. Further processing was done on bolts to eliminate false bolts. In this talk\, I will present the methods used in our study to det ect features and various geometrical techniques we used to obtain the fina l set of bolts.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1 728/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1728/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Super-Kamiokande PMTs Characterizations Using Artificial Magnetic Field and Robotic Laser-Equipped Arms DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T184500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210209T190000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260421T130326Z UID:indico-contribution-253-1727@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Vincent Gousy-Leblanc (University of Victoria/TRIUMF )\nSuper-Kamiokande is a neutrino detector in Japan containing 11\,000 pho tomultiplier tubes (PMTs) surrounding a massive tank filled with 50 ktonne of ultra-pure water. The single-photon sensitive PMTs detect Cherenkov ra diation produced by charged particles travelling faster than the speed of light in water. A detailed understanding of the PMTs\, as well as their re sponse to environmental effects\, is necessary for a precise understanding of the detector and even more importantly for the future Hyper-Kamiokande detector made of 40\,000 PMTs.\n\nOne of the effects we need to understan d is the response to the varying Earth geomagnetic field in the detector. The photon detection efficiency and timing of the PMT are affected by magn etic fields due to the resultant trajectory of the photo-electrons induced by Cherenkov light. A photosensor test facility (PTF) at TRIUMF consistin g of laser-equipped robotic gantry arms is used to characterize PMTs.\n\nI will discuss the procedure to control the magnetic field\, environmental systematics\, and the motion and monitoring of the gantries. Moreover\, I will show the effect of the magnetic field on 3 parameters of the PMT: the gain\, transit time and detection efficiency.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgi ll.ca/event/253/contributions/1727/ LOCATION:Virtual Meeting URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/253/contributions/1727/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR