Simulation activities for particle detectors R&D at Horizon-T and HorizonT-KZ cosmic rays experiments

A nature of Ultra-high energy Cosmic Ray is one of the remaining open topics in the field of High Energy Physics. The modern detector systems are being designed and constructed to study this phenomenon. "Horizon-T" that is experiment located at Tien Shan high-altitude Science Station (TSHASS) near Almaty, Kazakhstan, is one of such systems, and there is work underway for a novel detector system "HorizonT-KZ" (HT-KZ). The HT-KZ is being developed by Nazarbayev University (NU) in collaboration with TSHASS and is planned to be installed here, at NU, Astana, Kazakhstan. A simulation of a single detector module that is aimed to determine the optimal detector arrangement and parameters is a significant part of the R&D process. A description and a discussion of the results of the simulation runs are presented in this thesis

Electric field analysis in a cold-ion source using Stark spectroscopy of Rydberg atoms

We analyze electric fields in ion sources generated by quasi-continuous photo-ionization of cold Rb atoms trapped in the focal spot of a near-concentric, in-vacuum cavity for 1064-nm laser light. Ion streams are extracted with an external electric field, ${\bf{F}}$. Stark effects of Rb 57$F$ and of nearby high-angular-momentum Rydberg levels, which exhibit large, linear Stark shifts, are employed to study the net electric-field probability distribution within the ion-source region over an extraction-field range of $0<F<0.35$ V/cm. For $F=0$, we also investigate ion-field-induced Stark spectra of the 60$P_{1/2}$-state, which exhibits a (lesser) quadratic electric-field response that affords a simplified electric-field analysis. Experimental Rydberg spectra are compared with theoretical Stark spectra, which are weighed with net electric-field distributions obtained from classical ion-trajectory simulations that include Coulomb interactions. Experiments and models agree well. At small $F$ and high ion source rates, the field approximately follows a Holtsmark distribution, and the ion streams are degraded by the Coulomb micro-fields. With increasing $F$ and at lower ion source rates, the fields become narrowly distributed around ${\bf{F}}$, resulting in directional ion streams that are less degraded by micro-fields. Our results are of interest for monitoring cold-ion sources for focused-ion-beam applications, where Coulomb interactions are of concern, and for studies of electric fields in cold plasmas.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted to Physical Review Applie

Spectroscopy of the 85^{85}Rb 4D3/2D_{3/2} state for hyperfine-structure determination

We report a measurement of the hyperfine-structure constants of the $^{85}$Rb 4$D_{3/2}$ state using a two-photon 5$S_{1/2}\rightarrow$4$D_{3/2}$ transition. The hyperfine transitions are probed by measuring the transmission of the low-power 795-nm lower-stage laser beam through a cold-atom sample as a function of 795-nm laser frequency, with the frequency of the upper-stage 1476-nm laser fixed. All 4 hyperfine components are well-resolved in the recorded transmission spectra. AC shifts are carefully considered. The field-free hyperfine line positions are obtained by extrapolating measured line positions to zero laser power. The magnetic-dipole and electric-quadrupole constants, $A$ and $B$, are determined from the hyperfine intervals to be 7.419(35)~MHz and 4.19(19)~MHz, respectively. The results are evaluated in context with previous works. Possible uses of the Rb 4$D_J$ states in Rydberg-atom-physics, precision-metrology and quantum-technology applications are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Principles of tractor atom interferometry

We present possible design concepts for a tractor atom interferometer (TAI) based on three-dimensional confinement and transport of ultracold atoms. The confinement reduces device size and wave-packet dispersion, enables arbitrary holding times, and facilitates control to create complex trajectories that allow for optimization to cancel unwanted sensitivity, fast splitting and recombination, and suppression of detrimental nonadiabatic excitation. Thus, the design allows for further advancement of compact, high-sensitivity, quantum sensing technology. In particular, we focus on the implementation of quantum-enhanced accelerometers and gyroscopes. We discuss TAI protocols for both spin-dependent and scalar trapping potentials. Using optimal control theory, we demonstrate the splitting of the wave function on a time scale two orders of magnitude shorter than the previous proposal using adiabatic dynamics, thus maximizing the time spent at full separation, where the interferometric phase is accumulated. Lastly, we explore the possibility of including non-classical correlations between the atoms to improve sensitivity. The performance estimates for TAI give a promising perspective for atom-interferometry-based sensing, significantly exceeding the sensitivities of current state-of-the-art devices.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry:Workshop Summary

This document presents a summary of the 2023 Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop hosted by CERN. The workshop brought together experts from around the world to discuss the exciting developments in large-scale atom interferometer (AI) prototypes and their potential for detecting ultralight dark matter and gravitational waves. The primary objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for an international TVLBAI proto-collaboration. This collaboration aims to unite researchers from different institutions to strategize and secure funding for terrestrial large-scale AI projects. The ultimate goal is to create a roadmap detailing the design and technology choices for one or more km-scale detectors, which will be operational in the mid-2030s. The key sections of this report present the physics case and technical challenges, together with a comprehensive overview of the discussions at the workshop together with the main conclusions

Simulation activities for particle detectors R&D at Horizon-T and HorizonT-KZ cosmic rays experiments

A nature of Ultra-high energy Cosmic Ray is one of the remaining open topics in the field of High Energy Physics. The modern detector systems are being designed and constructed to study this phenomenon. "Horizon-T" that is experiment located at Tien Shan high-altitude Science Station (TSHASS) near Almaty, Kazakhstan, is one of such systems, and there is work underway for a novel detector system "HorizonT-KZ" (HT-KZ). The HT-KZ is being developed by Nazarbayev University (NU) in collaboration with TSHASS and is planned to be installed here, at NU, Astana, Kazakhstan. A simulation of a single detector module that is aimed to determine the optimal detector arrangement and parameters is a significant part of the R&D process. A description and a discussion of the results of the simulation runs are presented in this thesis

Nonadiabatic decay of metastable states on coupled linear potentials

Avoided crossings of level pairs with opposite slopes can form potential-energy minima for the external degree of freedom of quantum particles, giving rise to metastable states on the avoided crossings (MSACs). Nonadiabatic decay of MSACs is studied by solving the two-component Schrödinger equation in diabatic and adiabatic representations. Non-perturbative lifetime values are found by evaluating wave function flux and scattering phases of time-independent solutions, as well as wave-function decay of time-dependent solutions. The values from these methods generally agree well, validating the utilized approaches. As the adiabaticity parameter, V , of the system is increased by about a factor of ten across the mixed diabatic/adiabatic regime, the MSAC character transitions from marginally to highly stable, with the lifetimes increasing by about ten orders of magnitude. The dependence of MSAC lifetime on the vibrational quantum number, ν , is discussed for several regimes of V . Time-dependent perturbation theory yields lifetimes that deviate by ≲30% from non-perturbative results, over the range of V and ν studied, while a semi-classical model based on Landau–Zener tunneling is up to a factor of twenty off. The results are relevant to numerous atomic and molecular systems with metastable states on intersecting, coupled potential energy curves

Dynamic Polarizability of the ⁸⁵Rb 5<i>D</i>_3/2-State in 1064 nm Light

We report a measurement of the dynamic (ac) scalar polarizability of the 5D3/2 state in 85Rb atoms at a laser wavelength of 1064 nm. Contrary to a recent measurement in Phys. Rev. A 104, 063304 (2021), the experiments are performed in a low-intensity regime in which the ac shift is less than the 5D3/2 state’s hyperfine structure, as utilized in numerous experiments with cold, trapped atoms. The extracted ac polarizability is α5D3/2=−499±59 a.u., within the uncertainty of the aforementioned previous result. The calibration of the 1064 nm light intensity, performed by analyzing light shifts of the D1 line, is the main source of uncertainty. Our results are useful for applications of the Rb 5D3/2 state in metrology, quantum sensing, and fundamental-physics research on Rydberg atoms and molecules

Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop (TVLBAI 2023)

This document presents a summary of the 2023 Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop hosted by CERN. The workshop brought together experts from around the world to discuss the exciting developments in large-scale atom interferometer (AI) prototypes and their potential for detecting ultralight dark matter and gravitational waves. The primary objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for an international TVLBAI proto-collaboration. This collaboration aims to unite researchers from different institutions to strategize and secure funding for terrestrial large-scale AI projects. The ultimate goal is to create a roadmap detailing the design and technology choices for one or more km-scale detectors, which will be operational in the mid-2030s. The key sections of this report present the physics case and technical challenges, together with a comprehensive overview of the discussions at the workshop together with the main conclusions

Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry: Workshop Summary

Summary of the Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop held at CERN: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1208783/This document presents a summary of the 2023 Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop hosted by CERN. The workshop brought together experts from around the world to discuss the exciting developments in large-scale atom interferometer (AI) prototypes and their potential for detecting ultralight dark matter and gravitational waves. The primary objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for an international TVLBAI proto-collaboration. This collaboration aims to unite researchers from different institutions to strategize and secure funding for terrestrial large-scale AI projects. The ultimate goal is to create a roadmap detailing the design and technology choices for one or more km-scale detectors, which will be operational in the mid-2030s. The key sections of this report present the physics case and technical challenges, together with a comprehensive overview of the discussions at the workshop together with the main conclusions