Experiments for Double-Beta Decay

The recent neutrino oscillation experimental results indicate that at least one neutrino has a mass greater than 50 meV. The next generation of double-beta decay experiments will very likely have a sensitivity to an effective Majorana neutrino mass below this target. Therefore this is a very exciting time for this field of research as even null results from these experiments have the potential to elucidate the nature of the neutrino.Comment: 15 pages, Invited Talk: "Neutrino and Implications for Physics beyond the Standard Model", Repaired reference in V2, added ref in V

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay in Theories Beyond the Standard Model

Neutrinoless double beta decay pops up almost in any extension of the standard model. It is perhaps the only process, which can unambiguously determine whether the massive neutrinos are Majorana or Dirac type particles. In addition from the lifetime of this decay, combined with sufficient knowledge of the relevant nuclear matrix elements, one can set a constraint involving the neutrino masses. Furthemore, if one incorporates the recent results of the neutrino oscillation experiments, one can determine or set a stringent limit on the neutrino mass scale. In addition one may obtain usefull information regarding the presence of right handed currents and the right handed neutrino mass scale. One can also constrain the parameters of supersymmetry and, in particular, set limits in of R-parity violating couplings as well as get information about extra dimensions.Comment: Proceedings of the XXIst Int. Conf. on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics, June 13-19, College de France, Paris, France. To appear in Nuc. Phys. B Proc. Supp

Tailoring transient-amorphous states: towards fast and power-efficient phase-change memory and neuromorphic computing.

A new methodology for manipulating transient-amorphous states of phase-change memory (PCM) materials is reported as a viable means to boost the speed, yet reduce the power consumption of PC memories, and is applicable to new forms of PCM-based neuromorphic devices. Controlling multiple-pulse interactions with PC materials may provide an opportunity toward developing a new paradigm for ultra-fast neuromorphic computing.We acknowledge financial support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.20140269

Analyzing satellite-derived 3D building inventories and quantifying urban growth towards active faults: a case study of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Earth observation (EO) data can provide large scale, high-resolution, and transferable methodologies to quantify the sprawl and vertical development of cities and are required to inform disaster risk reduction strategies for current and future populations. We synthesize the evolution of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which experiences high seismic hazard, and derive new datasets relevant for seismic risk modeling. First, the urban sprawl of Bishkek (1979–2021) was quantified using built-up area land cover classifications. Second, a change detection methodology was applied to a declassified KeyHole Hexagon (KH-9) and Sentinel-2 satellite image to detect areas of redevelopment within Bishkek. Finally, vertical development was quantified using multi-temporal high-resolution stereo and tri-stereo satellite imagery, which were used in a deep learning workflow to extract buildings footprints and assign building heights. Our results revealed urban growth of 139 km2 (92%) and redevelopment of ~26% (59 km2) of the city (1979–2021). The trends of urban growth were not reflected in all the open access global settlement footprint products that were evaluated. Building polygons that were extracted using a deep learning workflow applied to high-resolution tri-stereo (Pleiades) satellite imagery were most accurate (F1 score = 0.70) compared to stereo (WorldView-2) imagery (F1 score = 0.61). Similarly, building heights extracted using a Pleiades-derived digital elevation model were most comparable to independent measurements obtained using ICESat-2 altimetry data and field-measurements (normalized absolute median deviation < 1 m). Across different areas of the city, our analysis suggested rates of building growth in the region of 2000–10,700 buildings per year, which when combined with a trend of urban growth towards active faults highlights the importance of up-to-date building stock exposure data in areas of seismic hazard. Deep learning methodologies applied to high-resolution imagery are a valuable monitoring tool for building stock, especially where country-level or open-source datasets are lacking or incomplete

Pseudogap behavior in charge density wave kagome material ScV6_6Sn6_6 revealed by magnetotransport measurements

Over the last few years, significant attention has been devoted to studying the kagome materials AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs) due to their unconventional superconductivity and charge density wave (CDW) ordering. Recently ScV$_6$Sn$_6$ was found to host a CDW below $\approx$90K, and, like AV$_3$Sb$_5$, it contains a kagome lattice comprised only of V ions. Here we present a comprehensive magnetotransport study on ScV$_6$Sn$_6$. We discovered several anomalous transport phenomena above the CDW ordering temperature, including insulating behavior in interlayer resistivity, a strongly temperature-dependent Hall coefficient, and violation of Kohler's rule. All these anomalies can be consistently explained by a progressive decrease in carrier densities with decreasing temperature, suggesting the formation of a pseudogap. Our findings suggest that high-temperature CDW fluctuations play a significant role in determining the normal state electronic properties of ScV$_6$Sn$_6$