X-ray Nanodiffraction on a Single SiGe Quantum Dot inside a Functioning Field-Effect Transistor

For advanced electronic, optoelectronic, or mechanical nanoscale devices a detailed understanding of their structural properties and in particular the strain state within their active region is of utmost importance. We demonstrate that X-ray nanodiffraction represents an excellent tool to investigate the internal structure of such devices in a nondestructive way by using a focused synchotron X-ray beam with a diameter of 400 nm. We show results on the strain fields in and around a single SiGe island, which serves as stressor for the Si-channel in a fully functioning Si-metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor

Constraining the reflective properties of WASP-178b using Cheops photometry

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Two temperate super-Earths transiting a nearby late-type M dwarf

peer reviewedIn the age of JWST, temperate terrestrial exoplanets transiting nearby late-type M dwarfs provide unique opportunities for characterising their atmospheres, as well as searching for biosignature gases. We report here the discovery and validation of two temperate super-Earths transiting LP 890-9 (TOI-4306, SPECULOOS-2), a relatively low-activity nearby (32 pc) M6V star. The inner planet, LP 890-9b, was first detected by TESS (and identified as TOI-4306.01) based on four sectors of data. Intensive photometric monitoring of the system with the SPECULOOS Southern Observatory then led to the discovery of a second outer transiting planet, LP 890-9c (also identified as SPECULOOS-2c), previously undetected by TESS. The orbital period of this second planet was later confirmed by MuSCAT3 follow-up observations. With a mass of 0.118±0.002 M⊙, a radius of 0.1556±0.0086 R⊙, and an effective temperature of 2850±75 K, LP 890-9 is the second-coolest star found to host planets, after TRAPPIST-1. The inner planet has an orbital period of 2.73 d, a radius of 1.320+0.053−0.027 R⊕, and receives an incident stellar flux of 4.09±0.12 S⊕. The outer planet has a similar size of 1.367+0.055−0.039 R⊕ and an orbital period of 8.46 d. With an incident stellar flux of 0.906 ± 0.026 S⊕, it is located within the conservative habitable zone, very close to its inner limit. Although the masses of the two planets remain to be measured, we estimated their potential for atmospheric characterisation via transmission spectroscopy using a mass-radius relationship and found that, after the TRAPPIST-1 planets, LP 890-9c is the second-most favourable habitable-zone terrestrial planet known so far. The discovery of this remarkable system offers another rare opportunity to study temperate terrestrial planets around our smallest and coolest neighbours

Measurement of the CKM angle γ using the B± → D*h± channels

A measurement of the CP-violating observables from B± → D*K± and B± → D*π± decays is presented, where D*(D) is an admixture of D*0 and D¯∗0 (D0 and D¯0) states and is reconstructed through the decay chains D*→ Dπ0/γ and D→KS0π+π−/KS0K+K−. The measurement is performed by analysing the signal yield variation across the D decay phase space and is independent of any amplitude model. The data sample used was collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions and corresponds to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1 at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV. The CKM angle γ is determined to be 69−14+13∘ using the measured CP-violating observables. The hadronic parameters rBD∗K±, rBD∗π±, δBD∗K±, δBD∗π±, which are the ratios and strong phase differences between favoured and suppressed B± decays, are also reported

Prompt and nonprompt ψ (2S) production in pPb collisions at √sNN = 8. 16 TeV

The production of ψ(2S) mesons in proton-lead collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √sNN = 8.16 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 nb−1. The prompt and nonprompt ψ(2S) production cross-sections and the ratio of the ψ(2S) to J/ψ cross-section are measured as a function of the meson transverse momentum and rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass frame, together with forward-to-backward ratios and nuclear modification factors. The production of prompt ψ(2S) is observed to be more suppressed compared to pp collisions than the prompt J/ψ production, while the nonprompt productions have similar suppression factors

Search for CP violation in the phase space of D0 → KS0K±π∓ decays with the energy test

A search for CP violation in D0 → KS0K+π− and D0 → KS0K−π+ decays is reported. The search is performed using an unbinned model-independent method known as the energy test that probes local CP violation in the phase space of the decays. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb−1 collected in proton-proton collisions by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV, amounting to approximately 950 thousand and 620 thousand signal candidates for the D0 → KS0K−π+ and D0 → KS0K+π− modes, respectively. The method is validated using D0 → K−π+π−π+ and D0 → KS0π+π− decays, where CP-violating effects are expected to be negligible, and using background-enhanced regions of the signal decays. The results are consistent with CP symmetry in both the D0 → KS0K−π+ and the D0 → KS0K+π− decays, with p-values for the hypothesis of no CP violation of 70% and 66%, respectively

Measurement of prompt D+ and Ds+ production in pPb collisions at √sNN = 5. 02 TeV

The production of prompt D+ and D+s mesons is studied in proton-lead collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √sNN = 5.02 TeV. The data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of (1.58 ± 0.02)nb−1 is collected by the LHCb experiment at the LHC. The differential production cross-sections are measured using D+ and D+s candidates with transverse momentum in the range of 0 < pT < 14 GeV/c and rapidities in the ranges of 1.5 < y∗ < 4.0 and –5.0 < y∗ < –2.5 in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass system. For both particles, the nuclear modification factor and the forward-backward production ratio are determined. These results are compared with theoretical models that include initial-state nuclear effects. In addition, measurements of the cross-section ratios between D+, D+s and D0 mesons are presented, providing a baseline for studying the charm hadronization in lead-lead collisions at LHC energies

TOI-836: A super-Earth and mini-Neptune transiting a nearby K-dwarf

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Measurement of J/ψ -pair production in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV and study of gluon transverse-momentum dependent PDFs

The production cross-section of J/ψ pairs in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV is measured using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.2 fb−1 collected by the LHCb experiment. The measurement is performed with both J/ψ mesons in the transverse momentum range 0 < pT< 14 GeV/c and rapidity range 2.0 < y < 4.5. The cross-section of this process is measured to be 16.36 ± 0.28 (stat) ± 0.88 (syst) nb. The contributions from single-parton scattering and double-parton scattering are separated based on the dependence of the cross-section on the absolute rapidity difference ∆y between the two J/ψ mesons. The effective cross-section of double-parton scattering is measured to be σeff = 13.1 ± 1.8 (stat) ± 2.3 (syst) mb. The distribution of the azimuthal angle ϕCS of one of the J/ψ mesons in the Collins-Soper frame and the pT-spectrum of the J/ψ pairs are also measured for the study of the gluon transverse-momentum dependent distributions inside protons. The extracted values of ⟨cos 2ϕCS⟩ and ⟨cos 4ϕCS⟩ are consistent with zero, but the presence of azimuthal asymmetry at a few percent level is allowed

Measurement of antiproton production from antihyperon decays in p He collisions at √sNN = 110 GeV

The interpretation of cosmic antiproton flux measurements from space-borne experiments is currently limited by the knowledge of the antiproton production cross-section in collisions between primary cosmic rays and the interstellar medium. Using collisions of protons with an energy of 6.5TeV incident on helium nuclei at rest in the proximity of the interaction region of the LHCb experiment, the ratio of antiprotons originating from antihyperon decays to prompt production is measured for antiproton momenta between 12 and 110GeV. The dominant antihyperon contribution, namely Λ¯→p¯π+ decays from promptly produced Λ¯ particles, is also exclusively measured. The results complement the measurement of prompt antiproton production obtained from the same data sample. At the energy scale of this measurement, the antihyperon contributions to antiproton production are observed to be significantly larger than predictions of commonly used hadronic production models