Towards the formation of a positronium coherent beam

Positronium (Ps) has emerged as a promising test particle within the QUPLAS collaboration for investigating the gravitational effect. In this work, we present a novel approach to generate a monoenergetic and highly coherent Ps beam by creating a negative Ps ion (Ps$^-$, consisting of two electrons and one positron). The necessary positron beam is formed by using a high flux electron LINAC. Subsequently, we utilize a Fabry-Perot IR laser cavity operating at a wavelength of 1560 nm to selectively remove the extra electron. An alternative pulsed laser operating at a 3600 nm wavelength was studied to reduce broadening due to recoil and excitation. Here, we provide a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the characteristics of the Ps beam, including its energy distribution and intensity profiles. The results obtained from this study will provide essential groundwork for future advancements in fundamental studies as Ps gravity measurements by using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

A large-momentum-transfer matter-wave interferometer to measure the effect of gravity on positronium

This paper reports the study of a new interferometric configuration to measure the effect of gravity on positronium. A Mach–Zehnder matter-wave interferometer has been designed to operate with single-photon transitions and to transfer high momentum to a 200 eV positronium beam. The work shows the results and methods used to simulate the interferometer and estimate the operating parameters and the time needed to perform the experiment. It has been estimated that within less than 1 year, the acquisition time is sufficient to achieve a 10% accuracy level in measuring positronium gravitational acceleration, even with a poorly collimated beam, which is significant for theoretical models describing matter–antimatter symmetry. These results pave the way for single photon transition large momentum transfer interferometry with fast atomic beams, which is particularly useful for studies with antimatter and unstable atoms

Glomerular Hyperfiltration: A Marker of Fibrosis Severity in Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in an Adult Population

Glomerular hyperfiltration (GH) is an increase in the glomerular filtration rate, possibly progressing to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is linked to an increased risk of CKD, especially if fibrosis is present; however, the association between GH and MASLD has not been explored. To evaluate GH prevalence in MASLD and its possible correlation with liver fibrosis. 772 consecutive patients with ultrasound MASLD (mean age 47.3 ± 8.9 years, 67.1% males) were enrolled. GH was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) greater than the upper quartile of values in the cohort. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by FibroScan ≥ 7.2 kPa suggested liver fibrosis. GH was present in 20% of patients, liver fibrosis in 30%. In total, 53.4% of the cohort was obese, 40.9% hypertensive, 36.3% diabetic and 70.8% dyslipidaemic. GH patients compared to non-GH were significantly younger (38.4 ± 8.3 vs. 49.5 ± 7.7, p 7.2 kPa (35.5% vs. 29%, p < 0.001), without any difference in metabolic comorbidities. In multivariate analysis, age (OR 0.85, CI 95% 0.82–0.87) and significant fibrosis (OR 1.83; CI 95%1.10–3.03) remained independently associated with GH, regardless of the presence of metabolic alterations and nephrotoxic drugs. GH, an early marker of renal damage, is highly prevalent in MASLD and is associated with hepatic fibrosis. GH may be considered an early marker of both liver and renal disease and its recognition could prompt the management of risk factors aimed at preventing the progression of both hepatic and renal disease

Z boson production in p+Pb collisions at sNN√=5.02 TeV measured with the ATLAS detector

The ATLAS Collaboration has measured the inclusive production of Z bosons via their decays into electron and muon pairs in p+Pb collisions at √ sNN = 5.02 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurements are made using data corresponding to integrated luminosities of 29.4 nb−1 and 28.1 nb−1 for Z → ee and Z → µµ, respectively. The results from the two channels are consistent and combined to obtain a cross section times the Z → `` branching ratio, integrated over the rapidity region |y ∗ Z | < 3.5, of 139.8 ± 4.8 (stat.) ± 6.2 (syst.) ± 3.8 (lumi.) nb. Differential cross sections are presented as functions of the Z boson rapidity and transverse momentum, and compared with models based on parton distributions both with and without nuclear corrections. The centrality dependence of Z boson production in p+Pb collisions is measured and analyzed within the framework of a standard Glauber model and the model’s extension for fluctuations of the underlying nucleon-nucleon scattering cross sectionFil: Aad, G.. Aix-Marseille Université; FranciaFil: Abbott, B.. Oklahoma State University; Estados UnidosFil: Abdallah, J.. Academia Sinica; ChinaFil: Abdinov, O.. Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences; AzerbaiyánFil: Aben, R.. University of Amsterdam; Países BajosFil: Alconada Verzini, María Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Alonso, Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Arduh, Francisco Anuar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Dova, Maria Teresa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Monticelli, Fernando Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Wahlberg, Hernan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Otero y Garzon, Gustavo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Piegaia, Ricardo Nestor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Reisin, Hernan Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Sacerdoti, Sabrina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Zieminska, D.. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Zimine, N. I.. Joint Institute for Nuclear Research ; RusiaFil: Zimmermann, C.. Universität Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Zimmermann, S.. Albert-Ludwigs-Universität; AlemaniaFil: Zinonos, Z.. Georg-August-Universität; AlemaniaFil: Zinser, M.. Universität Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Ziolkowski, M.. Universität Siegen ; AlemaniaFil: Živković, L.. University of Belgrade; SerbiaFil: Zobernig, G.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Zoccoli, A.. Università di Bologna; ItaliaFil: Nedden, M. zur. Humboldt University; AlemaniaFil: Zurzolo, G.. Università di Napoli; ItaliaFil: Zwalinski, L.. Cern - European Organization For Nuclear Research; SuizaFil: The ATLAS Collaboration. No especifica

Measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry parameter αb and the helicity amplitudes for the decay Λ0b→J/ψ+Λ0 with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the parity-violating decay asymmetry parameter, αb, and the helicity amplitudes for the decay Λb0→J/ψ(μ+μ-)Λ0(pπ-) is reported. The analysis is based on 1400 Λb0 and Λ¯b0 baryons selected in 4.6  fb-1 of proton-proton collision data with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. By combining the Λb0 and Λ¯b0 samples under the assumption of CP conservation, the value of αb is measured to be 0.30±0.16(stat)±0.06(syst). This measurement provides a test of theoretical models based on perturbative QCD or heavy-quark effective theory.Fil: F. Monticelli.Fil: Atlas Collaboration

Measurement of the production of a W boson in association with a charm quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 4.6 fb^-1 of pp collision data at sqrt(s)=7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In events in which a W boson decays to an electron or muon, the charm quark is tagged either by its semileptonic decay to a muon or by the presence of a charmed meson. The integrated and differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W-boson decay are measured. Results are compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD calculations obtained from various parton distribution function parameterisations. The ratio of the strange-to-down sea-quark distributions is determined to be 0.96 +0.26 -0.30 at Q^2=1.9 GeV^2, which supports the hypothesis of an SU(3)-symmetric composition of the light-quark sea. Additionally, the cross-section ratio sigma(W^+ + bar{c})/sigma(W^- + c) is compared to the predictions obtained using parton distribution function parameterisations with different assumptions about the s-bar{s} quark asymmetry.Fil: ATLAS Collaboration, G. AAd, F. Monticelli, et al. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; Argentina. Cern - European Organization For Nuclear Research; Suiz

Subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is associated with the presence of hypertension

Background and aims Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. However, whether NAFLD contributes independently to the development of cardiovascular disease is not fully understood. Our study aimed at assessing the differences in several indices of atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness and cardiac morphology among patients with isolated NAFLD, isolated hypertension (HT) or with combination of the two conditions. Methods and results One hundred and sixty-nine participants (mean age=50.4±10.2 yrs; males=73.6 %) were divided according to the presence of NAFLD and HT in three groups: only-NAFLD (55 patients), only-HT (49 patients) and NAFLD+HT (65 patients). Exclusion criteria were BMI≥35Kg/m2 and presence of diabetes mellitus. Carotid ultrasonography was performed to measure markers of atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness. Cardiac remodeling was analyzed using echocardiography. Prevalence of subclinical and overt atherosclerosis was significantly higher in the NAFLD+HT patients as compared to the other two groups (atherosclerotic plaques: 43.1%, 10.9%, 22.4% (p&lt;0.001), in NAFLD+HT, NAFLD and HT groups). No differences were found among indices of arterial stiffening and cardiac remodeling across the three groups. In multivariate regression analysis the coexistence of NAFLD and HT was an independent risk factor for overt atherosclerosis (OR=4.88; p=0.03), while no association was found when either NAFLD or HT was considered alone. Conclusion Overt atherosclerosis was significantly present only in NAFLD+HT patients, but not in patients presenting with isolated NAFLD. This implies that the impact of NAFLD on vascular structure and function could depend on the coexistence of other major cardiovascular risk factors, such as HT

Quantitative imaging by pixel-based contrast-enhanced ultrasound reveals a linear relationship between synovial vascular perfusion and the recruitment of pathogenic IL-17A-F+IL-23+ CD161+ CD4+ T helper cells in psoriatic arthritis joints

To develop quantitative imaging biomarkers of synovial tissue perfusion by pixel-based contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), we studied the relationship between CEUS synovial vascular perfusion and the frequencies of pathogenic T helper (Th)-17 cells in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) joints. Eight consecutive patients with PsA were enrolled in this study. Gray scale CEUS evaluation was performed on the same joint immediately after joint aspiration, by automatic assessment perfusion data, using a new quantification approach of pixel-based analysis and the gamma-variate model. The set of perfusional parameters considered by the time intensity curve includes the maximum value (peak) of the signal intensity curve, the blood volume index or area under the curve, (BVI, AUC) and the contrast mean transit time (MTT). The direct ex vivo analysis of the frequencies of SF IL17A-F+CD161+IL23+ CD4+ T cells subsets were quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). In cross-sectional analyses, when tested for multiple comparison setting, a false discovery rate at 10%, a common pattern of correlations between CEUS Peak, AUC (BVI) and MTT parameters with the IL17A-F+IL23+ - IL17A-F+CD161+ - and IL17A-F+CD161+IL23+ CD4+ T cells subsets, as well as lack of correlation between both peak and AUC values and both CD4+T and CD4+IL23+ T cells, was observed. The pixel-based CEUS assessment is a truly measure synovial inflammation, as a useful tool to develop quantitative imaging biomarker for monitoring target therapeutics in PsA. © 2016, International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR)

AEGIS at CERN: Measuring Antihydrogen Fall

The main goal of the AEGIS experiment at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator is the test of fundamental laws such as the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) and CPT symmetry. In the first phase of AEGIS, a beam of antihydrogen will be formed whose fall in the gravitational field is measured in a Moire' deflectometer; this will constitute the first test of the WEP with antimatter.Comment: Presented at the Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, Bloomington, Indiana, June 28-July 2, 201