An Analysis of the Efficacy of the CSIM Cubesat for SSI Continuity

&nbsp; One of the many data-sets required by scientists seeking to understand Earth&rsquo;s climate is a long term record of solar variability over a wide range of spectral regions. Measurements of solar spectral irradiance (SSI) have been taken by two space-based missions: the SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) and the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS), both primarily relying on two different implementations of the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) instru- ment. While large spacecraft like SORCE (and TSIS) are effective, there are problems associated with these types of missions; they are expensive and an instrument failure can put a continuous data record at risk. A potential solution to this problem can be found in a new emergent tech- nology in space-based observation, miniaturized single-instrument spacecraft colloquially known as CubeSats. In order to explore this alternative, the Compact Spectral Irradiance Monitor (CSIM) was built at LASP by professionals working with undergraduate students as a flight demonstration mission. Because of the relatively cheap cost and higher acceptable risk, CSIM could also afford to test new technologies. TSIS SIM measures SSI from 200nm to 2400nm (&sim;96% of the total solar irradiance, TSI), and CSIM is the first to make measurements from 200 nm all the way to 2800 nm (97.4% of TSI). To maintain accuracy of solar measurements, the SIM instrument needs to be corrected for optical degradation (common throughout all instruments measuring the sun directly). In developing a correction method for CSIM, slightly different analysis methods were required com- pared to TSIS and SORCE. Corrected data revealed that while this instrument is far from perfect, it performed well enough to merit further investigation into this technology. </div

Lethal Autonomous Weapons and Human-in-the-Chain

Lethal autonomous weapon systems, or LAWS, are weapons that can select a target with the help of sensors and artificial intelligence and attack with little to no human intervention [1]. There are several economic, political, and social benefits to LAWS, but also there are risks and costs. Currently, there are no laws regulating these weapon systems, but most stakeholders are lobbying for a change in policy. This policy brief discusses three different potential states of policies: (1) no new policies to regulate LAWs, (2) a complete ban of LAWs, and (3) strict regulations regarding the use of LAWs. We recommend allowing the deployment of LAWS with strict regulations around their use and a mandated amount of human control

First Direct Observation of Collider Neutrinos with FASER at the LHC

We report the first direct observation of neutrino interactions at a particle collider experiment. Neutrino candidate events are identified in a 13.6 TeV center-of-mass energy $pp$ collision data set of 35.4 fb${}^{-1}$ using the active electronic components of the FASER detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The candidates are required to have a track propagating through the entire length of the FASER detector and be consistent with a muon neutrino charged-current interaction. We infer $153^{+12}_{-13}$ neutrino interactions with a significance of 16 standard deviations above the background-only hypothesis. These events are consistent with the characteristics expected from neutrino interactions in terms of secondary particle production and spatial distribution, and they imply the observation of both neutrinos and anti-neutrinos with an incident neutrino energy of significantly above 200 GeV.Comment: Submitted to PRL on March 24 202

Geospatial Distribution of Neurosurgeons Age 60 and Older Relative to the Spread of COVID-19

OBJECTIVE: To perform an ecological study to analyze the geospatial distribution of neurosurgeons ≥60 years old and compare these data with the spread of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) across the United States. METHODS: Data regarding distribution of COVID-19 cases were collected from the Environmental Systems Research Institute, and demographic statistics were collected from the American Association of Medical Colleges 2019 State Workforce Reports. These figures were analyzed using geospatial mapping software. RESULTS: As of July 5, 2020, the 10 states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases showed older neurosurgical workforce proportions (the proportion of active surgeons ≥60 years old) of 20.6%-38.9%. Among states with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, the older workforce proportions were 25.0%-43.4%. Connecticut demonstrated the highest with 43.4% of neurosurgeons ≥60 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Regional COVID-19 hotspots may coincide with areas where a substantial proportion of the neurosurgical workforce is ≥60 years old. Continuous evaluation and adjustment of local and national clinical practice guidelines are warranted throughout the pandemic era

SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Results on sub-GeV Dark Matter from SENSEI at SNOLAB

International audienceWe present the first results from a dark matter search using six Skipper-CCDs in the SENSEI detector operating at SNOLAB. With an exposure of 534.9 gram-days from well-performing sensors, we select events containing 2 to 10 electron-hole pairs. After aggressively masking images to remove backgrounds, we observe 55 two-electron events, 4 three-electron events, and no events containing 4 to 10 electrons. The two-electron events are consistent with pileup from one-electron events. Among the 4 three-electron events, 2 appear in pixels that are likely impacted by detector defects, although not strongly enough to trigger our "hot-pixel" mask. We use these data to set world-leading constraints on sub-GeV dark matter interacting with electrons and nuclei

SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Results on sub-GeV Dark Matter from SENSEI at SNOLAB

International audienceWe present the first results from a dark matter search using six Skipper-CCDs in the SENSEI detector operating at SNOLAB. With an exposure of 534.9 gram-days from well-performing sensors, we select events containing 2 to 10 electron-hole pairs. After aggressively masking images to remove backgrounds, we observe 55 two-electron events, 4 three-electron events, and no events containing 4 to 10 electrons. The two-electron events are consistent with pileup from one-electron events. Among the 4 three-electron events, 2 appear in pixels that are likely impacted by detector defects, although not strongly enough to trigger our "hot-pixel" mask. We use these data to set world-leading constraints on sub-GeV dark matter interacting with electrons and nuclei

Search for Dark Photons with the FASER detector at the LHC

The FASER experiment at the LHC is designed to search for light, weakly-interacting particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the ATLAS interaction point that travel in the far-forward direction. The first results from a search for dark photons decaying to an electron-positron pair, using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $27.0~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected at center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV in 2022 in LHC Run 3, are presented. No events are seen in an almost background-free analysis, yielding world-leading constraints on dark photons with couplings $\epsilon \sim 2 \times 10^{-5} - 1 \times 10^{-4}$ and masses $\sim 17~\text{MeV}- 70~\text{MeV}$. The analysis is also used to probe the parameter space of a massive gauge boson from a U(1)$_{B-L}$ model, with couplings $g_{B-L} \sim 5\times10^{-6} - 2\times10^{-5}$ and masses $\sim 15~\text{MeV} - 40~\text{MeV}$ excluded for the first time.The FASER experiment at the LHC is designed to search for light, weakly-interacting particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the ATLAS interaction point that travel in the far-forward direction. The first results from a search for dark photons decaying to an electron-positron pair, using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 27.0 fb$^{-1}$ collected at center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV in 2022 in LHC Run 3, are presented. No events are seen in an almost background-free analysis, yielding world-leading constraints on dark photons with couplings $\epsilon \sim 2 \times 10^{-5} - 1 \times 10^{-4}$ and masses $\sim$ 17 MeV - 70 MeV. The analysis is also used to probe the parameter space of a massive gauge boson from a U(1)$_{B-L}$ model, with couplings $g_{B-L} \sim 5 \times 10^{-6} - 2 \times 10^{-5}$ and masses $\sim$ 15 MeV - 40 MeV excluded for the first time

Search for Dark Photons with the FASER detector at the LHC

International audienceThe FASER experiment at the LHC is designed to search for light, weakly-interacting particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the ATLAS interaction point that travel in the far-forward direction. The first results from a search for dark photons decaying to an electron-positron pair, using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 27.0 fb$^{-1}$ collected at center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV in 2022 in LHC Run 3, are presented. No events are seen in an almost background-free analysis, yielding world-leading constraints on dark photons with couplings $\epsilon \sim 2 \times 10^{-5} - 1 \times 10^{-4}$ and masses $\sim$ 17 MeV - 70 MeV. The analysis is also used to probe the parameter space of a massive gauge boson from a U(1)$_{B-L}$ model, with couplings $g_{B-L} \sim 5 \times 10^{-6} - 2 \times 10^{-5}$ and masses $\sim$ 15 MeV - 40 MeV excluded for the first time

Search for Dark Photons with the FASER detector at the LHC

The FASER experiment at the LHC is designed to search for light, weakly-interacting particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the ATLAS interaction point that travel in the far-forward direction. The first results from a search for dark photons decaying to an electron-positron pair, using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 27.0 fb$^{-1}$ collected at center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV in 2022 in LHC Run 3, are presented. No events are seen in an almost background-free analysis, yielding world-leading constraints on dark photons with couplings $\epsilon \sim 2 \times 10^{-5} - 1 \times 10^{-4}$ and masses $\sim$ 17 MeV - 70 MeV. The analysis is also used to probe the parameter space of a massive gauge boson from a U(1)$_{B-L}$ model, with couplings $g_{B-L} \sim 5 \times 10^{-6} - 2 \times 10^{-5}$ and masses $\sim$ 15 MeV - 40 MeV excluded for the first time

tardis-sn/tardis: TARDIS v2023.11.05

&lt;p&gt;This release has been created automatically by the TARDIS continuous delivery pipeline.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A complete list of changes for this release is available at &lt;a href="https://github.com/tardis-sn/tardis/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md"&gt;CHANGELOG.md&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt