Conveners
Parallel Session 1: Heavy Ion/ Particle Physics
- Benard Mulilo (University of Zambia)
- William Horowitz (University of Cape Town)
Parallel Session 1: Computing/ Nuclear Physics
- Tshiamo Motshegwa (NRF, South Africa)
- Mlungisi Nkosi (iThemba LABS, South Africa)
Parallel Session 1: Materials Physics/ Medical Physics/ Computing
- Lalla Btissam Drissi (Mohammed V University, Morocco)
- David Levitt (Research Fellow, Stochastic Labs)
Heavy-flavour production measurements in pp collisions are important tools to test theoretical models based on pertubative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) calculations and to investigate the mechanisms of heavy-quark hadronization. In ALICE, heavy-flavour particles are measured via the hadronic and electronic decay channels at central rapidity (|η|<0.9), and via the muonic decay channels at...
In view of the recent measurements of anomalies in semileptonic B meson decays at LHCb and several collider experiments hinting at the possible violation of lepton flavor universality, we will present a concise review of theoretical foundations of the tree- and loop-level b decays (𝑏 → 𝑐𝑙, 𝜈𝑙) and (𝑏 → 𝑠𝑙+𝑙−) along with the updated experimental background. We study the 𝑞2-dependence of form...
The measurement of the ATLAS calorimeter response E/pT is performed for single charged pions with a transverse momentum (pT ) ranging from 10 to 300 GeV using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at √s=13 TeV taken in RUN 2 by the ATLAS detector of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) [1]. The use of charged pions originating from τ-lepton decays allows the measurement of the response of the...
The axion particle discovery could answer the big CP problem as it is hypothetically predicted. Hence a study on the exotic decay of the Higgs boson to two Axion Like Particles (ALPs) [1], [2], which in turn decay to two photons, was carried out. This analysis covers the mass range of ALPs between 100 MeV and 60 GeV and ALPs-photon couplings C_aγγ of 10^{−5} to 1, a region that includes...
A region with strong scientific traditions. A region with a lot of potential and a young generation interested in advanced physics topics, cutting-edge techniques, avid for knowledge. A region with a very heterogeneous development among countries and even among regions in the same country, with different funding opportunities and affected by a variety of social and economical realities. That’s...
Within the Standard Model (SM), weak vector bosons are allowed to be massive as a result of the spontaneously broken electroweak symmetry which is said to have been caused by a phase transition of the Higgs potential in the early universe [1]. However, there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the nature of this spontaneously broken electroweak symmetry. By probing the inner...
Nuclei with mass A <120 are perfectly placed to study the shape-driving properties of different quasiparticle configurations. For these nuclei, the Fermi surface for the protons lies close to the low-Ω h11/2 orbitals which drives the nucleus towards prolate shape, while the neutron fermi surface lies near the mid-Ω h11/2 orbitals which induces an oblate deformation [1]. Due to the conflicting...
This study investigates the efficiency of beryllium shim plates in the Nigerian Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1), also known as the MNSR, to assess their impact on reactor performance. The research focuses on the reactor's unique design, the material properties of the shims, and their manufacturing accuracy. The WIMS-ANL code is utilized, employing multi-region integral transport theory, to solve...
The concept of isospin symmetry originates in the attributes of charge symmetry and charge independence of the strong nuclear force. This implies that the strong interaction exhibits equal strength between proton-proton, neutron-neutron, and proton-neutron pairs. As a result, isobaric analog nuclei with the same mass, A = N + Z, but with differing neutron and proton numbers, such as N = Z - 2,...
Light heavy-ion scattering reactions at incident energies not far above the Coulomb barrier can yield useful information when investigating nuclear astrophysics problems. A 20 MeV 6Li beam provided at the EN Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator of iThemba LABS (Gauteng) was used for the measurement of 6Li + 10B nuclear scattering reactions. A ∆E-E gas ionisation detector, which operates on the...
A higher level of radiation may result from the use of building materials with a higher degree of radioactivity in addition to the ongoing exposure of humans to background ionizing radiation. As a result, it is important to assess the radionuclide content of construction materials as well as the potential exposure to occupants from these materials. is study employed Monte Carlo simulations to...
This work reports the realization of a low-cost smart electronic device for Gamma ionizing radiation monitoring and its implementation in real-time external ambient dose rate detection and indoor radon tracing. The device is developed according to the principle of nuclear signal processing in order to obtain the standard radiation protection signal (a slow positive logic pulses) and calibrated...
The exfoliation of free-standing graphene in 2004 had led to several other monolayered materials synthesis and characterization, of which Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is one of them. MoS2 has superior physical and electronic properties comparable to that of graphene and candidate material for next generation device materials application since its semiconducting while graphene is semimetal. In...
In recent years, the removal of organic dyes from wastewater has gained significant attention due to its negative impacts on the environment and human health. In view of that, this work seeks to investigate the possibility of using zirconium oxide impregnated royal palm fiber activated carbon (ZrO2-RPAC) to remove methyl red dye from aqueous solutions and determine the effectiveness of the...
Since its first isolation from graphite, graphene has exhibited interesting properties such as high electrical conductivity and flexibility. These properties catapulted graphene to be at the forefront of most applications from energy storage to biological sensors. The effectiveness of graphene in different applications is affected by the synthesis technique used, which affects the quality, the...
Bifacial Photovoltaic (BPV) is a rapidly growing technology that has the potential to increase electricity production while taking up less space compared to conventional modules and due to this, they have attracted significant attention in recent years. Apparently, little study has been conducted on these types of modules, notably on the use of reflecting surfaces to improve backside...
This contribution was presented as poster instead
The biological effects of radiation to healthy organs surrounding tumour target volumes are a fundamental dose-limiting restriction in radiotherapy (RT). To protect healthy organs from ionizing radiation, and to reduce morbidity or mortality, various radioprotectors agents have been used. The clinical involvements of these radioprotective...
Airborne transmitted diseases are a public health concern [1]. They are ubiquitous in human’s life and include large variety of diseases such as the common cold, chicken pox, mumps and more serious ones like COVID‐19 and tuberculosis. These diseases are transmitted through saliva droplets emitted in the environing air [2]. While being airborne, droplets are affected by multiple environmental...
Heavy-flavour production measurements in pp collisions are important tools to test theoretical models based on pertubative quantum chromodymanics (pQCD) and to investigate the heavy-quark hadronization mechanisms. In ALICE, heavy quarks are measured via the hadronic and electronic decay channels at central rapidity (|η|<0.9), and via the muon decay channels at forward |η|<0.9), and via the...
The purpose of the ALICE Experiment is to study the properties of a hot, dense state of matter called the quark gluon plasma (QGP), produced in nucleus-nucleus collisions, in which quarks and gluons are deconfined. Proton-proton collisions serve as source of baseline measurements that support studies for the more complex nucleus-nucleus collisions as well as to test quantum chromodynamics...
In high-energy physics, the study of the Theory and Phenomenology of Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions examines how atomic nuclei behave when they collide at exceedingly fast speeds, nearly at the speed of light. These collisions produce rich observable signatures that can provide insight into the properties of quark-gluon plasmas (QGPs), a state of matter believed to exist at high...
Recent years have seen an explosion of generalisations of the idea of symmetry in particle physics. These include higher form symmetries, higher group symmetries and, in particular, non-invertible symmetries. All of these are characterised by the necessity of moving beyond the groups and into more complicated structures, whose physical implications are not yet fully understood.
In this...
