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XV International Conference on New Frontiers in Physics 2026
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Orthodox Academy of Crete, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece
Orthodox Academy of Crete, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece
Description
The International Conference on New Frontiers in Physics aims to promote scientific exchange and the development of novel ideas in science, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. The conference will bring together experts from around the world, as well as promising young scientists working on experimental and theoretical aspects of particle, nuclear, heavy ion, and astroparticle physics and cosmology, along with colleagues from other disciplines, such as solid-state physics, mathematics, mathematical physics, quantum optics, and more.
The conference will be hosted at the Conference Center of the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC), which is situated in an exceptionally beautiful location just a few meters from the Mediterranean Sea.
Arrival day: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Departure day: Sunday, 30 August 2026
Support / Helpdesk
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13:00
Lunch
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1
Introduction to the History of OAC Chapel and Meaning of Blessing (OAC), followed by a ceremony of Blessing, for interested people (in the terasse outside the new building of OAC).
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20:00
Dinner
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13:00
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2
Opening of the ICNFP Conference (Organizers of ICNFP 2026) Room 1
Room 1
Speakers: Larisa Bravina, Sonia Kabana (Instituto De Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá (CL)) -
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Director of OAC welcome Room 1
Room 1
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Special session on strangeness in heavy ion collisions and related topics (40th anniversary) Room 1
Room 1
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4
What makes strangeness such a rich and unique tool in QGP exploration
What makes strangeness such a rich and unique tool in QGP exploration
Speaker: Johann Rafelski (University of Arizona)
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4
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Cosmology, Astrophysics, Gravity, Mathematical Physics Room 1
Room 1
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5
Latest Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a precision particle physics detector operating on the International Space Station. Since 2011, AMS has collected more than 260 billion charged cosmic rays, from elementary particles (electrons, positrons, antiprotons, and protons) to cosmic nuclei from helium to nickel with energies up to multi-TeV. The high-precision measurements with ~1% accuracy, over a solar cycle, have led to many surprising observations. The latest results on cosmic elementary particles reveal unique properties and give strong indications on new sources of particles and antiparticles. The data on nuclei exhibit characteristic energy dependences that are not explained by current existing cosmic ray models. The comprehensive AMS data requires a new model of the cosmos.
Speaker: Zhili Weng (Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (US))
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5
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Special Session on Quantum Information and Quantum Optics Room 1
Room 1
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6
Interference Beyond Spectral Intuition: From Superoscillations to Quantum-Field Regularization
Superoscillations allow a band-limited field to oscillate locally faster than its highest Fourier component, revealing how interference can produce behavior that appears incompatible with global spectral constraints. I will introduce the basic mechanism through engineered destructive-interference minima, where local wave vectors can become anomalously large, while Fisher information can be concentrated into regions containing very few photons. A striking spatial example is “optical ventriloquism”: near a diffraction minimum, light can appear to originate from a displaced, nonexistent source. I will briefly discuss how the same physics motivates dark-port sensing. I will then turn to a complementary use of coherent interference, closer to quantum and field theory. Coherently controlled, postselected superpositions of nearby time evolutions generate conditional nonunitary maps: a Gaussian superposition produces a smooth energy filter that regularizes singular short-time kernels, while a related construction suppresses large momenta. In scalar quantum field theory, local Gaussian smearing of a quartic coupling induces a positive \phi^8 term in the Euclidean action, providing a symmetry-compatible large-field stabilizer. This is a removable operational regulator, used alongside standard ultraviolet regularization and renormalization. Together, these examples show how interference can redistribute information and response, and even generate controlled effective dynamics.
Speaker: Eliahu Cohen (Bar-Ilan University)
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6
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10:40
Coffee break
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Cosmology, Astrophysics, Gravity, Mathematical Physics Room 1
Room 1
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7
Search for CBCs with SSM components in data from the first part of LVK fourth observing run
The nature and formation mechanisms of subsolar-mass (SSM) black hole binaries remain an open question in astrophysics, as such objects lie outside the predictions of standard stellar evolution. The LIGO Virgo KAGRA (LVK) collaboration has conducted dedicated searches for compact binary coalescences involving at least one subsolar-mass component, using data from the first part of the fourth observing run. These searches target systems with at least one component mass below the mass of the Sun, probing possible signatures of primordial black holes or other exotic compact objects motivated by alternative formation scenarios and dark matter models. To do it, we employ matched-filtering techniques. No statistically significant candidates are identified, allowing us to place stringent upper limits on the merger rates of binaries containing SSM objects. For the first time, we also constrain the binary mergers rate of subsolar-mass objects with tidal deformability. Our findings contribute to the ongoing efforts to probe the existence of SSM black holes and their potential role in explaining dark matter. This presentation will provide an overview of the search methodology, key results, and their implications in gravitational wave astronomy.
Speaker: Gaspard JOUBERT -
8
Dark Hydrogen Atoms and Dark He+ Ions as Baryonic Dark Matter
The explanation of a puzzling observation by Bowman et al 2018 (Nature, 555, 67) of the redshifted 21 cm spectral line from the early Universe, where it was found that the absorption in this line was about 2 to 3 times stronger than predicted by the standard cosmology and thus the primordial hydrogen gas was significantly cooler than predicted by the standard cosmology, required as the cooling agent, some kind of baryonic DM [Barcana, 2018 (Nature, 555, 71); McGaugh, 2018 (Res. Not. Amer. Astron. Soc., 2, 37)]. Then in paper [Oks, 2020 (Res. Astron. Astrophys. 20, 109)] there was given both qualitative and quantitative explanation of the puzzling observation by Bowman et al (2018) based on the specific DM in the form of the second flavor of hydrogen atoms (SFHA), corresponding to the 2nd solution of the Dirac equation for hydrogen atoms. In distinction to exotic hypothetical particles previously suggested as the explanation (the particles never discovered experimentally), the existence of the SFHA is evidenced by 3 different types of atomic experiments – plus it completely resolved the long-standing puzzle of the neutron lifetime. In the latter, the central point was that the two-body decay of neutrons produces – with the overwhelming probability – the SFHA rather than the usual hydrogen atoms. More details can be found, e.g., in my reviews on DM published in New Astronomy Reviews in 2021 (93, 101632) and in 2023 (96, 101673), and in my paper in Nuclear Phys. B 2025 (1014, 116879). The primary property of the SFHA is that, since they have only the S-states, then according to the selection rules of quantum mechanics they cannot emit or absorb the electromagnetic radiation: they remain dark. As the relation of these results to the structure formation in the universe, I provide the chronology of the cosmological formation of the surplus of the SFHA (compared to the usual hydrogen atoms) from the Recombination Epoch through the Structure Formation Epoch, including the production of the SFHA by some neutron stars. Therefore, the halos of modern galaxies contain more of the SFHA than the usual H-atoms. In addition, there is evidence from atomic experiments of the existence of the Second Flavor of He+ Ions (SFHeI). They are also dark due to the selection rules of quantum mechanics. There occurred the cosmological formation of the surplus of the SFHeI (compared to the usual He+) similarly to the surplus of the SFHA. Therefore, the halos of modern galaxies contain also more of the SFHeI than the usual He+. From atomic experiments follows that the most probable value of ratio (SFHA + SFHeI)/(usual H + usual He+) is 1.8. From astrophysical observations by de Graaff et al (2019, A&A, 624, A48) and by Penton et al (2004 ApJ Suppl. Ser. 152, 29) follows that the most probable value of the ratio (baryonic DM)/(luminous baryons) is 2.1. The comparison of these two ratios shows that the combination of the SFHA with the SFHeI most probably constitutes about 90% of all baryonic DM in the current epoch. It is important to emphasize that the discovery of the SFHA and the SFHeI was based on the standard Dirac equation of quantum mechanics without going beyond the Standard Model and without any change of physical laws – in distinction to the overwhelming majority of hypotheses on DM. Finally, I will discuss/motivate some relevant future laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations.
Speaker: Prof. Eugene Oks (Auburn University, USA)
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7
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
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The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a unique precision particle physics detector that has been operating on the International Space Station since 2011. The results from AMS have provided a new perspective on fundamental physics. Over the past 15 years, AMS has undergone two major upgrades, each involving lengthy Extravehicular Activities performed by a team of astronauts over an extended period. The first upgrade took place in 2020 and involved the silicon detector cooling system, enabling a continued operation of AMS through the lifetime of the space station.
The latest upgrade aims to add a new silicon tracker layer on top of AMS in 2027. This upgrade will increase the acceptance of AMS by 300% and significantly extend the scientific reach of AMS. The continuous daily operation of AMS and the procedure to upgrade the particle physics detector in space will be presented.Speaker: Zhan Zhang (Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (US))
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9
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 1
Room 1
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10
The PHENIX experiment 2000 - 2016 - and beyond
PHENIX (Pioneering High Energy Nuclear Interactions eXperiment)
was one of the three major detectors at the Relativistic Heavy Ion
Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. In this invited talk
we will reflect upon its history, broad physics program, major
successes and how it helped to shape our current understanding
of the strong interaction, the quark-gluon plasma and the proton spin.
Although the last data were taken ten years ago, ongoing analyses
still produce publications with utmost relevance to today's hottest
physics topics and the future research at the upcoming Electron-Ion
Collider.Speaker: Gabor David (Stony Brook University) -
11
Recent results from heavy-ion collisions with CMS
n this talk we will discuss recent jet substructure measurements in heavy ion collision with CMS, aimed at probing the microscopic structure of the Quark Gluon Plasma. The selected measurements are the primary Lund Jet Plane, Energy Energy Correlators and heavy-flavour-tagged jet emissions.
Speaker: Petra Akrap (Sapienza Universita e INFN, Roma I (IT))
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10
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13:00
Lunch
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14:00
Break
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16:30
Coffee break
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 2
Room 2
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12
Recent results in kaon-Nucleon interaction in atomic systems
SIDDHARTA-2 is the most precise experiment to date measuring kaonic atoms, which are exotic systems composed of a negatively charged kaon and a nucleus. These atoms constitute a special probe for investigating the strong interaction in the non-perturbative regime involving strangeness. The experiment is installed at the DAFNE electron-positron collider of the INFN National Laboratory of Frascati (INFN-LNF) in Italy. SIDDHARTA-2 successfully achieved the first-ever measurement of the strongly suppressed 2p-1s X-ray transitions in kaonic Deuterium, the main missing piece for determining the isospin-dependent antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths, by combining this information with the previous SIDDHARTA results on kaonic Hydrogen, further improved by the ongoing experiment, as well.
In order to reach the requested performance, involving a very low yield (10^-3) X-ray transition immersed in a huge electromagnetic and hadronic background, a series of innovative detectors were developed by the collaboration. The current work presents a comprehensive description of the SIDDHARTA-2 setup and preliminary results of the ongoing data analysis.Speaker: Dr Mihail Antoniu Iliescu (INFN e Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (IT)) -
13
Study of hadron production in photonuclear ultra-peripheral collisions at LHC energies using STARlight with DPMJET
Ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic heavy ions provide a powerful tool for studying photonuclear interactions at the highest energies available at the LHC. UPCs occur when the impact parameter ($b$) between two colliding nuclei is larger than the sum of their nuclear radii($R$). In this regime, hadronic interactions are suppressed and electromagnetic interactions dominate, enabling photon-induced processes.
Consequently, photon-induced interactions in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions offer a cleaner environment for investigating hadron production than conventional hadronic collisions. In this work, we investigate photonuclear production in $\gamma$+A collisions at LHC energies using a combined simulation framework based on STARlight interfaced with DPMJET. In this framework, STARlight models the equivalent photon flux and the primary photonuclear interaction, while DPMJET simulates the subsequent hadronic final state.We focus on the spectral shapes of transverse-momentum ($p_{\mathrm{T}}$) distributions, mean transverse momentum, and particle-yield ratios to understand hadronization mechanism and strangeness production in photon-induced processes. Baryon-to-meson ratios are used to investigate the interplay between recombination and fragmentation mechanisms, while resonance-to-stable particle ratios provide sensitivity to hadronic rescattering and possible in-medium effects. These studies establish a robust baseline for interpreting heavy-ion measurements at the LHC and are directly relevant to future photon-induced physics programs at the Electron–Ion Collider.
Speaker: Mr Sandeep Dudi (Universita e INFN, Salerno (IT)) -
14
First Measurement of Inclusive Jet Transverse Single Spin Asymmetries at sPHENIX
The sPHENIX experiment at RHIC-BNL employs electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters to enable full jet reconstruction at midrapidity, opening new opportunities to probe the nucleon’s internal structure. Of particular interest is the measurement of transverse single-spin asymmetries (TSSAs) for inclusive jets in transversely polarized proton-proton collisions. Inclusive jet TSSAs are sensitive to initial-state quark-gluon correlations, providing insight into spin-momentum dynamics and the Sivers effect. In $2024$, sPHENIX collected $42 pb^-1$ of transversely polarized proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt s = 200 GeV$, enabling the first extraction of inclusive jet asymmetries with this detector. This talk will present the status of the measurement and discuss its potential to constrain spin-dependent parton dynamics in the context of other experimental channels, previously available measurements at RHIC, and theoretical expectations.
Speaker: Muhammad Shahid
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12
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Session on Other topics and interdisciplinary topics Room 3
Room 3
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15
Leveraging the LHC's gas recovery systems to promote environmental sustainability
In recent years, CERN has implemented diverse strategies to minimize the usage of greenhouse gases (GHG) and prevent their atmospheric release. A primary focus has been the mitigation of fluorinated gases, which represent a significant portion of CERN’s direct GHG emissions. These efforts have driven extensive research into eco-friendly gas mixtures and the development of sophisticated recirculation and recuperation systems. Leveraging this expertise, the CH4 Livestock Emission (CH4rLiE) project has engineered a prototype for methane capture specifically for barn environments.
Methane presents a significant environmental challenge due to its high Global Warming Potential (GWP), with anthropogenic sources contributing to roughly 23% of global warming. Given that a single dairy cow can emit approximately 110 kg of methane annually, livestock emissions represent a substantial target for climate action. While many initiatives focus on dietary modifications, CH4rLiE adopts a technical approach by employing a specialized recovery system—adapted from CMS gas recovery technologies—to capture methane already dispersed into the atmosphere.This contribution outlines the project’s developmental phases, concluded in February 2026. We report on the study of gas adsorption using porous materials and the characterization of emissions through both diffusion simulations and in situ barn measurements. Finally, we discuss the design of the capture prototype and present the initial results from its operation in a real-world livestock environment, demonstrating the successful transfer of high-energy physics technology to global sustainability challenges.
Speaker: Ilaria Vai (Pavia University and INFN (IT)) -
16
Statistical physics in nightmares
Nightmare disorder provides a distinctive context for examining the interaction between sleep physiology and emotional regulation. Earlier analyses of such phenomena often relied on limited datasets or case studies, which restricted the general applicability of such findings. In contrast, the present work approaches the problem from a statistical physics standpoint.
We examine oscillatory activity across the delta, slow, and spindle frequency ranges, using standard time–frequency and network-based measures to quantify synchronization and coupling properties in sleep. The analyses are carried out without strong prior assumptions about expected outcomes, focusing instead on establishing a consistent quantitative description of the data.
Ultimately, by extending classical analyses to larger datasets and a broader selection of oscillatory metrics, this work aims to evaluate whether the existing hypotheses on sleep dynamics and emotional regulation can endure the test of time.Speaker: Dr Istvan Papp
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15
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Special Session dedicated in memory of Prof. Dr. Hans Specht Room 1
Room 1
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17
Remembering Hans Joachim Specht: Scientist, Mentor, and Leader
This special session is dedicated to the scientific legacy of Prof. Dr. Hans Joachim Specht (1936–2024), a visionary physicist and scientific leader who shaped both the experimental agenda and the institutional landscape of modern nuclear and heavy-ion physics.
Anyone wishing to make a short contribution should contact the session organizer. For further details, please see the full session description.
Speakers: Johann Rafelski (University of Arizona (US)), Dr Sanja Damjanovic (GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung)
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17
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Special session on strangeness in heavy ion collisions and related topics (40th anniversary) Room 1
Room 1
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18
Unveiling the microscopic dynamics of small systems via light-flavor correlations with ALICE
The observation of collective phenomena in proton-proton ($\mathrm{pp}$) collisions at the LHC challenges the traditional understanding of small systems, raising the question of whether a droplet of QGP is formed. Moving beyond inclusive measurements, the ALICE experiment exploits correlations as a dynamic tool to probe the microscopic nature of the collision system.
To characterise the thermodynamic state of the created matter, the search for critical fluctuations via net-proton high-order cumulants is complemented by the study of $\phi$--$\mathrm{K}^0_{\mathrm{S}}$ rapidity correlations. While the former acts as a proxy for baryon number susceptibilities, which are sensitive to the QCD crossover transition and potential critical behavior, the latter constrains the spatial extent of strangeness conservation. This microscopic investigation is further deepened by analyzing the balance functions of strange and multi-strange hadrons. By measuring the angular correlations of $\Xi$ baryons with identified hadrons ($\pi$, $\mathrm{K}$, $\mathrm{p}$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$), the analysis expands the investigation of the mechanisms underlying strangeness and baryon number conservation in phase space.
Jointly, these observables provide stringent constraints on the hadronisation mechanisms, allowing to discriminate between microscopic string breaking dynamics, and hydrodynamical representations, that imply a thermalised medium.
Speaker: Stefano Cannito (Universita e INFN Trieste (IT)) -
19
Study of strange-particle transverse-momentum fractions in mini-jets in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV with ALICE
The enhancement of the strange baryon-to-meson yield ratio at intermediate transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$), observed by ALICE across collision systems ranging from pp to Pb–Pb, is commonly attributed to the interplay of collective radial flow and quark recombination effects. However, it remains an open question whether jet fragmentation also contributes to the observed enhancement, as strange particles in the relevant $p_{\rm T}$ region may originate from low-energy partons. To investigate the hadronization of strange particles in small collision systems, ALICE has previously measured the production of (multi-)strange particles associated with high-energy jets in pp and p--Pb collisions. More recently, a novel $p_{\rm T}$-weighted angular-correlation technique has been developed to study the momentum fraction carried by (multi-)strange particles with respect to their parent partons. This method provides access to a significantly lower jet-$p_{\rm T}$ region and offers new insights into the hadronization process.
In this contribution, the average transverse-momentum fraction ($\langle z \rangle$) of strange particles in mini-jets is measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV as a function of the strange-particle transverse momentum. The measured $\langle z \rangle$ values indicate that strange and multi-strange hadrons in the studied $p_{\rm T}$ range are predominantly associated with the fragmentation of relatively low-energy partons. In addition, the charged-particle multiplicity dependence of $\langle z \rangle$ is presented. While a multiplicity dependence is observed for $\rm K^0_{\rm S}$, no significant multiplicity dependence is found for $\Lambda(\overline{\Lambda})$ and $\Xi^{-}(\overline{\Xi}^{+})$. These results provide new constraints on the role of quark recombination in strange-hadron production and offer complementary insights into the hadronization mechanisms involved in high-multiplicity small collision systems.
Speaker: Lang Xu (Institute of Particle Physics, CCNU (CN); Institute of physics of 2 infinities of Lyon, UCBL (FR)) -
20
Measurement of charged and neutral kaons in Ar+Sc collisions at the NA61/SHINE experiment
Recently, the NA61/SHINE Collaboration reported an excess of charged over neutral kaon production in Ar+Sc collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 11.9$ GeV [Nature Commun. 16 (2025) 1, 2849]. In isospin-symmetric systems, due to the fact that strong interactions approximately preserve isospin symmetry, similar yields of charged and neutral kaons are expected. However, a $(18.4 \pm 6.1)$% excess of charged over neutral kaons at mid-rapidity was observed, which was attributed to strong isospin-violation effects. New NA61/SHINE results at other energies, to be presented in this talk, further strengthen the evidence for this observation.
This contribution will present the experimental details of this intriguing effect, including charged and neutral kaon spectra in Ar+Sc collisions and the energy dependence of the charged-to-neutral kaon ratio. The NA61/SHINE results will be compared with world data on nucleus–nucleus collisions.
Speaker: Angelika Magdalena Tefelska (Warsaw University of Technology (PL))
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18
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21
Public talk on " The Quark-Gluon Plasma Paradigm and the Primordial Universe ", by Prof. Johann Rafelski (Univ. of Arizona, USA), OAC auditoriumSpeaker: Johann Rafelski (University of Arizona (US))
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20:00
Dinner
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2
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Quantum Physics, Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Room 1
Room 1
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22
Wavefunction Collapse in String Theory
One of the most intriguing proposals for wavefunction collapse is the Diosi Penrose model, in which collapse is driven by stochastic fluctuations of the Newtonian potential. We argue that a closely related effective structure can emerge in string theory if, as recently suggested, the present cosmic acceleration is sourced by instant folded strings and their decay products. A key difference, however, is that in this stringy setting, the noise is naturally colored in time rather than white. As a result, the scenario is significantly less constrained by existing experiments than the standard Diosi Penrose model.
Speaker: Nissan Itzhaki (Tel Aviv University)
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22
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Special Session on Quantum Information and Quantum Optics Room 1
Room 1
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23
Knots and Codes
Quantum invariants, the Jones polynomial and, more generally, the Reshetikhin–Turaev
invariants attached to a quantum group, expand, under q = e
ℏ
, into a graded tower of finitetype (Vassiliev) invariants; the Kontsevich integral is the universal such invariant, from
which each quantum invariant is recovered by a Lie-algebra weight system. This note reads
that tower through coding theory. A finite-type invariant of order q on the crossing-change
cube of a diagram is a Reed–Muller codeword in RM(q, m), and the R-matrix skein relation
defining the quantum invariant is exactly the difference operator generating the code. Three
consequences follow. First, the Reed–Muller minimum distance 2m−q
is the degree–support
uncertainty principle: a quantum layer of order q cannot be simultaneously low-degree and
thinly supported. Second, the two Markov moves act as rate-lowering coordinate extensions,
repetition and parity symbols, so a genuine invariant is a codeword of a Markov-invariant
subcode. Third, the knots engineered to be invisible to the low quantum layers, the Brunnian
tangles that are n-trivial, are iterated commutators whose Milnor coordinates form the tree
part of the Kontsevich integral; Kraft’s inequality then fixes the exchange rate between finitetype order and crossing length, exponential (2n
) for the lower-central comb and quadratically
optimal (n
2
) for the derived-series balanced fractal. The dictionary puts the perturbative
expansion of quantum invariants, its uncertainty principle, and its extremal blind spots on
a single coding-theoretic footing.Speaker: Avishy Carmi -
24
Charge acceleration without radiation
The existence of electromagnetic radiation - radio-waves, microwaves, light, x-rays and so on - is one of the most important physical phenomena, and our ability to manipulate them is one of the most significant technological achievement of humankind. Underlying this ability is our understanding of how radiation is produced: whenever an electric charge is accelerated, it radiates. Or, at least, this is how it has been hitherto universally thought. Here we prove that quantum mechanically electric charges can be accelerated without radiating. The physical setup leading to this behavior is relatively simple (once one knows what to do) but its reasons are deep: it relies on the fact that quantum mechanically particles can be accelerated even when no forces act on them, via the Aharonov-Bohm effect. As we argue, the effect presented here is just the tip of an iceberg - it implies the need to reconsider the basic understanding of radiation. Finally, it seems clear that the effect goes far beyond electromagnetism and applies to any kind of radiation.
Speaker: Sandu Popescu -
25
Equivalence of mutually unbiased bases via orbits: general theory and a d = 4 case study
In quantum mechanics, mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) represent orthonormal bases (ONBs) that are as ‘far apart’ as possible, and their classification reveals rich underlying geometric structure. Given a complex inner product space, we construct the space of its ONBs as a discrete quotient of the complete flag manifold. We introduce a metric on this space, which corresponds to the ‘MUBness’ distance. This allows us to describe equivalence between sets of MUBs in terms of the geometry of this space. The subspace of bases that are unbiased with respect to the standard basis decomposes into orbits under a certain group action, and this decomposition corresponds to the classification of complex Hadamard matrices. More generally, we consider a list of k MUBs, that one wishes to extend. The candidates are points in the subspace comprising all bases which are unbiased with respect to the entire list. This space also decomposes into orbits under a group action, and we prove that points in distinct orbits yield inequivalent MUB lists. Thus, we generalize the relation between complex Hadamard matrices and MUBs. As an application, we identify new symmetries that reduce the parameter space of MUB triples in dimension 4 by a factor of 4.
Speaker: Amit Te'eni (Bar-Ilan University)
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23
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10:40
Coffee break
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Special Session on neutrino physics Room 1
Room 1
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26
Latest results from Daya Bay
Daya Bay is an experiment that utilizes electron antineutrinos produced in commercial nuclear reactors to pin down the neutrino mixing angle $\theta_{13}$ and the properties of the reactor antineutrino. These are accomplished by measuring the rate and energy spectrum of the antineutrinos coming from three pairs of twin reactors with multiple identical-designed detectors installed in three underground experimental halls located at different distances from the reactors. Daya Bay discovered a finite value for $\theta_{13}$ in 2012. Since then, Daya Bay continues to provide leading determination of this small mixing angle. After a total of about nine years of operation, Daya Bay has amassed a record-breaking number of electron antineutrino events via their inverse beta-decay (IBD) interactions in the gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator inside the detectors. Based on about 5.6 million IBD candidates with the final-state neutron captured on gadolinium obtained from the full data set, Daya Bay has obtained the most precise determination of $\theta_{13}$, the mass-square difference $\Delta{\rm m}^{2}_{32}$ and energy spectra of the reactor antineutrinos. Highlight of these results will be presented.
Speaker: Kam-Biu LUK
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26
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
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27
Rare and very rare decays at LHCb
We present an overview of the latest experimental results on rare and very rare decays obtained by the LHCb experiment at the LHC. These processes, highly suppressed in the Standard Model and sensitive to contributions from physics beyond it, provide a powerful probe of New Physics. We report on measurements of branching fractions, angular observables, and tests of lepton flavour universality, discussing their compatibility with Standard Model predictions and their implications for extensions of the current theoretical framework.
Speaker: Daniele Provenzano (University and INFN Cagliari (IT)) -
28
Highlights in Higgs physics: single Higgs measurements and di-Higgs searches
This talk presents recent precision measurements of key properties of the Higgs boson using the full dataset of proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV and 13.6 TeV collected during Run 2 and Run 3, respectively, of the LHC by the ATLAS experiment. Highlights on Higgs cross sections, couplings and di-Higgs resonant and non-resonant searches will be discussed.
Speaker: Mourad Hidaoui (Shandong University (CN)) -
29
Higgs couplings measurements with CMS
The precise determination of Higgs boson couplings is a cornerstone of the CMS physics program, providing stringent tests of the Standard Model and sensitivity to possible new physics. This presentation reviews the latest CMS measurements of Higgs boson production and decay, including recent combined coupling measurements based on the full Run 2 dataset and the latest published Run 3 results where available. Particular emphasis will be placed on differential Higgs measurements and their interpretation within the Effective Field Theory framework. The current measurements are consistent with Standard Model predictions and continue to improve the precision of Higgs coupling determinations. Future prospects with the remaining Run 3 data and the High-Luminosity LHC will also be discussed.
Speaker: Tahir Javaid (Beihang University (CN))
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27
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 1
Room 1
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30
From pp and p–Pb to OO and Ne–Ne: Recent small-system results from ALICE
The study of small collision systems at the LHC has evolved into a precision program aimed at understanding the emergence of collective phenomena and the properties of strongly interacting matter in systems of varying size. The ALICE experiment provides unique capabilities to investigate these questions through measurements in proton-proton (pp), proton-lead (p–Pb), and the recently recorded light-ion collision systems OO and Ne–Ne.
This contribution presents a selection of recent ALICE results on particle production, collective flow, and hard probes in small collision systems. Particular emphasis is placed on new evidence for partonic collectivity in high-multiplicity pp and p–Pb collisions, where measurements of identified-particle anisotropic flow reveal signatures consistent with the development of collective dynamics at the partonic level. Furthermore, the first results from the LHC light-ion program will be discussed, including measurements of anisotropic flow in OO and Ne–Ne collisions that demonstrate a clear sensitivity to the intrinsic geometry of the colliding nuclei and provide new constraints on the initial conditions and medium response in small systems.Speaker: Panos Christakoglou (Nikhef National institute for subatomic physics (NL))
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30
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Session on Other topics and interdisciplinary topics Room 1
Room 1
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31
From Heavy-Ion Physics to Societal Impact: The SEEIIST Initiative
Heavy-ion therapy is a prime example of the translation of nuclear and particle physics into clinical practice. Building on pioneering developments at GSI and CERN, carbon-ion therapy exploits the unique physical and radiobiological properties of heavy ions to treat challenging cancers with high precision.
This contribution will present SEEIIST, a next-generation carbon-ion therapy and research facility, highlighting recent advances in accelerator science, including superconducting magnets and FLASH therapy, and demonstrating the societal impact of frontier heavy-ion physics.
Speaker: Dr Sanja Damjanovic (GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH)
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31
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13:00
Lunch
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14:00
Break
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16:30
Coffee break
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 2
Room 2
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32
Effect of Hadronic Interaction and System Size on Particle Production in Heavy-ion Collisions at √sNN= 200 GeV
Relativistic heavy-ion collisions produce a deconfined state of quarks and gluons known as the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). The yields and momentum distributions of identified hadrons serve as essential probes to study the evolution of the medium, its collective dynamics, and the processes of kinetic and chemical freeze-out across various collision systems and centralities. This study systematically investigates particle production in O+O, Cu+Cu, Ru+Ru, Au+Au, and U+U collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV using the string-melting version of A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT-SM) model. We will present transverse momentum ($p_{T}$) spectra for identified hadrons, $\pi^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $p(\bar{p})$, $K_{S}^{0}$, $\Lambda (\bar{\Lambda})$, $\Xi^{-} (\bar{\Xi}^{+})$, $\Omega^{-}(\bar{\Omega}^{+})$, and $\phi$-mesons. The particle yields ($dN/dy$), mean transverse momenta ($\langle p_{T}\rangle$) and particle ratios as a function of system size and centrality will be discuss to characterize properties of bulk matter and particle production mechanisms. A comparison between two hadronic re-scattering configurations ($\tau_{max}$ = 0.4 fm/$c$ and 30 fm/$c$), will also be presented. The kinetic freeze-out temperature ($T_{kin}$) and average transverse radial flow velocity ($\langle\beta\rangle$) extracted via the Boltzmann–Gibbs Blast-Wave (BGBW) formalism will be discussed.
Speaker: Mr Sangam Pasayat (School of Physics, Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, Odisha 768019, India) -
33
Multiplicity-Dependent $J/\psi$ Production in Small Collision Systems at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV with PHENIX
We present PHENIX measurements of $J/\psi$ production as a function of event activity in small collision systems at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV. Previously published $p$+$p$ results established a baseline for the multiplicity dependence of self-normalized $J/\psi$ yields at RHIC energies, consistent with contributions from multi-parton interactions and the interplay between hard and soft QCD processes. Building on this foundation, we report new preliminary measurements in $p$+Au collisions, emphasizing the role of cold nuclear matter effects and event-activity dependence in small systems.
PHENIX provides a unique experimental configuration with spectrometers spanning forward, mid-, and backward rapidities. In particular, the muon arm spectrometers enable studies of $J/\psi$ production over both small- and large-Bjorken-$x$ regions in the nucleus. Exploiting this broad rapidity coverage, we investigate the local event-activity dependence of $J/\psi$ production while maintaining a rapidity separation between the charmonium signal and the event-activity estimator. This approach suppresses autocorrelation effects and provides a cleaner probe of the interplay between hard and soft QCD processes in small collision systems.
The observed multiplicity-dependent trends provide new insight into the mechanisms governing charmonium production and event activity in cold nuclear matter at RHIC energies.
Speaker: Murad Sarsour (Georgia State University (US)) -
34
Heavy-Flavor and Strange Hadron Production in p+p Collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV with sPHENIX
The sPHENIX experiment at RHIC, designed to study the properties of the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy ion collisions, has collected unprecedented samples of unbiased p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV using the streaming readout capabilities of its tracking detectors. During RHIC operations between 2023 and 2026, these capabilities enabled the recording of very large minimum-bias datasets, opening new opportunities for precision measurements of strange and heavy-flavor hadron production in small collision systems. These measurements provide insight into the mechanisms governing hadron formation and the interplay between soft and hard QCD processes. Studies of identified particle production, hadron yield ratios, and multiplicity-dependent observables are sensitive to effects such as color reconnection, co-mover interactions, and baryon enhancement. In the heavy-flavor sector, measurements of open charm and bottom production probe the hadronization of heavy quarks in a kinematic regime complementary to that explored at the LHC, providing important constraints on models of heavy-flavor production and fragmentation. This talk will present the status and prospects of strange and heavy-flavor measurements in p+p collisions with sPHENIX, including ongoing studies of strange hadron production and heavy-flavor hadron yield ratios. The unique datasets collected with streaming readout establish a broad foundation for future measurements of hadronization and QCD dynamics at RHIC, while also providing valuable experience with data-taking and analysis techniques relevant to the streaming-readout paradigm planned for Electron-Ion Collider.
Speaker: Adeeb Saed -
35
Systematic Investigation of Bottomonium Suppression in Heavy-Ion Collisions Using Decoupled Kinetic Rate Equations
Bottomonium suppression is one of the most sensitive signatures of the formation of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Although kinetic rate-equation models have successfully described the observed suppression patterns of bottomonium states, the relative importance of the underlying physical mechanisms and the sensitivity of theoretical predictions to medium properties remain insufficiently explored.
In this work, we present a systematic extension of the previous kinetic rate-equation study of bottomonium production and suppression in Pb-Pb collisions at (\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.02) TeV. The evolution of the (\Upsilon(1S)), (\Upsilon(2S)), and (\Upsilon(3S)) states is described using decoupled dissociation and regeneration rate equations solved through the Bateman formalism.
Beyond reproducing the measured nuclear modification factor ((R_{AA})), the present study investigates the sensitivity of the model predictions to the principal medium parameters, including the initial QGP temperature, formation time, dissociation temperatures of the bottomonium states, and QGP lifetime. The individual contributions of color screening, gluon-induced dissociation, and regeneration are analyzed to quantify their respective roles in the observed suppression pattern. In addition, the effects of feed-down uncertainties are evaluated, and theoretical predictions are compared with available experimental measurements and representative transport-model calculations.
This systematic investigation provides a deeper understanding of the dominant mechanisms governing bottomonium suppression and establishes a more robust framework for interpreting heavy-quarkonium observables in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The methodology also provides a foundation for future extensions to different collision systems and energies.Speaker: Ms Eman Aljuhani (Taibah University) -
36
Formation-Time Suppression of Jet Radiation in the sQGP
We investigate Landau--Pomeranchuk--Migdal (LPM) suppression of
medium-induced parton radiation in a static and homogeneous strongly
interacting quark--gluon plasma brick described by the Dynamical
QuasiParticle Model (DQPM). The medium is represented by massive
off-shell quarks and gluons with temperature-dependent pole masses,
spectral widths, and effective couplings constrained by lattice-QCD
thermodynamics. Radiative jet--medium interactions are calculated from
the microscopic DQPM (2\rightarrow3) scattering kernel.The LPM effect is implemented at the level of the differential
radiative transport kernel while leaving the underlying off-shell
matrix elements unchanged. For every sampled inelastic scattering, the
formation time of the emitted gluon is reconstructed from its energy,
transverse momentum, and the effective masses of the participating
partons. This time scale is compared with the mean time between elastic
scatterings of the propagating parton in the same DQPM medium.
Radiative configurations formed before the next characteristic
interaction are treated as incoherent, whereas configurations with
longer formation times are reduced to account for destructive
interference between successive scatterings. We compare a continuous
suppression of the coherence-dominated phase-space region with a sharp
formation-time veto. Their difference is interpreted as the
prescription dependence of the local LPM implementation, rather than
as a statistical uncertainty.For a (10~\mathrm{GeV}) quark jet at vanishing baryon chemical
potential, the continuous prescription modifies the radiative
contribution to the jet-broadening coefficient only at the level of a
few percent over the investigated temperature interval. The sharp
prescription produces a larger reduction, generally of order ten
percent. This moderate effect originates from the dominance of
radiative configurations whose formation times remain shorter than the
elastic collision scale. In the massless-emitted-gluon limit, the
coherence-sensitive phase-space fraction increases and the suppression
reaches the level of several tens of percent. The effect is particularly
strong for gluon jets, for which the continuous prescription can reduce
the radiative contribution by approximately one half, while the sharp
veto yields a substantially stronger reduction.The calculation provides a controlled brick benchmark for incorporating
formation-time coherence into nonperturbative quasiparticle transport.
It constitutes a phenomenological local realization of the LPM effect,
rather than a full multiple-scattering resummation, and establishes the
basis for implementing LPM-modified radiative rates in dynamical PHSD
simulations of jet propagation in heavy-ion collisions.Speaker: Olga Soloveva
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32
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
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37
Results from the SND@LHC Experiment
The SND@LHC detector is a compact, stand-alone experiment designed to perform measurements with neutrinos produced at the LHC in a previously unexplored pseudorapidity region, 7.2<η<8.6, which is complementary to that covered by all other LHC experiments. The experiment is placed 480 m downstream of IP1 in the unused TI18 tunnel. The detector is composed of a hybrid system based on an 800 kg target mass of tungsten plates, interleaved with emulsion and electronic trackers, followed downstream by a calorimeter and a muon system. This configuration enables efficient discrimination among all three neutrino flavours, providing a unique opportunity to investigate heavy-flavour production at the LHC in a kinematic region that is inaccessible to ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. This region is of particular interest also for future circular colliders and for predictions of very high-energy atmospheric neutrinos. The detector concept is also well suited to searching for Feebly Interacting Particles via signatures of scattering in the detector target. Since 2022 the experiment has collected 309 fb-1 of data at 97% efficiency. Using data from the electronic detectors, muon neutrino interactions were found as well as solid evidence for electron neutrino interactions. In this talk we shall present results from 2025 data, including an analysis of the muon flux which has significantly increased our understanding of the behaviour of the LHC beams. The reconstruction of the emulsion data has now achieved a sub micrometer resolution and significant progress was made with vertex finding and electronic shower recognition.
Speaker: Dr andrey alexandrov (University Federico II and INFN, Naples (IT)) -
38
A Unified Normal-Form Treatment of Beam Dynamics Corrections in the Muon g-2 Storage Ring
The Fermilab Muon $g$-2 experiment (E989) has completed the most precise measurement to date of the muon anomalous magnetic moment $a_\mu$, sharpening the comparison with Standard Model predictions. Extracting $a_\mu$ from the measured anomalous spin precession frequency $\omega_a^m$ at this precision requires careful evaluation of multiple beam-dynamics-driven corrections, including the electric-field correction ($C_e$), the pitch correction ($C_p$), the phase-acceptance correction ($C_{pa}$), and the differential-decay correction ($C_{dd}$). These corrections are conventionally computed piecewise, with separate analytic models and tracking studies for each effect.
We present a unified treatment in which the principal beam-dynamics corrections, including $C_e$ and $C_p$, are obtained from a single high-order differential-algebraic (DA) transfer map of the ring, analyzed in normal-form coordinates and computed using COSY INFINITY. The same map yields the amplitude-dependent tunes, chromaticity, and resonance structure of the lattice, supporting consistent propagation of systematic uncertainties through the lattice model. The electrostatic quadrupoles of the Muon $g$-2 lattice are represented by a multipole expansion including the first nine allowed orders, derived from Schwarz--Christoffel conformal mapping of the realistic high-voltage electrode geometry. Including the higher multipoles alters the chromaticity and amplitude-dependent detuning relative to a quadrupole-only treatment, and reproduces the crossing voltage of the $3\nu_y = 1$ betatron resonance observed in the storage-ring beam-dynamics analysis to within $4\%$. Because the spin normal-form denominator becomes near-singular for the small spin tune $\nu_s = a\gamma \approx 0.034$, $\nu_s$ is instead extracted directly from the spin trace.
This map-based treatment applies directly to other precision storage-ring measurements, including searches for charged-particle electric dipole moments, where spin motion and beam-dynamics corrections must be evaluated within a common high-order map of the ring.
Speaker: Eremey Vladimirovich Valetov -
39
A new measurement of the $K^{+} \rightarrow \pi^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ branching ratio at the NA62 experiment
The $K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay is a golden mode for flavour physics. Using data collected in 2016--2022, NA62 announced the first observation of this decay with a signal significance above $5\sigma$ and the measurement $\mathcal{B}(K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}) = \left( 13.0^{+ 3.3}_{- 3.0} \right)\times10^{-11} $. New results from the analysis of the 2023--2024 dataset are presented. This dataset doubles the effective sample size, leading to a $5\sigma$ expected sensitivity for the Standard Model process. Reconstruction and selection algorithms have been improved, boosting sensitivity and reducing the background contamination. An updated measurement of the branching ratio is presented and prospects for the full 2016--2026 dataset are discussed.
Speaker: Tomas Velas (Comenius University (SK)) -
40
ATLAS Tile Calorimeter toward the High Luminosity era: status and expected performance
The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is a sampling hadronic calorimeter covering the central region of the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), using steel absorbers and plastic scintillators as the active medium. The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), expected to start operation around 2030, will deliver significantly increased instantaneous luminosity, posing new challenges for detector performance in terms of trigger capabilities, radiation tolerance, and operation in high pile-up conditions.
To meet these requirements, TileCal will undergo a major upgrade of its readout electronics during the Phase-II shutdown (2026–2030). In the upgraded architecture, signals from all photomultiplier tubes will be digitized on-detector and transmitted continuously to the back-end electronics at the LHC bunch-crossing frequency of 40 MHz. The back-end system will reconstruct and store the data and provide full-granularity information to the first-level trigger operating at rates up to 1 MHz, enabling improved energy and timing resolution and more sophisticated trigger algorithms.
The new front-end electronics is based on a modular design using radiation-tolerant commercial components and redundant architecture to ensure high reliability. Data transmission, timing, and control are implemented using modern field-programmable gate arrays and high-speed optical links with bandwidths up to 9.6 Gb/s.
The upgrade program is supported by an extensive R&D effort, including laboratory measurements and test-beam campaigns. The expected performance of the upgraded system and its impact on TileCal operation and physics capabilities at the HL-LHC are discussed.Speaker: Viola Floris (Universita & INFN Pisa (IT)) -
41
Precision Electroweak Measurements at FCC-ee: From Z-pole Observables to EFT Sensitivity
The FCC-ee offers an unparalleled programme of precision electroweak measurements across four centre-of-mass energies. At the Z pole, key observables — Z mass and width, weak mixing angle, and partial decay widths — will be measured with unprecendented precision, improving upon LEP/SLD by orders of magnitude. At the WW threshold, the W mass will be determined to a few hundred keV, and at the tt̄ threshold the top quark mass will be extracted in a well-defined scheme to within ~7MeV (experimental) precision — a quantity of central importance to global electroweak fits and vacuum stability assessments.
These measurements provide extraordinarily powerful inputs to global Standard Model fits and to Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) analyses. The simultaneous precision on EWPOs, the W mass, and the top quark mass strongly constrains oblique and vertex corrections encoded in dimension-six SMEFT operators, lifting flat directions that limit current EFT fits. Crucially, the resulting constraints propagate directly into the sensitivity on Higgs-sector Wilson coefficients, sharpening the indirect reach on Higgs couplings well beyond what direct Higgs measurements alone can achieve. The combined electroweak and top-quark dataset at FCC-ee thus provides sensitivity to BSM physics at scales of tens of TeV, probing new physics through precision in a regime complementary to direct searches.
Speaker: Jacopo De Piccoli (Universita e INFN, Padova (IT))
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37
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Special session on Machine Learning Room 3
Room 3
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42
Deep-Learning-Based Triggers for Quark–Gluon Plasma Event Selection in Heavy-Ion Collisions
The identification of rare event classes in high-rate heavy-ion
experiments requires fast and robust selection procedures that operate
on a continuous stream of reconstructed events under stringent
throughput and storage constraints. Such conditions are characteristic
of next-generation facilities, in particular the Compressed Baryonic
Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR, where rare probes of strongly
interacting matter at high net-baryon density must be selected in a
free-streaming, software-based analysis chain. We present deep-learning
trigger concepts for the selection of events associated with the
formation of a strongly interacting quark--gluon plasma (sQGP),
employing complementary network architectures that act on the
reconstructed final-state particle content and are tailored to
high-rate online deployment. In the convolutional realization, each
collision is encoded as a compact four-dimensional histogram
($28\times20\times20\times20$) of the particle species together with
the binned absolute momentum and angular information, and is processed
by a lightweight 3D~CNN with a multi-output head that simultaneously
provides the QGP classification response, the integrated QGP-strength,
the number of QGP particles, and the impact parameter. A complementary
graph-neural-network (GNN) formulation is investigated as well, in
which the events are represented directly at the particle level in
order to capture the relational correlations of the hadronic final
state. The networks are trained and validated within the microscopic
off-shell transport approach Parton--Hadron--String Dynamics (PHSD),
where the dynamical formation of the partonic phase provides direct
event-level QGP labels, and independently within the Ultra-relativistic
Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) model, which offers a distinct
description of the reaction dynamics. Tests across the PHSD and UrQMD models show that the network response does not depend on the choice of the event-generator model. A SHAP-based interpretability analysis
shows that the network decision is governed by physically meaningful
features of the final state, with the dominant contributions arising
from strange hadrons and antibaryons, in line with the expected
QGP-sensitive signatures. The high-rate applicability of the approach
is demonstrated through deployment within the CBM First-Level Event
Selector (FLES): a fast C++ inference package (ANN4FLES) is placed at
the physics-analysis stage of the CBM/FLES reconstruction chain, where
the compact histogram-based representation makes the inference
lightweight compared to full event reconstruction and thus well suited
for the CBM online environment. The detector response is simulated
within the CbmRoot framework, applying the CBM geometrical acceptance
($2.5^{\circ} < \theta < 25^{\circ}$) together with track and topology
reconstruction in the FLES chain. Along the full transition from
generator-level PHSD events to fully reconstructed data for Au+Au
collisions at $30~A\mathrm{GeV}$, the CNN classification accuracy
decreases from $95.1\%$ to $83.7\%$, which remains sufficient for
online event selection and demonstrates that model-robust and
interpretable machine-learning triggers are directly applicable to the
high-rate data-taking conditions of CBM and of future heavy-ion
experiments.Speaker: Olga Soloveva
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42
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Workshop on Dark Matter from Micro to Macro Room 3
Room 3
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43
Formation of accretion disks and spin distribution of stellar black holes in gaseous star clusters
The astrophysical origin of the growing body of gravitational-wave (GW) observations by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration remains an open question. In the case of binary black holes (BBH) GW sources, the key physical quantity besides BH mass that may allow distinguish between different proposed astrophysical channels is the BH spin. A channel that has attracted recent interest is the BH mass growth and BH spin-up in gaseous star clusters. We review our recent work, which identifies an accretion-disk formation mechanism of orbiting stellar-mass black holes in the core of gaseous proto-stellar clusters. Such clusters are massive and compact, with typical masses of one million solar masses and sizes of one parsec, suggested by recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations. We show that as the BH's sphere of influence is advected along the BH trajectory, the transverse velocity shear between the inner and outer hemispheres injects angular momentum, driving the formation of an accretion disk. We verify this picture with 3D hydrodynamic simulations in the non-inertial frame of the orbiting BH. Finally, we calculate the BH spin-up due to injection of angular momentum by the accretion disk and determine the final BH spin distribution within compact gaseous proto-stellar clusters. The general trend, expressed by the median spin as a function of final BH mass, is well fit by a high-spin saturating exponential with a transition mass of ~50 solar masses. For BH masses above ~100 solar masses the median spin is ~0.90, with the central 68\% of the distribution spanning ~0.70 - 0.96, in striking agreement with the estimated spins of the BH components of the gravitational-wave signal GW231123. These spin values persist up to the highest BH masses generated by our mechanism of ~1000 solar masses.
Speaker: Zacharias Roupas (University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy)
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43
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Workshop on Instruments and Methods Room 3
Room 3
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44
The ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter Phase-II Readout Upgrade for the High-Luminosity LHC
The ATLAS Liquid Argon (LAr) calorimeter readout electronics are being upgraded for operation at the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), where up to about 200 proton-proton interactions per bunch crossing will result in severe pileup and overlapping signals. The Phase-II upgrade replaces the full readout chain from the front-end electronics to the off-detector processing to preserve precision calorimetry and triggering. New radiation tolerant front-end boards will digitize all calorimeter channels at the 40 MHz bunch crossing rate using custom low noise preamplifier-shaper ASICs providing two gain scales and high-resolution ADCs. A new calibration system based on dedicated pulser and DAC ASICs ensures accurate channel response. Prototype boards are available and system-level integration tests are ongoing. The off-detector electronics will use ATCA compliant signal-processing boards equipped with large FPGAs and high-speed optical links, performing real-time reconstruction of energy and timing information with low latency. In the HL-LHC pileup environment, the performance of traditional optimal filtering techniques degrades due to overlapping pulses. Machine learning-based reconstruction approaches implemented in FPGA firmware are being investigated as complementary solutions. This contribution presents the Phase-II readout architecture and the status of prototyping and integration in view of installation during LHC Long Shutdown 3.
Speaker: Markus Helbig (Technische Universitaet Dresden (DE))
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44
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20:00
Dinner
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08:00
Conference Excursion - Rethymno and archeological sites Excursion (Rethymno and archeological sites)
Excursion
Rethymno and archeological sites
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13:00
Lunch (for participants not joining the excursion) OAC
OAC
Orthodox Academy of Crete, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece
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20:00
Dinner
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08:00
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08:00
Conference Excursion - Monasteries Excursion (Monasteries)
Excursion
Monasteries
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13:00
Lunch (for participants not joining the excursion) OAC
OAC
Orthodox Academy of Crete, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece
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20:00
Dinner
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08:00
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Loan Truong (University of Johannesburg (ZA))-
45
ATLAS Highlights
This talk will present highlights from the ATLAS Experiment.
Speaker: Dr Fernando Monticelli (National University of La Plata (AR)) -
46
LHCb Highlights
TBA
Speaker: Mary Richardson-Slipper (University of Cambridge (GB))
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45
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 1
Room 1
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47
ALICE Highlights
The ALICE experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider is dedicated to the study of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions, with the primary goal of investigating the properties and microscopic dynamics of the quark–gluon plasma (QGP). The ALICE apparatus is designed to measure a wide variety of particles and observables with data from various collision systems, including A–A (Pb–Pb, Xe–Xe, Ne-Ne, O–O), p–A (p–Pb, p–O), and pp. This presentation will review recent ALICE highlights across collision systems, including the observation of partonic flow in high-multiplicity pp and p–Pb collisions, new results on collective flow and nuclear-geometry effects in O–O and Ne–Ne collisions, and precision measurements of strangeness enhancement from small to large systems. Further highlights will include elliptic flow of light nuclei and hypernuclei, and charm-baryon flow as a probe of heavy-quark interaction with the medium. The talk will conclude with ALICE ambitious short- and long-term ALICE upgrade programme, from the LS3 upgrades to the ALICE 3 concept for Run 5 and beyond.
Speaker: Nicola Nicassio (Universita e INFN, Bari (IT))
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47
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
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48
CMS HighlightsSpeaker: Marco Pieri (Univ. of California San Diego (US))
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48
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10:40
Coffee break
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Workshop on Instruments and Methods Room 1
Room 1
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49
The ATLAS Trigger System
The ATLAS experiment in the LHC Run 3 uses a two-level trigger system to select events of interest to reduce the 40 MHz bunch crossing rate to a recorded rate of up to 3 kHz of fully-built physics events. The trigger system is composed of a hardware based Level-1 trigger and a software based High Level Trigger. The selection of events by the High Level Trigger is based on a wide variety of reconstructed objects, including leptons, photons, jets, b-jets, missing transverse energy, and B-hadrons in order to cover the full range of the ATLAS physics programme. We will present an overview of improvements in the reconstruction, calibration, and performance of the different trigger objects, as well as computational performance of the High Level Trigger system.
Speaker: Marta Lanzac Berrocal (Univ. of Valencia and CSIC (ES))
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49
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Diptaparna Biswas (Universitaet Siegen (DE))-
50
CMS upgrades for the HL-LHC
The CMS experiment at the LHC is undergoing an ambitious upgrade program in order to expand its physics reach, leveraging the increase of centre-of-mass energy and instantaneous luminosity of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The new phase of the LHC poses an opportunity for the physics potential at the experiment, but at the same time it is also a challenge, in terms of detector performance, event reconstruction and computing. Several CMS subdetector systems will be improved or replaced, and new subdetectors are going to be installed. This contribution presents an overview of the detector upgrades and their status, considering also the context of their impact on the physics program of the CMS experiment at the HL-LHC.
Speaker: Tiziano Pauletto (Sapienza Universita e INFN, Roma I (IT)) -
51
ATLAS toward the High Luminosity era: challenges on electronic systems
While the ongoing Run-3 data-taking campaign will provide more than 500 fb-1 of integrated luminosity, the HL-LHC will allow the collection of more than 3 ab-1 of data. A major upgrade of both detector and electronics is ongoing in ATLAS.
A new all-silicon tracker will replace the current inner detector, and a high granularity timing detector will be added. The upgraded detector will have an unprecedented output data rate of up to 200 TB/s.
Real-time processing of this large data volume is extremely challenging. New sets of both front-end and back-end electronics are required for all sub-detectors. A new trigger and data acquisition (TDAQ) system will be implemented with a single-level hardware trigger that features a maximum rate of 1 MHz and 10 μs latency.
These events will be further processed by software algorithms and selected events will be stored permanently at a rate of 10 kHz for offline analysis.
Here the challenges and design of front-end and back-end electronics for various subdetectors and the global ATLAS TDAQ system will be presented. The latest results from different ASICs and board prototypes, system integration, and production will also be discussed.Speaker: Fernando Carrio Argos (Instituto de Física Corpuscular (CSIC-UV)) -
52
Searches for Dark Matter with the ATLAS Experiment at the LHC
The presence of a non-baryonic Dark Matter (DM) component in the Universe is inferred from the observation of its gravitational interaction. If Dark Matter interacts weakly with the Standard Model (SM) it could be produced at the LHC. The ATLAS Collaboration has developed a broad search program for DM candidates in final states with large missing transverse momentum produced in association with other SM particles (light and heavy quarks, photons, Z and H bosons, as well as additional heavy scalar particles) and searches where the Higgs boson provides a portal to Dark Matter, leading to invisible Higgs decays. The results of recent searches on 13 and 13.6 TeV pp data from the LHC, their interplay and interpretation will be presented.
Speaker: Loan Truong (University of Johannesburg (ZA)) -
53
Searches for Long-Lived Particles with the CMS experiment
Many models beyond the standard model predict new particles with long lifetimes. These long-lived particles (LLPs) decay significantly displaced from their initial production vertex thus giving rise to non-conventional signatures in the detector. Dedicated triggers and innovative usage of the CMS detector boost are exploited in this context to significantly boost the sensitivity of such searches at CMS. We present recent results of searches for long-lived particles and other unconventional signatures such as black holes, obtained using data recorded by the CMS experiment during the Run-II and Run-III of the LHC.
Speaker: Prafulla Saha (Rutgers State Univ. of New Jersey (US)) -
54
The Upgrades of LHCb for HL-LHC
TBA
Speaker: Lais Soares Lavra (The University of Edinburgh (GB))
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50
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13:00
Lunch
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14:00
Break
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16:30
Coffee break
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Cosmology, Astrophysics, Gravity, Mathematical Physics Room 2
Room 2
Convener: Elena Arbuzova (Dubna State University and Novosibirsk State University)-
55
Physics of warped extra dimensions: colliders, gravitational waves and primordial black holes
We study the formation of primordial black holes (PBHs) and stochastic gravitational waves background (SGWB) produced by the supercooled radion phase transition (PT) in warped extra-dimension models solving the gauge hierarchy problem. We first determine how the SGWB and the produced PBH mass and abundance depend on the warped model’s infrared energy scale ρ, and the number of holographic colors N. With this finding, we recast on the plane {ρ, N } the current SGWB and PBH constraints, as well as the expected parameter reaches of GW detectors, as LISA and ET, and the gravitational lensing ones, such as NGRST. We find that, for N ∼ 10 − 50, the considered PT predicts a PBH population mass in the range MPBH ∼ (10−1 − 10−25) M⊙ for ρ ∼ (10−4 − 10^8 ) TeV. In the range ρ ≃ (0.05 − 0.5) GeV, it can explain the recent SGWB hint at nHz frequencies and generate PBH binaries with mass MPBH ∼ (0.1 − 1)M⊙ detectable at LISA and ET. These PBHs can compensate the lack of natural candidates for dark matter in warped extra dimensional models.
This work is based on:
[1] A. Ghoshal, E. Megias, G. Nardini, M. Quiros, JHEP 07 (2025) 277.
[2] E. Megias, G. Nardini, M. Quiros, Phys.Rev.D 102 (2020) 5, 055004.Speaker: Eugenio Megias (University of Granada) -
56
Simulating high-Mach non-relativistic astrophysical shocks and plasma with particle-in-cell codes
Astrophysical collisionless plasma can be found in many systems in our Universe, from interplanetary shocks, to supernova remnants, to jets, to galaxy clusters, amongst many others. Understanding the underlying physics of particle acceleration and energisation of non-thermal particles in a variety of multi-scale systems consist a major challenge in the Astroparticle field.
We present our studies using relativistic electromagnetic 2D3V-adapted particle in cell (PIC) codes, that allow us to simulate plasma kinetic processes to study astrophysical plasma. We focus on the technical description of the codes and illustrate their capabilities with selected results from previous studies on perpendicular and oblique non-relativistic high-Mach number shocks, in the context of supernova remnants and proto-stellar jets.Speaker: Dr Michelle Tsirou (Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (FZU)) -
57
LAG-M Liquid Actuated Gravity with mercury
We report on the development and first results of a new experiment, designed to investigate Inverse Square Law (ISL) of gravitation and Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) from millimeter to centimeter distances. The peculiar feature of this apparatus is the Field Mass (FM), that actuates on a torsion pendulum test mass (TM): it consists of a liquid mass that is modulated by changing the liquid level in a container placed near the TM, with no mechanical parts moving during modulation.
We defined a reference solution for a full-size experiment that is now starting, with a gravity actuator using Hg as a liquid. We discuss possible future upgrades that could allow us to extend the investigation to the sub-mm range, with optimized FM-TM geometry, a simplified single stage set-up and an improved readout sensitivity.
Finally, we investigate the use of a composite materials TM in order to check WEP by actuating on the two sides different materials with e.g. a large difference in neutron-to-mass ratios.Speaker: Prof. Fabio Garufi (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II and INFN Sez. di Napoli)
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55
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Nicola Nicassio (Universita e INFN, Bari (IT))-
58
Latest results from muon object performance with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC using Run-3 data
The reconstruction and precise measurement of muons are essential for a wide range of physics analyses within the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). During Run-3, the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer underwent major upgrades, most notably the installation of the New Small Wheel system, designed to improve tracking and triggering performance in the forward region. Assessing the performance of these new detectors with proton–proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13.6 TeV is therefore a crucial step for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of physics results. Using well-known di-muon resonances, we provide a detailed evaluation of muon reconstruction, identification, and isolation efficiencies, as well as momentum scale and resolution. State-of-the-art techniques developed for Run-3 allow us to characterize the detector response with unprecedented precision. This contribution presents the latest results on muon performance, highlighting the impact of the recent upgrades on ATLAS physics capabilities.
Speaker: Celine Stauch (Ludwig Maximilians Universitat (DE)) -
59
Data-Driven Background Prediction for tt̄H(H→bb̄) in the Dilepton Channel with CMS
Prospects for the measurement of top quark–antiquark associated Higgs boson production (ttH) in the dilepton channels, with the Higgs decaying to a pair of b-quarks, in Run3 and the HL-LHC with the CMS Experiment will be presented. A novel approach for predicting the main ttbar background in a data-driven way will be discussed in detail; its performance in real and simulated events in Run2 will be shown, along with prospects for Run3 and the HL-LHC.
Speaker: Haris Painesis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)) -
60
Tagging at ATLAS with GN3: Heavy Flavour and Beyond
Accurate identification of jets that originate from heavy-flavour hadrons is pivotal for many ATLAS analyses, from Higgs-boson and top-quark measurements to search for new physics. We present GN3, our newest jet flavour tagger, which introduces a full-transformer architecture tailored to the environment of LHC Run-2 and Run-3. GN3 processes low-level track, neutral particle, and muon information to extract correlations between the inputs and infer the origin of the jet. Compared with the current Run-3 baseline, GN2, the new model achieves a significantly better separation of b- and c-jets from light-flavour jets across a wide kinematic phase-space. In this talk, we will discuss the architecture and training workflow, as well as the newest results from GN3. Furthermore, we will highlight the new capabilities added to GN3, which extend its functionality into the realm of s-tagging.
Speaker: Diptaparna Biswas (Universitaet Siegen (DE)) -
61
Recent flavor physics studies at CMS
The CMS experiment has performed a vast program of studies in Flavour Physics, along Run 2 and the latest Run 3 results, exploiting specialized trigger strategies and the large datasets collected. This contribution presents an overview of the CMS results, encompassing rare decays and precise measurements of flavor observables, providing stringent tests of the Standard Model and sensitivity to potential new physics effects in the flavor sector.
Speaker: Felice Nenna (Universita e INFN, Bari (IT)) -
62
Beam-spin induced polarization of lambda and anti-lambda hyperons in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering
Abstract: The beam-spin induced polarization of Lambda and Antilambda hyperons produced in deep-inelastic scattering of longitudinally polarized positrons from unpolarized nucleons has been investigated by the HERMES experiment at a positron beam energy of 27.6 GeV impinging on hydrogen, deuterium, and various heavier gas targets. The two spin-transfer coefficients D_LX and D_LZ (longitudinal-to-transverse and longitudinal-to-longitudinal, respectively) are extracted and are found to be small and mostly compatible with zero within their statistical and systematic uncertainties, essentially independent of the relevant kinematic variables. The results constrain novel spin-dependent fragmentation functions, among others the helicity fragmentation function describing the hadronization of longitudinally polarized quarks into longitudinally polarized hadrons.
Speaker: Prof. Hrachya Marukyan (A.Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (AM)) -
63
Event Mass Reconstruction in ttH(H→bb̄) Dilepton Events at √s = 13.6 TeV
The associated production of a Higgs boson with a top quark pair (ttH) in the H→bb̄ decay channel provides a direct probe of the top–Higgs Yukawa coupling, but remains challenging in the dilepton final state due to the presence of two neutrinos and large combinatorial ambiguities. In CMS several approaches are employed to address these challenges, including analytical reconstruction techniques, and machine-learning-based methods for jet assignment and mass reconstruction, and data-driven background estimation methods. These aim at reconstructing the Higgs boson candidate and improving the event kinematic description, with their performance evaluated in terms of reconstruction efficiency and discrimination against dominant tt+jets backgrounds.
Speaker: Polytimi Iosifidou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)) -
64
Design and Performance of the DUNE Photodetection System
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a leading international experiment for neutrino physics and proton decay research. DUNE far detector (FD) will consist of four liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) equipped with a photon detection system (PDS). The PDS of the first two FD modules is based on light-collection devices known as X-Arapucas, which are composed of boxes with highly reflective internal walls that house arrays of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The primary function of the PDS is to measure the VUV scintillation light (128 nm) produced by ionizing particles traversing the TPC. In addition, the PDS acts as the primary trigger for non-beam interactions and provides the estimation of the absolute time of an event. Beyond these core functions, the PDS contributes to background rejection, calorimetric energy reconstruction, and enhances sensitivity to low-energy neutrino physics. This presentation will illustrate the design and operating principles of the DUNE PDS, its development and performance in ProtoDUNE,and its function in supporting the scientific objectives of the DUNE experiment.
Speaker: Maritza Juliette Delgado Gonzalez for the DUNE Collaboration (Universita & INFN, Milano-Bicocca (IT))
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58
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Special Session on neutrino physics Room 3
Room 3
Convener: Constantinos Vayenas (University of Patras)-
65
Crystal scintillators for high precision beta spectroscopy: the GAIAS experiment
The determination of the effective axial-vector coupling constant $g_A$ in nuclear media is a major open problem in contemporary neutrino and nuclear physics. Its deviation from the free-nucleon value directly affects the interpretation of neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) searches through the associated nuclear matrix elements, and therefore impacts the extraction of constraints on the Majorana neutrino mass scale and other parameters in models that allow for lepton number violation.
The GAIAS (GAxIal Analysis with Scintillators) experiment addresses this problem through high-precision beta spectroscopy of forbidden non-unique beta decays using high optical quality and low background crystal scintillators. These decays exhibit a strong sensitivity of the beta spectral shape to $g_A$, especially at low energies, making them a powerful probe of nuclear models that describes weak interactions in nuclei.
The experimental strategy combines several advantages of scintillating crystalline materials: high light yield, low energy threshold (down to a few keV), excellent radiopurity, long-term operational stability, and the possibility of embedding beta-emitting isotopes directly into the active detector. Candidate materials include CdWO$_4$, CsI(Na,Rb), NaI(Tl,Tc), and CeCl$_3$, containing isotopes such as $^{113}$Cd, $^{113m}$Cd, $^{87}$Rb, and $^{99}$Tc either intrinsically or through controlled doping procedures.
The experiment is being installed at the underground Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) of INFN, where the ultra-low-background environment enables high-statistics measurements under highly stable conditions. Particular attention will be devoted to crystal growth and isotope incorporation techniques, scintillation non-proportionality below 100~keV, detector calibration stability, and optimized low-noise readout electronics. By combining detector development, precision spectroscopy, Monte Carlo simulations, and nuclear-structure calculations, GAIAS aims to provide very precise beta spectrum measurement, improving constraints on the effective axial coupling constant and to strengthen the role of functional crystalline materials in frontier research at the interface of nuclear, particle, and astroparticle physics.Speaker: Alice Leoncini (University of Rome Tor Vergata) -
66
GRAND: Recent Developments and Current Status.
The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) is a next-generation experiment designed to detect ultra-high-energy neutrinos, cosmic rays, gamma rays, and radio transients through large arrays of autonomous radio antennas. As an essential step toward the full-scale observatory, GRANDProto300 is currently being deployed in Gansu, China.
Its current 65-detector engineering array (GP65) provides a realistic environment for validating key aspects of the experiment, including detector performance, autonomous triggering, timing synchronization, calibration strategies, and air-shower reconstruction techniques. Continuous operation has also enabled comprehensive studies of detector stability and the ambient radio-frequency environment.
Recent developments include the identification of the first candidate cosmic-ray events observed with the array, demonstrating the capability of the GRAND detection concept under autonomous operating conditions. At the same time, substantial advances have been achieved in detector calibration, timing reconstruction, and data analysis methodologies, providing the foundation for improved event reconstruction and future physics performance.
This contribution reviews the current status of GRANDProto300, summarizes the latest progress achieved with the GP65 engineering array, and outlines the next steps toward the deployment of the full 300-antenna array and the realization of future large-scale GRAND observatories.Speaker: Dr Stavros Nonis (Hellenic Open University) -
67
Vertex reconstruction in the JUNO experiment
The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a multi-purpose liquid scintillator (LS) neutrino experiment currently in operation in South China. Its primary scientific goals are the determination of the neutrino mass ordering (NMO) and the high-precision measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters, including $|\Delta m^2_{32}|$, $\Delta m^2_{21}$, and $\sin^2\theta_{12}$. The JUNO Central Detector consists of a 20-kton LS target enclosed in a 35.4-m-diameter acrylic sphere and instrumented with a dense array of photosensors, including 17,596 large 20-inch and 25,587 small 3-inch photomultiplier tubes. Following detector commissioning, JUNO started physics data taking in August 2025 and rapidly achieved world-leading precision in the measurement of solar oscillation parameters using the first 59 days of data.
The sensitivity of JUNO to the NMO is largely driven by achieving the target detector energy resolution of $3\%$ at 1 MeV. While intrinsic contributions such as PMT properties and spatial non-uniformities are fixed by the detector hardware performance, the reconstructed energy uniformity is significantly affected by the spatial estimation of the events. Accurate event vertex reconstruction is therefore one key to improving the overall energy resolution, enabling position-dependent corrections that compensate for detector response non-uniformities.
Vertex reconstruction in JUNO is particularly challenging due to the detector's unprecedented scale and the presence of complex optical effects, especially near the detector boundaries. In this talk, three different reconstruction algorithms currently employed in JUNO are presented, and their performance is evaluated and compared.
Speaker: Lorenzo Vincenzo D'Auria (University of Padova and INFN Padova) -
68
A possible solution to the gallium anomaly moving beyond the leptonic wave function factorization
For over three decades, the gallium anomaly, a persistent discrepancy exceeding 5σ between measured and predicted neutrino capture rates on gallium-71 in the GALLEX, SAGE, and BEST experiments, has challenged the particle physics community. While frequently interpreted as evidence for short-baseline sterile neutrino oscillations, this scenario is increasingly in tension with recent bounds from reactor, solar, and accelerator experiments, including KATRIN and MicroBooNE. In this contribution, we revisit the theoretical evaluation of the cross-section for neutrino capture on gallium-71. We move beyond the standard detailed-balance framework by abandoning both the conventional leading-order approximation and the strict factorization of leptonic wave functions from the nuclear matrix element. Instead, we calculate exact Dirac-Hartree-Fock-Slater wave functions for bound and continuum electron states and integrate them directly with phenomenologically constrained Gamow-Teller transition densities. By ensuring these densities accurately reproduce the precisely measured germanium-71 half-life, we are able to evaluate the full, non-factorized transition amplitude. We demonstrate that this approach yields a substantial reduction of approximately 20% in the predicted charge-current neutrino capture cross-section. Ultimately, this reduction offers a viable solution to the gallium anomaly, effectively eliminating the need to invoke physics beyond the Standard Model.
Speaker: LUCA FERRO (INFN Cagliari, University of Cagliari) -
69
Toward precision tests of fundamental physics with COHERENT germanium and future CEvNS detectors
Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) is a neutral-current weak process in which a low-energy neutrino (tens of MeV) scatters off an entire nucleus, producing a tiny nuclear recoil that is extremely challenging to detect. Due to the low recoil energies involved, this process was experimentally observed only in 2017 by the COHERENT experiment. Its importance stems from its relatively large cross section compared to other neutrino interactions at similar energies, making it a powerful probe of Standard Model parameters and a sensitive channel for searches for new physics. In addition, CE$\nu$NS is also a relevant background component in experiments aimed at detecting dark matter.
In this contribution, we investigate the physics reach of CE$\nu$NS detectors, based on the most precise measurement of CE$\nu$NS to date, achieved by the COHERENT collaboration using a germanium detector, as well as on the projected sensitivities of future cryogenic CE$\nu$NS experiments. We discuss the achievable precision in the determination of Standard Model parameters, including the weak mixing angle, the neutron rms radius, and the neutrino charge radius. Furthermore, we explore constraints on new physics scenarios, such as non standard neutrino interactions, exotic neutrino properties, and the presence of new mediators predicted in various extensions of the Standard Model.Speaker: Riccardo Pavarani -
70
From CUORE to CUPID: Toward a Next Generation Search for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
The search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is fundamental for investigating lepton-number violation, probing new physics beyond the Standard Model, and determining whether neutrinos are Majorana particles. CUORE, a cryogenic calorimetric experiment at LNGS, studies 0νββ in $^{130}$Te using 988 TeO₂ crystals, reaching a tonne-scale mass and operating below 15 mK. Since 2017, CUORE has accumulated close to 3.0 tonne-years of exposure, constraining 0νββ in $^{130}$Te and achieving one of the most precise two-neutrino double beta decay (2νββ) half-life measurements and a detailed background reconstruction across a broad energy range. The next generation of experiments aims to probe half-lives greater than $10^{27}$ years, reaching the sensitivity required to explore the Inverted-Ordering region of the neutrino mass spectrum. CUPID (CUORE Upgrade with Particle IDentification) will search for the 0νββ decay of $^{100}$Mo, leveraging the existing cryogenic infrastructure and expertise gained from CUORE. CUPID will utilize scintillating Li₂MoO₄ crystals enriched in $^{100}$Mo, coupled with light detectors featuring Neganov-Trofimov-Luke amplification. With a total isotope mass of 240 kg, CUPID is designed to achieve a background index of 10⁻⁴ counts/keV/kg/year and a FWHM energy resolution of 5 keV. This performance will allow for a 3σ discovery sensitivity of 1.0 × 10$^{27}$ years after 10 years of life-time, corresponding to an effective Majorana neutrino mass sensitivity in the range of 12–21 meV. This work presents the latest CUORE results, recent findings from the CUPID demonstrator, and outlines the forthcoming milestones toward the realization of the CUPID experiment.
Speaker: Dr Shihong Fu (Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) - INFN) -
71
Exploring CEνNS with the NUCLEUS Experiment
Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEνNS) is a weak neutral current process where the neutrino interacts with the nucleus as a whole. The CEνNS cross section is several orders of magnitude larger than that of other low-energy neutrino interactions, even though the single outcome of this process is a very small nuclear recoil. The first CEνNS observation was reported 43 years after its theoretical prediction in 1974, and since then CEνNS has emerged as a powerful probe of diverse physics scenarios, especially within the realm of electroweak interactions. This has inspired a global effort to detect the small nuclear recoil characteristic of CEνNS. Within this world-wide search, this talk will present the NUCLEUS experiment which seeks to achieve high-precision CEνNS measurements using neutrinos from the Chooz nuclear power plant. The NUCLEUS experiment employs cryogenic calorimeters featuring gram-scale CaWO₄ and Al2O3 detectors with transition-edge sensors. These detectors have demonstrated exceptional energy resolution, detecting nuclear recoils as low as 20 eV, about two orders of magnitude smaller than those detectable by competitor experiments, providing unique opportunities to study the full coherent regime of the CEνNS process.. However, the background level at the experimental site, called “Very Near Site”, must be kept under control through a complex system of active and passive shielding. In this talk, I will review recent NUCLEUS results and outline the current status, challenges, and future prospects of the experiment.
Speaker: Marco Giammei
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65
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 2
Room 2
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72
Quarkonia pair production in the CGC framework
In this talk, we discuss the inclusive hadroproduction of heavy quarkonium pairs within the color glass condensate (CGC) framework in dilute-dense approximation. We classify the production mechanisms by the number of gluons emitted from the projectile into single- and double-parton scattering (SPS and DPS, respectively). We analyze both contributions separately and evaluate the corresponding impact factors at leading order in the strong coupling $\alpha_s$. We demonstrate that the DPS impact factor factorizes into a product of the impact factors for single quarkonium production, and that the cross section of the DPS mechanism in the large-$N_c$ limit reduces to the well-known pocket formula. Furthermore, we analyze the role of fragmentation mechanisms in quarkonium pair production and consider the contributions of single- and double-fragmentation, where a heavy quark fragments into one or two quarkonia, respectively. While single fragmentation yields only a minor correction, double fragmentation can provide a significant contribution, on par with conventional SPS and DPS mechanisms.
This talk is partially based on the results of Phys.Rev.D 112 (2025) 5, 054010
Speaker: Marat Siddikov
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 2
Room 2
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73
A Dilaton and Exotic Heat Transport in a Deformed 3D Gross-Neveu Model
A mechanism whereby the dynamical generation of a Fermion mass gap can occur inthe context of a Gross-Neveu-like model in three spacetime dimensions is reviewed, including a scenario where the energy landscape becomes flat and dynamical mass generation implies dynamical scale symmetry breaking with the appearance of a dilaton. It is argued that the thermal conductivity in the dilaton/charge gapped insulator phase and the ungapped semi-metal phase are comparable, giving an exotic example of an electromagnetic insulator with a large thermal conductivity.
Speaker: Gordon Semenoff -
74
QED two-scale states and energy-momentum tensor
Energy levels of two-scale bound states are considered as
matrix elements of the energy-momentum tensor.Speaker: Prof. Michael Eides (University of Kentucky)
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73
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20:00
Dinner
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Eugenio Megias (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona)-
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The STAR experiment at RHIC, from 2000 to now
The completion of the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) physics program at Brookhaven National Laboratory marks the end of a remarkable 25-year era in high-energy nuclear physics. Since recording its first collisions in 2000, RHIC has provided an exceptionally versatile collider environment, delivering collisions over a broad range of center-of-mass energies with numerous ion species while uniquely operating as the world's only high-energy polarized proton collider. This flexibility enabled a diverse and highly successful physics program spanning the study of the quark-gluon plasma, the QCD phase diagram, nucleon spin structure, and hadron structure and dynamics.
At the heart of this program has been the STAR experiment. Built around a large-acceptance Time Projection Chamber optimized for precision charged-particle tracking and particle identification, STAR evolved continuously through a comprehensive series of detector upgrades, including advanced calorimetry, time-of-flight, heavy-flavor, muon, and forward detector systems. These developments substantially extended the experiment's physics reach while preparing technologies and expertise for the next generation of collider experiments.
This presentation will review the evolution of the STAR experiment from its original design through its final RHIC run in early 2026. Selected physics highlights will be presented at the textbook level to illustrate the broad scientific impact of STAR and RHIC, together with the detector innovations that enabled these discoveries. The talk will conclude with the legacy of STAR and its transition toward the Electron-Ion Collider, where many of its scientific goals and technological developments will continue into a new era of QCD research.Speaker: Prof. Bernd Surrow (Temple University)
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75
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Workshop on Dark Matter from Micro to Macro Room 1
Room 1
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76
Vacuum energy problem in anti-De Sitter space-time
Cosmological observations impose stringent constraints on the value of vacuum energy, which may possibly coincide with dark energy. On the other hand, the well-established theory of elementary particles implies the existence of a negative vacuum energy of the gluon condensate, which exceeds the observed value by approximately 50 orders of magnitude. This presents one of the greatest puzzles of particle physics and cosmology. We propose a compensating mechanism for the vacuum energy which could reduce it to, or below, the observed value of the dark energy.
Speaker: Elena Arbuzova (Dubna State University and Novosibirsk State University) -
77
Galactic antimatter and primordial black holes. Conundra and resolution
Models leading to efficient production of antimatter in the universe and in the Galaxy are considered. Spontaneous C/CP- violation which may create charge symmetric universe and the inherent associated problems as well as possible ways of their resolution are presented. It is shown that the mechanism of primordial black hole formation of 1993 may lead to noticeable population of the Milky Way with antimatter and the recent observational data in favor of this result are presented.
Speaker: Alexander Dolgov
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76
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Special session on Cosmoparticle physics of Dark Universe Room 1
Room 1
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78
Cosmoparticle physics of Dark Universe
The modern Standard cosmological scenario involves inflation, baryosynthesis and dark matter/energy. Physics of all these elements of the cosmological paradigm lays Beyond the Standard model (BSM) of elementary particles and involves in its turn cosmological probes for its study. To specify this physics the idea of multi-messenger probes of new physics is proposed, involving the set of additional model dependent consequences of physical models for inflation, baryosynthesis and dark matter. We concentrate on probes for nonstandard features of BSM physics in primordial structures, from dark atoms to primordial nonlinear structures. In homogeneous and isotropic Universe strong primordial
nonhomogeneity is determined by specific model dependent choice of mechanisms of inflation and baryosynthesis and the BSM physics, underlying the modern cosmology. Positive evidence for dark atoms, Primordial Black Holes and their clustering, primordial inhomogeneity of dark matter or macroscopic antimatter existence leads beyond the standard paradigm of the cosmological scenario and specify with high precision the parameters of BSM physics.Speaker: Prof. Maxim Khlopov (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR))
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78
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10:40
Coffee break
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Cosmology, Astrophysics, Gravity, Mathematical Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Oscar Alejandro Taborda Pulgarin (Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI))-
79
Cryogenic positronium for antihydrogen free-fall measurements in AEgIS
The primary goal of the Antimatter Experiment for Gravity Interferometry and Spectroscopy (AEgIS) at CERN is the measurement of the free fall of antihydrogen in the Earth’s gravitational field, to perform a direct test of the Weak Equivalence Principle in the antimatter sector [1].
Positronium (Ps), the bound state of an electron (e-) and a positron (e+), is employed in the AEgIS experiment to produce antihydrogen through a charge-exchange reaction with ballistic antiproton clouds. Production efficiency scales with the relative velocity of the colliding clouds, thereby the reduction of the velocity spread of the Ps ensemble can enhance the charge-exchange cross section [2].
In AEgIS, Ps with a 1D rms velocity of 5.4×10^4 m/s (namely 380 K in temperature) is routinely obtained by implantation of positron bunches with energy of 3.3 keV in a silicon nanochanneled e+/Ps converter kept at room temperature [4]. First by the AEgIS Collaboration [3], in a magnetic field free environment, broadband Doppler laser cooling of Ps via the 1S–2P transition was demonstrated capable of reducing the Ps velocity down to 3.6×10^4 m/s (170 K).
In a recent effort, we improved the process by setting the e+/Ps converter near cryogenic temperatures, pushing the limits of the so-called Ps collisional cooling. Ps emerged as a cloud thermalized with the converter of velocity 3.4×10^4 m/s (155 K), that was further addressed by Doppler laser cooling, leading to the experimental realization of a positronium ensemble with a 1D rms velocity of 2.8×10^4 m/s (100 K).
The talk will focus mainly on the experimental effort to develop the novel cooling technique and future implementations in a strong magnetic field environment [5] towards high-precision gravitational measurements with antimatter.Bibliography:
[1] A. Kellerbauer, et al. (AEgIS Collaboration). Nuc. Inst. and Methods in Phys. Research B 266 (2008) 351-356.
[2] D. Krasnický, R. Caravita, C. Canali, and G. Testera, Phys. Rev. A 94, 022714 (2016).
[3] Glöggler, L. T.; et al. (AEgIS Collaboration). Phys. Rev. Lett. 2024, 132, 083402.
[4] S. Mariazzi, P. Bettotti, R. S. Brusa. Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 243401.
[5] Zimmer, C.; Yzombard, P.; Camper, A.; Comparat, D. Phys. Rev. A 2021, 104, 023106.Speaker: Ahmad Chehaimi (Universita degli Studi di Trento and INFN (IT)) -
80
Highlights from Over a Decade of CALET Cosmic-Ray Observations on the International Space Station
The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) has been operating aboard the International Space Station since October 2015 with excellent stability and continuous performance, providing high-precision measurements of high-energy cosmic radiation. Primarily designed to measure the all-electron spectrum up to the TeV region and the spectra of cosmic-ray nuclei up to the PeV scale, CALET addresses several key questions related to nearby high-energy sources, possible dark-matter signatures, and the acceleration and propagation of Galactic cosmic rays.
Over its extended observation period, the instrument has produced important results on cosmic-ray leptons, hadrons, and photons. In particular, deviations from single power-law behavior have been observed not only in the all-electron spectrum in the TeV region, but also in the spectra of protons, helium, and heavier nuclei, providing important input for the interpretation of spectral hardening and softening features. CALET has also extended direct measurements of the relative abundances of ultra-heavy nuclei, offering valuable insight into the origin and transport of heavy elements in the Galaxy.
In this contribution, we summarize the main scientific milestones achieved by CALET’s cosmic-ray program over more than ten years of operation aboard the ISS.
Speaker: Marco Mattiazzi -
81
Highlights of the very-high-energy γ-ray sky seen with H.E.S.S.
The field of very-high-energy γ-ray astronomy (100 TeV > photon energies > 100 GeV) has flourished in the last decades, thanks to technical advancements and extended operation lifetimes. The accumulated datasets are utilised for science cases spanning from characterising efficient astrophysical accelerators of cosmic-rays up to studies of Physics beyond the standard model, including persistent sources and transient phenomena.
In this overview, we present the current activities of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array located in Namibia operating for more than two decades thanks to the efforts of about 200 international collaboration members.
We focus on the source classes that have been observed with H.E.S.S., highlighting recent results from the collaboration based on dedicated studies. We discuss how these findings contribute in our understanding of extreme phenomena in Astrophysics. Finally we provide context for synergies with other fields within and beyond the γ-ray astronomy domain.Speaker: Dr Michelle Tsirou (Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (FZU))
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79
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Workshop on Astro-Cosmo-Gravity Room 1
Room 1
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82
Science Impact of the Fermi Mission at the Frontiers of the Violent, High-Energy Universe
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission has been surveying, probing,
monitoring, and mapping the dynamic gamma-ray sky since 2008. The unique
capabilities of the Large Area Telescope (LAT) and Gamma-ray Burst
Monitor (GBM) to observe the wide energy range (8 keV to above 300 GeV)
with high sensitivity, and rapid (3-hour) all-sky coverage remain
critical to advancing in modern multiwavelenght time domain and
multimessenger astrophysics (TDAMM).Since its launch, the LAT has collected more than 5.2 billion photon
events over approximately 18 years of continuous all-sky
spatial/temporal survey observations, providing a unique combination of
uniform spatial/temporal sky coverage. This enables studies of transient
phenomena, erratic and periodic variability, synergistic multiwavelength
and multimessenger astronomy, gravitational waves and very high energy
neutrinos, follow-up, cross-matching, association and identification of
sources, correlation studies, and strengthening the discovery potential
of survey and serendipitous science.Operating with high reliability, no significant performance degradation
and no mission-limiting consumables, while providing immediate public
gamma-ray photon data, joined to new catalogs, software tools and
pipelines, the Fermi mission has a fundamental impact detecting and
following-up gamma-ray sources across a broad range of classes and
topics, like dark matter and new physics searches, detection of events
and sources like TGFs and solar flares, transient phenomena, compact
objects like pulsars, magnetars, binaries, microquasars, novae,
supernova remnants and PWNe, Galactic Fermi bubbles and diffuse
emission, extragalactic sources and GRBs.Speaker: Dr Stefano Ciprini (INFN Roma Tor Vergata)
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82
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13:00
Lunch
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14:00
Break
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16:30
Coffee break
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Maritza Juliette Delgado Gonzalez (Universita & INFN, Milano-Bicocca (IT))-
83
Search for H→cc at the CMS experiment
One of the major goals of current LHC physics is the precise measurement of Higgs boson couplings, including those to second-generation fermions. Probing the Higgs–charm interaction through the Higgs boson decay into a charm quark–antiquark pair remains extremely challenging due to the small branching fraction, the overwhelming QCD background, and the difficulty of reliably tagging charm jets. Using data collected during Run-2 of the LHC (2016–2018), the CMS collaboration has searched for the H→cc process via several production mechanisms, including gluon fusion (ggF), associated production with a vector boson (VH), and with a top quark pair (ttH). A key element of these searches is the development of dedicated charm-tagging (c-tagging) algorithms, which distinguish charm jets from bottom and light-flavor jets, significantly improving the sensitivity of the signal. Through a combined analysis of the ttH and VH channels, leveraging advanced c-tagging techniques, CMS has set the most stringent constraints to date on the Hcc Yukawa coupling modifier: |κc| < 3.5 (2.7). This contribution presents an overview of the CMS searches for H→cc and the c-tagging methods employed.
Speaker: Lisa Generoso (Universita e INFN, Bari (IT)) -
84
Search for nonresonant triple Higgs boson production in the six b quark final state in proton-proton collisions at CMS
A search for nonresonant triple Higgs boson production in the six b quark final state is performed using proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1 recorded by the CMS experiment. Each Higgs boson is reconstructed either from two small-radius jets (resolved) or a single large-radius jet (merged). No significant excess of events over the Standard Model background prediction is observed. Observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limits on the signal cross section relative to the Standard Model expectation are set at 588 (572), corresponding to a signal cross section upper limit of 44 (43) fb. Assuming the quartic coupling modifier κ4 = 1, the observed (expected) constraint on the trilinear coupling modifier κ3 is −7.4 < κ3 < 12.4 (−6.4 < κ3 < 11.2) and, assuming κ3 = 1, the observed (expected) constraint on the quartic coupling modifier is −177 < κ4 < 185 (−177 < κ4 < 183). These are the most stringent constraints to date on nonresonant triple Higgs boson production and its quartic self-coupling, and provide the first probe, in a direct nonresonant triple Higgs boson search, of the perturbative unitarity boundary in the (κ3, κ4) plane.
Speaker: Xinyue Geng (Peking University (CN)) -
85
Status of the Muon g-2/EDM Experiment at J-PARC
A high precision comparison between the theoretical and experimental values of the muon magnetic anomaly, $a_{\mu}=(g_{\mu}-2)/2$, can be a stringent test of the Standard Model and a probe for New Physics. In 2025, the last publication by the Muon $g-2$ Collaboration at Fermilab brought the experimental uncertainty on $a_{\mu}$ down to the unprecedented precision of 124$\,$parts per billion (ppb). A new Muon g-2/EDM experiment is in construction in J-PARC, which aims to measure $a_{\mu}$ in different experimental conditions than Fermilab and with novel techniques: by accelerating thermal muons, a low-emittance muon beam is produced and injected into a compact storage ring through a three-dimensional spiral injection scheme. The initial goals of the experiment are to measure $a_{\mu}$ with a statistical uncertainty of 450$\,$ppb while containing the systematics to under 70$\,$ppb, and to search for a muon EDM signal with a sensitivity of $1.5\times 10^{-21}\,e\cdot\mathrm{cm}$. In this talk, I will present the current status of the experiment, reporting on its construction and development, and discussing the ongoing studies on higher $a_{\mu}$ sensitivity towards a statistical uncertainty of around 100$\,$ppb, comparable with Fermilab.
Speaker: Dr Lorenzo Cotrozzi (University of Liverpool) -
86
Non-Abelian Domain walls: oreo and CP violation
One of the most popular candidates for fermion flavour unification is the discrete flavour symmetry, including $A_4$, $S_4$, $A_5$, etc. The spontaneous breaking of discrete flavour symmetries can lead to the formation of domain walls, a kind of topological defect that can form during the phase transition in the early universe. We study this phenomenon in the scenarios of real and complex $A_4$ symmetric scalar theories and discover new kinds of domain walls, which we denote as ``oreo''-type composite domain walls and CP-violating domain walls.
Speaker: Bowen Fu (Northeastern University, China)
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83
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Outreach Room 2
Room 2
Convener: Marco Pieri (Univ. of California San Diego (US))-
87
The International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG) Engaging the world with science
The pillar for outreach in particle physics is IPPOG, the International Particle Physics Outreach Group. IPPOG is a network of scientists, science educators and communication specialists working across the globe in informal science education and public engagement for particle physics. Its flagship activity is the International Particle Physics Masterclasses programme, to which the Worldwide Data Day has been added. Activities related with cosmic rays, such as the International Cosmic Day and International Muon Week are also promoted and supported by IPPOG. Members of IPPOG also participate in a wide range of events: public talks, festivals, exhibitions, teacher training, student competitions, and open days at local institutes. A resource database has also been developed containing a wealth of material for the dissemination of particle physics. In this presentation the history and evolution of IPPOG will be presented briefly, and its various activities will be discussed.
Speaker: Fabiola Cacciatore -
88
μNet: The Greek Cosmic-Ray Education and Research Network – Status and Future Developments
μNet (microNet) is the Greek cosmic-ray education and research network, operating detector stations in high schools and educational institutions across the country. The project combines science education with modern astroparticle physics by providing students and teachers with hands-on experience through detector operation, real experimental data, and participation in authentic scientific research.
This contribution presents the current status of the μNet network, including its detector infrastructure, educational activities, and outreach initiatives. We also present recent developments and future plans aimed at expanding the scientific capabilities of the network. These include the deployment of remotely operated muon telescopes and the planned integration of radio antennas based on technologies developed for the GRAND experiment. The new instrumentation will introduce students and teachers to modern particle- and radio-detection techniques used in contemporary cosmic-ray and ultra-high-energy neutrino research.
By integrating particle, muon, and radio detectors within a common framework, μNet is evolving into a unique national infrastructure that connects education, outreach, and cutting-edge astroparticle physics, while promoting active participation in modern experimental research.
Speaker: Mr Leonidas Xiros (Hellenic Open University)
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87
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Special Session on neutrino physics Room 3
Room 3
Convener: Gianni Masetti (Universita e INFN Bologna (IT))-
89
Calibrating the world's largest LArTPC detector
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, DUNE, is a next-generation, long-baseline, neutrino experiment. It is poised to perform some of the most precise measurements of the properties of neutrinos to elucidate their role in the outstanding matter-antimatter asymmetry. DUNE will make use of the most intense neutrino beam, produced at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab, and which is directed at its Far Detector (FD) located 800 miles away and a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research facility in Lead, South Dakota. At a nominal 70 kilotons of liquid argon in four identical modules, the DUNE far detector will be the largest Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC)-based neutrino observatory in the world. The level of precision required to answer the questions sought after by DUNE result in unprecedented requirements in our understanding of the detector response. We must, therefore, carefully address various systematic uncertainties, particularly those in position and energy reconstruction of neutrino interactions and their byproducts. This talk will discuss the challenges involved in calibrating the largest LArTPC ever to be built, current plans, and elaborate on the novel calibration systems, tailored for DUNE, to provide the precision required to achieve future breakthrough discoveries.
Speaker: David Orlando Rivera Jr (Los Alamos National Laboratory (US))
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89
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Workshop on Instruments and Methods Room 3
Room 3
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90
The CMS trigger in Run 3 and its evolution toward the HL-LHC era
The CMS trigger system plays a central role in selecting collision events of physics interest in the high-rate environment of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A two-level trigger architecture is employed: a hardware-based Level-1 (L1) trigger performs an initial event selection at the MHz scale using reduced detector information, while the software-based High-Level Trigger (HLT) exploits the full detector granularity to further reduce the event rate to a level suitable for permanent storage. For the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), the CMS trigger will undergo a major upgrade to cope with up to 200 simultaneous interactions per bunch crossing. The upgraded system will feature increased L1 trigger rate and latency capabilities, the inclusion of tracking information at L1, and the use of advanced technologies such as high-performance FPGAs and machine-learning-based algorithms to maintain excellent physics performance in the challenging HL-LHC environment.
Speaker: Caterina Aruta (University of Florida (US)) -
91
Characterization of a BC-501A Liquid Scintillator Detector for Neutron Production Cross Section Measurements in 16O Induced Nuclear Fragmentation
Accurate knowledge of nuclear fragmentation cross sections plays a fundamental role in both oncological hadrontherapy and radiation protection in space. The FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experiment is designed to measure double differential cross-sections of nuclear fragmentation processes as a function of the emission angle and the kinetic energy of the fragments, with a precision better than $5\%$.
Neutrons are also produced during fragmentation; being electrically neutral, they are highly penetrating and they require a dedicated detection system. In this framework, a neutron detector based on a BC-501A liquid organic scintillator has been characterized using experimental data collected at the GSI laboratory (Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung) in Darmstadt, Germany. The experimental setup employed $^{16}$O beams at kinetic energies of 200 MeV/u and 400 MeV/u impinging on thin carbon (C) and polyethylene (C$_{2}$H$_{4}$)$_{n}$ targets. A thin plastic scintillator operating in anticoincidence mode (veto) is used to reject the charged particles. The separation of the neutron component from the $\gamma$-ray background is then achieved through the Time-of-Flight (ToF) measurements and the application of Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) algorithms. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed selection criteria, enabling isolation of the neutron component. A preliminary energy-differential cross section for neutron production in $^{16}$O + C and $^{16}$O + (C$_{2}$H$_{4}$)$_{n}$ interactions is extracted, validating the methodology for future dedicated measurements within the FOOT collaboration.Speaker: Lucia Salvi (INFN, Perugia (IT))
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90
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Session on Other topics and interdisciplinary topics Room 2
Room 2
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92
The FOOT experiment and its first physics results
The FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experiment aims to measure nuclear fragmentation double-differential cross sections in the energy range of 100-800 MeV/n. These results are useful for both hadrontherapy and radiation protection in deep space. Although these are two very different fields, they share a common issue: nuclear fragments deliver an unwanted dose to healthy tissues in particle theraphy and to astranauts during space travels. High precision fragmentation measurements of ion beams are hence needed to improve the treatment plans of cancer patients and to optimize the shielding of space vessels.
The FOOT experimental apparatus is a complex detector, composed of several subsystems. Its long construction phase is now complete and it has been used for a first data-taking campaign in CNAO, Italy, last november.
In the talk, a general introduction to the physics motivation of the experiment will precede a description of the setup for the fragmentation measurements at small angle, and the first preliminary physics results will be presented.Speaker: Maria Cristina Morone (Roma Tor Vergata University and INFN Roma Tor Vergata) -
93
Measurement of the fragmentation of Carbon Ions with the FOOT Nuclear Emulsion Spectrometer
Nuclear inelastic interactions play a crucial role in hadron therapy and space radiation protection, as they strongly influence the resulting dose distribution [1,2]. Accurate nuclear fragmentation cross sections are therefore essential to improve the reliability of Monte Carlo transport codes, which are widely used in modern treatment planning systems. However, experimental data remain limited [3], particularly for double-differential projectile fragmentation cross sections and proton-induced target fragmentation. In addition, fragmentation measurements provide a valuable tool to investigate nuclear structure through the study of specific dissociation channels.
The FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experiment is designed to study nuclear fragmentation processes of light nuclei such as $^{12}C$ and $^{16}O$ in the energy range from about 100 MeV/n to 700 MeV/n, relevant to both particle therapy and space radiation protection [4, 5, 6]. The experiment measures both target fragmentation (inverse kinematics) and projectile fragmentation (direct kinematics). Two complementary detector systems are used: a nuclear emulsion spectrometer for light charged fragments (Z ≤ 3), and a magnetic spectrometer for heavier fragments (Z ≥ 3).
This talk will focus on the nuclear emulsion spectrometer of the FOOT experiment, including its past and future data-taking campaigns. Data analysis will also be presented, with the first results on the fragmentation cross section of 221 MeV/n $^{12}C$ ions impinging on a graphite target, which will also be compared to predictions from Monte Carlo simulations.
References
1. Durante, M., & Paganetti, H. (2016). Nuclear physics in particle therapy: a review. Reports on Progress in Physics, 79(9), 096702.
2. Zeitlin, C., & La Tessa, C. (2016). The role of nuclear fragmentation in particle therapy and space radiation protection. Frontiers in oncology, 6, 65.
3. Norbury, J. W., Miller, J., Adamczyk, A. M., Heilbronn, L. H., Townsend, L. W., Blattnig, S. R., ... & Zeitlin, C. J. (2012). Nuclear data for space radiation. Radiation measurements, 47(5), 315-363.
4. Battistoni, G., Toppi, M., & Patera, V. (2021). Measuring the impact of nuclear interaction in particle therapy and in radio protection in space: the FOOT experiment. Frontiers in Physics, 8, 568242.
5. Ridolfi, R., Toppi, M., Mengarelli, A., Dondi, M., Alexandrov, A., Alpat, B., ... & Villa, M. (2025). Angular differential and elemental fragmentation cross sections of a 400 MeV/nucleon O 16 beam on a graphite target with the FOOT experiment. Physical Review C, 112(1), 014610.
6. Toppi, M., Sarti, A., Alexandrov, A., Alpat, B., Ambrosi, G., Argirò, S., ... & Villa, M. (2022). Elemental fragmentation cross sections for a 16O beam of 400 MeV/u kinetic energy interacting with a graphite target using the FOOT ΔE-TOF detectors. Frontiers in Physics, 10, 979229.Speaker: Vincenzo Boccia (University Federico II and INFN, Naples (IT))
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92
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Workshop on Dark Matter from Micro to Macro Room 3
Room 3
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94
Dark matter from warped extra dimensions
We propose in this work a setup for the origin of dark matter based on spacetime with a warped extra dimension and three branes: the Planck brane, the TeV brane at a (few) TeV scale ρT, and a dark brane, at a (sub-)GeV scale ρ1. The Standard Model (SM) is localized in the TeV brane, thus solving the Higgs hierarchy problem, while the dark matter χ, a Dirac fermion with mass mχ < ρ1, is localized in the dark brane. The radion, with mass mr < mχ, interacts strongly with dark matter and very weakly with the Standard Model matter. We study direct detection processes as well as indirect constraints from cosmology. For the latter, it is studied the cosmological evolution of the (χ , radion) system interacting with the thermal bath of the SM particles by solving the coupled Boltzmann equations.
In this work we explore also other possibility of dark matter in a warped extra-dimensional theory within a braneworld cosmological scenario in presence of a lineal dilaton background with a gapped continuum spectrum of gravitons. These fields can play the role of holographic dark matter, and its production is driven by an ultra-violet freeze-in mechanism.
This work is based on:
[1] F. Koutroulis, E. Megias, S. Pokorski, M. Quiros, Phys.Rev.D 110 (2024) 5, 055015.
[2] M. Prieto, E. Megias, M. Quiros, in progress (2026).Speaker: Dr Eugenio Megias (University of Granada)
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94
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Cosmology, Astrophysics, Gravity, Mathematical Physics Room 3
Room 3
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95
The DarkSide-20k experiment
DarkSide-20k is a next-generation multi-ton dark matter experiment currently being built at the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS). Building on the success of the DarkSide-50 detector, which has been in operation since 2015, DarkSide-20k will feature a dual-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with a 20-tonne fiducial mass (50-tonne active), designed to achieve unprecedented sensitivity in direct dark matter detection. The experiment incorporates advanced technologies essential for large-scale dark matter searches, including ultra-low-radioactivity underground argon (depleted of ³⁹Ar) and large-area cryogenic Silicon Photomultipliers with custom, compact electronics for light detection. Additionally, a global radiopurity assay program is in place to ensure minimal background contamination in construction materials. The TPC will be housed inside a membrane cryostat containing over 700 tonnes of liquid argon and surrounded by an active neutron veto. DarkSide-20k aims to achieve a WIMP-nucleon cross-section exclusion sensitivity of 7.4×10⁻⁴⁸ cm² for a 1 TeV/c² WIMP over a 200 tonne-year exposure, with no instrumental backgrounds. This presentation will provide updates on the ongoing construction, prototype testing and validation of the detector design through Monte Carlo simulations.
Speaker: Oscar Alejandro Taborda Pulgarin (Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI))
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95
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Special session on Machine Learning Room 1
Room 1
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96
De novo experiment design and experiment design optimisation in the era of foundation models
Progress in physics has long been driven by ingenious experiments conceived by human experts.
Recently, AI-driven design methods have begun to move beyond tuning a handful of parameters to proposing entirely new experimental layouts. The discovered configurations often challenge established design conventions while matching or even exceeding the performance of human-designed setups.This talk is based on two papers: in Eur. Phys. J. C 85, 1066 (2025) we frame the concept of intelligence and propose a hybrid intelligence and a framework for the development of hierarchical physics models that may be able to discover on their own new physics laws or concepts. In the other (accepted by Nature in July, I hope it will be public by the beginning of the workshop), we frame experimental design as a search for optima over a vast space of hardware configurations subject to practical constraints and provide a four-questions framework to make AI-driven design able to work on a spectrum from parameter tuning to de novo discovery, highlighting trade-offs between computational tractability, experimental feasibility, interpretability, and solution reliability.
We then argue that, ultimately, AI-designed experiments might thereby open new ways to explore the universe.
Speaker: Prof. Pietro Vischia (Departamento de Física and ICTEA, Universidad de Oviedo) -
97
Detector-Aware Neural Networks for Particle Identification in ALICE Run 3 Pb–Pb Collisions
Accurate particle identification (PID) is essential for probing the properties of the quark–gluon plasma in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. In ALICE Run 3, the unprecedented data volumes from Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.36 TeV demand PID strategies that are both highly efficient and resilient to the inherent incompleteness of detector information across the full track population.
We present a detector-aware neural network architecture that performs adaptive classification of pions, kaons, protons, and electrons, conditioned on the available detector configuration at the time of reconstruction. A central challenge is that while Bayesian PID probabilities are available for most tracks, they are only fully reliable when complete detector information is present — a condition satisfied by a small fraction of all tracks. Rather than discarding tracks with incomplete information, the proposed model learns specialised classification criteria for each detector configuration through masked training on missing PID probabilities.
Evaluated on Monte Carlo-reconstructed 2023 Pb–Pb data across multiple momentum ranges (0–3 GeV/c), the model achieves classification accuracies of 87–96%, substantially outperforming conventional Bayesian approaches where they are most accurate, and extending reliable PID to the majority of tracks where those methods provide limited precision. Benchmarking against a suite of machine learning baselines confirms that detector-aware design provides consistent additional gains, particularly where only partial detector coverage is available. Inference on approximately 8 million real Run 3 Pb–Pb tracks has been validated, with predicted species fractions and kinematic distributions found to be physically consistent and in agreement with expectations. Future directions include improved identification of rarer species, incorporation of additional sub detectors, and integration into the ALICE O2 analysis framework.
This work demonstrates how domain-aware deep learning design, informed by the physics of the detector itself, can substantially expand the phase-space accessible to heavy-ion analyses at the LHC — illustrating a broader principle that detector limitations, properly modelled, need not constrain the reach of modern classification methods.
Speaker: Mr Robert Forynski (University of Derby)
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96
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Poster Session
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98
Radius and Flow-Dependent Stability of Quark-Gluon Plasma Droplets Under Bjorken Expansion
In ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, the strongly interacting matter produced is often modeled as a rapidly expanding finite-sized droplet of Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). While conventional thermodynamic models of the QGP typically formulate the free energy strictly as a function of temperature, they frequently neglect the explicit time-dependence introduced by spatial expansion. In this work, we incorporate the Bjorken cooling law into a free energy framework to express the QGP droplet's thermodynamic state as a function of proper time. Furthermore, we perform a comprehensive stability analysis by evaluating the free energy across varying droplet radii, temperatures, and phenomenological flow parameters. We observe a free energy barrier: the free energy initially increases with radius due to finite-size surface tension effects, and beyond that barrier the free energy decreases monotonically with radius. Tracing the temporal evolution of the droplet under Bjorken cooling, we compute the trajectories for key thermodynamic quantities such as energy density and pressure, and observe a monotonic decrease consistent with Bjorken cooling dynamics. The squared speed of sound remains in proximity to the conformal limit of 1/3 throughout the evolution, with small droplets showing slightly larger deviations. These results are benchmarked against some established phenomenological frameworks, such as the MIT Bag Model and its extensions, providing a refined yet tractable approach to modeling the dynamic evolution and stability of QGP droplets in collider environments such as RHIC and the LHC.
Speaker: Ms Dipannita Das (Acharya Prafulla Chandra College, West Bengal State University) -
99
Cosmological Evolution of Quark-Gluon Plasma and the Effects of Finite Chemical Potential in the Early Universe
We investigate the thermodynamic evolution of the primordial Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) in the cosmological context of the early universe by coupling the free energy model of a QGP droplet (fireball) to the Friedmann equations. The temporal evolution of key thermodynamic state variables including energy density, pressure, temperature is obtained as a function of cosmic time. The computed pressure and energy density exhibit a linear relationship, consistent with a radiation-dominated medium, with finite size corrections yielding a moderately softer pressure-energy density slope relative to the standard MIT bag model. We subsequently extend our theoretical framework to incorporate a finite quark chemical potential to account for the matter-antimatter asymmetry present in the early universe. Our analysis reveals that introducing a finite chemical potential enhances the total energy density, which consequently accelerates the cooling of the plasma at a given cosmic time. While this accelerated cooling effect remains subdominant at extreme temperatures, it becomes highly pronounced as the universe cools and the system approaches the QCD crossover temperature. The findings of our work carry implications for the dynamics of the confinement–deconfinement phase transition, the hadronization epoch, and its connection to subsequent cosmological processes.
Speaker: Mr Keshav Jindal (Hansraj College, University of Delhi) -
100
Hadron and Boson Mass Computation via the Rotating Lepton Model
In this work, hadrons and bosons are modeled as single or multiple lepton-containing rotating rings. The relativistic particle motion leads to dramatic mass increase and thus to huge interparticle gravitational forces, which reach the value of the Strong Force at fermi distances. The model was first introduced in 2012 as the Rotating Lepton Model (RLM) [1] and is a Bohr-type model accounting for Special Relativity and using gravity instead of electromagnetism as the centripetal force. It turns out that, surprisingly, if the lepton rest masses are in the order of magnitude of the neutrino masses, then the computed energy of the ring is in the order of the neutron rest energy. Exact agreement is found if the rotating particles are three identical neutrinos of rest mass m_o=43.7 meV/c^2 (heaviest neutrino in NH). Changing particle type and geometry leads to structures with masses in the meson (if lighter neutrinos are used) and in the boson range (if some rotating neutrinos are replaced by electrons/positrons). In all the above cases, agreement with the experimental hadron and boson masses is semi-quantitative (less than 1% difference) [2,3].
References
C.G. Vayenas, S. N.-A. Souentie, Gravity, special relativity and the strong force: A Bohr-Einstein-de Broglie model for the formation of hadrons. (Springer, NY, 2012).
C.G. Vayenas, D.G. Tsousis and E. Martino. Gravitational catalysis of nuclear synthesis from positrons, electrons and neutrinos. Nature Scientific Reports 15, 25232 (2025).
C.G. Vayenas, D.G. Tsousis, E.H. Martino, “Catalysis in Chemistry and Physics: The Roles of Leptons, Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics”, Springer Nature, Switzerland AG, (2024). ISBN978-3-031-68121-9.Speaker: Dionysios Tsousis (University of Patras) -
101
Quantum metrology with indefinite causal order
Quantum metrology has repeatedly demonstrated the capacity to surpass the standard quantum limit, or even attain the Heisenberg limit. However, a short-lived Heisenberg limit cannot translate into superior practical precision, as the requisite quantum resources, such as entanglement and squeezing, are typically constrained to small scales and highly susceptible to environmental noise. In this presentation, we report that an outranking scaling can be attained by introducing quantum processes in an indefinite causal order (ICO). By manipulating two alternative orders of 2N non-commutative processes under ICO, one can achieve the super-Heisenberg limit expressed as 1/N^2, surpassing the 1/N scaling associated with fixed causal orders (as defined by gate count or evolution time). Notably, this quadratic scaling does not violate the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, because the variances of the generators are improved by the ICO. Thus, without breaking any fundamental rule, the resources arising from the ICO lead to a leaping improvement in measurement precision, while avoiding the need for hard-to-prepare probe states.
Speaker: Geng Chen
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98
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20:00
Conference Dinner, Cretan night with live music and dance in OAC
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Bowen Fu (Northeastern University, China)-
102
New ATLAS Standard Model Results
This talk presents a range of new ATLAS measurements of Standard Model processes and their interpretation. The measurements cover a first measurement of charged particle production in proton-oxygen collisions, precision jet cross sections in pp collisions, and heavy flavour jet production. Measurements of electroweak di-boson and tri-boson production will be shown. Global effective field theory fits to multiple datasets are used to constrain new physics effects.
Speaker: Matteo D'Uffizi (The University of Manchester (GB)) -
103
Precision Electroweak measurements with CMS
Precision electroweak measurements offer powerful indirect tests of the Standard Model as the observables are sensitive to virtual effects of new physics. This talk reviews recent results from the CMS experiment at the LHC reaching a precision competitive with measurements from lepton colliders: the mass of the W boson, $M_W = 80{,}360.2 \pm 9.9$~MeV, and the effective weak mixing angle, $\sin^2\theta_{\rm eff}^{\ell} = 0.23152 \pm 0.00031$, with the leading uncertainty coming from the parton distribution functions (PDFs). In addition, studies of the weak boson differential transverse momentum spectra, Z boson angular coefficients, and charge asymmetry of W boson production are discussed. All results are in good agreement with the Standard Model.
Speaker: Rhys Taus (University of Rochester (US))
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102
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Workshop on QCD Room 1
Room 1
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104
QCD measurements with CMS
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) provides the theoretical framework for describing the strong interaction and plays a central role in proton–proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Precision QCD measurements are essential for testing the Standard Model, validating theoretical predictions, constraining parton distribution functions, improving Monte Carlo event generators, and reducing systematic uncertainties in searches for new phenomena. This presentation provides an overview of recent QCD measurements performed by the CMS experiment, highlighting the broad physics program based on Run 2 and Run 3 data. The results are compared with state-of-the-art theoretical calculations and event generator predictions, demonstrating the excellent precision achieved by CMS over a wide kinematic range. These measurements provide stringent tests of Quantum Chromodynamics and deepen our understanding of the strong interaction.
Speaker: Dr Meena Meena (Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile)
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104
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
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105
ATLAS detector performance during Run 3
The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) continues to deliver high-precision measurements and new physics insights through its extensive dataset collected during Run 2 and Run 3. The performance of key detector subsystems, including tracking, calorimetry, and muon detection, plays a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy of physics analyses. This talk will present recent highlights from ATLAS performance studies, covering improvements in object reconstruction and calibration techniques. Emphasis will be placed on efficiency, resolution, and systematic uncertainties affecting key physics observables, as well as the ongoing efforts to optimize detector performance for future data-taking periods.
Speaker: Lucio Derin (INFN e Universita Genova (IT)) -
106
CMS detector performance in run-3
This presentation provides an overview of the CMS detector performance during LHC Run 3. The performance of the detector systems, trigger, event reconstruction, and reconstructed physics objects is reviewed, demonstrating the excellent operation and enabling the full physics potential of the CMS experiment under the Run 3 data-taking conditions
Speaker: Federica Simone (Universita e INFN, Bari (IT))
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105
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10:40
Coffee break
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Rhys Taus (University of Rochester (US))-
107
ATLAS Computing
To achieve its physics program, the ATLAS collaboration operates large, internationally-distributed computing systems and maintains millions of lines of code. This computing infrastructure and software developed have been successfully deployed and utilised during the LHC era to produce a wealth of high energy physics results, with up to 0.5 fb-1 of data recorded in the years 2010-2026. As Run 3 comes to an end, the focus is now firmly on the high Luminosity upgrade of the LHC, the HL-LHC, which is due to begin in 2030 and deliver five times the data collected by ATLAS so far. The computing infrastructure and software are growing in complexity in preparation for the HL-LHC era, and the ATLAS planning for HL–LHC computing started back in 2020 with a Conceptual Design Report outlining various challenges to explore. Following a roadmap defining concrete milestones in 2022 and a series of demonstrators with focused R&D in specific topics, ATLAS will soon publish its Software and Computing TDR, which will not only present the planned status for Run 4 and the beginning of the HL-LHC, but also what is proposed beyond to meet the challenges of this new era of data taking.
Speaker: Dimitrios Christidis (CERN) -
108
ATLAS Tile Calorimeter: performance, calibration and optics robustness
The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is a sampling hadronic calorimeter covering the central region of the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, using steel absorbers and plastic scintillators as the active medium. It plays a key role in jet energy measurements, missing transverse momentum reconstruction, and hadronic energy calibration.
The detector response is calibrated using a combination of dedicated calibration systems and in situ techniques based on collision data. Each stage of the signal chain, from scintillation light production to signal reconstruction, is continuously monitored to ensure stable and uniform performance.
The calorimeter performance has been studied using LHC Run 3 data. The time resolution is evaluated with multi-jet events, while high-momentum isolated muons are used to validate the electromagnetic energy scale. The hadronic response is further probed using isolated hadrons.
This contribution presents recent results on the TileCal performance, including calibration accuracy, response stability, energy scale, uniformity, and time resolution.Speaker: Pietro Matteo Tricarico (The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) (ES)) -
109
ALPHA –A Plasma Haloscope for the Post-Inflation Axion
Axions are a compelling dark matter candidate, originally hypothesized to solve the strong CP problem. Motivated by recent theoretical predictions for the mass of the post-inflation axion, the ALPHA (Axion Longitudinal Plasma HAloscope) experiment, currently under construction, utilizes a tunable metamaterial resonator inside a 9 T magnet. Unlike conventional microwave cavities, these plasma-frequency resonators depend on the unit cell rather than boundary conditions, allowing arbitrarily high frequencies (above 40 μeV) without sacrificing volume. Commissioning for ALPHA will begin in 2027 with an initial dark photon search, and data production for axion searches is expected to begin in 2028. This talk provides an overview of the ALPHA experiment, focusing on the joint UC Berkeley and Stockholm University R&D efforts. We will discuss the theory and prototyping results of a wire-metamaterial resonator with a Photonic Band Gap enclosure designed for the initial 10–20 GHz phase.
Speaker: Dr Jonathan Echevers (University of California Berkeley) -
110
The COMET Experiment Searching for Muon-to-Electron Conversion at J-PARC
The COMET experiment searches for coherent muon-to-electron conversion in aluminium nuclei, $\mu^- + {\rm Al} \rightarrow e^- + {\rm Al}$, at J-PARC in Ibaraki, Japan. This charged-lepton-flavour-violating process is extremely suppressed in the Standard Model, with an expected rate of order $10^{-54}$, even when neutrino oscillations are taken into account. In contrast, a wide range of theories beyond the Standard Model (BSM) predict experimentally accessible rates, at most $10^{-15}$. Its observation would therefore provide evidence of BSM, while improved limits would place stringent constraints on flavour models at high energy scales.
COMET will be carried out in two stages. Phase-I aims to reach a single-event sensitivity at the $\mathcal{O}(10^{-15})$ level, followed by Phase-II with a target sensitivity of $\mathcal{O}(10^{-17})$. The experiment uses a pulsed 8-GeV proton beam slowly extracted from the J-PARC Main Ring. This beam structure provides an intense source of stopped muons while allowing prompt beam-related backgrounds to be strongly suppressed by delayed timing measurements. A dedicated muon beamline based on superconducting solenoids is being constructed to efficiently transport low-momentum negative muons to the aluminium stopping target.
We have been constructing a dedicated experimental facility at J-PARC. Its first commissioning, Phase-$\alpha$, was successfully performed in 2023. In this campaign, proton beam extraction into the COMET area and muon transport to the detector region were demonstrated using a simplified beamline configuration.
Significant progress has also been made toward the completion of the Phase-I beamline with installation of all the required superconducting. Magnet commissioning is currently in progress, and a detailed magnetic-field measurement in the detector region is also planned. These activities are essential for establishing the beam optics and detector acceptance required for the first physics run.
The main Phase-I detector, the CyDet system, consists of the Cylindrical Drift Chamber (CDC) and the Cylindrical Trigger Hodoscope (CTH). Detector construction, trigger development, data acquisition, and analysis frameworks have been progressing through cosmic-ray and bench tests. Preparations are now underway for an integrated dry run of CyDet.
In this talk, I will introduce the physics motivation and experimental concept of COMET, report the latest progress of the Phase-I facility and detector preparation, and discuss the prospects for the forthcoming commissioning and physics programme.Speaker: Kou Oishi (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization) -
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Dark sector and $\tau$ lepton studies at Belle II
The Belle II experiment has collected a $600~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ sample of $e^+e^-$ collision data at center-of-mass energies near the $\Upsilon(nS)$ resonances, while the previous Belle experiment collected an additional $711~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ sample. These data have constrained kinematics and low multiplicity, which allow searches for dark sector particles in the mass range from a few MeV to 10 GeV. We present new searches in a $600~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ sample collected by Belle II, including searches for a light dark photon decaying to a pair of muons, an axion-like particle decaying to two photons, and a $Z^{\prime}$ boson that decays invisibly. Using a $711~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ sample collected by Belle, we search for $B\to h + \mathrm{invisible}$ decays, where $h$ is a $\pi$, $K$, $D$, $D_{s}$ or $p$, and $B\to Ka$, where $a$ is an axion-like particle. We use the Belle and Run 1 Belle II data samples to search for lepton-flavor violating decays, presenting searches for the decays $\tau \to \mu\gamma$, $\tau \to \ell\eta$, $\tau\to \ell\pi^0$, and $\tau^-\to \ell^-\alpha$, where $\ell = e$ or $\mu$ and $\alpha$ is an invisible scalar particle. Using the Belle II $600~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ data sample we also present new measurements including the $C\!P$ asymmetry in $\tau \to K^0 \pi\nu$ decays, the $\tau$ lifetime, and branching fractions and spectral moments of $\tau$ decays to final states with strangeness.
Speaker: Alexandre Beaubien
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Workshop on Instruments and Methods Room 3
Room 3
Convener: Caterina Aruta (University of Florida (US))-
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The performance of the ATLAS New Small Wheels throughout the whole LHC Run 3
During the second long shutdown of the LHC at CERN, the most important Phase-1 upgrade within the ATLAS experiment was the replacement of the two inner endcap stations of the Muon Spectrometer, with the New Small Wheels (NSW). Consisting of two novel detector technologies, the small-strip Thin Gap Chambers (sTGC) and the
resistive strips Micromegas (MM), the NSW is targeting the rejection of fake muons in the endcap trigger region between pseudorapidity $1.3<|\eta|<2.4$. Furthermore, thanks to the excellent muon tracking and the improved triggering capability NSW contributes to the identification of muons coming from the interaction point with high precision.Following an extensive initial commissioning effort to finalise the new detector systems, the technologies were successfully integrated into the ATLAS data acquisition and reconstruction frameworks in 2022, providing high tracking efficiency and good spatial resolution (improving over time and still under tuning). Moreover, the integration of the NSW into the trigger system, which started in 2023, was completed in 2024, leading to a significant reduction in fake triggers in the ATLAS Level-1 trigger rate and a further decrease in readout dead time. Despite the demanding challenges and increased luminosity delivered by LHC, the ATLAS NSW completed important milestones and successfully demonstrated excellent performance for over than three years.
This contribution presents a detailed report of the NSW tracking and triggering performance using pp collision data at 13.6 TeV between 2022 and 2026, along with planned improvements for the High-Luminosity LHC era.
Speaker: Michael Schernau (Instituto De Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá (CL)) -
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The CMS Muon Detector
The muon detection system of the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider is a key component for efficient muon identification, trajectory reconstruction, and real-time event selection. It combines four complementary technologies to ensure high precision and redundancy across a broad pseudorapidity range: Drift Tubes, Cathode Strip Chambers, Resistive Plate Chambers, and Gas Electron Multipliers. During the Run 3 data-taking period, proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13.6 TeV are being recorded at instantaneous luminosities exceeding 2×10^34 cm-2s-1. Under these conditions, the muon system continues to provide stable operation, high trigger efficiency, and accurate reconstruction performance, while also serving as a platform for validating new hardware developments. Looking toward the High-Luminosity LHC phase, the accelerator will reach luminosities up to five to seven times than its original design, resulting in up to 200 concurrent interactions per bunch crossing. To address these demanding conditions, an extensive upgrade program is being implemented and will continue through the upcoming shutdown period. This effort includes the modernization of front-end and back-end electronics for existing detectors, alongside the deployment of new muon stations based on advanced technologies: the introduction of additional Gas Electron Multiplier stations and improved Resistive Plate Chambers will enhance tracking performance, strengthen trigger capabilities, and expand coverage in the forward region. This contribution presents an overview of the CMS muon system during Run 3, together with the progress, challenges, and future prospects of the upgrade activities aimed at ensuring optimal operation in the HL-LHC era.
Speaker: Gianni Masetti (Universita e INFN Bologna (IT)) -
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The Silicon Vertex Tracker subsystem for the ePIC experiment
The ePIC experiment at the future Electron-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory will investigate a broad and rich QCD physics program, requiring high-performance detector subsystems. One of its key components is the Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT), which provides high-precision tracking, vertex, and momentum reconstruction for charged particles with low transverse momentum, $p_\mathrm{T}$. It is designed to achieve a spatial resolution $\leq 5$ $\mu$m, a transverse momentum resolution at $p_\mathrm{T}=1$ GeV/c between 0.05% and 0.1% (depending on the pseudo-rapidity), and a maximum material budget per layer of $\sim0.55\, x/x_0$ in the outermost barrel surface. Its innovative aspects range from sensors to the mechanics. They are: the sensor technology, consisting of fine-pitch, low-power TPSCo 65 nm CMOS imaging Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) chips; ultra-light mechanical structures; and an air-cooling system. In the innermost region of the SVT barrel, bent wafer-sized chips will directly cover the cylindrical tracking surfaces. Their mechanical bending occurs during the assembly of the detector layers. Even though the challenges of the assembly procedure are addressed in synergy with the ALICE ITS3 project, the larger cylinder radii of the SVT inner barrel pose unique challenges that require dedicated R&D solutions. The SVT outer barrel and end-cap disks will cover larger areas. Their sensor design will adopt the same pixel matrix as the innermost barrel and ALICE ITS3 sensors, but will use serial powering, modified data transmission, and an alternate segmentation to optimally satisfy the requirements on material budget, coverage, yield, integration constraints, and costs.
Since the start of the project, considerable progress has been made towards finalising the detector design, building engineering test articles, and carrying out characterisation studies. The SVT design, experiences with the engineering test articles, and characterisation studies will be reported and discussed in this contribution.Speaker: Maria Teresa Camerlingo (Universita e INFN, Bari (IT)) -
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Operational Experience and Future Perspectives of the CMS GEM Muon System Upgrades
The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) transition represents a paradigm shift for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, introducing unprecedented particle rates and radiation levels. To thrive in this extreme environment, CMS is redefining its forward muon system through the integration of Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology, spearheaded by the GE1/1 and ME0 stations.The GE1/1 station, featuring triple-GEM detectors, was successfully deployed during Long Shutdown 2 to bolster the Cathode Strip Chambers in the $1.6 < |\eta| < 2.15$ region. Now a core component of Run 3 operations, GE1/1 has already proven its value by significantly enhancing redundancy and Level-1 trigger precision. This presentation provides an in-depth review of the operational lessons learned so far, detailing real-world detector performance, critical electronics optimizations, and the system integration strategies implemented to ensure seamless data taking.Looking toward Long Shutdown 3, the ME0 station is engineered to push the boundaries of the muon system up to a remarkable $|\eta| = 2.8$. Designed specifically to survive the HL-LHC’s harshest high-rate zones, ME0 leverages advanced background rejection and robust architectural optimizations. We present the latest milestones from the ME0 project, including high-precision results from recent prototype beam tests, cutting-edge time resolution performance, and the progress of the ongoing mass production phase. Together, these GEM upgrades are pivotal for the CMS physics program; by ensuring high-fidelity muon identification and tracking in the most demanding detector regions, GE1/1 and ME0 unlock the full discovery potential of the HL-LHC era.
Speaker: Ilaria Vai (Pavia University and INFN (IT)) -
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Operation and Performance of the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter during LHC Run 3
The ATLAS Liquid Argon (LAr) calorimeter system provides electromagnetic calorimetry for |η| < 3.2 and hadronic and forward calorimetry up to |η| = 4.9. Together with the Tile Calorimeter, it is essential for the reconstruction and triggering of electrons, photons, jets, and missing transverse momentum. During LHC Run 3, from 2022 to 2026, the LAr calorimeter operated under increased luminosity and pileup conditions, reaching up to about 65 interactions per bunch crossing. A robust operational model combining detector hardware, calibration systems, high-voltage and cryogenic infrastructure, online monitoring, and dedicated software workflows ensured excellent performance and reliability. Data-taking efficiencies above 99.9% were achieved, with stable response and high data quality throughout the run. A major evolution during Run 3 was the successful commissioning and sustained operation of the fully digital trigger readout, providing increased trigger-level granularity and enabling the progressive retirement of the legacy analog trigger. In parallel, the precision readout chain benefited from the refurbishment and reliable operation of more than 1,500 legacy boards. This contribution reviews the Run 3 operational experience and lessons learned in preparation for Run 4 and the High-Luminosity LHC era.
Speaker: Melissa Aguiar (CERN) -
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Improvements in pileup mitigation with Constituent Subtraction
Hard-scatter processes in hadronic collisions are often significantly contaminated by background contributions from pileup in proton-proton collisions or underlying event in heavy-ion collisions. It is crucial to mitigate this background since it has a significant impact on hadronic jet reconstruction and on the ability to identify the substructures of hadronically decaying boosted objects.
There are multiple methods to remove the effect of pileup for jets. Two such methods which are exploited for physics measurements, Area Subtraction and Constituent Subtraction, use the pileup density as the main ingredient to estimate the magnitude of pileup contribution on an event-by-event basis. We present a new pileup-density estimation method that minimizes the sensitivity on the presence of hard-scatter jets in the event [1]. Using a detector-level simulation, we provide a comparison of the new method with other estimation methods, within the Constituent Subtraction algorithm. We observe a significantly lower bias for the estimated pileup density when using the new method. Additionally, we discuss the latest updates to achieve improved performance with the Iterative Constituent Subtraction method [2]. These improvements are beneficial also for the mitigation of effects from the underlying event in heavy-ion collisions.[1] JHEP08(2024)078, arXiv:2304.08383
[2] JHEP08(2019)175, arXiv:1905.03470Speaker: Peter Berta (Charles University, Prague (CZ))
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Workshop on QCD Room 2
Room 2
Convener: Evgeny Zabrodin (Universiyu of Oslo)-
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Highlights of STAR Spin Results
The RHIC spin program has provided a unique opportunity to study the spin structure of the proton and spin-dependent QCD phenomena in high-energy polarized proton collisions. STAR has played a central role in this program through its broad acceptance and versatile detector capabilities. This talk will present selected highlights of STAR spin results, focusing on the spin structure of the proton, transverse-momentum-dependent spin effects, and spin-dependent final-state phenomena. These measurements have constrained gluon and sea-quark contributions to the proton spin, advanced our understanding of spin-momentum correlations in QCD, and opened new opportunities to study spin-dependent fragmentation and hadronization. The talk will also highlight the continuing potential of STAR, including recently collected data with the forward upgrade, which significantly extends the kinematic reach for future spin measurements.
Speaker: Jinlong Zhang (Shandong University)
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Workshop on Dark Matter from Micro to Macro Room 2
Room 2
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The SABRE South Experiment at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory
SABRE is an international collaboration that will operate similar particle detectors in the Northern (SABRE North) and Southern Hemispheres (SABRE South). This innovative approach aims to distinguish potential dark matter signals from seasonal backgrounds: a pioneering strategy only feasible with a Southern Hemisphere experiment. SABRE South is located at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL), in regional Victoria, Australia. SUPL is a newly constructed facility situated 1024 metres underground (∼2900 metres water equivalent) within the Stawell Gold Mine. Its construction was completed in 2023.
SABRE South employs ultra-high purity NaI(Tl) crystals immersed in a linear alkyl benzene (LAB)-based liquid scintillator veto, surrounded by passive steel and polyethylene shielding, and topped with a plastic scintillator muon veto. Significant progress has been made in the procurement, testing, and preparation of equipment for the installation of SABRE South. The assembly of the experiment at SUPL will take place this year. The SABRE South muon detector and data acquisition systems are already operational and actively collecting data at SUPL, and full commissioning of SABRE South is planned this year. This presentation will provide an update on the overall progress of the SABRE South construction, its anticipated performance, and its potential physics reach.
Speaker: Dr Irene Bolognino (The University of Adelaide) -
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BULLKID-DM: Searching for Light WIMP with Monolithic Arrays of Detectors
BULLKID-DM is a new experiment designed to search for low-mass WIMP-like dark matter particles ($1~\mathrm{GeV/{c}^{2}}$ or below) with nucleon cross-sections below ${10}^{-41}~\mathrm{{cm}^{2}}$. The detector consists of an $800~\mathrm{g}$ array of over 2000 silicon dice, each acting as a particle absorber instrumented with multiplexed Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs). Background rejection is achieved through a fully active structure, enabling fiducialization and anticoincidence techniques.
A $20~\mathrm{g}$ prototype, consisting of 60 voxels diced from a $3''$ silicon wafer, demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. Following its success, we present the first operation, in a surface laboratory equipped with a lead and copper radiation shield, of a $60~\mathrm{g}$ demonstrator with 180 dice. This setup closely replicates the final experimental configuration. The recorded backgrounds are compared to
Geant4simulations performed by the collaboration.We also discuss ongoing R&D activities, including low-radioactivity detector mounting, a cryogenic scintillating veto readout with KIDs, in situ calibration techniques, and detector upgrades such as KIDs with dedicated phonon-collecting structures and germanium substrates for multi-target capabilities.
Finally, we outline the deployment plan of the setup at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS). The demonstrator will be installed at LNGS, in the Cryo-Platform, by late 2026. Following successful validation, the full experiment is expected to be commissioned in 2027.
Speaker: Dr Shihong Fu (Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) - INFN) -
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The Underground Argon Supply Chain for DarkSide-20k: Extraction, Purification, and Radiopurity Assessment
The DarkSide-20k experiment, currently under construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, will use a multi-tonne dual-phase liquid argon time projection chamber to search for WIMP dark matter. A key requirement for this program is the availability of argon with an extremely low content of cosmogenic argon-39, whose activity in atmospheric argon, about 0.96 Bq/kg, would otherwise limit the sensitivity of large-scale detectors.
To address this challenge, the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration has developed a dedicated underground argon supply chain, building on the experience of DarkSide-50 and targeting an argon-39 depletion factor of at least 1400. This chain begins with the extraction of underground argon at the Urania plant in Colorado, continues with isotopic purification through the ARIA cryogenic distillation column in Sardinia, and is completed by radiopurity assessment with the DArT-in-ArDM setup at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory.
This talk will present the full underground argon production and qualification workflow for DarkSide-20k. Particular emphasis will be placed on DArT, which has recently entered its commissioning phase and will provide the direct characterization of the argon-39 content in the processed underground argon. First commissioning results and the expected sensitivity based on experimental data will also be discussed.
Speaker: Sara Tullio -
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Theoretical search for Dark matter particles using molecules
The report will focus on the effect of new parity-violating interactions with hypothetical Dark matter particles (axions) on the spectra of polyatomic molecules with heavy atoms.
We consider the calculation of the following properties using one-center restoration method: a one-electron property describing the interaction with external background fields of axions, electron-nuclear interaction through the exchange of axions with the calculation of the sensitivity of a triatomic molecule, as well as electron-electron interaction through the exchange of axions with calculation of the sensitivity of the spectrum of a triatomic molecule.
The rovibrational wave functions of triatomic molecules were calculated using developed programs based on the coupled channel method. This makes it possible to study the effect of rotations and vibrations on P, T-odd properties, taking into account the anharmonicity of the potential. As a result, we obtained not just sensitivity values for the equilibrium configurations of the studied molecules, but values for those rovibrational states (l-doublets) that are used in P, T-odd effects search experiments.
It is shown that the sensitivity of molecules can provide better laboratory constraints on the coupling constants of axions with masses greater than 0.1 MeV, which are not currently closed by experiments with torsion weights.
Speaker: ANNA ZAKHAROVA
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Special session on strangeness in heavy ion collisions and related topics (40th anniversary) Room 2
Room 2
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Investigation of a QGP droplet formation in quasiparticle model framework
The formation of quark–gluon plasma (QGP) droplets indicates a key signal of the deconfined nature of strongly interacting matter in a hot and dense medium. Using different variants of the quasiparticle model (QPM) frameworks, we try to analyse how multiple droplets behave in order to form a signal of stability, interact collectively and split apart from their birth to end in the evolution of QGP. The quasiparticle treatment plays an important role in exploring the various features of QGP droplet formation in the presence of essential inputs such as temperature, chemical potential, and magnetic field. Our investigation highlights how a variety of QPM based approaches offer insights into several observable signatures, such as the electromagnetic radiation spectrum and strangeness enhancement in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The analysis underscores the relevance of these model frameworks in capturing the interplay between microscopic QPM dynamics and macroscopic droplet evolution. The quasiparticle treatment, therefore, improves our understanding in order to form a stable QGP droplet as well as show a thermodynamically consistent nature in the QGP state. The results are not only significant in heavy-ion collisions but also useful in the field of cosmology and astrophysics domain.
Speaker: Dr Yogesh Kumar (Hansraj College, University of Delhi)
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13:00
Lunch
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14:00
Break
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Coffee break
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 2
Room 2
Convener: Angelika Magdalena Tefelska (Warsaw University of Technology (PL))-
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THESEUS generator of heavy-ion collisions: study of directed flow
This work presents results on directed flow calculated using the THESEUS event generator. Specifically, we test the thermodynamic mechanism implemented in THESEUS, where deuterons are produced on an equal basis with hadrons within a late freeze-out scenario ($\varepsilon_{\text{frz}} = 0.2\text{ GeV/fm}^3$).
First, a comparison of the generator calculations with existing STAR data is presented to establish a baseline. The model predictions are then compared with preliminary data from the BM@N experiment on the directed flow ($v_1$) of protons and deuterons in Xe+Cs(I) collisions at $3.8A\text{ GeV}$ for the 10--40\% centrality interval. While THESEUS successfully reproduces the proton $v_1$ data, it exhibits a systematic overestimation of the deuteron flow at low and intermediate rapidities.
Speaker: Marina Kozhevnikova -
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sPHENIX highlights
The sPHENIX experiment is a second generation collider detector at RHIC, designed to explore the properties of the quark–gluon plasma through measurements of jets and heavy flavor. The detector is equipped with large-acceptance electromagnetic (EMCal) and hadronic (HCal) calorimeters, allowing jet energies to be measured with the neutral hadron contributions for the first time at RHIC. In addition, the inner tracking system, consisting of silicon detectors and a TPC, provides high spatial resolution and particle identification capability. The novel use of continuous readout in the tracking system allows for the collection of high-statistics data.
The experiment began commissioning in 2023 and completed all data-taking in February 2026. In 2024, it recorded proton–proton (p+p) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV, collecting an integrated luminosity of 107/pb using an efficient high-energy jet and photon trigger.
This dataset significantly extends the available statistics compared to previous measurements at the same energy. In 2025-2026, in addition to high-statistics Au+Au collision data, further p+p data and data from lighter collision systems, such as O+O, were also collected.
In this talk, we present an overview of the sPHENIX experiment and report results from ongoing analyses of the p+p and Au + Au collision data, including jet measurements, direct photons, strangeness and heavy-flavor production and transverse single-spin asymmetries. We also discuss the current status of analyses for O+O collisions.Speaker: Takashi Hachiya (Nara Women's University (JP)) -
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Recent results from the NA61/SHINE strong interaction program at CERN SPS
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Speaker: Elizaveta Zherebtsova (University of Wroclaw (PL)) -
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Relative yield fluctuations of identified hadrons in relativistic heavy ion collisions in the HYDJET++ model
The experimental results on K/π, p/π and K/p fluctuations in relativistic heavy ion
collisions are analyzed and interpreted within HYDJET++ model.
We use the standard and modified versions of the model.
The modification is introduced into primary light meson production
mechanism for soft component. Such procedure allows one to describe the
widths of charge balance function for inclusive final hadrons as well. The
observable ν_{dyn} and also scaled ν_{dyn} with particle multiplicity are
used to quantify the magnitude of the fluctuations.Speaker: Gyulnara Eyyubova (SINP MSU, Moscow, Russia) -
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Characterization of Event-Shape Observables in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions using Machine-Learning with AMPT at top RHIC energy
In this work, machine-learning methods using XGBoost (XGB) and Deep Neural Networks (DNN) are developed to predict event-wise transverse spherocity ($S_0$) and mean transverse momentum ($\langle p_{T} \rangle$). Event-level observables are constructed from charged-particle multiplicity, transverse-region activity, momentum moments, azimuthal moments, and $\eta$--$\varphi$ maps. We show that $S_{0}$ can be well reconstructed, with the dominant information carried by transverse multiplicity and azimuthal event-shape features. These results provide a data-driven framework for event-shape classification and for studying the connection between final-state event topology and bulk-particle production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.
Speaker: Dr Jagbir Singh (Instituto De Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá (CL))
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Sarah Louise Mancina (INFN-Padova)-
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Operation Experience and Performance with the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter Phase-II Demonstrator in Run 3
The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is a sampling hadronic calorimeter covering the central region of the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In view of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) upgrade, TileCal will undergo a major replacement of its readout electronics to cope with increased trigger rates, higher radiation levels, and challenging pile-up conditions.
As part of this program, a Demonstrator module implementing the Phase-II readout architecture was constructed and installed in ATLAS with full backward compatibility with the existing Trigger and Data Acquisition system. This module has been operated under real detector conditions during LHC Run 3, providing a unique opportunity to validate the upgraded design in situ.
The Demonstrator electronics were previously qualified in dedicated test beam campaigns at the CERN SPS, and their performance is now assessed using collision data. This contribution presents an overview of the hardware and firmware architecture of the Demonstrator module, together with operational experience and performance results obtained during LHC Run 3. The results demonstrate the stability, reliability, and performance of the upgraded readout concept and provide important input for the full Phase-II upgrade of TileCal.Speaker: Ammara Ahmad (Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU)) -
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Measurements of electroweak penguin $B$ decays at Belle and Belle II
The Belle and Belle II experiments have collected a $1.2~\mathrm{ab}^{-1}$ sample of $e^+ e^-\to B\bar{B}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy corresponding to the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance. We present results on the inclusive decay $B\to X_s\ell^+\ell^-$, where $X_s$ is a hadronic system with strangeness. We also present a new measurement of the inclusive rate for radiative $B$ decays $b\to s\gamma$. These data, with low particle multiplicity and constrained initial state kinematics, are also an ideal environment to search for rare electroweak penguin $B$ decays to final states with missing energy from neutrinos. We present new results on $B\to K^{(*)}\nu\bar{\nu}$ using an inclusive tagging technique, including the first results from Belle. We will also present a search for inclusive decays $B\to X_s\nu\bar{\nu}$, where $X_s$ is a hadronic system with strangeness. We will also present searches for the decays $B^+\to K^+\tau^+\tau^-$ and $B^0\to K^0_S\tau^+\tau^-$.
Speaker: Corentin Santos (University of Strasbourg) -
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Measurements of hadronic $B$ decay rates at Belle and Belle II
The Belle and Belle II experiments have collected a $1.2~\mathrm{ab}^{-1}$ sample of $e^+ e^-\to B\bar{B}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy corresponding to the $\Upsilon(4S)$. The study of hadronic $B$ decays in these data allows the precise measurement of absolute branching fractions and angular distributions of the decay products. We present a selection of recent results of measurements of such decay processes.
Speaker: Tadeas Bilka
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Workshop on Instruments and Methods Room 3
Room 3
Convener: Badr-Eddine Ngair (New York University Abu Dhabi (AE))-
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Eco-friendly RPC operation: ageing studies at GIF++ and new developments beyond SF₆
Gaseous detectors play a key role in particle physics experiments, yet their operation often relies on fluorinated gases with very high Global Warming Potential (GWP). In particular, Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) operated in avalanche mode typically use high-performance gas mixtures containing high-GWP components such as C₂H₂F₄ and SF₆.
With growing environmental concerns and increasingly stringent regulations, the development of sustainable gas mixtures has become a global priority.
Within the RPC ECOGas@GIF++ Collaboration, a long-term R&D program has been carried out to investigate C₂H₂F₄-free gas mixtures and assess their performance under irradiation. In this framework, RPCs operated with a mixture based on HFO-1234ze/CO₂ were exposed to high particle fluxes at CERN GIF++, accumulating charges of the order of 10² mC/cm² over three years. The ageing campaign has now been completed, and detector performance has been systematically evaluated over a wide range of rates. A new phase of studies is currently underway, focused on the search for eco-compatible alternatives to SF₆.
This contribution will present the preliminary final results of the ageing campaign, together with the first preliminary results of the new R&D phase from 2026 beam tests.
Speaker: Marilisa De Serio (Universita e INFN, Bari (IT)) -
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Toward Next-Generation RPCs: the TANGO_RD project
TANGO_RD is a research and development project launched in 2026, focused on the study and optimization of an innovative Resistive Cylindrical Chamber (RCC) detector. The project aims to investigate the physical principles underlying RCC technology and to benchmark its performance against conventional planar detector geometries, with the goal of improving time resolution, rate capability and overall detector robustness. Particular attention is devoted to exploring operation with eco-friendly gas mixtures and under overpressure conditions.
The detector design and prototype construction are strongly supported by dedicated simulation studies. Their performance will be experimentally validated through beam tests, providing key insights into their potential application in high-rate environments and future detector systems.
This contribution will present the project and highlight initial developments and future prospects.Speaker: Alessandra Pastore (INFN Bari) -
134
Upgrade of the ATLAS Inner Tracker for the High Luminosity LHC
The ATLAS experiment is currently preparing for an upgrade of the Inner Tracking for High-Luminosity LHC operation, scheduled to start in 2030. The radiation damage at the maximum integrated luminosity of 4000/fb implies integrated hadron fluencies over 2x1016neq/cm2 and tracking in a very dense environment call for a replacement of the existing Inner Detector. An all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) is proposed with a pixel detector surrounded by a strip detector. After an extensive prototyping phase, all the institutes involved in the ITk are currently in pre-production phase, moving toward production mode. In this contribution we present the design of the ITk Detector and its expected performance. An overview of the current status of the various detector components, both pixel, strip and the other common items, focusing on the preparation for production, with its more challenging aspects, will be summarized.
Speaker: Matteo D'Uffizi (The University of Manchester (GB)) -
135
The electromagnetic calorimeter of CMS: calibration and performance
The electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) of the CMS experiment at LHC plays has a crucial role in various physics analyses, spanning from Higgs measurements to the exploration of new physics phenomena. Achieving optimal resolution for electron and photon energy measurements, as well as accurately assessing the electromagnetic component of jets and quantify missing transverse energy, necessitates precise calibration of the detector and its individual channels. To maintain stable energy response over time, a laser monitoring system is utilized to detect radiation-induced alterations in the detector, compensating for them at the reconstruction stage. Moreover, each channel undergoes in-situ calibration using physics events (W and Z electrons, photons from low mass resonance decays). This contribution will describe the methodologies employed for ECAL energy and new time calibration algorithms used by CMS; in addition the new automated system designed to streamline calibration workflows during data taking will be introduced. Finally we'll present the ECAL performance during LHC Run3.
Speaker: Patricia Rebello Teles (Brazilian Center for Physics Research - CBPF (BR)) -
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Recent developments of Data Scouting program in CMS
To overcome resource limitations in data acquisition and offline infrastructure, the CMS experiment pioneered the "data scouting" technique in Run 1. This strategy has since inspired for analogous streams other LHC experiments.
Data scouting records events, otherwise rejected by the common trigger filters, at high rates with reduced information compared to the complete detector readout, having negligible impact on the total data volume. This is achieved by exploiting an online reconstruction of physics objects at the High-Level Trigger (HLT), as opposed to the conventional offline reconstruction method. The increased trigger rates enable the use of significantly lower trigger thresholds, shedding light to phase space inaccessible or inefficient under the standard triggers. In Run 3, data scouting streams have reached an order of magnitude higher rates than the standard streams, recording broader event content, primarily by employing the heterogeneous GPU-CPU architecture of the HLT farms.
Data scouting has significantly expanded the CMS physics program into previously unexplored low-mass regions, rare decay regimes and beyond the Standard Model signatures. Having become a search strategy of growing interest, ensuring the high quality and integrity of scouting data, as well as developing dedicated tools for identification and energy corrections of scouting physics objects is of paramount importance. In this talk, the recent developments of the CMS data scouting program throughout Run 3 and its physics potentials will be discussed.
Speaker: Eftychia Tzovara (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR))
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132
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18:45
VISIT TO MONASTERY GONIA (ToBeConfirmed) 18:45
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20:00
Dinner
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Special Session on neutrino physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Dr Fernando Monticelli (National University of La Plata (AR))-
137
Gravitational Catalysis for the electron or positron catalyzed production of hadrons from neutrinos: The reaction which shaped our Universe?
Detailed examination of the decay products of chemical and nuclear species shows that positrons, electrons and neutrinos are the only ultimate decay products of all chemical and nuclear species. According to the principle of microscopic reversibility this implies that all other particles can be synthesized from them. This implies that the electron – (or positron) catalyzed neutrino hadronization to proton, i.e. the reaction
3ν+e+ --> p
must have played a fundamental role in the history of our Universe [1].
A dramatic demonstration of this reaction has been obtained accidentally at CERN some twenty years ago showing the production of hadrons and the Z boson upon cofeeding positrons and electrons in a vacuum system, which unavoidably contains billions of neutrinos. This reaction was apparently the first catalytic reaction in our Universe many billion years ago [2] but its importance was not realized until two decades later [3].
In this presentation we discuss the development of the Rotating Lepton Model (RLM) [3] which describes the formation and structure of hadrons and bosons [4] from electrons, positrons and the three neutrinos.References
[1] C.G. Vayenas, S.N.-A. Souentie, “Gravity, special relativity and the strong force: A Bohr-Einstein-de Broglie model for the formation of hadrons”, Springer, New York, (2012).
[2] C.G. Vayenas, D.G. Tsousis, E.H. Martino, “Catalysis in Chemistry and Physics: The Roles of Leptons, Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics”, Springer Nature, Switzerland AG, (2024).
[3] C.G. Vayenas, D.G. Tsousis and E. Martino. Gravitational catalysis of nuclear synthesis from positrons, electrons and neutrinos. Nature Scientific Reports 15, 25232 (2025).
[4] C.G. Vayenas, D. Tsousis and D. Grigoriou, “Computation of the masses, energies and internal pressures of hadrons, mesons and bosons via the Rotating Lepton Model”, Physica A, 545 123679 (2020).Speaker: Constantinos Vayenas (University of Patras) -
138
The DUNE Experiment: Overview and Status
The DUNE Experiment: Overview and Status
Speaker: David Orlando Rivera Jr (Los Alamos National Laboratory (US))
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137
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Workshop on Dark Matter from Micro to Macro Room 1
Room 1
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Workshop on Astro-Cosmo-Gravity Room 1
Room 1
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139
Recent Results and Updates from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
IceCube instruments a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice with over 5,000 digital optical modules, each housing a photomultiplier tube. For over 15 years, the detector has recorded atmospheric and astrophysical neutrinos from a few GeV to PeV energies. With its vastly instrumented volume, IceCube has discovered the astrophysical neutrino flux, identified astrophysical neutrino sources, contributed to precision measurements of neutrino oscillations, and constrained a variety of beyond-the-Standard-Model scenarios. We will present recent results from IceCube and provide a brief overview of the IceCube Upgrade.
Speaker: Sarah Louise Mancina (INFN-Padova)
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139
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10:40
Coffee Break
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Workshop on Laser Fusion, a spin-off from heavy-ion collisions Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Jakob Novak (Jozef Stefan Institute (SI))-
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How_resonant_nano-antennas_catalyzing_fusion
Laszlo P. Csernai (for the NAPLIFE and FUSENOW Collaborations)
Abstract:
In radio communication (also TV & Internet) there is an almost infinite variation of different antennas, starting from a simple dipole up to the phase coupled antenna arrays that follow fast moving satellite broadcast, from low orbits. Ignition by laser beams also has numerous parameters: frequency, polarization, beam focus, beam intensity, pulse energy, time and spatial profile of the beam, phase variation among the elements of antenna arrays, etc. Choosing the optimal combination, we can have extremely intensive communication with surprisingly small energy. Note, that all these features are non-thermal, and very precisely tuned and matched to the radiation task.
On the other hand, most laser induced fusion attempts are thermal at several or all stages of the ignition and nuclear fusion stages. This immediately leads to large loss of the original ignition energy, although the laser ignition is non-thermal and still could carry the amount of energy needed for nuclear fusion. Most of the produced is wasted for other purposes that are not needed for fusion.
Several effects of the laser irradiation beam, the best matching nano-antenna systems and the best ways of applications will be discussed to maximize efficiency and safety of energy transfer from laser input to nuclear fusion product. Also, the possible industrial applications are discussed.
Based on:
- L.P. Csernai, T. Csörgő, I. Papp, M. Csete, J.P. Hansen, A. Szenes, K. Tamosiunas, D. Vass, T.S. Bíró, M. Veres and N. Kroó (for the NAPLIFE and FUSENOW Collaborations), Radiation pattern and source size of particles in nanoplasmonic fusion, International Journal of Modern Physics E (2026) 2642001 (17 pages) in press, https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.05156v5
- Zsuzsanna Márton, Imene Benabdelghani, Márk Aladi, Judit Budai, Aldo Bonasera, Attila Bonyár,
Mária Csete, Tibor Gillinger, Martin Greve, Jan-Petter Hansen, Gergely Hegedűs, Ádám Inger, Miklós Kedves, Károly Osvay, István Papp, Péter Rácz, András Szenes, Ágnes Szokol, Dávid Vass, Parvin Varmazyar Miklós Veres, Konstantin Zsukovszki, Tamás S. Bíró, Norbert Kroó, László P. Csernai (FUSENOW and NAPLIFE Collaborations), Directed Nano-antennas for Laser Fusion, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2601.05331
- Konstantin Zsukovszki and Istvan Papp, Enhanced Energy Transfer in Resonating Gold Doped Matter Irradiated by Infrared Laser, Particles, 8(4), 104 (2025), https://doi.org/10.3390/particles8040104
- László P. Csernai for the NAPLIFE Collaboration, High-energy non-thermal, laser-induced nano-fusion, Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 234, 2991-2992, (2025), https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01466-6Speaker: Prof. Laszlo Pal Csernai (University of Bergen) -
141
Addendum to: controlling proton acceleration for plasmon-enhanced Laser-induced fusion
Metallic nanoantennas are promising for enhancing energy transfer in high-intensity laser–matter interactions, particularly nanoplasmonic-assisted fusion. Under ultrashort pulses, these structures sustain localized surface plasmon resonances to generate strong localized fields and modify ionization dynamics. Consequently, embedding them in dense, hydrogen-rich media significantly enhances laser-driven ionization and particle acceleration. Our previous work showcased three-dimensional PIC simulations identifying extended and coupled nanoantennas—such as multi-order dipoles, crosses, and Yagi architectures as robust resonators for enhancing energy coupling in laser-driven fusion. Advancing from idealized scenarios to realistic chirped pulse parameters consistent with ELI Beamline capabilities, we investigate high-intensity $10^{17}\text{--}10^{19}$ $\text{W/cm}^2$ interactions, we also introduce preliminary refinements to a semi-analytical framework for predicting resonance in high-density media, providing insights into enhanced ion energy gains.
Speaker: Dr Istvan Papp -
142
The Fusion Portfolio: Why p-11B Deserves a Place at the Table
The recent ignition achieved at the National Ignition Facility has conclusively demonstrated that laboratory fusion burn is possible. Yet the road to a commercially viable fusion power plant remains long, with formidable challenges in materials science, tritium breeding, and reactor economics. This reality invites us to reconsider not only how we confine plasmas, but also which fuel we choose to burn.
For decades, the deuterium-tritium reaction has been the undisputed focus of fusion research. Its large cross-section at relatively low temperatures makes it the logical first choice. However, DT fusion comes with intrinsic costs: dependence on tritium—a radioactive isotope with no natural supply and a 12.3-year half-life—and on a flux of 14-MeV neutrons that will activate reactor structures and demand exotic materials. These challenges may be solvable, but they raise a strategic question: Should we rely on a single fuel or diversify our portfolio?
Here we report on a systematic investigation of the p-¹¹B reaction, a quasi-neutron-free pathway whose primary products are three alpha particles. Using complementary platforms—the 320 kV accelerator at IMP Lanzhou and intense laser-driven proton beams at the Laser Fusion Research Center in Mianyang—we have obtained results that challenge textbook assumptions.
1. Hydrogen doping enhances yield. At IMP Lanzhou, boron targets doped with hydrogen showed an approximately 30% increase in alpha yield compared to pure boron. This effect, not predicted by standard cross-section data, suggests the boron nucleus's microscopic environment matters in ways we do not yet understand.
2. Nonlinear scaling with beam current. At Mianyang, alpha yield scaled nonlinearly with proton beam current. Under optimized conditions, we measured up to 10¹⁰ alphas/cm² per laser shot—the highest normalized yield reported for this reaction at the time.
3. Reaction channel complexity. Spectroscopy reveals that the three alphas are not emitted simultaneously with equal energy. The reaction proceeds through intermediate channels, notably ⁸Be, with implications for energy deposition in the plasma.
These results do not yet constitute a path to a reactor. The challenge of creating non-equilibrium conditions—maintaining ion temperatures significantly above electron temperatures—remains formidable. However, our findings demonstrate that nuclear physics is richer and potentially more favorable than previously assumed.
The strategic case for including p-¹¹B in the fusion portfolio grows stronger as DT challenges become clearer. A successful p-¹¹B reactor would offer:
- Fuel abundance: Protons are universal; boron is plentiful, eliminating fuel supply concerns.
- Reduced neutron flux: Secondary neutrons are at least two orders of magnitude below DT, simplifying materials and waste.
- No tritium breeding: Closed fuel cycle without lithium blankets or complex tritium handling.Speaker: Dieter Heinz Hermann Hoffmann (Xian Jiaotong University)
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
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143
Measurements of Semileptonic and leptonic $B$ decays at Belle and Belle II
The Belle and Belle II experiments have collected a $1.2~\mathrm{ab}^{-1}$ sample of $e^+ e^-\to B\bar{B}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy corresponding to the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance. These data, with low particle multiplicity, constrained initial state kinematics and excellent lepton identification, are an ideal environment to study lepton-flavor universality in semileptonic decays of the $B$ meson. We present new results on the ratios of semitauonic $B$ decay rates compared to those to light leptons. These include new measurements of the ratios for exclusive $B\to D^{(*)}\ell \nu$ decays $R(D^{(*)})$ in decays where the other $B$ in the event is reconstructed in hadronic or semileptonic final states. We also present a measurement of the $\tau$ polarization in $B\to D^* \tau \nu$ decays. Combined with theoretical inputs, measurements of both inclusive and exclusive decays yield information about the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements $V_{cb}$ and $V_{ub}$. We present new results on leptonic decays $B\to \tau \nu$ and $B\to\mu\nu$, and new measurements of $b\to c\ell\nu$ and $b\to u\ell \nu$ decays. We also present studies on the so-called gap modes, which could explain the difference between the inclusive semileptonic $B$ decay rate and the sum of all known exclusive $B$ decay rates.
Speaker: Savino Longo (University of Manitoba) -
144
Higgs measurements (mass, width, CP) with CMS
With CMS Run 2 data, many studies have been conducted to measure the properties of the Higgs boson.
In this talk, recent results about Higgs property measurements using Run 2 data in CMS will be shown,
including the Higgs mass measurements with four-lepton and diphoton channels, width measurements
with ZZ off shell events and signal-background interference in diphoton channel. The CP violation study
with tau tau channel will also be discussed.Speaker: Li Yuan (Beihang University (CN))
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143
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13:00
Lunch
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14:00
Break
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16:30
Coffee break
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 2
Room 2
Convener: Savino Longo (University of Manitoba)-
145
Exploring the production and properties of hypernuclei with ALICE
Hypernuclei are bound states of nucleons and hyperons, extending the nuclear chart into the strangeness sector. The measurement of their production across different collision systems in high-energy collisions provides a unique opportunity to investigate hypernucleosynthesis mechanisms and nucleon-hyperon interactions. While coalescence models describe their formation through the overlap of nucleon and hyperon wave functions, accounting for both the size of the baryon-emitting source and the internal structure of the bound state, statistical hadronization models treat them similarly to other hadrons produced at chemical freeze-out. The broad range of hypernuclear sizes, from about 2 fm for A=4 hypernuclei to about 10 fm for the hypertriton, makes them particularly sensitive probes of these production scenarios. In addition, measurements of hypernuclear properties provide valuable constraints on nucleon-hyperon interactions, complementing results obtained from femtoscopic correlation measurements. These interactions are key inputs for determining the equation of state of dense nuclear matter in neutron stars. In this contribution, the latest hypernuclei measurements performed by the ALICE Collaboration using data samples collected during LHC Runs 2 and 3 are presented. Together, these measurements provide new insights into the properties of hypernuclear matter and place important constraints on hypernucleus formation mechanisms near the freeze-out boundary.
Speaker: Maria Paula Martins Palhares (Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP) (BR)) -
146
Probing the onset of collectivity through entropy-based scaling of directed flow in heavy-ion collisions
The minimum system size at which the medium created in nuclear collisions behaves like a thermalized, hydrodynamically expanding fluid remains an open question. To investigate this question, we examine charged hadron directed flow ($v_{1}$) and its slope ($dv_{1}/d\eta$) at midrapidity by varying the size of the collision system. The analysis is conducted across symmetric systems, including $^{16}$O+$^{16}$O, $^{63}$Cu+$^{63}$Cu, $^{96}$Ru+$^{96}$Ru, $^{197}$Au+$^{197}$Au and $^{238}$U+$^{238}$U at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV using the AMPT-SM model. We compute three different types of scaling of $v_{1}$-slope: geometric scaling by $A^{1/3}$, participant scaling by $\langle N_{\mathrm{part}} \rangle$, and entropy scaling by entropy density $dS/dy$. For each scaling hypothesis, a dimensionless quantity $\xi$ is constructed by normalizing the scaled $v_{1}$-slope of a given system to that of the smallest system, O+O. The quantity $\xi(A)$ is then fitted with a family of S-curves and a single-parameter power law function, from which a critical mass parameter ($A_{\mathrm{crit}}$) is extracted to predict the onset of the collective behavior. We will also present estimates of the shear viscosity over entropy density ratio $\eta/s$, by relating the empirical suppression exponent from the power-law fit to the Knudsen-number based on kinetic-theory.
Speaker: Dr Vipul Bairathi (Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá) -
147
PHENIX Overview
The PHENIX experiment has completed data-taking in 2016 and continues to deliver impactful results that deepen our understanding of the strongly interacting matter produced at RHIC. This overview highlights recent measurements spanning electromagnetic probes, heavy flavor, quarkonia, identified hadrons, and small- and large-system collisions, providing new constraints on the properties and evolution of the quark-gluon plasma through studies across a broad range of collision systems. Together, these final PHENIX measurements establish a comprehensive legacy dataset that complements ongoing measurements from sPHENIX and provides essential benchmarks for the future Electron-Ion Collider physics program.
Speaker: Roli Esha (Stony Brook University) -
148
Search for Dark Photons and other new physics searches with STAR
As one of the potential candidates for dark matter, the dark photon ($\rm{A}^{'}$) could act as a mediator between dark matter particles, analogous to the photon ($\gamma$) in the Standard Model. It could be detected through its kinetic mixing with the QED photon, with the strength of this coupling suppressed by a factor labeled $\epsilon$. In heavy-ion collisions, the dielectron invariant mass spectrum in the MeV range is dominated by the Dalitz decay processes of $\pi^{0}$ and $\eta$ mesons. Dark photons can undergo kinetic mixing with the virtual photons involved, thereby decaying into $e^{+}e^{-}$ pairs with a well-defined mass. The STAR detector, with its large acceptance and excellent electron identification capability, provides a unique opportunity to search for dark photons in the MeV mass region.
In this presentation, we will present a search for prompt-like massive dark photons via the $\rm{A}^{'}\rightarrow e^{+}e^{-}$ decay channel using Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$ = 200 GeV collected with the STAR detector. Furthermore, other new-physics searches at STAR will be discussed.
Speaker: Kaifeng Shen
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145
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Prof. Pietro Vischia (Departamento de Física and ICTEA, Universidad de Oviedo)-
149
Search for Heavy Resonances Decaying to Top--Antitop Quark Pairs in Final States with One or Two Leptons using the Full Run 2 ATLAS Dataset
A search for new heavy spin-1 and spin-2 resonances decaying into a top–antitop-quark pair is presented, using the full Run 2 dataset collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1 at √s = 13 TeV. The analysis targets final states with exactly one or two leptons, electrons or muons, significant missing transverse momentum, and b-tagged jets, covering a resonance mass range from the TeV scale up to several TeV. A key feature of this search is the use of an optimized object-based missing-transverse- momentum significance. By incorporating a novel pile-up resolution term into the covariance matrix calculation, the rejection of backgrounds with fake missing transverse momentum is significantly improved. In particular, for a signal efficiency of 80%, the optimized significance provides a 20% improvement in background rejection compared with standard methods, thereby enhancing the sensitivity to final states containing neutrinos. No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio for several beyond-the-Standard-Model benchmark models, including Z′bosons, Kaluza–Klein gravitons, and Kaluza–Klein gluons. These results extend the sensitivity to high-mass t¯t resonances in combined leptonic final states.
Speaker: Badr-Eddine Ngair (New York University Abu Dhabi (AE)) -
150
Search for a new resonance decaying to a Higgs boson and a scalar boson with two b jets and two Z bosons in proton-proton collisions at √s= 13 TeV
The discovery of the Higgs boson(H) completed the Standard Model(SM), shifting the particle physics frontier toward precision measurements and searches for Beyond the SM (BSM) physics. Investigating di-Higgs(HH) production is crucial as it provides a direct probe of the Higgs boson self-coupling and the structure of the electroweak potential. Many BSM scenarios—such as extended Higgs sectors, radions, or Kaluza–Klein excitations—predict heavy resonances(X) that can significantly enhance di-Higgs production or lead to decays involving an additional new scalar(Y).
In this talk, we present a comprehensive search for a heavy resonance decaying via X→HH or X→HY, using proton-proton collision data collected at √s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb-1. The analysis focuses on the final state where one H candidate decays to a bottom quark-antiquark pair, while the secondary H or Y candidate decays into a pair of Z bosons. To maintain high signal efficiency, we target signatures where one Z boson decays leptonically and the other decays either hadronically(qq) or into neutrinos (νν).
Events are categorized using the Lorentz boosts of the heavy particles, and advanced machine-learning discriminants are used alongside the reconstructed resonance mass in a simultaneous fit to separate signal from background. Finding no significant excess over the SM prediction, we present upper limits at 95% confidence level on the production cross sections. For high-mass resonances, these limits reach approximately 1 pb for X→HH and 5 fb for X→HYSpeaker: Mr Aarif Aarif (Northeastern University) -
151
Standard Model WW production at the CMS experiment
Measurements of the inclusive and fiducial differential production cross sections of non-resonant W boson pair (WW) production in proton-proton collisions are presented, based on data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured cross sections provide important tests of the electroweak sector of the Standard Model (SM) and are compared with state-of-the-art theoretical predictions. Furthermore, since the WW process is sensitive to anomalous triple gauge couplings, the results are interpreted within the SM Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) framework to probe for potential deviations from the SM.
Speaker: Saumya Phor (University of Delhi (IN)) -
152
Development of a High-Granularity Noble Liquid Calorimeter for FCC-ee
The Future Circular Collider in its electron–positron configuration (FCC-ee) is a proposed next-generation facility aiming at high-precision measurements of the electroweak sector and the Higgs boson. Its physics programme imposes stringent requirements on detector performance, particularly on electromagnetic calorimetry, which must achieve excellent energy resolution, high spatial granularity, and uniform response in a high-rate environment.
Noble liquid calorimetry offers an attractive solution, providing intrinsic stability together with the possibility of fine segmentation. Ongoing research within the Detector R&D Collaboration for Calorimeters (DRD Calo) focuses on the development of a high-granularity noble liquid calorimeter concept. A key feature of this approach is a straight, multilayer electrode geometry enabling precise signal reconstruction and scalability to large detector volumes. Dedicated laboratory measurements using printed circuit board prototypes have been performed to validate the readout concept, showing good agreement with simulation and demonstrating its capability for high-granularity operation.
In parallel, significant effort is devoted to the mechanical design of the calorimeter, including absorber structures, spacers, and support elements. These studies combine laboratory tests and detailed simulations to assess mechanical stability and optimize the detector layout under realistic constraints.
The proposed technology is being implemented in the ALLEGRO detector concept for FCC-ee, where noble liquid calorimetry is foreseen for both barrel and endcap regions. Simulation studies within the Key4hep framework are used to evaluate the expected performance and to study its integration with modern reconstruction approaches such as particle-flow techniques.
This contribution presents the current status of the R&D program, including readout validation, mechanical design studies, and performance projections, and outlines the next steps towards a beam-test prototype.
Speaker: Zuchen Huang (Université Paris-Saclay (FR)) -
153
Enabling high-precision measurements with a monitored and tagged neutrino beam: the nuSCOPE experiment
The poor knowledge of neutrino cross sections at the GeV scale is projected to be responsible for some of the leading sources of uncertainty in next-generation oscillation experiments. Current neutrino scattering measurements are difficult to perform and interpret due to the broad-band nature of artificial neutrino beams and associated neutrino flux uncertainties. Building on the ideas and R&D from the ENUBET and NuTAG collaborations, we present a proposal for the nuSCOPE experiment (see arXiv:2503.21589). nuSCOPE is a high-precision, short-baseline neutrino experiment at CERN that employs neutrino monitoring and tagging. This allows for an exceptionally well controlled muon and electron neutrino flux, with the extraordinary capacity to reconstruct neutrino energy on an event-by-event basis. This opens up the possibility for a wealth of measurements, ranging from high-precision neutrino cross-section measurements, sterile neutrino searches and nuclear physics measurements. In this talk we will describe the proposed beamline, as well as the neutrino monitoring and tagging techniques and performances. We will also illustrate the potential for such a facility to perform precision measurements of neutrino-nucleus cross-sections, as well as searches for physics beyond the standard model.
Speaker: Filippo Bramati (Universita e INFN, Padova (IT)) -
154
Co-Design for Fundamental Physics
Co-Design: the Second AI Revolution in Fundamental Science
The success of automatic methods for image classification in 2012 mark a phase transition in the performance of machine learning algorithms; those developments have led to a revolution in the way the extraction of information from complex data is operated in fundamental science experiments. A second AI-powered revolution is under way now, thanks to the development of more advanced, powerful algorithms and methods; its end goal is the assistance of humans in the optimal design of scientific experiments.
The large dimensionality of the parameter space describing apparata such as particle collider detectors, the stochasticity of the physical processes generating relevant data in those systems, and the complexity of the objective function of multi-target experiments can now be handled by hybrid optimization techniques, multi-modal systems, generative AI, and AI agents. In particular, the concept of co-design of hardware and software gains prominence for its crucial tackling of the misalignment between the design of hardware systems and the choice and tuning of software methods for inference extraction. In this presentation I will discuss the state of the art of research in this thriving subject.
Speaker: Tommaso Dorigo (Universita e INFN, Padova (IT))
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149
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Workshop on Instruments and Methods Room 3
Room 3
Convener: Meena Meena (Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile)-
155
ATLAS Muon Detector upgrades for the High Luminosity LHC
The ATLAS Muon Spectrometer will be extensively upgraded during the Phase-II program in Long Shutdown 3 to meet the requirements for operation at the High-Luminosity LHC, which will be characterized by higher luminosity, increased trigger rates, and elevated radiation levels. New Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors with 1 mm gas gaps will be installed in the inner barrel layer to improve trigger robustness and acceptance. The inner barrel Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) chambers will be replaced by small-diameter MDT chambers to optimize the performance in high-occupancy regions and to create space for the new RPC chambers. In addition, MDT chambers will be integrated into the Level-0 trigger to enhance the transverse momentum resolution and, consequently, the trigger selectivity. In the barrel–endcap transition region, new Thin Gap Chamber (TGC) triplet chambers will replace the existing doublets to reduce trigger rates from random coincidences. Most of the readout and trigger electronics of the above-cited detectors will be replaced. Finally, the power distribution systems of all three detector technologies will also be upgraded to mitigate ageing, obsolescence, and radiation effects. This contribution summarizes the upgrade strategy, the current project status, and results from prototype and production studies. Track: Operation, Performance and Upgrade of Present Detectors
Speaker: Marco Sessa (University Federico II and INFN, Naples (IT)) -
156
The upgrade of the ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition system for the High Luminosity LHC
The ATLAS experiment at CERN is constructing upgraded system for the "High Luminosity LHC", with collisions due to start in 2030. In order to deliver an order of magnitude more data than previous LHC runs, 14 TeV protons will collide with an instantaneous luminosity of up to 7.5 x 10e34 cm^-2s^-1, resulting in much higher pileup and data rates than the current experiment was designed to handle. While this is essential to realise the physics programme, it presents a huge challenge for the detector, trigger, data acquisition and computing. The detector upgrades themselves also present new requirements and opportunities for the trigger and data acquisition system. The design of the TDAQ upgrade comprises: a hardware-based low-latency real-time Trigger operating at 40 MHz, Data Acquisition which combines custom readout with commodity hardware and networking to deal with 4.6 TB/s input, and an Event Filter running at 1 MHz which combines offline-like algorithms on a large commodity compute service with the potential to be augmented by commercial accelerators . Commodity servers and networks are used as far as possible, with custom ATCA boards, high speed links and powerful FPGAs deployed in the low-latency parts of the system. Offline-style clustering and jet-finding in FPGAs, and accelerated track reconstruction are designed to combat pileup in the Trigger and Event Filter respectively. This contribution will report recent progress on the design, technology and construction of the system. The physics motivation and expected performance will be shown for key physics processes.
Speaker: Dr Fernando Monticelli (National University of La Plata (AR)) -
157
The upgrade of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter for the High-Luminosity LHC
The High Luminosity upgrade of the LHC (HL-LHC) at CERN will provide, starting in 2030, unprecedented instantaneous and integrated luminosities of around 5 x 10^34 cm-2 s-1 and 3000/fb, respectively. The expected average of 140 to 200 collisions per bunch-crossing (pileup) represents a severe challenge for the detectors. While the endcap part of the calorimeters will be replaced by a new detector, the ECAL barrel's lead tungstate crystals and photo detectors are expected to sustain the new conditions. The Very Front End electronics will be equipped with two already produced custom ASICs per crystal: a dual gain trans-impedance amplifier and an ASIC providing two 160 MHz ADC channels, gain selection, and data compression. The trigger primitive formation will be moved off-detector and performed by powerful and flexible FPGA processors. The final design of the full ECAL barrel readout chain and the status of the individual component R&D will be presented and results from recent test beam campaigns at the CERN SPS, using electron beams with energies of up to 250 GeV, will be summarised. In particular, we will present measurements of the energy and timing resolution performance of the latest HL-LHC ECAL readout electronics prototypes.
Speaker: Marko Kovac (University of Split Faculty of Science (HR)) -
158
Toward Standardized Benchmarking Practices for Distributed HEP Computing
The ICSC initiative set up the Italian National Centre for High-Performance Computing, Big Data, and Quantum Computing. One of the strategic assets is the development of a flexible cloud platform to manage the escalating computational requirements of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) and future collider projects. This approach leverages Kubernetes for orchestration and containerized deployments to streamline access to heterogeneous computing resources. It empowers users to execute interactive and near-real-time analytical tasks via platforms like Jupyter and Dask, while abstracting away the complexities of the underlying infrastructure.
To evaluate the platform's functionality and efficiency, a comprehensive benchmarking effort was conducted employing authentic workloads derived from High-Energy Physics (HEP) use cases. Benchmark tests took into account I/O data transfer rate, scalability, memory load and CPU usage across varied setups. Afterward, a parallel bare-metal system was configured with the same software suite and testing protocols, facilitating direct performance comparison between local and distributed approaches. The research delivers early perspectives on the balances between efficiency and scalability in various computing frameworks, while advancing the creation of consistent, replicable benchmarks for advanced HPC and data-driven processes in particle physics.
The resources are experiment-agnostic and applicable across HEP experiments, at current and future colliders, exploited to benchmark the proposed workflows.
An overview of the technologies involved and the results of a benchmark use case will be provided, with suitable metrics to evaluate preliminary performance of the workflow.Speaker: Adelina D'Onofrio (INFN Napoli (IT))
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155
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Cosmology, Astrophysics, Gravity, Mathematical Physics Room 3
Room 3
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159
Low-Energy Nuclear Recoil Detection in Liquid Argon: Results from ReD and Outlook for ReD+
The characterization of the detector response to low-energy nuclear recoils is a key requirement for enhancing the sensitivity of liquid argon experiments in the search for low-mass dark matter candidates.
In this contribution, we present a measurement of the ionization yield Qy (defined as the number of electrons produced per unit energy deposit) for nuclear recoils in the 2–10 keV range, accomplished within the Recoil Directionality (ReD) experiment. The setup comprised a compact dual-phase liquid argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) coupled to a 252Cf neutron source and an external spectrometer for kinematic event tagging. At few-keV energies the scintillation in argon is strongly suppressed, thus the signals acquired in the TPC are produced by ionization electrons, drifted by a uniform electric field, extracted into the gas phase and accelerated to produce secondary electroluminescence. Recoil energies are reconstructed on an event-by-event basis by measuring the time-of-flight (ToF) and the scattering angle of elastically scattered neutrons.
The present results are consistent with existing data at higher energies and extend the direct experimental measurement below the previously accessible threshold of approximately 7 keV, showing an increase in the ionization yield at decreasing recoil energies. These findings provide essential input for detector response modeling and for the next-generation dual-phase argon experiments, such as DarkSide-20k, particularly in the context of searches for low-mass WIMPs and coherent elastic neutrino–nucleus scattering.
Building on these results, the ReD+ upgrade is currently under development to extend the measurements to sub-keV energies. An improved setup, designed to achieve enhanced angular coverage, is currently taking data at INFN–Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, and in the near future a commercial deuterium–deuterium (DD) generator of 2.4 MeV neutrons will be employed to study nuclear recoils down to 0.2 keV.Speaker: sebastiana puglia
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Workshop on Dark Matter from Micro to Macro Room 3
Room 3
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160
A theory-independent solution for the relativistic periastron advance beyond Einstein gravity
The relativistic advance of the periastron is one of the most sensitive observables for testing gravity and models. I will present a theory-independent analytical solution as a framework for calculating the orbital periastron advance of a test body moving in a central gravitational field beyond Einstein gravity. Starting from a generic static and spherically symmetric metric, the orbital equation is written in Binet form and treated through an epicyclic expansion around the reference orbit. This leads to a compact analytical expression for the total relativistic precession, including all post-Newtonian contributions generated by a generic corrective potential, without requiring numerical integration.
The formalism can be applied to a broad class of modified or extended gravitational models. In particular, we discuss scalar-tensor fourth-order gravity and noncommutative spectral geometry, where the weak-field correction to the Newtonian potential has Yukawa-like form, (V(r)=\alpha e^{-\beta r}/r), and the case of a Schwarzschild geometry perturbed by a quintessence field, leading to a power-law correction. The resulting expressions are used to derive observational constraints from Solar-System planetary precessions and from the orbit of the S2 star around Sagittarius A*. The analysis shows that the predicted orbits remain compatible with general relativity while placing improved bounds on the strength and range of beyond-Einstein corrections, as well as on the parameters associated with the quintessence field.
Speaker: Dr Antonio Tedesco (Enrico Fermi Research Center (CREF), Via Panisperna 89A, 00184 Rome, Italy)
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160
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Conference Photo
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Opera Gala Concert, OAC, Kalliopi Petrou (soprano), Tommaso Dorigo (Piano).Speaker: Tommaso Dorigo (Universita e INFN, Padova (IT))
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20:00
Dinner
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Heavy Ion Collisions and Critical Phenomena Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Takashi Hachiya (Nara Women's University (JP))- 162
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Justification of the isentropic expansion of matter in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
TBA
Speaker: Evgeny Zabrodin (Universiyu of Oslo) -
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Net-baryon fluctuations in model-generated Au+Au collisions
TBA
Speaker: Larisa Bravina
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Quantum Physics, Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Room 1
Room 1
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165
Local Quantum Mechanics with Fluids in Spacetime
The local many worlds theory of quantum mechanics will be presented in detail. In this model, all of the physics occurs with conserved relativistic Madelung fluids in spacetime, and unlike the usual Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, there is no universal wavefunction in configuration space. The fluid particles move on time/light-like worldlines under the influence of a distinct local wavefunctions at each event in spacetime. These local wavefunctions are built up using only other local wavefunctions and local interaction unitaries within the past light cone of the event where they are defined, so everything is Lorentz covariant, including the causal structure and narrative. During interactions, the fluid of the two interacting system subdivides with Born rule proportions, which explains observed Born rule frequencies in experiments, and this division is a local process that only affects the interacting systems. All interactions occur when fluid particle of each system meet at events in space-time one-to-one, with each having recorded a definite measurement outcome for both systems, and the fluids of each system subdivide based on which outcomes were recorded. This works the same at the microscopic level as it does for macroscopic observations, so there is no special micro-macro distinction, and the position basis is naturally preferred in spacetime. In most cases, this means we need to consider the fluid particles of the force-carrier mediating a long-range interaction, since this is, for example, what interacts with a fluid particle of a source charge at an event, and then propagates to and interacts with a fluid particle of the probe charge. We consider simplified examples where two systems with only local interactions collide in spacetime. Several illustrative examples will be explained, including the detailed local explanation of entanglement correlations in a Bell test. Work to develop the relativistic single-particle Madelung treatment with a fully local quantum potential is ongoing, and there are many other areas where this theory needs development.
Speaker: Mordecai Waegell (Institute for Quantum Studies, Chapman University)
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165
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10:40
Coffee break
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High Energy Particle Physics Room 1
Room 1
Convener: Prof. Hrachya Marukyan (A.Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (AM))-
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ATLAS Upgrades for the High Luminosity LHC - Status and Perspectives
While the ongoing Run-3 data-taking campaign will provide more than 500 fb-1 of integrated luminosity, the HL-LHC will allow the collection of more than 3 ab-1 of data.
This unprecedented data sample will allow ATLAS to perform several precision measurements to constrain the Standard Model in yet unexplored phase-spaces, in particular in the Higgs sector.
It is fundamental to upgrade the detector to cope with the challenging experimental conditions that include huge levels of radiation and a mean number of interaction (pile-up) of 140-200 per event. The ATLAS upgrade comprises a new all-silicon tracker with extended rapidity coverage and a redesigned trigger and data acquisition system for the calorimeters and muon systems. Finally, a new subsystem called High Granularity Timing Detector will aid the track-vertex association in the forward region by incorporating timing information into the reconstructed tracks. A precise determination of the delivered luminosity will be achieved by collecting the information from several detector systems using different and complementary techniques.
This presentation will describe the ongoing ATLAS detector upgrade status and the main results obtained with the prototypes, giving a global view of the whole upgrade project.Speaker: Antonio Sbrizzi (INFN, Bologna (IT)) -
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Direct searches for new physics at CMS
Various extensions of the Standard Model predict the existence of new particles and interactions at the TeV scale. This contribution presents the latest results from direct searches for new physics conducted by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. We report on recent analyses utilizing both the full Run 2 dataset and the new Run 3 proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV. A wide range of experimental signatures is reviewed, providing updated constraints on several Beyond the Standard Model scenarios.
Speaker: Federico Lombardi (Sapienza Universita e INFN, Roma I (IT)) -
168
Highlights on top quark physics with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC
The large top quark samples collected with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC have yielded measurements of the production cross section of unprecedented precision as well as top quark properties measurements and in new kinematic regimes e.g. around the ttbar threshold. They have also enabled new measurements of top quark properties that were previously inaccessible, enabled the observation of many rare top quark production processes predicted by the Standard Model. In this contribution the highlights of the ATLAS top quark physics program are presented.
Speaker: Peter Berta (Charles University, Prague (CZ)) -
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Recent results on searches for BSM physics at ATLAS
Searches for new physics at ATLAS seek to uncover new phenomena at the TeV scale. Many extensions of the Standard Model are considered, including (but not limited to) SUSY, Heavy Neutral Leptons, Vectorlike fermions, Dark Matter and Dark Sector models, Leptoquarks, and exotic Higgs models. This talk presents the latest ATLAS results in this broad search programme, based on the complete Run‑2 dataset of proton–proton collisions at 13 TeV, and with some first results using early Run-3 data at 13.6 TeV.
Speaker: Jakob Novak (Jozef Stefan Institute (SI))
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Closing session of ICNFP 2026 (organizers) Room 1
Room 1
Speakers: Larisa Bravina, Sonia Kabana (Instituto De Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá (CL)) -
13:00
Lunch
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14:00
Break
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15:30
Coffee break
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16:00
CHANIA EXCURSION Room 1 (CHANIA EXCURSION)
Room 1
CHANIA EXCURSION
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20:00
Dinner (for participants not joining the excursion) _OAC_
_OAC_
Orthodox Academy of Crete, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece
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Machine Learning school: from perceptrons to spiking neurons
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Overview
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Speaker: Prof. Pietro Vischia (Departamento de Física and ICTEA, Universidad de Oviedo) -
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ML School ISpeaker: Prof. Pietro Vischia (Departamento de Física and ICTEA, Universidad de Oviedo)
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171
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10:40
Coffee break
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Machine Learning school: from perceptrons to spiking neurons Room 1
Room 1
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173
ML School IISpeaker: Prof. Pietro Vischia (Departamento de Física and ICTEA, Universidad de Oviedo)
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173
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13:00
Lunch
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20:00
Dinner
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