Theory
Programme Leader
Robert Fleischer
Spectrum of research highlights:
- R.D. Ball et al., [NNPDF Collaboration], The intrinsic charm quark valence distribution of the proton
- J. ter Hoeve, G. Magni, J. Rojo, A.N. Rossia and E. Vryonidou, The automation of SMEFT-Assisted Constraints on UV-Complete Models
- T. Giani, G. Magni, and J. Rojo, SMEFiT: a flexible toolbox for global interpretations of particle physics data with effective field theories
- J. ter Hoeve, E. Laenen, C. Marinissen, L. Vernazza and G. Wang, Region analysis of QED massive fermion form factor
- A. Salas-Bernárdez, M. Borinsky, Z. Capatti𝑐 and E. Laenen, Flow Oriented Perturbation Theory
- M. Borinsky and J. Vermaseren, The 𝕊n-equivariant Euler characteristic of the moduli space of graphs
- S. Moch, B. Ruijl, T. Ueda, J. Vermaseren and A. Vogt, Additional moments and x-space approximations of four-loop splitting functions in QCD
- N. Agarwal, M. van Beekveld, E. Laenen, S. Mishra, A, Mukhopadhyay and A. Tripathi, Next-to-leading power corrections to the event shape variables
- M. van Beekveld, L. Vernazza and C. White, Exponentiation of soft quark effects from the replica trick
- M. van Beekveld, et al., Introduction to the PanScales framework, version 0.1
- K. Lee, I. Moult, F. Ringer and W. Waalewijn, A Formalism for Extracting Track Functions from Jet Measurements
- M. Jaarsma, Y. Li, I. Moult, W. Waalewijn and Hua Xing Zhu, Energy Correlators on Tracks: Resummation and Non-Perturbative Effects
- P. Bijl, S. Niedenzu and W. Waalewijn, Probing factorization violation with vector angularities
- R. Fleischer, E. Malami, A. Rehult and K. Vos, New Perspectives for Testing Electron-Muon Universality
- K. De Bruyn, R. Fleischer, E. Malami and P. van Vliet, Studies of New Physics in $B^0_q$-$\bar B^0_q$ Mixing and Implications for Leptonic Decays
- T. Mannel, I, Milutin and K. Vos, Inclusive Semileptonic $b\to c \ell \bar \nu$ Decays at Order $1/m_b^5$
- C. Bolognani, D.van Dyk and K. Vos, New determination of |Vub/Vcb| from Bs0 → {K−, Ds−}μ+ν
- M. Beneke, G. Finauri, K. Vos and Y. Wei, QCD Light-Cone Distribution Amplitudes of Heavy Mesons from boosted HQET
- A. V. Phan and S. Westhoff, Precise tests of the axion coupling to tops
- L. Rygaard, J. Niedziela, R. Schäfer, S. Bruggisser, J. Alimena, S. Westhoff and F. Blekman, Top Secrets: Long-Lived ALPs in Top Production
- V. Cirigliano, W. Dekens, J. de Vries, E. Mereghetti and T. Tong, Anomalies in global SMEFT analyses: a case study of first-row CKM unitarity
- W. Dekens, J. de Vries, E. Mereghetti, J. Menéndez, P. Soriano, G. Zhou, Neutrinoless double-beta decay in the neutrino-extended Standard Model
- O. Scholer, J. de Vries and Lukáš Gráf, νDoBe – A Python Tool for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
- J. Günther, J. de Vries, H. Dreiner, Z.S. Wang and G. Zhou, Long-lived neutral fermions at the DUNE near detector
- P. Braat and M. Postma, SIMPly add a dark photon
- J.-W. van Holten, Dynamics of cosmological scalar fields
Outreach:
For an overview of the outreach and activities in the theory group, follow social media channels (instagram and twitter): https://twitter.com/nikheftheory, https://www.instagram.com/nikheftheorygroup
Grants:
Keri K. Vos, NWO-VIDI, ENW-M
Lukáš Gráf: NWO-VENI
Philipp Klose: SNF Mobility grant
Physics Data Processing
Programme Leader
David Groep
Main points: scientific
- FuSE, Fundamental Sciences E-infrastructure, provides the basis for investments for the next phase of the LHC, KM3NeT, and the SKA ‘Regional Centre’ prototype in radio-astronomy. For LHC computing, capacity increments are the most important, but especially for KM3NeT the move from ‘local centre’ computing (where each user connects to a local facility and processes data preplaced there) to distributed computing requires a re-engineered workflow. In collaboration with the KM3NeT computer coordination (by the KM3NeT group at Nikhef) the PDP programme, together with SURF, exploited validation instances for data placement (Rucio) and workflow management systems (DIRAC) – building on both SURF and EGI offerings in these areas.
- The Quantum Computing (QC) algorithm workshops proceeded apace, with joint Nikhef-SURF activities in LHCb track finding using quantum algorithms.
- The central role of trust and identity services, and security techniques for community management has been reinforced. Although the significant ramp-up of effort is foreseen to start in 2024, work on the ‘AARC’ Guidelines in 2023 paves the way for a Technical Revision to Enhance Effectiveness (AARC TREE), including more research domains and more diverse service providers in the authentication and authorization infrastructure (AAI). At the same time, Nikhef continues to lead the operational security landscape for EGI and EOSC, where data integrity and availability of our science data necessitate new models for information exchange, risk analysis, and global cooperation.
Main points: technical
- For the High-Lumi LHC, an 800 Gbps circuit between Amsterdam and Geneva was established, in a collaboration between Nikhef, SURF, and CERN. This circuit will be the basis for the “Data Challange 24” where (in 2024) also storage and file transfer services will participate in a scale challenge leading up to full HL-LHC data throughput requirements on or shortly after 2028. With this link, the Dutch Tier-1 will be ahead of the curve in terms of data transfer, likely meeting 2028 throughput requirements next year.
- With the AARC Blueprint Architecture being the basis for the Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure (AAI) of the European Open Science Cloud, the worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG), the International Gravitational Waves Network, and many others, to enable semantic interoperability for these AAIs we initiated he work on the a unified access token profile (the GUT, or “Grand Unified Token” profile) for the US-originating SciTokens, WLCG, and AARC foundational semantics.
- Joint development (with Delft Technical University and 4TU Research Data) on the open source Djehuty software, adding support for role-based workflows for both the national and institutional instances. The Nikhef instance specifically targets voluminous data sets, linking FAIR data repositories and the local analysis storage services based on dCache.
- The NDPF Data Processing Facility in 2023 added an additional 6000 job slots based on more the energy-efficient and performant AMD “Bergamo” platform. This both adds to the committed capacity for the worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG), as well as the work outside WLCG and the FuSE RI for the Dutch National e-Infrastructure coordinated by SURF (constant at 1800 Terabyte and 1800 compute cores in 2023). Local analysis storage capacity increased to 3.5 Petabyte.
Key positions in collaborations
- Dutch Large-Scale Research Infrastructures – Permanent Committee: David Groep
- WLCG Overview Board: Jeff Templon
- Dutch National e-Infrastructure Executive Team: Jeff Templon and David Groep
- NWO Thematic Digital Competence Centre Lead: David Groep
- European Open Science Cloud, EOSC (Executive Board Architecture WG AAI Task Force, Future Security Operations and Policy): David Groep
Computer codes
No information
Main papers in 2023
No information
Detector R&D
Programme Leader
Niels van Bakel
Main points: scientific
- Characterization of TI-LGAD sensors with Timepix4 readout using the Nikhef beam-telescope at the CERN SPS-beamline. The detector layers in the beam-telescope are read out with Nikhef’s SPIDR4 readout system.
- Completed our research on Spectral X-ray micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT) and hadron therapy using the Medipix3 detector.
- Achieved sub-100 ps time resolution in beam tests using analog pixel test structures for the ALICE upgrade tracking detectors. These monolithic active pixel sensors, developed in collaboration with Tower Partners Semiconductor Co., utilize a 65 nm CMOS imaging process and feature a low-dose n-implant in the epitaxial layer near the collection diode.
- Study of noise factors limiting Advanced Virgo’s sensitivity; analysis of amplitude images from the phase camera to estimate the mode content of the beam (in collaboration with Sioux Technologies).
Main points: technical
- A fast electron setup has been built to investigate whether signals generated by electrons from a radioactive source can be utilized to study timing in thin sensors.
- Commissioned a new fast single photon absorption laser in the Nikhef laboratory. This 933 nm laser has a jitter of only 1.9 ps.
- The design for second-generation Quadrant Photodiodes (QPDs) with enhanced features is complete. These sensors will be installed in the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a space-based detector designed to measure gravitational waves.
Key positions in collaborations
- Nikhef representative in the Detector R&D collaboration (DRD3) on Semiconductor Detectors – Martin van Beuzekom
- Chair of the wavefront sensing and control work package in the Optics Division of the Einstein Telescope Instrument Science Board – Martin van Beuzekom
- European Community for Future Accelerators (ECFA), Detector R&D Roadmap – Niels van Bakel
- NWO research community Physics for Technology and Instrumentation (PTI) – Niels van Bakel
Awards and funding
GW LISA/ET: Shivers from the deep Universe: a national infrastructure for gravitational wave research – The LISA gravitational wave observatory is an ambitious large ESA mission for the mid-2030s. It will revolutionize the understanding of how supermassive black holes grow and how the first inhomogeneities in the Universe’s structures came about after the big bang. The Netherlands provides key contributions to this interferometer: the ‘eyes’ that detect the laser signals that have the gravitational waves imprinted on them, and the ‘glasses’ that will point the laser beams to the right spot in the sky where the opposite spacecrafts are.
Main papers in 2023
- K. Heijhoff, M. van Beuzekom (et al.), The Timepix4 analog front-end design: Lessons learnt on fundamental limits to noise and time resolution in highly segmented hybrid pixel detectors, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A 1045 (2023) 167489, https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2022.167489
- H. Chan, H. van der Graaf (et al.), The construction and characterization of MgO transmission dynodes, J. Instrum. 18 (2023), https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/18/06/P06028
- R. Russo, J. Sonneveld (et al.), Digital pixel test structures implemented in a 65 nm CMOS process, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A 1056 (2023) 168589,https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2023.168589
- E. N. Tapia San Martin, M. Tacca (et al.), A MIMO approach for longitudinal sensing and control noise projections of Advanced Virgo gravitational wave detector, Class. Quant. Grav. 40 (2023) 185008, https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-6382/aceb4e