Cristiano Fanelli

This White Paper presents an overview of the current status and future perspective of QCD research, based on the community inputs and scientific conclusions from the 2022 Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting. We present the progress made in the last decade toward a deep understanding of both the fundamental structure of the sub-atomic matter of nucleon and nucleus in cold QCD, and the hot QCD matter in heavy ion collisions. We identify key questions of QCD research and plausible paths to obtaining answers to those questions in the near future, hence defining priorities of our research over the coming decades.

The 2023 AI4EIC hackathon was the culmination of the third annual AI4EIC workshop at The Catholic University of America. This workshop brought together researchers from physics, data science and computer science to discuss the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), including applications for detectors, accelerators, and experimental control. The hackathon, held on the final day of the workshop, involved using a chatbot powered by a Large Language Model, ChatGPT-3.5, to train a binary classifier neutrons and photons in simulated data from the \textsc{GlueX} Barrel Calorimeter. In total, six teams of up to four participants from all over the world took part in this intense educational and research event. This article highlights the hackathon challenge, the resources and methodology used, and the results and insights gained from analyzing physics data using the most cutting-edge tools in AI/ML.

APS -APS April Meeting 2024 - Event - Development of ML FPGA filter for particle identification in real time. American Physical Society American Physical Society Sites|APS|Journals|Physics APS Meetings Home|Help|Contact APS Meetings Bulletin of the American Physical Society Bulletin Home My Scheduler Epitome Author Index Session Index Invited Speakers Chair Index Search Abstract Search Affiliation Using My Scheduler APS April Meeting 2024 Wednesday–Saturday, April 3–6, 2024; Sacramento & Virtual Session J06: Mini-Symposium: Modern Calorimetry Technology at JLab and EIC: Past, Present and Future II 3:45 PM–5:21 PM, Thursday, April 4, 2024 SAFE Credit Union Convention Center Room: Ballroom A8, Floor 2 Sponsoring Unit: DNP Chair: Alexander Somov, Jefferson Lab/Jefferson Science Associate Abstract: J06.00007 : Development of ML FPGA filter for particle identification in real time.* 4:57 …

The complexity and sheer volume of information encompassing documents, papers, data, and other resources from large-scale experiments demand significant time and effort to navigate, making the task of accessing and utilizing these varied forms of information daunting, particularly for new collaborators and early-career scientists. To tackle this issue, a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)--based Summarization AI for EIC (RAGS4EIC) is under development. This AI-Agent not only condenses information but also effectively references relevant responses, offering substantial advantages for collaborators. Our project involves a two-step approach: first, querying a comprehensive vector database containing all pertinent experiment information; second, utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) to generate concise summaries enriched with citations based on user queries and retrieved data. We describe the evaluation methods that use RAG assessments (RAGAs) scoring mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of responses. Furthermore, we describe the concept of prompt template-based instruction-tuning which provides flexibility and accuracy in summarization. Importantly, the implementation relies on LangChain, which serves as the foundation of our entire workflow. This integration ensures efficiency and scalability, facilitating smooth deployment and accessibility for various user groups within the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) community. This innovative AI-driven framework not only simplifies the understanding of vast datasets but also encourages collaborative participation, thereby empowering researchers. As a demonstration, a web …

1 We introduce a physics-informed Bayesian Neural Network (BNN) with flow-2 approximated posteriors using multiplicative normalizing flows (MNF) for detailed 3 uncertainty quantification (UQ) at the physics event-level. Our method is capable 4 of identifying both heteroskedastic aleatoric and epistemic uncertainties, providing 5 granular physical insights. Applied to Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS) events, 6 our model effectively extracts the kinematic variables x, Q2, and y, matching 7 the performance of recent deep learning regression techniques but with the 8 critical enhancement of event-level UQ. This detailed description of the underlying 9 uncertainty proves invaluable for decision-making, especially in tasks like event 10 filtering. It also allows for the reduction of true inaccuracies without directly 11 accessing the ground truth. A thorough DIS simulation using the H1 detector at 12 HERA indicates possible …

The inaugural AI4EIC Hackathon unfolded as a high-point satellite event during the second AI4EIC Workshop at William & Mary. The workshop itself boasted over two hundred participants in a hybrid format and delved into the myriad applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) for the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). This workshop aimed to catalyze advancements in AI/ML with applications ranging from advancements in accelerator and detector technologies—highlighted by the ongoing work on the ePIC detector and potential development of a second detector for the EIC—to data analytics, reconstruction, and particle identification, as well as the synergies between theoretical and experimental research. Complementing the technical agenda was an enriched educational outreach program that featured tutorials from leading AI/ML experts representing academia, national laboratories, and industry. The hackathon, held on the final day, showcased international participation with ten teams from around the globe. Each team, comprising up to four members, focused on the dual-radiator Ring Imaging Cherenkov (dRICH) detector, an integral part of the particle identification (PID) system in ePIC. The data for the hackathon were generated using the ePIC software suite. While the hackathon presented questions of increasing complexity, its challenges were designed with deliberate simplifications to serve as a preliminary step toward the integration of machine learning and deep learning techniques in PID with the dRICH detector. This article encapsulates the key findings and insights gained from this unique experience.

We describe the design and performance the calorimeter systems used in the ECCE detector to achieve the overall performance specifications cost-effectively with careful consideration of appropriate technical and schedule risks. The calorimeter systems consist of three electromagnetic calorimeters, covering the combined pseudorapdity range from− 3.7 to 3.8 and two hadronic calorimeters covering a combined range of− 1. 1< η< 3. 8. Key calorimeter performances which include energy and position resolutions, reconstruction efficiency, and particle identification will be presented.

The GlueX experiment at Jefferson Lab studies photoproduction of mesons using linearly polarized 8.5 GeV photons impinging on a hydrogen target which is contained within a detector with near-complete coverage for charged and neutral particles. We present measurements of spin-density matrix elements for the photoproduction of the vector meson ρ (770). The statistical precision achieved exceeds that of previous experiments for polarized photoproduction in this energy range by orders of magnitude. We confirm a high degree of s-channel helicity conservation at small squared four-momentum transfer t and are able to extract the t dependence of natural-and unnatural-parity exchange contributions to the production process in detail. We confirm the dominance of natural-parity exchange over the full t range. We also find that helicity amplitudes in which the helicity of the incident photon and the photoproduced ρ …

This article presents a collection of simulation studies using the ECCE detector concept in the context of the EIC’s exclusive, diffractive, and tagging physics program, which aims to further explore the rich quark-gluon structure of nucleons and nuclei. To successfully execute the program, ECCE proposed to utilize the detector system close to the beamline to ensure exclusivity and tag ion beam/fragments for a particular reaction of interest. Preliminary studies confirm the proposed technology and design satisfy the requirements. The projected physics impact results are based on the projected detector performance from the simulation at 10 or 100 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. Additionally, insights related to a potential second EIC detector are documented, which could serve as a guidepost for future development.

Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are now actively used in multiple aspects of hadronic physics, both theoretically and experimentally, the latter being the focus of this talk. ML and AI target practically all facets of QCD theory and contribute to enhancing the precision of measurements in hadronic physics, detecting the nature of measured events, explaining the underlying mechanisms from final distribution of particles, and speeding up theoretical calculations. In experiments, ML/AI are largely used for particle reconstruction, identification, event classification, and spectroscopy, and will be used in nearly every system of future QCD frontier experiments, such as the Electron Ion Collider; AI is also increasingly being used for autonomous control and experimentation, present experiment operations and calibrations, and the design of future QCD experiments. The development of next …

We performed feasibility studies for various measurements that are related to unpolarized TMD distribution and fragmentation functions for the ECCE detector proposal. The processes studied include semi-inclusive Deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) where single hadrons (pions and kaons) were detected in addition to the scattered DIS lepton. The single hadron cross sections and multiplicities were extracted as a function of the DIS variables x and Q 2, as well as the semi-inclusive variables z, which corresponds to the momentum fraction the detected hadron carries relative to the struck parton and P T, which corresponds to the transverse momentum of the detected hadron relative to the virtual photon. The expected statistical precision of such measurements is extrapolated to accumulated luminosities of 10 fb− 1 and potential systematic uncertainties are approximated given the deviations between true and …

We report on the results of the first search for the production of axion-like particles (ALP) via Primakoff production on nuclear targets using the GlueX detector. This search uses an integrated luminosity of 100 pbnucleon on a C target, and explores the mass region of 200 < < 450 MeV via the decay . This mass range is between the and masses, which enables the use of the measured production rate to obtain absolute bounds on the ALP production with reduced sensitivity to experimental luminosity and detection efficiency. We find no evidence for an ALP, consistent with previous searches in the quoted mass range, and present limits on the coupling on the scale of (1 TeV). We further find that the ALP production limit we obtain is hindered by the peaking structure of the non-target-related dominant background in GlueX, which we treat by using data on He to estimate and subtract these backgrounds. We comment on how this search can be improved in a future higher-statistics dedicated measurement.

We performed feasibility studies for various single transverse spin measurements that are related to the Sivers effect, transversity and the tensor charge, and the Collins fragmentation function. The processes studied include semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) where single hadrons (pions and kaons) were detected in addition to the scattered DIS lepton. The data were obtained in pythia 6 and geant 4 simulated e+ p collisions at 18 GeV on 275 GeV, 18 on 100, 10 on 100, and 5 on 41 that use the ECCE detector configuration. Typical DIS kinematics were selected, most notably Q 2> 1 GeV 2, and cover the x range from 1 0− 4 to 1. The single spin asymmetries were extracted as a function of x and Q 2, as well as the semi-inclusive variables z, which corresponds to the momentum fraction the detected hadron carries relative to the struck parton, and P T, which corresponds to the transverse momentum of the …

The proposed energy upgrade to the CEBAF accelerator at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility would enable the only facility worldwide, planned or foreseen, that can address the complexity at the scientific frontier of emergent hadron structure with its high luminosity and probing precision at the hadronic scale. While high-energy facilities will illuminate the perturbative dynamics and discover the fundamental role of gluons in nucleons and nuclei, a medium energy electron accelerator at the luminosity frontier will be critical to understand the rich and extraordinary variety of non-perturbative effects manifested in hadronic structure.

We report the total and differential cross sections for J/ψ photoproduction with the large acceptance GlueX spectrometer for photon beam energies from the threshold at 8.2 GeV up to 11.44 GeV and over the full kinematic range of momentum transfer squared, t. Such coverage facilitates the extrapolation of the differential cross sections to the forward (t= 0) point beyond the physical region. The forward cross section is used by many theoretical models and plays an important role in understanding J/ψ photoproduction and its relation to the J/ψ-proton interaction. These measurements of J/ψ photoproduction near threshold are also crucial inputs to theoretical models that are used to study important aspects of the gluon structure of the proton, such as the gluon generalized parton distribution of the proton, the mass radius of the proton, and the trace anomaly contribution to the proton mass. We observe possible structures …

It is currently understood that there are four fundamental forces in nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, weak and strong forces. The strong force governs the interactions between quarks and gluons, elementary particles whose interactions give rise to the vast majority of visible mass in the universe. The mathematical description of the strong force is provided by the non-Abelian gauge theory Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). While QCD is an exquisite theory, constructing the nucleons and nuclei from quarks, and furthermore explaining the behavior of quarks and gluons at all energies, remain to be complex and challenging problems. Such challenges, along with the desire to understand all visible matter at the most fundamental level, position the study of QCD as a central thrust of research in nuclear science. Experimental insight into the strong force can be gained using large particle accelerator facilities, which are necessary to probe the very short distance scales over which quarks and gluons interact. The Long Range Plans (LRPs) exercise of 1989 and 1996 led directly to the construction of two world-class facilities: the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLab) that is focused on studying how the structure of hadrons emerges from QCD (cold QCD research), and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) that aims at the discovery and study of a new state of matter, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), at extremely high temperatures (hot QCD research). The different collision systems used to access the incredibly rich field of hot and cold QCD in the laboratory are illustrated …

This document presents the initial scientific case for upgrading the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLab) to 22 GeV. It is the result of a community effort, incorporating insights from a series of workshops conducted between March 2022 and April 2023. With a track record of over 25 years in delivering the world's most intense and precise multi-GeV electron beams, CEBAF's potential for a higher energy upgrade presents a unique opportunity for an innovative nuclear physics program, which seamlessly integrates a rich historical background with a promising future. The proposed physics program encompass a diverse range of investigations centered around the nonperturbative dynamics inherent in hadron structure and the exploration of strongly interacting systems. It builds upon the exceptional capabilities of CEBAF in high-luminosity operations, the availability of existing or planned Hall equipment, and recent advancements in accelerator technology. The proposed program cover various scientific topics, including Hadron Spectroscopy, Partonic Structure and Spin, Hadronization and Transverse Momentum, Spatial Structure, Mechanical Properties, Form Factors and Emergent Hadron Mass, Hadron-Quark Transition, and Nuclear Dynamics at Extreme Conditions, as well as QCD Confinement and Fundamental Symmetries. Each topic highlights the key measurements achievable at a 22 GeV CEBAF accelerator. Furthermore, this document outlines the significant physics outcomes and unique aspects of these programs that distinguish them from other existing or planned facilities. In summary, this …

It is currently understood that there are four fundamental forces in nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, weak and strong forces. The strong force governs the interactions between quarks and gluons, elementary particles whose interactions give rise to the vast majority of visible mass in the universe. The mathematical description of the strong force is provided by the non-Abelian gauge theory Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). While QCD is an exquisite theory, constructing the nucleons and nuclei from quarks, and furthermore explaining the behavior of quarks and gluons at all energies, remain to be complex and challenging problems. Such challenges, along with the desire to understand all visible matter at the most fundamental level, position the study of QCD as a central thrust of research in nuclear science. Experimental insight into the strong force can be gained using large particle accelerator facilities, which are necessary to probe the very short distance scales over which quarks and gluons interact. The Long Range Plans (LRPs) exercise of 1989 and 1996 led directly to the construction of two world-class facilities: the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLab) that is focused on studying how the structure of hadrons emerges from QCD (cold QCD research), and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) that aims at the discovery and study of a new state of matter, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), at extremely high temperatures (hot QCD research). These past investments have produced major advances. Nucleons and nuclei are being studied with increasing precision …

The evaluation of the measurement of double-spin asymmetries for charge-separated pions and kaons produced in deep-inelastic scattering from the proton using the ECCE detector design concept is presented, for the combinations of lepton and hadron beam energies of 5× 41 GeV 2 and 18× 275 GeV 2. The study uses unpolarised simulated data that are processed through a full GEANT simulation of the detector. These data are then reweighted at the parton level with DSSV helicity distributions and DSS fragmentation functions, in order to generate the relevant asymmetries, and subsequently analysed. The performed analysis shows that the ECCE detector concept provides the resolution and acceptance, with a broad coverage in kinematic phase space, needed for a robust extraction of asymmetries. This, in turn, allows for a precise extraction of sea-quark helicity distributions.

High-energy electrons and photons are remarkably clean probes of hadronic matter, providing a microscope for examining atomic nuclei and the strong nuclear force. The GlueX experiment in Hall D at Jefferson Laboratory has accumulated high-statistics samples of photoproduction data in recent years. Complementary to nucleon structure studies in deep inelastic scattering experiments, nucleon excitations provide the unique opportunity to explore the many aspects of non-perturbative QCD. While the last few years have seen significant progress toward the mapping of the nucleon and  spectrum, experimental information on the spectrum, structure, and decays of strangeness  baryons remains sparse compared to non-strange and strangeness  baryons. Moreover, the photo-induced production mechanism for these so-called Cascade resonances is not well understood and expected to proceed via highly excited …