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A wide range of dark matter candidates have been proposed and are actively being searched for in a large number of experiments, both at high (TeV) and low (sub meV) energies. One dark matter candidate, a deeply bound uuddss sexaquark, S , with mass ∼ 2 GeV (having the same quark content as the hypothesized H-dibaryon, but long lived) is particularly difficult to explore experimentally. In this paper, we propose a scheme in which such a state could be produced at rest through the formation of p ¯ – 3 He antiprotonic atoms and their annihilation into S + K + K + π - , identified both through the unique tag of a S = + 2 , Q = + 1 final state, as well as through full kinematic reconstruction of the final state recoiling against it.

We propose to extend laser-cooling techniques, so far only achieved for neutral molecules, to molecular anions. A detailed computational study is performed for C 2 − molecules stored in Penning traps using GPU based Monte Carlo simulations. Two cooling schemes-Doppler laser cooling and photodetachment cooling-are investigated. The sympathetic cooling of antiprotons is studied for the Doppler cooling scheme, where it is shown that cooling of antiprotons to subKelvin temperatures could becomes feasible, with impacts on the field of antimatter physics. The presented cooling schemes also have applications for the generation of cold, negatively charged particle sources and for the sympathetic cooling of other molecular anions.

The liver is a vital organ with numerous functions, including metabolic functions, detoxification, and the synthesis of secretory proteins. The increasing prevalence of liver diseases requires the development of effective treatments, models, and regenerative approaches. The field of liver tissue engineering represents a significant advance in overcoming these challenges. In this study, 3D biohybrid constructs were created by combining hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) derived from patient-specific footprint-free human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and 3D melt-electrospun poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds. First, a differentiation procedure was established to obtain autologous HCLs from hiPSCs reprogrammed from renal epithelial cells using self-replicating mRNA. The obtained cells expressed hepatocyte-specific markers and exhibited important hepatocyte functions, such as albumin synthesis, cytochrome P450 activity, glycogen storage, and indocyanine green metabolism. Biocompatible PCL scaffolds were fabricated by melt-electrospinning and seeded with pre-differentiated hepatoblasts, which uniformly attached to the fibers of the scaffolds and successfully matured into HLCs. The use of patient-specific, footprint-free hiPSC-derived HLCs represents a promising cell source for personalized liver regeneration strategies. In combination with biocompatible 3D scaffolds, this innovative approach has a broader range of applications spanning liver tissue engineering, drug testing and discovery, and disease modeling.

In particle physics, homogeneous calorimeters are used to measure the energy of particles as they interact with the detector material. Although not as precise as trackers or muon detectors, these calorimeters provide valuable insights into the properties of particles by analyzing their energy deposition patterns. Recent advances in material science, notably in nanomaterial scintillators with tunable emission bandwidths, have led to the proposal of the chromatic calorimetry concept. This proposed concept aims to track electromagnetic or hadronic shower progression within a module, enhancing particle identification and energy resolution by layering scintillators with different emission wavelengths. The idea is to use the emission spectra of the inorganic scintillators to reconstruct the shower progression. Our study validates this proposed concept using inorganic scintillators strategically stacked by decreasing emission wavelength. Using electrons and pions with up to 100 GeV, we achieved analytical discrimination and longitudinal shower measurement. This proof of concept underscores chromatic calorimetry’s potential for broader applications.

The present study investigates the production of highly charged ions (HCIs) through the novel application of antiprotonic atoms and explores their potential for studying atomic and nuclear structures. Utilizing the Geant4 simulation toolkit, comprehensive simulations were conducted for all known isotopes with atomic numbers below 100. These simulations recorded key parameters of the resulting nuclear fragments, including mass, momentum, charge, and yield. The results obtained from this study offer valuable insights into the mechanisms of HCI production and provide a foundation for planning and analyzing future experimental investigations. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using antiprotonic atoms to advance nuclear and atomic physics research.

The AEg̅IS collaboration at CERN’s AD produces antihydrogen atoms in the form of a pulsed, isotropic source with a precisely defined formation time. AEg̅IS has recently undergone major upgrades to fully benefit from the increased number of colder antiprotons provided by the new ELENA decelerator and to move toward forming a horizontal beam to directly investigate the influence of gravity on the H̅ atoms, thereby probing the Weak Equivalence Principle for antimatter. This contribution gives an overview of these upgrades as well as subsequent results from the first beam times with ELENA.

Mathematical and scientic concepts have long fascinated a wide range of artists with their rigour and beauty, and choreographers such as William Forsythe, who also recently visited CERN, have integrated such concepts deeply into their work. Gilles Jobin, who is the second artist to win the international Collide@CERN competition for an artistic residency at CERN, following on the heels of the first prize-winner, German visual artist Julius von Bismarck. Be it with visual artor choreography, both have attempted a new style of interaction with scientists a collision of minds, if you like, observing the physicists and, most importantly, exchanging ideas with them as equals.

Quantum sensing uses properties of quantum mechanics to go beyond what is possible with traditional measurement techniques. In particle physics, key problems in which quantum sensing can have a vital role include neutrino properties, tests of fundamental symmetries (Lorentz invariance and the equivalence principle, searches for electric dipole moments and possible variations of the fundamental constants), the search for dark matter and testing ideas about the nature of dark energy. Quantum sensor technologies using atom interferometry, optomechanical devices, or atomic and nuclear clocks are inherently relevant for low-energy physics, but other platforms, such as quantum dots, superconducting devices or spin sensors, might also be useful in future high-energy particle physics detectors. This Perspective explores the opportunities for these technologies in future particle physics experiments and outlines the challenges that could be tackled through collaborative efforts.Quantum sensing exploits properties of quantum systems to go beyond what is possible with traditional measurement techniques, hence opening exciting opportunities in both low-energy and high-energy particle physics experiments.

Abstract In this work, we discuss the possibility of inertial sensing with positronium in the 23S metastable state for the measurement of optical dipole, relativistic and gravitational forces on a purely leptonic matter-antimatter system. Starting from the characteristics of an available 23S beam, we estimate the time necessary to measure accelerations ranging from ~105 m/s2 to 9.1 m/s2 with two different inertial sensitive devices: a classical moiré deflectometer and a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. The sensitivity of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer has been estimated to be several tens of times better than that of the moiré deflectometer, for the same measurement time. Different strategies to strengthen the 23S beam flux and to improve the sensitivity of the devices are proposed and analyzed. Among them, the most promising are reducing the divergence of the positronium beam through 2D laser Doppler cooling and coherent positronium Raman excitation from the ground state to the 23S level. If implemented, these improvements promise to result in the time required to measure an acceleration of 9.1 m/s2 of few weeks and 100 m/s2 of a few hours. Different detection schemes for resolving the fringe pattern shift generated on 23S positronium crossing the deflectometer/interferometer are also discussed. Graphical abstract