Yirui Arlene Zhang
· Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Faculty, Rice Advanced Materials InstituteRice University · Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Active 2000–2024
About
Yirui Arlene Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Rice Advanced Materials Institute at Rice University. She completed her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University in 2017 and earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2022. Her doctoral research focused on understanding electrode–electrolyte interfaces in Li-ion batteries and electrocatalysis, developing advanced in situ spectroscopic and electrochemical methods to investigate interfacial reaction mechanisms and coupled ion–electron transfer. Following her Ph.D., she conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University as a Schmidt Science Fellow, where she pivoted to bio-nanophotonics and machine learning for spectroscopic analysis. Her research program lies at the intersection of electrochemistry, nanophotonics, and spectroscopy, aiming to illuminate and control electrified interfaces for energy storage, chemical conversion, and biological applications. Her group develops in situ nanophotonics-enhanced spectroscopies, advanced electrochemical methods, and employs simulations and machine learning to understand charge transfer and molecular transformations at material interfaces, with applications spanning batteries, electrocatalysis, waste conversion, greenhouse gas mitigation, bioenergy, and health diagnostics.
Research topics
- Physics
- Nuclear physics
- Particle physics
- Computer Science
- Astrophysics
- Engineering
- Economics
- Mechanical engineering
- Algorithm
Selected publications
Differential cross section measurements for the production of top quark pairs and of additional jets using dilepton events from pp collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV
OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 2025 · 8 citations
- Physics
- Particle physics
- Nuclear physics
A bstract Differential cross sections for top quark pair ( $$ \textrm{t}\overline{\textrm{t}} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mover> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mo>¯</mml:mo> </mml:mover> </mml:math> ) production are measured in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV using a sample of events containing two oppositely charged leptons. The data were recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb − 1 . The differential cross sections are measured as functions of kinematic observables of the $$ \textrm{t}\overline{\textrm{t}} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mover> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mo>¯</mml:mo> </mml:mover> </mml:math> system, the top quark and antiquark and their decay products, as well as of the number of additional jets in the event. The results are presented as functions of up to three variables and are corrected to the parton and particle levels. When compared to standard model predictions based on quantum chromodynamics at different levels of accuracy, it is found that the calculations do not always describe the observed data. The deviations are found to be largest for the multi-differential cross sections.
Physical Review Letters · 2024 · 96 citations
- Physics
A search is reported for near-threshold structures in the J/ψJ/ψ invariant mass spectrum produced in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV from data collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 135 fb^{-1}. Three structures are found, and a model with quantum interference among these structures provides a good description of the data. A new structure is observed with a local significance above 5 standard deviations at a mass of 6638_{-38}^{+43}(stat)_{-31}^{+16}(syst) MeV. Another structure with even higher significance is found at a mass of 6847_{-28}^{+44}(stat)_{-20}^{+48}(syst) MeV, which is consistent with the X(6900) resonance reported by the LHCb experiment and confirmed by the ATLAS experiment. Evidence for another new structure, with a local significance of 4.7 standard deviations, is found at a mass of 7134_{-25}^{+48}(stat)_{-15}^{+41}(syst) MeV. Results are also reported for a model without interference, which does not fit the data as well and shows mass shifts up to 150 MeV relative to the model with interference.
Search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson to a pair of pseudoscalars in the $\mu\mu$bb and $\tau\tau$bb final states
2024
- Physics
- Particle physics
- Nuclear physics
A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson (H) with a mass of 125 GeV to a pair of light pseudoscalars $\mathrm{a}_1$ is performed in final states where one pseudoscalar decays to two b quarks and the other to a pair of muons or $\tau$ leptons. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ recorded with the CMS detector is analyzed. No statistically significant excess is observed over the standard model backgrounds. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level (CL) on the Higgs boson branching fraction to $\mu\mu$bb and to $\tau\tau$bb, via a pair of $\mathrm{a}_1$s. The limits depend on the pseudoscalar mass $m_{\mathrm{a}_1}$ and are observed to be in the range (0.17-3.3) $\times$ 10$^{-4}$ and (1.7-7.7) $\times$ 10$^{2}$ in the $\mu\mu$bb and $\tau\tau$bb final states, respectively. In the framework of models with two Higgs doublets and a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), the results of the two final states are combined to determine model-independent upper limits on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$(H $\to$ $\mathrm{a}_1\mathrm{a}_1$ $\to$ $\ell\ell$bb) at 95% CL, with $\ell$ being a muon or a $\tau$ lepton. For different types of 2HDM+S, upper bounds on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$(H $\to$ $\mathrm{a}_1\mathrm{a}_1$) are extracted from the combination of the two channels. In most of the Type II 2HDM+S parameter space, $\mathcal{B}($H $\to$ $\mathrm{a}_1\mathrm{a}_1$) values above 0.23 are excluded at 95% CL for $m_{\mathrm{a}_1}$ values between 15 and 60 GeV.
arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024 · 6 citations
- Physics
- Particle physics
- Nuclear physics
A bstract An inclusive search for long-lived exotic particles (LLPs) decaying to final states with a pair of muons is presented. The search uses data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.6 fb − 1 collected by the CMS experiment from the proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msqrt> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> </mml:msqrt> </mml:math> = 13.6 TeV in 2022, the first year of Run 3 of the CERN LHC. The experimental signature is a pair of oppositely charged muons originating from a secondary vertex spatially separated from the proton-proton interaction point by distances ranging from several hundred μ m to several meters. The sensitivity of the search benefits from new triggers for displaced dimuons developed for Run 3. The results are interpreted in the framework of the hidden Abelian Higgs model, in which the Higgs boson decays to a pair of long-lived dark photons, and of an R -parity violating supersymmetry model, in which long-lived neutralinos decay to a pair of muons and a neutrino. The limits set on these models are the most stringent to date in wide regions of lifetimes for LLPs with masses larger than 10 GeV.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · 2023 · 7 citations
- Physics
- Particle physics
- Nuclear physics
A data sample containing top quark pairs ($t\overline{t}$) produced in association with a Lorentz-boosted $Z$ or Higgs boson is used to search for signs of new physics using effective field theory. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of $138\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ of proton-proton collisions produced at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the LHC and collected by the CMS experiment. Selected events contain a single lepton and hadronic jets, including two identified with the decay of bottom quarks, plus an additional large-radius jet with high transverse momentum identified as a $Z$ or Higgs boson decaying to a bottom quark pair. Machine learning techniques are employed to discriminate between $t\overline{t}Z$ or $t\overline{t}H$ events and events from background processes, which are dominated by $t\overline{t}+\text{jets}$ production. No indications of new physics are observed. The signal strengths of boosted $t\overline{t}Z$ and $t\overline{t}H$ production are measured, and upper limits are placed on the $t\overline{t}Z$ and $t\overline{t}H$ differential cross sections as functions of the $Z$ or Higgs boson transverse momentum. The effects of new physics are probed using a framework in which the standard model is considered to be the low-energy effective field theory of a higher energy scale theory. Eight possible dimension-six operators are added to the standard model Lagrangian, and their corresponding coefficients are constrained via fits to the data.
Physics Letters B · 2023 · 75 citations
- Computer Science
- Physics
- Algorithm
Measurements are presented of the Bs0→μ+μ− branching fraction and effective lifetime, as well as results of a search for the B0→μ+μ− decay in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV at the LHC. The analysis is based on data collected with the CMS detector in 2016–2018 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140fb−1. The branching fraction of the Bs0→μ+μ− decay and the effective Bs0 meson lifetime are the most precise single measurements to date. No evidence for the B0→μ+μ− decay has been found. All results are found to be consistent with the standard model predictions and previous measurements.
Identification of hadronic tau lepton decays using a deep neural network
Journal of Instrumentation · 2022 · 51 citations
- Physics
- Particle physics
- Nuclear physics
A new algorithm is presented to discriminate reconstructed hadronic decays of tau leptons (τ h) that originate from genuine tau leptons in the CMS detector against τ h candidates that originate from quark or gluon jets, electrons, or muons. The algorithm inputs information from all reconstructed particles in the vicinity of a τ h candidate and employs a deep neural network with convolutional layers to efficiently process the inputs. This algorithm leads to a significantly improved performance compared with the previously used one. For example, the efficiency for a genuine τ h to pass the discriminator against jets increases by 10-30% for a given efficiency for quark and gluon jets. Furthermore, a more efficient τ h reconstruction is introduced that incorporates additional hadronic decay modes. The superior performance of the new algorithm to discriminate against jets, electrons, and muons and the improved τ h reconstruction method are validated with LHC proton-proton collision data at s = 13 TeV.
Measurement of the Higgs boson width and evidence of its off-shell contributions to ZZ production
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · 2022 · 5 citations
- Physics
- Particle physics
- Nuclear physics
Since the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, detailed studies of its properties have been ongoing. Besides its mass, its width - related to its lifetime - is an important parameter. One way to determine this quantity is by measuring its off-shell production, where the Higgs boson mass is far away from its nominal value, and relating it to its on-shell production, where the mass is close to the nominal value. Here, we report evidence for such off-shell contributions to the production cross section of two Z bosons with data from the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We constrain the total rate of the off-shell Higgs boson contribution beyond the Z boson pair production threshold, relative to its standard model expectation, to the interval [0.0061, 2.0] at 95% confidence level. The scenario with no off-shell contribution is excluded at a $p$-value of 0.0003 (3.6 standard deviations). We measure the width of the Higgs boson as $\Gamma_{\mathrm{H}}$ = 3.2 $_{-1.7}^{+2.4}$ MeV, in agreement with the standard model expectation of 4.1 MeV. In addition, we set constraints on anomalous Higgs boson couplings to W and Z boson pairs.
arXiv (Cornell University) · 2022 · 2 citations
- Physics
- Particle physics
- Nuclear physics
The first search is presented for vector-like leptons (VLLs) in the context of the '4321 model', an ultraviolet-complete model with the potential to explain existing B physics measurements that are in tension with standard model predictions. The analyzed data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 96.5 fb$^{-1}$, were recorded in 2017 and 2018 with the CMS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV. Final states with ${\geq}$3 b-tagged jets and two third-generation leptons ($\tau\tau$, $\tau\nu_\tau$, or $\nu_\tau\nu_\tau$) are considered. Upper limits are derived on the VLL production cross section in the VLL mass range 500-1050 GeV. The maximum likelihood fit prefers the presence of signal at the level of 2.8 standard deviations, for a representative VLL mass point of 600 GeV. As a consequence, the observed upper limits are approximately double the expected limits.
The European Physical Journal C · 2021 · 66 citations
- Physics
- Nuclear physics
- Particle physics
Abstract The coherent photoproduction of $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>J</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> and $${\uppsi '}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>′</mml:mo> </mml:msup> </mml:math> mesons was measured in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy $$\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}~=~5.02$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msqrt> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> <mml:mi>NN</mml:mi> </mml:msub> </mml:msqrt> <mml:mspace/> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mspace/> <mml:mn>5.02</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> TeV with the ALICE detector. Charmonia are detected in the central rapidity region for events where the hadronic interactions are strongly suppressed. The $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>J</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> is reconstructed using the dilepton ( $$l^{+} l^{-}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>l</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:msup> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>l</mml:mi> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> ) and proton–antiproton decay channels, while for the $${\uppsi '}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>′</mml:mo> </mml:msup> </mml:math> the dilepton and the $$l^{+} l^{-} \pi ^{+} \pi ^{-}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>l</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:msup> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>l</mml:mi> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo> </mml:msup> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>π</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:msup> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>π</mml:mi> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> decay channels are studied. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 233 $$\mu {\mathrm{b}}^{-1}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> <mml:msup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>b</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> . The results are compared with theoretical models for coherent $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>J</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> and $${\uppsi '}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>′</mml:mo> </mml:msup> </mml:math> photoproduction. The coherent cross section is found to be in a good agreement with models incorporating moderate nuclear gluon shadowing of about 0.64 at a Bjorken- x of around $$6\times 10^{-4}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>6</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mn>10</mml:mn> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mn>4</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> , such as the EPS09 parametrization, however none of the models is able to fully describe the rapidity dependence of the coherent $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>J</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> cross section including ALICE measurements at forward rapidity. The ratio of $${\uppsi '}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>′</mml:mo> </mml:msup> </mml:math> to $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>J</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> coherent photoproduction cross sections was also measured and found to be consistent with the one for photoproduction off protons.
Frequent coauthors
- 765 shared
M. Titov
Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers
- 763 shared
G. Hamel de Monchenault
Université Paris-Saclay
- 738 shared
A. Rosowsky
Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers
- 735 shared
M. Besançon
CEA Paris-Saclay
- 714 shared
F. Couderc
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
- 687 shared
H. Lee
Seoul National University
- 672 shared
Serguei Ganjour
Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers
- 660 shared
C. Amendola
CEA Paris-Saclay
Awards & honors
- CAS Future Leaders Program
- AIChE’s inaugural Gamry Award in Electrochemical Fundamental…
- Electrochemical Society (ECS) Energy Technology Division Gra…
- ECS H. H. Dow Memorial Student Achievement Award
- Materials Research Society (MRS) Graduate Student Award
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