Daily Papers

Evaluation is the baton for the development of large language models. Current evaluations typically employ a single-item assessment paradigm for each atomic test objective, which struggles to discern whether a model genuinely possesses the required capabilities or merely memorizes/guesses the answers to specific questions. To this end, we propose a novel evaluation framework referred to as StructEval. Starting from an atomic test objective, StructEval deepens and broadens the evaluation by conducting a structured assessment across multiple cognitive levels and critical concepts, and therefore offers a comprehensive, robust and consistent evaluation for LLMs. Experiments on three widely-used benchmarks demonstrate that StructEval serves as a reliable tool for resisting the risk of data contamination and reducing the interference of potential biases, thereby providing more reliable and consistent conclusions regarding model capabilities. Our framework also sheds light on the design of future principled and trustworthy LLM evaluation protocols.

This article presents a review about the main CERN n\_TOF contributions to the field of neutron-capture experiments of interest for s-process nucleosynthesis studies over the last 25 years, with special focus on the measurement of radioactive isotopes. A few recent capture experiments on stable isotopes of astrophysical interest are also discussed. Results on s-process branching nuclei are appropriate to illustrate how advances in detection systems and upgrades in the facility have enabled increasingly challenging experiments and, as a consequence, have led to a better understanding and modeling of the s-process mechanism of nucleosynthesis. New endeavors combining radioactive-ion beams from ISOLDE for the production of radioisotopically pure samples for activation experiments at the new NEAR facility at n\_TOF are briefly discussed. On the basis of these new exciting results, also current limitations of state-of-the-art TOF and activation techniques will be depicted, thereby showing the pressing need for further upgrades and enhancements on both facilities and detection systems. A brief account of the potential technique based on inverse kinematics for direct neutron-capture measurements is also presented.

Since the last nuclear atmospheric test carried out by the People Republic of China in 1980 and since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, the plutonium hasn't been directly released into the atmosphere. However, nowadays, it is still present in the troposphere. This is due to plutonium-bearing soil particles physical resuspension processes. In this work, we study for the first time the temporal variation of plutonium isotopes, 239Pu and 240Pu, baseline concentrations on a monthly basis in surface air from Seville (Spain), and their correlation with some tracers of mineral dust, during 2001 and 2002. The Pu analyses were performed by low-energy Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). The 239Pu plus 240Pu (239+240Pu) activity levels achieved maximums during the summer period, characterized by the absence of rains, and minimums during the rainy seasons, laying in the range 1-20 nBq per cubic meter. The 240Pu/239Pu two-year average atomic ratio was 0.18(0.03), in agreement with the fallout plutonium. A good correlation with Pu and Al and Ti levels is observed. They are crustal components usually used as tracers of African dust over European countries. The hypothesis of the influence of the Saharan dust intrusions is supported as well through the study of Total Ozone Mass Spectrometer (TOMS) daily images.

We report on the trapping of single rubidium atoms in large arrays of optical tweezers comprising up to 2088 sites in a cryogenic environment at 6 K. Our approach relies on the use of microscope objectives that are in-vacuum but at room temperature, in combination with windowless thermal shields into which the objectives are protruding to ensure a cryogenic environment for the trapped atoms. To achieve enough optical power for efficient trapping, we combine two lasers at slightly different wavelengths. We discuss the performance and limitations of our design. Finally, we demonstrate atom-by-atom rearrangement of an 828-atom target array using moving optical tweezers controlled by a field-programmable gate array.