arXiv subjects

Alessandro Drago

Publications and source records attributed to Alessandro Drago.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Suppression of the longitudinal coupled bunch instability in DA$Φ$NE in collisions with a crossing angle

In DAFNE, the Frascati $e^+e^-$ collider operating since 1998, an innovative collision scheme, the crab waist, has been successfully implemented during the years 2008-09. During operations for the Siddharta experiment an unusual synchrotron oscillation damping effect induced by beam-beam collisions has been observed. Indeed, when the longitudinal feedback is off, the positron beam becomes unstable with currents above 200-300 mA due to coupled bunch instability. The longitudinal instability is damped by colliding the positron beam with a high current electron beam (of the order of 2 A). A shift of about -600 Hz in the residual synchrotron sidebands is observed. Precise measurements have been performed by using both a commercial spectrum analyzer and the diagnostic capabilities of the longitudinal bunch-by-bunch feedback. The damping effect has been observed in DAFNE for the first time during collisions with the crab waist scheme. Our explanation, based both on theoretical consideration and modeling simulation, is that beam collisions with a large crossing angle produce longitudinal tune shift and spread, providing Landau damping of synchrotron oscillations.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2019

How to Test the Two-Families Scenario

We shortly summarize the two-families scenario in which both hadronic stars and strange quark stars can exist and we describe the main predictions one can obtain from it. We then concentrate on the observables that most likely will be measured in the near future, i.e. masses, radii, tidal deformabilities and moments of inertia and we present a list of objects that are candidate strange quark stars in this scheme. We show that the estimates of the radii derived up to now from observations are all compatible with the two-families scenario and in particular all the objects having large radii can easily be interpreted as strange quark stars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Merger of compact stars in the two-families scenario

We analyse the phenomenological implications of the two-families scenario on the merger of compact stars. That scenario is based on the coexistence of both hadronic stars and strange quark stars. After discussing the classification of the possible mergers, we turn to detailed numerical simulations of the merger of two hadronic stars, i.e., "first family" stars in which delta resonances and hyperons are present, and we show results for the threshold mass of such binaries, for the mass dynamically ejected and the mass of the disk surrounding the post-merger object. We compare these results with those obtained within the one-family scenario and we conclude that relevant signatures of the two-families scenario can be suggested, in particular: the possibility of a rapid collapse to a black hole for masses even smaller than the ones associated to GW170817; during the first milliseconds, oscillations of the postmerger remnant at frequencies higher than the ones obtained in the one-family scenario; a large value of the mass dynamically ejected and a small mass of the disk, for binaries of low total mass. Finally, based on a population synthesis analysis, we present estimates of the number of mergers for: two hadronic stars; hadronic star - strange quark star; two strange quark stars. We show that for unequal mass systems and intermediate values of the total mass, the merger of a hadronic star and a strange quark star is very likely (GW170817 has a possible interpretation into this category of mergers). On the other hand, mergers of two strange quark stars are strongly suppressed.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

The merger of two compact stars: a tool for dense matter nuclear physics

We discuss the different signals, in gravitational and electromagnetic waves, emitted during the merger of two compact stars. We will focus in particular on the possible contraints that those signals can provide on the equation of state of dense matter. Indeed, the stiffness of the equation of state and the particle composition of the merging compact stars, strongly affect e.g. the life time of the post-merger remnant and its gravitational wave signal, the emission of the short gamma-ray-burst, the amount of ejected mass and the related kilonova. The first detection of gravitational waves from the merger of two compact stars in August 2017, GW170817, and the subsequent detections of its electromagnetic counterparts, GRB170817A and AT2017gfo, is the first example of the era of "multi-messenger astronomy": we discuss what we have learned from this detection on the equation of state of compact stars and we provide a tentative interpretation of this event, within the two families scenario, as due to the merger of a hadronic star with a quark star.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

A multi-messenger analysis of neutron star mergers

The merger of two neutron stars is a very complex process. In order to disentangle the various steps through which it takes place it is mandatory to examine all the signals we can detect: gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves, in a huge spectrum ranging from X and $γ$-rays down to infrared and radio. Each of these signals provides a message and the totality of this information will allow us not only to understand the process of the merger but also the behavior of matter at those extreme conditions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Merger of two neutron stars: predictions from the two-families scenario

If only one family of "neutron stars" exists, their maximum mass must be equal or larger than $2 M_\odot$ and then only in less than about $18\%$ of cases the outcome of the merger of two neutron stars is a direct collapse to a black hole, since the newly formed system can avoid the collapse at least until differential rotation is present. In the so-called two-families scenario, stars made of hadrons are stable only up to about $1.5-1.6 M_\odot$, while the most massive compact stars are entirely made of strange quark matter. We show that in this scenario the outcome of the merger of two neutron stars is a prompt collapse in at least $34\%$ of the cases. It will therefore be easy to discriminate between the two scenarios once the gravitational waves emitted at the moment of the merger are detected.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Exotic atoms at extremely high magnetic fields: the case of neutron star atmosphere

The presence of exotic states of matter in neutron stars (NSs) is currently an open issue in physics. The appearance of muons, kaons, hyperons, and other exotic particles in the inner regions of the NS, favored by energetic considerations, is considered to be an effective mechanism to soften the equation of state (EoS). In the so-called two-families scenario, the softening of the EoS allows for NSs characterized by very small radii, which become unstable and convert into a quark stars (QSs). In the process of conversion of a NS into a QS material can be ablated by neutrinos from the surface of the star. Not only neutron-rich nuclei, but also more exotic material, such as hypernuclei or deconfined quarks, could be ejected into the atmosphere. In the NS atmosphere, atoms like H, He, and C should exist, and attempts to model the NS thermal emission taking into account their presence, with spectra modified by the extreme magnetic fields, have been done. However, exotic atoms, like muonic hydrogen $(p\,μ^-)$ or the so-called Sigmium $(Σ^+\,e^-)$, could also be present during the conversion process or in its immediate aftermath. At present, analytical expressions of the wave functions and eigenvalues for these atoms have been calculated only for H. In this work, we extend the existing solutions and parametrizations to the exotic atoms $(p\,μ^-)$ and $(Σ^+\,e^-)$, making some predictions on possible transitions. Their detection in the spectra of NS would provide experimental evidence for the existence of hyperons in the interior of these stars.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2017

Strange quark stars in binaries: formation rates, mergers and explosive phenomena

The existence of strange quark stars has been proposed many years ago. More recently, the possible co-existence of a first family composed of "normal" neutron stars with a second family of strange quark stars has been proposed as a solution of problems related to the maximum mass and to the minimal radius of these compact stellar objects. In this paper we study the mass distribution of compact objects formed in binary systems and the relative fractions of quark and neutron stars in different subpopulations. We incorporate the strange quark star formation model provided by the two-families scenario and we perform a large-scale population synthesis study in order to obtain the population characteristics. In our model, below a critical gravitational mass $M_\mathrm{max}^H- ΔM$ only normal (hadron) neutron stars exist. Then in the mass range $(M_\mathrm{max}^H- ΔM) \leqslant M \leqslant M_\mathrm{max}^H$ strange quark stars and neutron stars coexist. Finally, above $M_\mathrm{max}^H$ all compact objects are strange quark stars. We argue that $M_\mathrm{max}^H$ is in the range $\sim 1.5-1.6 M_\odot$. According to our results, the main channel for strange quark star formation in binary systems is accretion from a secondary companion on a neutron star.This opens the possibility of having explosive GRB-like phenomena not related to supernovae and not due to the merger of two neutron stars. The enhancement in the number of compact objects in the co-existence mass range $(M_\mathrm{max}^H- ΔM) \leqslant M \leqslant M_\mathrm{max}^H$ is not very pronounced. The number of double strange quark star's systems is rather small with only a tiny fraction which merge within a Hubble time. This drastically limits the flux of strangelets produced by the merger, which turns out to be compatible with all limits stemming from Earth and lunar experiments.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Feedback systems for FCC-ee

In this paper, some preliminary considerations on the feedback systems for FCC-ee are developed. Bunch-by-bunch feedback systems have been designed in the last years for other e+/e- colliders like PEP-II, KEKB, DAFNE, SuperB and SuperKEKB. In all these cases, similar approaches have been implemented, even if some design variations have been suitable or necessary for different reasons. Bunch-by-bunch feedback systems are based on the concept that the barycenter of each bunch moves with harmonic motion around the equilibrium point in three planes (L, H, V). The feedback copes with the forcing excitation by producing damping correction for each individual bunch. This is possible managing every single bunch by a dedicated processing channel in real time. For FCC-ee the very high number of stored bunches requires much more power in terms of processing capability for the feedback systems. Ring length (100 Km) and very low fractional tunes must be also considered requiring for a more effective strategy in the feedback system design.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2016

Conditions for the existence of stable strange quark matter

We discuss the possible existence of absolutely stable strange quark matter within three different types of chiral models. We will show that confinement plays a crucial role in determining the conditions for the Bodmer-Witten hypothesis to hold true. We discuss also which are the phenomenological signatures, related to measurements of masses and radii of compact stars, which would prove the existence of strange quark stars.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Simulation of Crab Waist Collisions In DAΦNE With KLOE-2 Interaction Region

After the successful completion of the SIDDHARTA experiment run with crab waist collisions, the electron- positron collider DAΦNE has started routine operations for the KLOE-2 detector. The new interaction region also exploits the crab waist collision scheme, but features certain complications including the experimental detector solenoid, compensating anti-solenoids, and tilted quadrupole magnets. We have performed simulations of the beam-beam collisions in the collider taking into account the real DAΦNE nonlinear lattice. In particular, we have evaluated the effect of crab waist sextupoles and beam-beam interactions on the DAΦNE dynamical aperture and energy acceptance, and estimated the luminosity that can be potentially achieved with and without crab waist sextupoles in the present working conditions. A numerical analysis has been performed in order to propose possible steps for further luminosity increase in DAΦNE such as a better working point choice, crab sextupole strength optimization, correction of the phase advance between the sextupoles and the interaction region. The proposed change of the e- ring working point was implemented and resulted in a significant performance increase.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2015

The scenario of two families of compact stars 1. Equations of state, mass-radius relations and binary systems

We present several arguments which favor the scenario of two coexisting families of compact stars: hadronic stars and quark stars. Besides the well known hyperon puzzle of the physics of compact stars, a similar puzzle exists also when considering delta resonances. We show that these particles appear at densities close to twice saturation density and must be therefore included in the calculations of the hadronic equation of state. Such an early appearance is strictly related to the value of the L parameter of the symmetry energy that has been found, in recent phenomenological studies, to lie in the range $40<L<62$ MeV. We discuss also the threshold for the formation of deltas and hyperons for hot and lepton rich hadronic matter. Similarly to the case of hyperons, also delta resonances cause a softening of the equation of state which makes it difficult to obtain massive hadronic stars. Quark stars, on the other hand, can reach masses up to $2.75 M_{\odot}$ as predicted by perturbative QCD calculations. We then discuss the observational constraints on the masses and the radii of compact stars. The tension between the precise measurements of high masses and the indications of the existence of very compact stellar objects (with radii of the order of $10$ km) is relieved when assuming that very massive compact stars are quark stars and very compact stars are hadronic stars. Finally, we discuss recent interesting measurements of the eccentricities of the orbits of millisecond pulsars in low mass X-ray binaries. The high values of the eccentricities found in some cases could be explained by assuming that the hadronic star, initially present in the binary system, converts to a quark star due to the increase of its central density.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

The scenario of two families of compact stars 2. Transition from hadronic to quark matter and explosive phenomena

We will follow the two-families scenario described in the accompanying paper, in which compact stars having a very small radius and masses not exceeding about 1.5$M_\odot$ are made of hadrons, while more massive compact stars are quark stars. In the present paper we discuss the dynamics of the transition of a hadronic star into a quark star. We will show that the transition takes place in two phases: a very rapid one, lasting a few milliseconds, during which the central region of the star converts into quark matter and the process of conversion is accelerated by the existence of strong hydrodynamical instabilities, and a second phase, lasting about ten seconds, during which the process of conversion proceeds till the surface of the star via production and diffusion of strangeness. We will show that these two steps play a crucial role in the phenomenological implications of the model. We will discuss the possible implications of this scenario both for long and for short Gamma Ray Bursts, using the proto-magnetar model as the reference frame of our discussion. We will show that the process of quark deconfinement can be connected to specific observed features of the GRBs. In the case of long GRBs we will discuss the possibility that quark deconfinement is at the origin of the second peak present in quite a large fraction of bursts. Also we will discuss the possibility that long GRBs can take place in binary systems without being associated with a SN explosion. Concerning short GRBs, quark deconfinement can play the crucial role in limiting their duration. Finally we will shortly revisit the possible relevance of quark deconfinement in some specific type of Supernova explosions, in particular in the case of very massive progenitors.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Quark deconfinement and the duration of short Gamma Ray Bursts

We propose a model for short duration gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) based on the formation of a quark star after the merger of two neutron stars. We assume that the sGRB central engine is a proto-magnetar, which has been previously invoked to explain the plateau-like X-ray emission observed following both long and short GRBs. Here, we show that: i) a few milliseconds after the merger it is possible to form a stable and massive star made in part of quarks; ii) during the early cooling phase of the incompletely formed quark star, the flux of baryons ablated from the surface by neutrinos is large and it does not allow the outflow to achieve a bulk Lorentz factor high enough to produce a GRB; iii) after the quark burning front reaches the stellar surface, baryon ablation ceases and the jet becomes too baryon poor to produce a GRB; iv) however, between these two phases a GRB can be produced over the finite timescale required for the baryon pollution to cease; a characteristic timescale of the order of $\sim 0.1 $ s naturally results from the time the conversion front needs to cover the distance between the rotational pole and the latitude of the last closed magnetic field line; v) we predict a correlation between the luminosity of the sGRB and its duration, consistent with the data; vi) our model also predicts a delay of the order of ten seconds between the time of the merger event and the sGRB, allowing for the possibility of precursor emission and implying that the jet will encounter the dense cocoon formed immediately after the merger.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

DAFNE Consolidation Program and Operation with the KLOE-2 Detector

After a long preparatory phase, including a wide hardware consolidation program, the Italian lepton collider DAFNE, is now systematically delivering data to the KLOE-2 experiment. In approximately 200 days of operation 1 fb-1 has been given to the detector limiting the background to a level compatible with an efficient data acquisition. Instantaneous and maximum daily integrated luminosity measured, so far, are considerably higher with respect to the previous KLOE runs, and are: L(inst) ~ 2.0 1032 cm-2s-1, and L(day) ~ 12.5 pb-1 respectively. A general review concerning refurbishing activities, machine optimization efforts and data taking performances is presented and discussed.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2015

Combustion of a hadronic star into a quark star: the turbulent and the diffusive regimes

We argue that the full conversion of a hadronic star into a quark or a hybrid star occurs within two different regimes separated by a critical value of the density of the hadronic phase $\overline{n_h}$. The first stage, occurring for $n_h>\overline{n_h}$, is characterized by turbulent combustion and lasts typically a few ms. During this short time-scale neutrino cooling is basically inactive and the star heats up thanks to the heat released in the conversion. In the second stage, occurring for $n_h<\overline{n_h}$, turbulence is not active anymore, and the conversion proceeds on a much longer time scale (of the order of tens of seconds), with a velocity regulated by the diffusion and the production of strange quarks. At the same time, neutrino cooling is also active. The interplay between the heating of the star due to the slow conversion of its outer layers (with densities smaller than $\overline{n_h}$) and the neutrino cooling of the forming quark star leads to a quasi-plateau in the neutrino luminosity which, if observed, would possibly represent a unique signature for the existence of quark matter inside compact stars. We will discuss the phenomenological implications of this scenario in particular in connection with the time structure of long gamma-ray-bursts.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

Strangeness production in heavy-ion collisions

A study of the "horn" in the particle ratio $K^+/π^+$ for central heavy-ion collisions as a function of the collision energy $\sqrt{s}$ is presented. We analyse two different interpretations: the onset of deconfinement and the transition from a baryon- to a meson-dominated hadron gas. We use a realistic equation of state (EOS), which includes both hadron and quark degrees-of-freedom. The Taub-adiabate procedure is followed to determine the system at the early stage. Our results do not support an explanation of the horn as due to the onset of deconfinement. Using only hadronic EOS we reproduced the energy dependence of the $K^+/π^+$ and $Λ/π^-$ ratios employing an experimental parametrisation of the freeze-out curve. We observe a transition between a baryon- and a meson-dominated regime; however, the reproduction of the $K^+/π^+$ and $Λ/π^-$ ratios as a function of $\sqrt{s}$ is not completely satisfying. We finally propose a new idea for the interpretation of the data, the roll-over scheme, in which the scalar meson field $σ$ has not reached the thermal equilibrium at freeze-out. The rool-over scheme for the equilibration of the $σ$-field is based on the inflation mechanism. The non-equilibrium evolution of the scalar field influences the particle production, e.g. $K^+/π^+$, however, the fixing of the free parameters in this model is still an open issue.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Is there a "$Δ$-isobar puzzle" in the physics of neutron stars?

We discuss the formation of $Δ$ isobars in neutron star matter. We show that their threshold density strictly correlates with the density derivative of the symmetry energy of nuclear matter, the $L$ parameter. By restricting $L$ to the range of values indicated by recent experimental and theoretical analysis, i.e. $40$ MeV $\lesssim L \lesssim 62$ MeV, we find that $Δ$ isobars appear at a density of the order of 2$÷$3 times nuclear matter saturation density, i.e. the same range for the appearance of hyperons. The range of values of the couplings of the $Δ$s with the mesons is restricted by the analysis of the data obtained from photoabsorption, electron and pion scattering on nuclei. If the potential of the $Δ$ in nuclear matter is close to the one indicated by the experimental data then the equation of state becomes soft enough that a "$Δ$ puzzle" exists, similar to the "hyperon puzzle" widely discussed in the literature.

astro-ph.SR↗