arXiv subjects

C. Rossi

Publications and source records attributed to C. Rossi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Radiation tolerance tests on key components of the ePIC-dRICH readout card

The dual-radiator RICH (dRICH) detector of the ePIC experiment will employ over 300000 SiPM pixels as photosensors, organized into more than 1000 Photon Detection Units. Each PDU is a compact module, approximately 5x5x12 cm^3 in size, including four custom ASICs connected to 256 SiPMs and an FPGA-based readout card (RDO) responsible for data acquisition and control. Considering the moderately harsh radiation environment expected in the dRICH detector, this study reports on proton irradiation tests performed on key components of the RDO card to assess their tolerance to cumulative Total Ionizing Dose (TID) and Single Event Effects (SEE). All tested components demonstrated radiation tolerance beyond the TID levels expected for the dRICH environment, with the exception of the ATtiny817 microcontroller, which showed destructive failure. Furthermore, as expected, the observed Single Event Upset (SEU) rates call for appropriate mitigation strategies in the final system design.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2022

The CLIC project

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a multi-TeV high-luminosity linear e$^+$e$^-$-collider under development by the CLIC accelerator collaboration, hosted by CERN. The CLIC accelerator has been optimised for three energy stages at centre-of-mass energies 380 GeV, 1.5 TeV and 3 TeV. CLIC uses a novel two-beam acceleration technique, with normal-conducting accelerating structures operating in the range of 70-100 MV/m. The report describes recent achievements in accelerator design, technology development and prototyping, system tests and beam tests. Large-scale CLIC-specific beam tests have taken place, for example, at the CLIC Test Facility CTF3 at CERN, at the Accelerator Test Facility ATF2 at KEK, at the FACET facility at SLAC and at the FERMI facility in Trieste. Together, they demonstrate that all implications of the CLIC design parameters are well understood and reproducible in beam tests and prove that the CLIC performance goals are realistic. The implementation of CLIC near CERN has been investigated. Focusing on a staged approach starting at 380 GeV, this includes civil engineering aspects, electrical networks, cooling and ventilation and installation scheduling, transport. All CLIC studies have put emphasis on optimising cost and energy efficiency, and the resulting power and cost estimates are reported. The report follows very closely the accelerator project description in the CLIC Summary Report for the European Particle Physics Strategy update 2018-19. Detailed studies of the physics potential and detector for CLIC, and R&D on detector technologies, have been carried out by the CLIC detector and physics (CLICdp) collaboration. CLIC provides excellent sensitivity to Beyond Standard Model physics, through direct searches and via a broad set of precision measurements of Standard Model processes, particularly in the Higgs and top-quark sectors.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2020

A primary electron beam facility at CERN -- eSPS Conceptual design report

The design of a primary electron beam facility at CERN is described. The study has been carried out within the framework of the wider Physics Beyond Colliders study. It re-enables the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) as an electron accelerator, and leverages the development invested in Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) technology for its injector and as an accelerator research and development infrastructure. The facility would be relevant for several of the key priorities in the 2020 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics, such as an electron-positron Higgs factory, accelerator R\&D, dark sector physics, and neutrino physics. In addition, it could serve experiments in nuclear physics. The electron beam delivered by this facility would provide access to light dark matter production significantly beyond the targets predicted by a thermal dark matter origin, and for natures of dark matter particles that are not accessible by direct detection experiments. It would also enable electro-nuclear measurements crucial for precise modelling the energy dependence of neutrino-nucleus interactions, which is needed to precisely measure neutrino oscillations as a function of energy. The implementation of the facility is the natural next step in the development of X-band high-gradient acceleration technology, a key technology for compact and cost-effective electron/positron linacs. It would also become the only facility with multi-GeV drive bunches and truly independent electron witness bunches for plasma wakefield acceleration. A second phase capable to deliver positron witness bunches would make it a complete facility for plasma wakefield collider studies. [...]

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2018

Evolved stars in the Local Group galaxies - II. AGB, RSG stars and dust production in IC10

We study the evolved stellar population of the Local Group galaxy IC10, with the aim of characterizing the individual sources observed and to derive global information on the galaxy, primarily the star formation history and the dust production rate. To this aim, we use evolutionary sequences of low- and intermediate-mass ($M < 8~M_{\odot}$) stars, evolved through the asymptotic giant branch phase, with the inclusion of the description of dust formation. We also use models of higher mass stars. From the analysis of the distribution of stars in the observational planes obtained with IR bands, we find that the reddening and distance of IC10 are $E(B-V)=1.85$ mag and $d=0.77$ Mpc, respectively. The evolved stellar population is dominated by carbon stars, that account for $40\%$ of the sources brighter than the tip of the red giant branch. Most of these stars descend from $\sim 1.1-1.3~M_{\odot}$ progenitors, formed during the major epoch of star formation, which occurred $\sim 2.5$ Gyr ago. The presence of a significant number of bright stars indicates that IC10 has been site of significant star formation in recent epochs and currently hosts a group of massive stars in the core helium-burning phase. Dust production in this galaxy is largely dominated by carbon stars; the overall dust production rate estimated is $7\times 10^{-6}~M_{\odot}$/yr.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Infrared characteristics of the BIS catalog objects

We have studied several color-color infrared diagrams of the 276 late type stars of the BIS catalog. For 95 of these stars we derived spectral classification from our slit spectroscopy. From the 2MASS color diagram we derive that none of the sample stars is a dwarf. The WISE 3.4-12 vs 12-22 plot is the best to discriminate the variability type (Mira, irregular and not-variable), as well as Carbon stars: IRAS colors are less useful due to the poor quality of the data for most of the BIS stars. Mixed plots involving 2MASS, AKARI and WISE were also explored: the 2MASS-AKARI J-[S09] vs [S09]-[L18] plot is efficient to discriminate Carbon and Mira stars. From the color plots and our spectroscopy we can statistically predict that in whole BIS catalog no other dusty Carbon star is present, while a few Miras and CH or R Carbon stars could be discovered. Only about 15 percent of the BIS stars are of early M type.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Spectral Properties and Variability of BIS objects

Through the analysis and interpretation of newly obtained and of literature data we have clarified the nature of poorly investigated IRAS point sources classified as late type stars, belonging to the Byurakan IRAS ~Stars catalog. From medium resolution spectroscopyof 95 stars we have strongly revised 47 spectral types and newly classified 31 sources. Nine stars are of G or K types, four are N carbon stars in the Asymptotic Giant Branch, the others being M type stars. From literature and new photometric observations we have studied their variability behaviour. For the regular variables we determined distances, absolute magnitudes and mass loss rates. For the other stars we estimated the distances, ranging between 1.3 and 10~kpc with a median of 2.8~kpc from the galactic plane, indicating that BIS stars mostly belong to the halo population.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Investigation of faint galactic carbon stars from the first Byurakan spectral survey. III. Infrared characteristics

Infra-Red(IR) astronomical databases, namely, IRAS, 2MASS, WISE, and Spitzer, are used to analyze photometric data of 126 carbon stars whose spectra are visible in the First Byurakan Survey low-resolution spectral plates. Among these, six new objects, recently confirmed on the digitized FBS plates, are included. For three of them, moderate-resolution CCD optical spectra are also presented. In this work several IR color-color diagrams are studied. Early and late-type C stars are separated in the JHK Near-Infra-Red(NIR) color-color plots, as well as in the WISE W3-W4 versus W1-W2 diagram. Late N-type Asymptotic Giant Branch stars are redder in W1-W2, while early-types(CH and R giants) are redder in W3-W4 as expected. Objects with W2-W3 > 1.0 mag. show double-peaked spectral energy distribution, indicating the existence of the circumstellar envelopes around them. 26 N-type stars have IRAS Point Source Catalog(PSC) associations. For FBS 1812+455 IRAS Low-Resolution Spectra in the wavelength range 7.7 - 22.6micron and Spitzer Space Telescope Spectra in the range 5 - 38micro are presented clearly showing absorption features of C2H2(acetylene) molecule at 7.5 and 13.7micron , and the SiC(silicone carbide) emission at 11.3micron. The mass-loss rates for eight Mira-type variables are derived from the K-[12] color and from the pulsation periods. The reddest object among the targets is N-type C star FBS 2213+421, which belong to the group of the cold post-AGB R Coronae Borealis(R CrB) variables.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

GR 290 (Romano's Star): 2. Light history and evolutionary state

We have built the historical light curve of the luminous variable GR 290 back to 1901, from old observations of the star found in several archival plates of M 33. These old recordings together with published and new data show that for at least half a century the star was in a low luminosity state, with B ~18. After 1960, five large variability cycles of visual luminosity were recorded. The amplitude of the oscillations was seen increasing towards the 1992-1994 maximum, then decreasing during the last maxima. The recent light curve indicates that the photometric variations have been quite similar in all the bands, and that the B-V color index has been constant within +/-0.1 m despite the 1.5m change of the visual luminosity. The spectrum of GR 290 at the large maximum of 1992-94, was equivalent to late-B type, while, during 2002-2014, it has varied between WN10h-11h near the visual maxima to WN8h-9h at the luminosity minima. We have detected, during this same period, a clear anti-correlation between the visual luminosity, the strength of the HeII 4686 A emission line, the strength of the 4600-4700 A lines blend and the spectral type. From a model analysis of the spectra collected during the whole 2002-2014 period we find that the Rosseland radius R_{2/3}, changed between the minimum and maximum luminosity phases by a factor of 3, while T_eff varied between about 33,000 K and 23,000 K. The bolometric luminosity of the star was not constant, but increased by a factor of ~1.5 between minimum and maximum luminosity, in phase with the apparent luminosity variations. In the light of current evolutionary models of very massive stars, we find that GR 290 has evolved from a ~60 M_Sun progenitor star and should have an age of about 4 million years. We argue that it has left the LBV stage and is moving to a Wolf-Rayet stage of late nitrogen spectral type.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Interpreting the spectral behavior of MWC 314

MWC 314 is one of the most luminous stars in the Milky Way. Its fundamental parameters are similar to those of LBVs, although no large photometric variations have been recorded. We analyzed the radial velocity (RV) variations displayed by the absorption lines from the star's atmosphere using high resolution optical spectra. The RV and profile variations of some permitted and forbidden emission lines of metallic ions and the behavior of the Balmer and HeI lines has been investigated as well. The RV of the absorption lines clearly shows a 60-day periodicity. A dense coverage of the RV curve allowed us to derive accurate orbital parameters. The RV of the FeII emission lines varies in the same way, but with a smaller amplitude. Additionally, the intensity ratio of the blue/red peaks of these emission lines correlates with the RV variations. The Balmer lines and {NII] lines display a nearly constant RV and no profile variations in phase with the orbital motion instead. The HeI-5876 Å line shows a strongly variable profile with broad and blue-shifted absorption components reaching velocities of <-1000 km/s at some specific orbital phases. Our data strongly suggest that the object is a binary system composed from a supergiant B[e] star and an undetected companion. The emission lines with a non-variable RV could originate in a circumbinary region. For the FeII emission lines we propose a simple geometrical two-component model where a compact source of FeII emission, moving around the center of mass, is affected by a static extra absorption that originates from a larger area. Finally, the blue-shifted absorption in the HeI-5876 Å line could be the result of density enhancements in the primary star wind flowing towards the companion that is best observed when projected over the disk of the primary star.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

AGB stars in the SMC: evolution and dust properties based on Spitzer observations

We study the population of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) by means of full evolutionary models of stars of mass 1Msun < M < 8Msun, evolved through the thermally pulsing phase. The models also account for dust production in the circumstellar envelope. We compare Spitzer infrared colours with results from theoretical modelling. We show that ~75% of the AGB population of the SMC is composed by scarcely obscured objects, mainly stars of mass M < 2.5Msun at various metallicity, formed between 700 Myr and 5 Gyr ago; ~ 70% of these sources are oxygen--rich stars, while ~ 30% are C-stars. The sample of the most obscured AGB stars, accounting for ~ 25% of the total sample, is composed almost entirely by carbon stars. The distribution in the colour-colour ([3.6]-[4.5], [5.8]-[8.0]) and colour-magnitude ([3.6]-[8.0], [8.0]) diagrams of these C-rich objects, with a large infrared emission, traces an obscuration sequence, according to the amount of carbonaceous dust in their surroundings. The overall population of C-rich AGB stars descends from 1.5-2Msun stars of metallicity Z=0.004, formed between 700 Myr and 2 Gyr ago, and from lower metallicity objects, of mass below 1.5Msun, 2-5 Gyr old. We also identify obscured oxygen-rich stars (M ~ 4-6Msun) experiencing hot bottom burning. The differences between the AGB populations of the SMC and LMC are also commented.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

AGB stars in the LMC: evolution of dust in circumstellar envelopes

We calculated theoretical evolutionary sequences of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, including formation and evolution of dust grains in their circumstellar envelope. By considering stellar populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), we calculate synthetic colour-colour and colour-magnitude diagrams, which are compared with those obtained by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The comparison between observations and theoretical predictions outlines that extremely obscured carbon-stars and oxygen-rich sources experiencing hot bottom burning (HBB) occupy well defined, distinct regions in the colour-colour ($[3.6]-[4.5]$, $[5.8]-[8.0]$) diagram. The C-rich stars are distributed along a diagonal strip that we interpret as an evolutionary sequence, becoming progressively more obscured as the stellar surface layers enrich in carbon. Their circumstellar envelopes host solid carbon dust grains with size in the range $0.05 < a < 0.2 μm$. The presence of SiC particles is expected only in the more metal-rich stars. The reddest sources, with $[3.6]-[4.5] > 2$, are the descendants of stars with initial mass $M_{in} \sim 2.5 - 3 M_{\odot}$ in the very latest phases of the AGB life. The oxygen-rich stars with the reddest colours ($[5.8]-[8.0] > 0.6$) are those experiencing HBB, the descendants of $\sim 5 M_{\odot}$ objects formed $10^{8}$ yr ago; alumina and silicates dust start forming at different distances from the central star. The overall dust production rate in the LMC is $\sim 4.5 \times 10^{-5} M_{\odot}/yr$, the relative percentages due to C- and M- star being respectively 85$%$ and 15 $%$.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Optical and X-ray behaviour of the high mass X-ray transient A0535+26/HDE245770 in February-March 2014

The optical behaviour of the Be star in the high-mass X-ray transient A0535+26/HDE245770 shows that at periastron the luminosity is typically enhanced by 0.02 to a few tenths magnitude, and the X-ray outburst occurs eight days after the periastron. Indeed, at the periastron an increase of the mass flux occurs. This sort of flush reaches the external part of the temporary accretion disk around the neutron star and moves to the hot central parts of the accretion disk and the neutron star surface. The time necessary for this way is dependent on the turbulent viscosity in the accretion disk, as discussed by Giovannelli, Bisnovatyi-Kogan, and Klepnev (2013) (GBK13). In this paper we will show the behaviour of this system in optical band around the predicted periastron passage on 21st February 2014, by using the GBK13 ephemeris that we used to schedule our spectroscopic and photometric optical observations. Spectroscopic unusual activity detected in the Balmer lines and the enhancement in the emission in B, V, and R bands around the periastron passage, and the subsequent X-ray event definitively demonstrate the existence of about 8 day delay between optical and X-ray flares.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

On the alumina dust production in the winds of O-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch stars

The O-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars experience strong mass loss with efficient dust condensation and they are major sources of dust in the interstellar medium. Alumina dust (Al$_2$O$_3$) is an important dust component in O-rich circumstellar shells and it is expected to be fairly abundant in the winds of the more massive and O-rich AGB stars. By coupling AGB stellar nucleosynthesis and dust formation, we present a self-consistent exploration on the Al$_2$O$_3$ production in the winds of AGB stars with progenitor masses between $\sim$3 and 7 M$_{\odot}$ and metallicities in the range 0.0003 $\le$ Z $\le$ 0.018. We find that Al$_2$O$_3$ particles form at radial distances from the centre between $\sim2$ and 4 R$_*$ (depending on metallicity), which is in agreement with recent interferometric observations of Galactic O-rich AGB stars. The mass of Al$_2$O$_3$ dust is found to scale almost linearly with metallicity, with solar metallicity AGBs producing the highest amount (about 10$^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$) of alumina dust. The Al$_2$O$_3$ grain size decreases with decreasing metallicity (and initial stellar mass) and the maximum size of the Al$_2$O$_3$ grains is $\sim$0.075 $μm$ for the solar metallicity models. Interestingly, the strong depletion of gaseous Al observed in the low-metallicity HBB AGB star HV 2576 seems to be consistent with the formation of Al$_2$O$_3$ dust as predicted by our models. We suggest that the content of Al may be used as a mass (and evolutionary stage) indicator in AGB stars experiencing HBB.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Dissecting the Spitzer color-magnitude diagrams of extreme LMC AGB stars

We trace the full evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars ($1 M_{\odot} \leq M \leq 8M_{\odot}$) during the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase in the {\it Spitzer} two-color and color-magnitude diagrams. We follow the formation and growth of dust particles in the circumstellar envelope with an isotropically expanding wind, in which gas molecules impinge upon pre--existing seed nuclei, favour their growth. These models are the first able to identify the main regions in the {\it Spitzer} data occupied by AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The main diagonal sequence traced by LMC extreme stars in the [3.6]-[4.5] vs. [5.8]-[8.0] and [3.6]-[8.0] vs. [8.0] planes are nicely fit by carbon stars models; it results to be an evolutionary sequence with the reddest objects being at the final stages of their AGB evolution. The most extreme stars, with [3.6]-[4.5] $>$ 1.5 and [3.6]-[8.0] $>$ 3, are 2.5-3 $M_{\odot}$ stars surrounded by solid carbon grains. In higher mass ($>3 M_{\odot}$) models dust formation is driven by the extent of Hot Bottom Burning (HBB) - most of the dust formed is in the form of silicates and the maximum obscuration phase by dust particles occurs when the HBB experienced is strongest, before the mass of the envelope is considerably reduced.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Dust from AGBs: relevant factors and modelling uncertainties

The dust formation process in the winds of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars is discussed, based on full evolutionary models of stars with mass in the range $1$M$_{\odot} \leq$M$\leq 8$M$_{\odot}$, and metallicities $0.001 < Z <0.008$. Dust grains are assumed to form in an isotropically expanding wind, by growth of pre--existing seed nuclei. Convection, for what concerns the treatment of convective borders and the efficiency of the schematization adopted, turns out to be the physical ingredient used to calculate the evolutionary sequences with the highest impact on the results obtained. Low--mass stars with M$\leq 3$M$_{\odot}$ produce carbon type dust with also traces of silicon carbide. The mass of solid carbon formed, fairly independently of metallicity, ranges from a few $10^{-4}$M$_{\odot}$, for stars of initial mass $1-1.5$M$_{\odot}$, to $\sim 10^{-2}$M$_{\odot}$ for M$\sim 2-2.5$M$_{\odot}$; the size of dust particles is in the range $0.1 μ$m$\leq a_C \leq 0.2μ$m. On the contrary, the production of silicon carbide (SiC) depends on metallicity. For $10^{-3} \leq Z \leq 8\times 10^{-3}$ the size of SiC grains varies in the range $0.05 μ{\rm m} < {\rm a_{SiC}} < 0.1 μ$m, while the mass of SiC formed is $10^{-5}{\rm M}_{\odot} < {\rm M_{SiC}} < 10^{-3}{\rm M}_{\odot}$. Models of higher mass experience Hot Bottom Burning, which prevents the formation of carbon stars, and favours the formation of silicates and corundum. In this case the results scale with metallicity, owing to the larger silicon and aluminium contained in higher--Z models. At Z=$8\times 10^{-3}$ we find that the most massive stars produce dust masses $m_d \sim 0.01$M$_{\odot}$, whereas models of smaller mass produce a dust mass ten times smaller. The main component of dust are silicates, although corundum is also formed, in not negligible quantities ($\sim 10-20\%$).

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Nonlinear evolution of the magnetized Kelvin-Helmholtz instability: from fluid to kinetic modeling

The nonlinear evolution of collisionless plasmas is typically a multi-scale process where the energy is injected at large, fluid scales and dissipated at small, kinetic scales. Accurately modelling the global evolution requires to take into account the main micro-scale physical processes of interest. This is why comparison of different plasma models is today an imperative task aiming at understanding cross-scale processes in plasmas. We report here the first comparative study of the evolution of a magnetized shear flow, through a variety of different plasma models by using magnetohydrodynamic, Hall-MHD, two-fluid, hybrid kinetic and full kinetic codes. Kinetic relaxation effects are discussed to emphasize the need for kinetic equilibriums to study the dynamics of collisionless plasmas in non trivial configurations. Discrepancies between models are studied both in the linear and in the nonlinear regime of the magnetized Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, to highlight the effects of small scale processes on the nonlinear evolution of collisionless plasmas. We illustrate how the evolution of a magnetized shear flow depends on the relative orientation of the fluid vorticity with respect to the magnetic field direction during the linear evolution when kinetic effects are taken into account. Even if we found that small scale processes differ between the different models, we show that the feedback from small, kinetic scales to large, fluid scales is negligable in the nonlinear regime. This study show that the kinetic modeling validates the use of a fluid approach at large scales, which encourages the development and use of fluid codes to study the nonlinear evolution of magnetized fluid flows, even in the colisionless regime.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2012

Extension of the C star rotation curve of the Milky Way to 24 kpc

Demers and Battinelli published, in 2007 the rotation curve of the Milky Way based on the radial velocity of carbon stars outside the Solar circle. Since then we have established a new list of candidates for spectroscopy. The goal of this paper is to determine the rotation curve of the galaxy, as far as possible from the galactic center, using N type carbon stars. The stars were selected from their dereddened 2MASS colours, then the spectra were obtained with the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and Asiago 1.8 meter telescopes. This publication adds radial velocities and Galactrocentric distances of 36 carbon stars, from which 20 are new confirmed. The new results for stars up to 25 kpc from the galactic center, suggest that the rotation curve shows a slight decline beyond the Solar circle.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Development of a custom on-line ultrasonic vapour analyzer/flowmeter for the ATLAS inner detector, with application to gaseous tracking and Cherenkov detectors

Precision sound velocity measurements can simultaneously determine binary gas composition and flow. We have developed an analyzer with custom electronics, currently in use in the ATLAS inner detector, with numerous potential applications. The instrument has demonstrated ~0.3% mixture precision for C3F8/C2F6 mixtures and < 10-4 resolution for N2/C3F8 mixtures. Moderate and high flow versions of the instrument have demonstrated flow resolutions of +/- 2% F.S. for flows up to 250 l.min-1, and +/- 1.9% F.S. for linear flow velocities up to 15 ms-1; the latter flow approaching that expected in the vapour return of the thermosiphon fluorocarbon coolant recirculator being built for the ATLAS silicon tracker.

physics.ins-det↗