arXiv subjects

F. Dal Corso

Publications and source records attributed to F. Dal Corso.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Construction, commissioning, and performance of the ENUBET demonstrator

A final full-size prototype of the instrumented decay tunnel of ENUBET, referred to as the Demonstrator, was constructed and its performance was tested during the 2022, 2023 and 2024 beam test campaigns at the CERN East Area facility. We demonstrate the full scalability of this specialized longitudinal sampling calorimeter technology, based on iron absorbers and scintillator tiles readout by wavelength-shifting fibers and SiPMs. In addition, we evaluate the channel-by- channel response and the performance in terms of electron energy resolution, linearity, and particle identification capabilities, using charged particle beams with energies up to 5 GeV. A comparison with the predictions of a GEANT4 simulation of the prototype is also presented. The results meet the requirements for neutrino monitoring through lepton identification in the decay tunnel and validate the ENUBET full simulation. Although some limitations have been identified, they can be readily addressed in future developments.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

nuSCOPE: A short-baseline neutrino beam at CERN for high-precision cross-section measurements

A new generation of neutrino cross-section experiments at the GeV scale is crucial in the precision era of oscillation physics and lepton flavor studies. In this document, we present a novel neutrino beam design that leverages the experience and R&D achievements of the NP06/ENUBET and NuTag Collaborations and explore its potential implementation at CERN. This beam enables flux monitoring at the percent level and provides a neutrino energy measurement independent of final state particle reconstruction at the neutrino detector. As a result, it eliminates the two primary sources of systematic uncertainty in cross-section measurements: flux normalization and energy bias caused by nuclear effects. We provide a detailed description of the beam technology and instrumentation, along with an overview of its physics potential, with particular emphasis on cross-sections relevant to DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Performance of the image persistence model for Euclid infrared detectors

Large-format infrared detectors are at the heart of major ground and space-based astronomical instruments, and the HgCdTe HxRG is the most widely used. The Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) of the ESA's Euclid mission launched in July 2023 hosts 16 H2RG detectors in the focal plane. Their performance relies heavily on the effect of image persistence, which results in residual images that can remain in the detector for a long time contaminating any subsequent observations. Deriving a precise model of image persistence is challenging due to the sensitivity of this effect to observation history going back hours or even days. Nevertheless, persistence removal is a critical part of image processing because it limits the accuracy of the derived cosmological parameters. We will present the empirical model of image persistence derived from ground characterization data, adapted to the Euclid observation sequence and compared with the data obtained during the in-orbit calibrations of the satellite.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Input to the ESPPU: The LUXE Experiment

This document presents an overview of LUXE (Laser Und XFEL Experiment), an experiment that will combine the high-quality and high-energy electron beam of the European XFEL with a high-intensity laser, to explore the uncharted terrain of strong-field quantum electrodynamics. The scientific case, facility, and detector setup are presented together with an overview of the foreseen timeline and expected capital costs.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

A nonlinear model of shearable elastic rod from an origami-like microstructure displaying folding and faulting

A new continuous model of shearable rod, subject to large elastic deformation, is derived from nonlinear homogenization of a one-dimensional periodic microstructured chain. As particular cases, the governing equations reduce to the Euler elastica and to the shearable elastica known as 'Engesser', that has been scarcely analysed so far. The microstructure that is homogenized is made up of elastic hinges and four-bar linkages, which may be realized in practice using origami joints. The equivalent continuous rod is governed by a Differential-Algebraic system of nonlinear Equations (DAE), containing an internal length ratio, and showing a surprisingly rich mechanical landscape, which involves a twin sequence of bifurcation loads, separated by a 'transition' mode. The latter occurs, for simply supported and cantilever rods in a 'bookshelf-like' mode and in a mode involving faulting (formation of a step in displacement), respectively. The postcritical response of the simply supported rod exhibits the emergence of folding, an infinite curvature occurring at a point of the rod axis, developing into a curvature jump at increasing load. Faulting and folding, excluded for both Euler and Reissner models and so far unknown in the rod theory, represent 'signatures' revealing the origami design of the microstructure. These two features are shown to be associated with bifurcations and, in particular folding, with a secondary bifurcation of the corresponding discrete chain when the number of elements is odd. Beside the intrinsic theoretical relevance to the field of structural mechanics, our results can be applied to various technological contexts involving highly compliant mechanisms, such as the achievement of objective trajectories with soft robot arms through folding and localized displacement of origami-inspired or multi-material mechanisms.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

The ENUBET monitored neutrino beam and its implementation at CERN

The ENUBET project recently concluded the R&D for a site independent design of a monitored neutrino beam for high precision cross section measurements, in which the neutrino flux is inferred from the measurement of charged leptons in an instrumented decay tunnel. In this phase three fundamental results were obtained and will be discussed here: 1) a beamline not requiring a horn and relying on static focusing elements allows to perform a $ν_e$ cross section measurement in the DUNE energy range with 1% statistical uncertainty employing $10^{20}$ 400 GeV protons on target (pot) and a neutrino detector of the size of ProtoDUNE; 2) the instrumentation of the decay tunnel, based on a cost effective sampling calorimeter solution, has been tested with a large scale prototype achieving the performance required to identify positrons and muons from kaon decays with high signal-to-noise ratio; 3) the systematics budget on the neutrino flux is constrained at the 1% level by fitting the charged leptons observables measured in the decay tunnel. Based on these successful results ENUBET is now pursuing a study for a site dependent implementation at CERN in the framework of Physics Beyond Colliders. In this context a new beamline, able to enrich the neutrino flux at the energy of HK and to reduce by more than a factor 3 the needed pot, has been designed and is being optimized. The civil engineering and radioprotection studies for the siting of ENUBET in the North Area towards the two ProtoDUNEs are also in the scope of this work, with the goal of proposing a neutrino cross section experiment in 2026. The combined use of both the neutrino detectors and of the improved beamline would allow to perform cross section measurements with unprecedented precision in about 5 years with a proton request compatible with the needs of other users after CERN Long Shutdown 3.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Design and performance of the ENUBET monitored neutrino beam

The ENUBET project is aimed at designing and experimentally demonstrating the concept of monitored neutrino beams. These novel beams are enhanced by an instrumented decay tunnel, whose detectors reconstruct large-angle charged leptons produced in the tunnel and give a direct estimate of the neutrino flux at the source. These facilities are thus the ideal tool for high-precision neutrino cross-section measurements at the GeV scale because they offer superior control of beam systematics with respect to existing facilities. In this paper, we present the first end-to-end design of a monitored neutrino beam capable of monitoring lepton production at the single particle level. This goal is achieved by a new focusing system without magnetic horns, a 20 m normal-conducting transfer line for charge and momentum selection, and a 40 m tunnel instrumented with cost-effective particle detectors. Employing such a design, we show that percent precision in cross-section measurements can be achieved at the CERN SPS complex with existing neutrino detectors.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Technical Design Report for the LUXE Experiment

This Technical Design Report presents a detailed description of all aspects of the LUXE (Laser Und XFEL Experiment), an experiment that will combine the high-quality and high-energy electron beam of the European XFEL with a high-intensity laser, to explore the uncharted terrain of strong-field quantum electrodynamics characterised by both high energy and high intensity, reaching the Schwinger field and beyond. The further implications for the search of physics beyond the Standard Model are also discussed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2022

Euclid Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer instrument flight model presentation, performance and ground calibration results summary

The NISP (Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer) is one of the two Euclid instruments. It operates in the near-IR spectral region (950-2020nm) as a photometer and spectrometer. The instrument is composed of: a cold (135 K) optomechanical subsystem consisting of a Silicon carbide structure, an optical assembly, a filter wheel mechanism, a grism wheel mechanism, a calibration unit, and a thermal control system, a detection system based on a mosaic of 16 H2RG with their front-end readout electronic, and a warm electronic system (290 K) composed of a data processing / detector control unit and of an instrument control unit that interfaces with the spacecraft via a 1553 bus for command and control and via Spacewire links for science data. This paper presents: the final architecture of the flight model instrument and subsystems, and the performance and the ground calibration measurement done at NISP level and at Euclid Payload Module level at operational cold temperature.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Neutrino Physics with an Opaque Detector

In 1956 Reines & Cowan discovered the neutrino using a liquid scintillator detector. The neutrinos interacted with the scintillator, producing light that propagated across transparent volumes to surrounding photo-sensors. This approach has remained one of the most widespread and successful neutrino detection technologies used since. This article introduces a concept that breaks with the conventional paradigm of transparency by confining and collecting light near its creation point with an opaque scintillator and a dense array of optical fibres. This technique, called LiquidO, can provide high-resolution imaging to enable efficient identification of individual particles event-by-event. A natural affinity for adding dopants at high concentrations is provided by the use of an opaque medium. With these and other capabilities, the potential of our detector concept to unlock opportunities in neutrino physics is presented here, alongside the results of the first experimental validation.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

The ENUBET Beamline

The ENUBET ERC project (2016-2021) is studying a narrow band neutrino beam where lepton production can be monitored at single particle level in an instrumented decay tunnel. This would allow to measure $ν_μ$ and $ν_{e}$ cross sections with a precision improved by about one order of magnitude compared to present results. In this proceeding we describe a first realistic design of the hadron beamline based on a dipole coupled to a pair of quadrupole triplets along with the optimisation guidelines and the results of a simulation based on G4beamline. A static focusing design, though less efficient than a horn-based solution, results several times more efficient than originally expected. It works with slow proton extractions reducing drastically pile-up effects in the decay tunnel and it paves the way towards a time-tagged neutrino beam. On the other hand a horn-based transferline would ensure higher yields at the tunnel entrance. The first studies conducted at CERN to implement the synchronization between a few ms proton extraction and a horn pulse of 2-10 ms are also described.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2020

The hadronic beamline of the ENUBET neutrino beam

The ENUBET ERC project (2016-2021) is studying a facility based on a narrow band beam capable of constraining the neutrino fluxes normalization through the monitoring of the associated charged leptons in an instrumented decay tunnel. A key element of the project is the design and optimization of the hadronic beamline. In this proceeding we present progress on the studies of the proton extraction schemes. We also show a realistic implementation and simulation of the beamline.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2020

The ENUBET positron tagger prototype: construction and testbeam performance

A prototype for the instrumented decay tunnel of ENUBET was tested in 2018 at the CERN East Area facility with charged particles up to 5 GeV. This detector is a longitudinal sampling calorimeter with lateral scintillation light readout. The calorimeter was equipped by an additional "$t_0$-layer" for timing and photon discrimination. The performance of this detector in terms of electron energy resolution, linearity, response to muons and hadron showers are presented in this paper and compared with simulation. The $t_0$-layer was studied both in standalone mode using pion charge exchange and in combined mode with the calorimeter to assess the light yield and the 1 mip/2 mip separation capability. We demonstrate that this system fulfills the requirements for neutrino physics applications and discuss performance and additional improvements.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Decay tunnel instrumentation for the ENUBET neutrino beam

The uncertainty in the initial neutrino flux is the main limitation for a precise determination of the absolute neutrino cross section. The ERC funded ENUBET project (2016-2021) is studying a facility based on a narrow band beam to produce an intense source of electron neutrinos with a ten-fold improvement in accuracy. Since March 2019 ENUBET is also a Neutrino Platform experiment at CERN: NP06/ENUBET. A key element of the project is the instrumentation of the decay tunnel to monitor large angle positrons produced together with $ν_e$ in the three body decays of kaons ($K_{e3}$) and to discriminate them from neutral and charged pions. The need for an efficient and high purity e/$π$ separation over a length of several meters, and the requirements for fast response and radiation hardness imposed by the harsh beam environment, suggested the implementation of a longitudinally segmented Fe/scintillator calorimeter with a readout based on WLS fibers and SiPM detectors. An extensive experimental program through several test beam campaigns at the CERN-PS T9 beam line has been pursued on calorimeter prototypes, both with a shashlik and a lateral readout configuration. The latter, in which fibers collect the light from the side of the scintillator tiles, allows to place the light sensors away from the core of the calorimeter, thus reducing possible irradiation damages with respect to the shashlik design. This contribution will present the achievements of the prototyping activities carried out, together with irradiation tests made on the Silicon Photo-Multipliers. The results achieved so far pin down the technology of choice for the construction of the 3 m long demonstrator that will take data in 2021.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Polysiloxane-based scintillators for shashlik calorimeters

We present the first application of polysiloxane-based scintillators as active medium in a shashlik sampling calorimeter. These results were obtained from a testbeam campaign of a $\sim$6$\times$6$\times$45 cm$^3$ (13 $X_0$ depth) prototype. A Wavelength Shifting fiber array of 36 elements runs perpendicularly to the stack of iron (15 mm) and polysiloxane scintillator (15 mm) tiles with a density of about one over cm$^2$. Unlike shashlik calorimeters based on plastic organic scintillators, here fibers are optically matched with the scintillator without any intermediate air gap. The prototype features a compact light readout based on Silicon Photo-Multipliers embedded in the bulk of the detector. The detector was tested with electrons, pions and muons with energies ranging from 1 to 7 GeV at the CERN-PS. This solution offers a highly radiation hard detector to instrument the decay region of a neutrino beam, providing an event-by-event measurement of high-angle decay products associated with neutrino production (ENUBET, Enhanced NeUtrino BEams from kaon Tagging, ERC project). The results in terms of light yield, uniformity and energy resolution, are compared to a similar calorimeter built with ordinary plastic scintillators.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

$^{222}$Rn contamination mechanisms on acrylic surfaces

In this work, the $^{222}$Rn contamination mechanisms on acrylic surfaces have been investigated. $^{222}$Rn can represent a significant background source for low-background experiments, and acrylic is a suitable material for detector design thanks to its purity and transparency. Four acrylic samples have been exposed to a $^{222}$Rn rich environment for different time periods, being contaminated by $^{222}$Rn and its progenies. Subsequently, the time evolution of radiocontaminants activity on the samples has been evaluated with $α$ and $γ$ measurements, highlighting the role of different decay modes in the contamination process. A detailed analysis of the alpha spectra allowed to quantify the implantation depth of the contaminants. Moreover, a study of both $α$ and $γ$ measurements pointed out the $^{222}$Rn diffusion inside the samples.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Identification of second-gradient elastic materials from planar hexagonal lattices. Part I: Analytical derivation of equivalent constitutive tensors

A second-gradient elastic (SGE) material is identified as the homogeneous solid equivalent to a periodic planar lattice characterized by a hexagonal unit cell, which is made up of three different linear elastic bars ordered in a way that the hexagonal symmetry is preserved and hinged at each node, so that the lattice bars are subject to pure axial strain while bending is excluded. Closed form-expressions for the identified non-local constitutive parameters are obtained by imposing the elastic energy equivalence between the lattice and the continuum solid, under remote displacement conditions having a dominant quadratic component. In order to generate equilibrated stresses, in the absence of body forces, the applied remote displacement has to be constrained, thus leading to the identification in a \lq condensed' form of a higher-order solid, so that imposition of further constraints becomes necessary to fully quantify the equivalent continuum. The identified SGE material reduces to an equivalent Cauchy material only in the limit of vanishing side length of hexagonal unit cell. The analysis of positive definiteness and symmetry of the equivalent constitutive tensors, the derivation of the second-gradient elastic properties from those of the higher-order solid in the \lq condensed' definition, and a numerical validation of the identification scheme are deferred to Part II of this study.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2019

Identification of second-gradient elastic materials from planar hexagonal lattices. Part II: Mechanical characteristics and model validation

Positive definiteness and symmetry of the constitutive tensors describing a second-gradient elastic (SGE) material, which is energetically equivalent to a hexagonal planar lattice made up of axially deformable bars, are analyzed by exploiting the closed form-expressions obtained in part I of the present study in the \lq condensed' form. It is shown that, while the first-order approximation leads to an isotropic Cauchy material, a second-order identification procedure provides an equivalent model exhibiting non-locality, non-centrosymmetry, and anisotropy. The derivation of the constitutive properties for the SGE from those of the \lq condensed' one (obtained by considering a quadratic remote displacement which generates stress states satisfying equilibrium) is presented. Comparisons between the mechanical responses of the periodic lattice and of the equivalent SGE material under simple shear and uniaxial strain show the efficacy of the proposed identification procedure and therefore validate the proposed constitutive model. This model reveals that, at higher-order, a lattice material can be made equivalent to a second-gradient elastic material exhibiting an internal length, a finding which is now open for applications in micromechanics.

physics.class-ph↗