arXiv subjects

G. Salina

Publications and source records attributed to G. Salina.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Towards Low-Energy Electron High-Resolution Spectroscopy with Transition-Edge Sensors

We present a study of the energy resolution of transition-edge sensors (TESs) for the detection of electrons in the 100 eV kinetic energy range. The TES is a Ti-Au bilayer with an active area of $(60 \times 60)$ $μ\text{m}^2$ and a critical temperature of $\sim$ 80 mK. The electron source is based on vertically-aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes located inside the cryostat, with electrons generated via field emission. For electrons in the (92 - 99) eV kinetic energy range, we obtain a Gaussian energy resolution for fully-absorbed electrons of (0.479 $\pm$ 0.041 $\pm$ 0.055) eV. When considering the full-width at half-maximum of the peak, the corresponding resolution is of (1.44 $\pm$ 0.17 $\pm$ 0.27) eV. The former represents an improvement of (46 - 60)% with respect to previous results, and is mainly attributed to the reduction in the TES active area. The latter is instead an improvement of over a factor of 20, and is mainly due to the reduction in the emitting area of the electron source, which significantly suppresses electron back-scattering in proximity of the TES. These results represent a major milestone toward high-precision spectroscopy on low-energy electrons, which is a key objective for the PTOLEMY experiment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Ultra-high precision high voltage system for PTOLEMY

The PTOLEMY project is prototyping a novel electromagnetic filter for high-precision $β$ spectroscopy, with the ultimate and ambitious long-term goal of detecting the cosmic neutrino background through electron capture on tritium bound to graphene. Intermediate small-scale prototypes can achieve competitive sensitivity to the effective neutrino mass, even with reduced energy resolution. To reach an energy resolution better than \SI{500}{meV} at the tritium $β$-spectrum endpoint of \SI{18.6}{keV}, and accounting for all uncertainties in the filtering chain, the electrode voltage must be controlled at the level of a few parts per million and monitored in real time. In this work, we present the first results obtained in this effort, using a chain of commercial ultra-high-precision voltage references, read out by precision multimeters and a \emph{field mill} device. The currently available precision on high voltage is, in the conservative case, as low as \SI{0.2}{ppm} per \SI{1}{kV} single board and $\lesssim$ \SI{50}{mV} over the \SI{10}{kV} series, presently limited by field mill read-out noise. However, assuming uncorrelated Gaussian noise extrapolation, the real precision could in principle be as low as \SI{0.05}{ppm} over \SI{20}{kV}.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Modeling a frustrated Ising square lattice with the D-Wave Quantum Annealer

The Ising model with nearest-neighbor interactions on a two-dimensional (2D) square lattice is one of the simplest models for studying ferro-magnetic to para-magnetic transitions. Extensive results are available in the literature for this model, which has become a paradigm for the study of magnetic phase transitions in materials, both theoretically and numerically. After a brief review of the main results obtained with a classical computer, we show how to implement on the D- Wave quantum annealer a more complex Ising model with the addition of competing antiferromagnetic interactions between the diagonal next-to-nearest neighbors with two coupling constants J1 and J2. The dynamics of this system, owing to frustration, are richer than those of the simple Ising model and exhibit a third striped (or antiferromagnetic) phase in addition to the ferro- and para-magnetic phases. In this work, we observed all three phases on the D-Wave hardware, studied the behavior of the solution with different annealing parameters, such as the chain strength and annealing time, and showed how to identify the phase transition by varying the ratio between the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic couplings. The same system is studied on a classical computer, with the possibility of taking into account the temperature (fixed on D-Wave) as a free parameter and to explore the full phase diagram: some comparative conclusions with D-Wave are drawn.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2021

School reopening should be guided by solid evidence and mitigation measures against Covid-19

The debate on the role of school closures as a mitigation strategy against the spread of Covid-19 is gaining relevance due to emerging variants in Europe. According to WHO, decisions on schools "should be guided by a risk-based approach". However, risk evaluation requires sound methods, transparent data and careful consideration of the context at the local level. We review a recent study by Gandini et al., on the role of school opening as a driver of the second COVID-19 wave in Italy, which concluded that there was no connection between school openings/closures and SARS-CoV-2 incidence. infections. This analysis has been widely commented in Italian media as conclusive proof that "schools are safe". However the study presents severe oversights and careless interpretation of data.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2020

Conditioning of Superconductive Properties in Graph-Shaped Reticles

We report on phenomena observed in planar integrated networks obtained connecting superconducting island by Josephson tunnel junctions. These networks, identifiable as tree-like graphs, have branches consisting of series arrays of Josephson junctions which can be individually current biased and characterized. Both Josephson supercurrents and gap parameters of the arrays embedded in the graph structures display properties significantly different from those of reference arrays fabricated on the same chips and having identical geometrical shape. The temperature and magnetic field dependencies of the Josephson current of the embedded arrays both show a singular behavior when a critical value is reached by the Josephson characteristic energy. The gap parameter of the junctions generating the embedded arrays is higher than that of the junctions forming the reference geometrical arrays.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

KLEVER: An experiment to measure BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$) at the CERN SPS

Precise measurements of the branching ratios for the flavor-changing neutral current decays $K\toπν\barν$ can provide unique constraints on CKM unitarity and, potentially, evidence for new physics. It is important to measure both decay modes, $K^+\toπ^+ν\barν$ and $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$, since different new physics models affect the rates for each channel differently. The goal of the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS is to measure the BR for the charged channel to within 10%. For the neutral channel, the BR has never been measured. We are designing the KLEVER experiment to measure BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$) to $\sim$20% using a high-energy neutral beam at the CERN SPS starting in LHC Run 4. The boost from the high-energy beam facilitates the rejection of background channels such as $K_L\toπ^0π^0$ by detection of the additional photons in the final state. On the other hand, the layout poses particular challenges for the design of the small-angle vetoes, which must reject photons from $K_L$ decays escaping through the beam exit amidst an intense background from soft photons and neutrons in the beam. Background from $Λ\to nπ^0$ decays in the beam must also be kept under control. We present findings from our design studies for the beamline and experiment, with an emphasis on the challenges faced and the potential sensitivity for the measurement of BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$).

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Engineering Quantum Interference

A model for describing interference and diffraction of wave functions of one-dimensional Josephson array interferometers is presented. The derived expression for critical current modulations accounts for an arbitrary number of square junctions, variable distance between these, and variable size of their area. Predictions are tested on real arrays containing up to 20 equally spaced and identical junctions and on arrays shaped with peculiar geometries. Very good agreement with the modulations predicted by the model and the experimental results is obtained for all the tested configurations. It is shown that specific designs of the arrays generate significant differences in their static and dynamical (non-zero voltage) properties. The results demonstrate that the magnetic field dependence of Josephson supercurrents shows how interference and diffraction of macroscopic quantum wavefunctions can be manipulated and controlled.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

The AMY (Air Microwave Yield) experiment to measure the GHz emission from air shower plasma

The aim of the Air Microwave Yield (AMY) experiment is to investigate the Molecular Bremsstrahlung Radiation (MBR) emitted from an electron beam induced air-shower. The measurements have been performed with a 510 MeV electron beam at the Beam Test Facility (BTF) of Frascati INFN National Laboratories in a wide frequency range between 1 and 20 GHz. We present the experimental apparatus and the first results of the measurements. Contrary to what have been reported in a previous similar experiment~\cite{Gorham-SLAC}, we have found that the intensity of the emission is strongly influenced by the particular time structure of the accelerator beam. This makes very difficult the interpretation of the emission process and a realistic extrapolation of the emission yield to the plasma generated during the development of an atmospheric shower.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

The Air Microwave Yield (AMY) experiment - A laboratory measurement of the microwave emission from extensive air showers

The AMY experiment aims to measure the microwave bremsstrahlung radiation (MBR) emitted by air-showers secondary electrons accelerating in collisions with neutral molecules of the atmosphere. The measurements are performed using a beam of 510 MeV electrons at the Beam Test Facility (BTF) of Frascati INFN National Laboratories. The goal of the AMY experiment is to measure in laboratory conditions the yield and the spectrum of the GHz emission in the frequency range between 1 and 20 GHz. The final purpose is to characterise the process to be used in a next generation detectors of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. A description of the experimental setup and the first results are presented.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2012

The NA62 Liquid Krypton Electromagnetic Calorimeter Level 0 Trigger

The NA62 experiment at CERN SPS aims to measure the Branching Ratio of the very rare kaon decay K+ -> pi+ nu nubar collecting O(100) events with a 10% background to make a stringent test of the Standard Model. One of the main backgrounds to the proposed measurement is represented by the K+ -> pi+ pi0 decay. To suppress this background an efficient photo veto system is foreseen. In the 1-10 mrad angular region the NA48 high performance liquid krypton electromagnetic calorimeter is used. The design, implementation and current status of the Liquid Krypton Electromagnetic Calorimeter Level 0 Trigger are presented.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

High-speed data transfer with FPGAs and QSFP+ modules

We present test results and characterization of a data transmission system based on a last generation FPGA and a commercial QSFP+ (Quad Small Form Pluggable +) module. QSFP+ standard defines a hot-pluggable transceiver available in copper or optical cable assemblies for an aggregated bandwidth of up to 40 Gbps. We implemented a complete testbench based on a commercial development card mounting an Altera Stratix IV FPGA with 24 serial transceivers at 8.5 Gbps, together with a custom mezzanine hosting three QSFP+ modules. We present test results and signal integrity measurements up to an aggregated bandwidth of 12 Gbps.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2003

Status of the apeNEXT project

We present the current status of the apeNEXT project. Aim of this project is the development of the next generation of APE machines which will provide multi-teraflop computing power. Like previous machines, apeNEXT is based on a custom designed processor, which is specifically optimized for simulating QCD. We discuss the machine design, report on benchmarks, and give an overview on the status of the software development.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2001

A simple atomistic model for the simulation of the gel phase of lipid bilayers

In this paper we present the results of a large-scale numerical investigation of structural properties of a model of cell membrane, simulated as a bilayer of flexible molecules in vacuum. The study was performed by carrying out extensive Molecular Dynamics simulations, in the (NVE) micro-canonical ensemble, of two systems of different sizes (2x32 and 2x256 molecules), over a fairly large set of temperatures and densities, using parallel platforms and more standard serial computers. Depending on the dimension of the system, the dynamics was followed for physical times that go from few hundred of picoseconds for the largest system to 5--10 nanoseconds for the smallest one. We find that the bilayer remains stable even in the absence of water and neglecting Coulomb interactions in the whole range of temperatures and densities we have investigated. The extension of the region of physical parameters that we have explored has allowed us to study significant points in the phase diagram of the bilayer and to expose marked structural changes as density and temperature are varied, which are interpreted as the system passing from a crystal to a gel phase.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv1997

Parallel computing and molecular dynamics of biological membranes

In this talk I discuss the general question of the portability of Molecular Dynamics codes for diffusive systems on parallel computers of the APE family. The intrinsic single precision arithmetics of the today available APE platforms does not seem to affect the numerical accuracy of the simulations, while the absence of integer addressing from CPU to individual nodes puts strong constraints on the possible programming strategies. Liquids can be very satisfactorily simulated using the "systolic" method. For more complex systems, like the biological ones at which we are ultimately interested in, the "domain decomposition" approach is best suited to beat the quadratic growth of the inter-molecular computational time with the number of elementary components of the system. The promising perspectives of using this strategy for extensive simulations of lipid bilayers are briefly reviewed.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv1995

RESULTS FOR THE B-MESON DECAY CONSTANT FROM THE APE COLLABORATION

The decay constant for the B-meson in the static limit is calculated using the Wilson and clover actions at various lattice spacings. We show that both the contamination of our results by excited states and the effects finite lattice spacing are at most the order of the statistical uncertainties. A comparison is made of our results and those obtained in other studies. Values for $f^{stat}_{B_S}/f^{stat}_B$ and $M_{B_S} - M_B$ are also given.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1994

A High Statistics Lattice Calculation of $f^{static}_B$ at $β=6.2$ Using the Clover Action

We present a calculation of $f_B$ in the static limit, obtained by numerical simulation of quenched QCD, at $β=6.2$ on a $18^3 \times 64$ lattice, using the SW-Clover quark action. The decay constant has been extracted by studying heavy(static)-light correlation functions of different smeared operators, on a sample of 220 gauge field configurations. We have obtained $f_B^{static}=(290 \pm 15 \pm 45)$ MeV, where the first error comes from the uncertainty in the determination of the matrix element and the second comes from the uncertainty in the lattice spacing. We also obtain $M_{B_s}-M_{B_d}= (70 \pm 10)$ MeV and $f^{stat}_{B_s}/f^{stat}_{B_d}=1.11(3)$. A comparison of our results with other calculations of the same quantity is made.

hep-ph↗