arXiv subjects

M. Cristoforetti

Publications and source records attributed to M. Cristoforetti.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Control and read-out of the HEPD-02 tracking system onboard CSES-02 satellite

The High Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-02) is a payload of the second China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES-02), designed and built by the Italian Limadou collaboration. Its purpose is to detect cosmic rays and trapped particles of radiation belts, in the kinetic energy range 3-100 MeV for electrons, 30-200 MeV for protons. HEPD-02 is the first space detector to use a tracking detector based on Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS). The MAPS provides high spatial resolution, low noise, increased robustness, and low production costs. Operating MAPS in space presents a significant challenge due to strict power consumption requirements. To meet such constraints, a custom Tracker Data Acquisition (TDAQ) board and firmware have been designed and implemented, by using a commercial low-power Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This paper addresses the design features of the TDAQ unit, enabling the tracking detector to be operated efficiently, with particular focus on the power consumption performance.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

AI reconstruction of European weather from the Euro-Atlantic regimes

We present a non-linear AI-model designed to reconstruct monthly mean anomalies of the European temperature and precipitation based on the Euro-Atlantic Weather regimes (WR) indices. WR represent recurrent, quasi-stationary, and persistent states of the atmospheric circulation that exert considerable influence over the European weather, therefore offering an opportunity for sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting. While much research has focused on studying the correlation and impacts of the WR on European weather, the estimation of ground-level climate variables, such as temperature and precipitation, from Euro-Atlantic WR remains largely unexplored and is currently limited to linear methods. The presented AI model can capture and introduce complex non-linearities in the relation between the WR indices, describing the state of the Euro-Atlantic atmospheric circulation and the corresponding surface temperature and precipitation anomalies in Europe. We discuss the AI-model performance in reconstructing the monthly mean two-meter temperature and total precipitation anomalies in the European winter and summer, also varying the number of WR used to describe the monthly atmospheric circulation. We assess the impact of errors on the WR indices in the reconstruction and show that a mean absolute relative error below 80% yields improved seasonal reconstruction compared to the ECMWF operational seasonal forecast system, SEAS5. As a demonstration of practical applicability, we evaluate the model using WR indices predicted by SEAS5, finding slightly better or comparable skill relative to the SEAS5 forecast itself. Our findings demonstrate that WR-based anomaly reconstruction, powered by AI tools, offers a promising pathway for sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasting.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2021

Proton path reconstruction for pCT using Neural Networks

The Most Likely Path formalism (MLP) is widely established as the most statistically precise method for proton path reconstruction in proton computed tomography (pCT). However, while this method accounts for small-angle Multiple Coulomb Scattering (MCS) and energy loss, inelastic nuclear interactions play an influential role in a significant number of proton paths. By applying cuts based on energy and direction, tracks influenced by nuclear interactions are largely discarded from the MLP analysis. In this work we propose a new method to estimate the proton paths based on a Deep Neural Network (DNN). Through this approach, estimates of proton paths equivalent to MLP predictions have been achieved in the case where only MCS occurs, together with an increased accuracy when nuclear interactions are present. Moreover, our tests indicate that the DNN algorithm can be considerably faster than the MLP algorithm.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2019

In-field grape berries counting for yield estimation using dilated CNNs

Digital technologies ignited a revolution in the agrifood domain known as precision agriculture: a main question for enabling precision agriculture at scale is if accurate product quality control can be made available at minimal cost, leveraging existing technologies and agronomists' skills. As a contribution along this direction we demonstrate a tool for accurate fruit yield estimation from smartphone cameras, by adapting Deep Learning algorithms originally developed for crowd counting.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2014

An efficient method to compute the residual phase on a Lefschetz thimble

We propose an efficient method to compute the so-called residual phase that appears when performing Monte Carlo calculations on a Lefschetz thimble. The method is stochastic and its cost scales linearly with the physical volume, linearly with the number of stochastic estimators and quadratically with the length of the extra dimension along the gradient flow. This is a drastic improvement over previous estimates of the cost of computing the residual phase. We also report on basic tests of correctness and scaling of the code.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Quantum field theories on the Lefschetz thimble

In these proceedings, we summarize the Lefschetz thimble approach to the sign problem of Quantum Field Theories. In particular, we review its motivations, and we summarize the results of the application of two different algorithms to two test models.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Quark flavour effects on gluon and ghost propagators

We compute the full non-perturbative ghost and gluon two-point Green functions by using gauge field configurations with $\nf=2$ and $\nf=2+1+1$ twisted-mass quark flavours. We use simulations with several different light quark masses, heavy quark masses close to that of the strange and charm quarks, and lightest pseudoscalar masses ranging from 270 to 510 [MeV]. Quark flavour effects on both the gluon and the ghost propagators are then investigated in a wide range of momenta, bridging the deep infrared and intermediate momenta domain of QCD interactions in the presence of dynamical quarks. The ghost-gluon vertex is also indirectly probed through a consistency requirement among the lattice data for the gluon and ghost propagators and the ghost propagator Schwinger-Dyson equation. The effective full QCD coupling is finally constructed, and its dependence on the presence of dynamical fermions scrutinized.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Thermodynamics of a three-flavor nonlocal Polyakov--Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model

The present work generalizes a nonlocal version of the Polyakov loop-extended Nambu and Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model to the case of three active quark flavors, with inclusion of the axial U(1) anomaly. Gluon dynamics is incorporated through a gluonic background field, expressed in terms of the Polyakov loop. The thermodynamics of the nonlocal PNJL model accounts for both chiral and deconfinement transitions. Our results obtained in mean-field approximation are compared to lattice QCD results for $N_\text{f}=2+1$ quark flavors. Additional pionic and kaonic contributions to the pressure are calculated in random phase approximation. Finally, this nonlocal 3-flavor PNJL model is applied to the finite density region of the QCD phase diagram. It is confirmed that the existence and location of a critical point in this phase diagram depends sensitively on the strength of the axial U(1) breaking interaction.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Thermodynamics and quark susceptibilities: a Monte-Carlo approach to the PNJL model

The Monte-Carlo method is applied to the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model. This leads beyond the saddle-point approximation in a mean-field calculation and introduces fluctuations around the mean fields. We study the impact of fluctuations on the thermodynamics of the model, both in the case of pure gauge theory and including two quark flavors. In the two-flavor case, we calculate the second-order Taylor expansion coefficients of the thermodynamic grand canonical partition function with respect to the quark chemical potential and present a comparison with extrapolations from lattice QCD. We show that the introduction of fluctuations produces only small changes in the behavior of the order parameters for chiral symmetry restoration and the deconfinement transition. On the other hand, we find that fluctuations are necessary in order to reproduce lattice data for the flavor non-diagonal quark susceptibilities. Of particular importance are pion fields, the contribution of which is strictly zero in the saddle point approximation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Monte-Carlo simulations of QCD Thermodynamics in the PNJL model

We apply a Monte-Carlo method to the two flavor Polyakov loop extended Nambu and Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model. In such a way we can go beyond mean field calculations introducing fluctuations of the fields. We study the impact of fluctuations on the thermodynamics of the model. We calculate the second derivatives of the thermodynamic grand canonical partition function with respect to the chemical potential and present a comparison with lattice data also for flavor non-diagonal susceptibilities.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Dynamics and thermodynamics of a nonlocal Polyakov--Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model with running coupling

A nonlocal covariant extension of the two-flavor Nambu and Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model is constructed, with built-in constraints from the running coupling of QCD at high-momentum and instanton physics at low-momentum scales. Chiral low-energy theorems and basic current algebra relations involving pion properties are shown to be reproduced. The momentum-dependent dynamical quark mass derived from this approach is in agreement with results from Dyson-Schwinger equations and lattice QCD. At finite temperature, inclusion of the Polyakov loop and its gauge invariant coupling to quarks reproduces the dynamical entanglement of the chiral and deconfinement crossover transitions as in the (local) PNJL model, but now without the requirement of introducing an artificial momentum cutoff. Steps beyond the mean-field approximation are made including mesonic correlations through quark-antiquark ring summations. Various quantities of interest (pressure, energy density, speed of sound etc.) are calculated and discussed in comparison with lattice QCD thermodynamics at zero chemical potential. The extension to finite quark chemical potential and the phase diagram in the $(T,μ)$-plane are also discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2007

Light Hadron Spectrum in the Instanton Liquid Model

We review our recent study of the role played by the chiral interactions induced by instantons, in the lowest-lying sector of the light hadron spectrum. We discuss how the ordering of the lowest meson and baryon excitations is explained by the structure of the instanton-induced quark-quark and gluon-gluon interaction. We focus on the pion, nucleon, vector- and axial-vector mesons, and on the scalar glueball. We find that all these hadrons are bound in this model and have realistic masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2007

Exploring the transition into the Chiral Regime of QCD using the Interacting Instanton Liquid Model

The non-perturbative quark-gluon interaction depends significantly on the value of the quark mass. In particular, in the light quark mass regime, correlations are strongly influenced by dynamics associated to chiral symmetry breaking. We use the Interacting Instanton Liquid Model (IILM) as a tool to investigate the microscopic dynamical mechanisms which underly the dependence on the quark mass and drive the transition into the chiral regime of QCD. To ensure the validity of the model, we first verify that the dependence on the quark mass for several observables calculated in the IILM agrees well with the predictions of chiral perturbation theory and with lattice simulations. We then show that a quark mass m*~80 MeV emerging naturally from the model specifies the mass scale above which the dynamics associated with low-lying eigenmodes of the Direac operator becomes sub-leading and the contribution of the fermion determinant is suppressed.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2007

Instantons, Chiral Dynamics and Hadronic Resonances

We use the Interacting Instanton Liquid Model (IILM) as a tool to study the role played by the chiral interactions in the lowest-lying vector and axial vector meson resonances. We find that narrow a1 and rho meson resonances can be generated by instanton-induced chiral forces, even in the absence of confinement. In the IILM, these hadrons are found to have masses only about 30% larger than the experimental value and small width <10-50 MeV. This result suggests that chiral interactions are very important in these systems and provide most of their mass. We explore the decaying patterns of the rho meson, in the absence of confinement. We argue that, in our model where only chiral forces are switched on, this meson decays dissociating into its quark anti-quark constituents.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2006

Exploring the Chiral Regime of QCD in the Interacting Instanton Liquid Model

The Interacting Instanton Liquid Model is used to explore the role of instanton induced dynamics in hadron structure. To support the validity of this model in the chiral regime, the quark mass dependencies of several properties are shown to agree with chiral perturbation theory, including the density of eigenmodes of the Dirac operator and the masses of the pion and nucleon. A quark mass m* = 80 MeV emerging naturally from the model is shown to specify the mass scale above which the fermion determinant is suppressed, the zero modes become subdominant, and the density of quasi-zero modes become independent of the quark mass.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Are There Diquarks in the Nucleon?

This work is devoted to the study of diquark correlations inside the nucleon. We analyze some matrix elements which encode information about the non-perturbative forces, in different color anti-triplet diquark channels. We suggest a lattice calculation to check the quark-diquark picture and clarify the role of instanton-mediated interactions. We study in detail the physical properties of the 0+ diquark, using the Random Instanton Liquid Model. We find that instanton forces are sufficiently strong to form a diquark bound-state, with a mass of ~500 MeV, which is compatible with earlier estimates. We also compute its electro-magnetic form factor and find that the diquark is a broad object, with a size comparable with that of the proton.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2004

Instantons, diquarks and non-leptonic weak decays of hyperons

This work is devoted to the study of the non-perturbative contributions in non-leptonic hyperon decays. We show that the instanton-induced 't Hooft interaction can naturally explain the Delta I=1/2 rule, by generating quark-diquark clustering inside octet baryons. We compute P-wave and S-wave amplitudes in the Instanton Liquid Model (ILM), and find good agreement with experiment. We propose a model-independent procedure to test on the lattice if the leading quark-quark attraction in the 0^+ anti-triplet channel responsible for diquark structures in hadrons is originated by the interaction generated by quasi-classical fields or it is predominantly due to other perturbative and/or confining forces.

hep-ph↗