arXiv subjects

Paola Salvini

Publications and source records attributed to Paola Salvini.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Application of LHC Gas Recuperation Systems for Methane Emission Control in Livestock Housing

The CH4rLiE (CH4 Livestock Emission) project investigates the technical feasibility of adapting gas recovery systems from high-energy physics to mitigate methane (CH4) emissions in livestock housing. This work presents a proof-of-principle based on the adaptation of CERN's gas recuperation systems for the capture of CH4 at low concentrations. A laboratory-scale prototype was developed to evaluate the performance of various adsorbent materials under realistic conditions, including multi-stage humidity removal and pressurized gas flows. Experimental results obtained with the prototype led to the selection of commercial Z5 zeolite as the primary adsorbent due to its high adsorption capacity and stable regeneration performance through Vacuum Swing Adsorption cycles. The study demonstrates the feasibility of CH4 capture at concentrations down to 0.1%. Furthermore, it was observed that increasing the CH4 partial pressure enhances the adsorption capacity, with tests conducted up to approximately 5 bar. To bridge the gap between laboratory conditions and the representative 10-100 ppm levels found in dairy barn environments, a negative exponential extrapolation was applied to the experimental data. This allowed for the modeling of the adsorption behavior in the ultra-low concentration regime. These results validate the operational principle and provide the necessary parameters for the design of a full-scale system for field installation.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Capturing methane in a barn environment: the CH4 Livestock Emission (CH4rLiE) project

The CH4 Livestock Emission (CH4rLiE) project explores the development of a prototype system for capturing methane emissions in barn environments, offering an alternative approach to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming. Methane (CH4), with a global warming potential significantly higher than CO2 (GWP100 = 27), accounts for ~23% of anthropogenic climate impact. In 2021, The Assessment Report 6 of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change quantified CH4 livestock emissions in 123 Mt/yr, which, together with substantial N2O and CO2 emissions, contributed with a 12% to global emissions. Unlike strategies focused on altering animal feed, CH4rLiE investigates post-emission capture using porous materials, such as zeolites, to adsorb methane from barn air. The project draws on CERN's experience with gas recovery systems for particle detectors, adapting similar technologies to agricultural settings. Preliminary estimates, based on measured CH4 concentrations (~20 mg/m3) and partial air filtration in a 250-animal barn, suggest a low but detectable recovery potential, subject to validation through simulation and in-situ testing. Prototype development considers the potential for energy-efficient operation - possibly through pressure swing regeneration - and compatibility with existing ventilation infrastructure, though these aspects remain under evaluation. If methane concentrations in barns prove too diluted, the system may be better suited for environments with higher gas levels, such as pigsties or landfills. NH3 capture for fertilizer production is planned as a future enhancement. CH4rLiE aims to assess the feasibility of emission recovery in livestock settings without affecting animal welfare, contributing to sustainable farming practices, resource efficiency, and circular bioeconomy goals.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

First complete characterization of an X-Ray tube through combined measurements and Geant4 simulations

X-ray tubes are sources of X-rays used in various fields, ranging from radiographic imaging in medical physics to the characterization of detectors in particle physics. This article presents a method for the complete characterization of the Mini-X2 X-Ray tube from AMETEK, an X-ray source later used to characterize gas detectors in laboratory. Using data provided by the manual, we derive key operational parameters of the tube, such as the photon emission rate and the relationship between emissive power and supplied current. Based on this characterization, we determine the air dose rate as well as the absorbed dose rate within a given volume at various distances from the source. We derive this dose experimentally, theoretically and through simulations and find good agreement between these. To enable safe operation in a laboratory environment and to support experimental comparisons, a shielding system was developed. Finally, it will be illustrated how the shielding containing the Mini-X2 has been designed, exploiting the simulation power of the Geant4 software.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2022

Simulated Detector Performance at the Muon Collider

In this paper we report on the current status of studies on the expected performance for a detector designed to operate in a muon collider environment. Beam-induced backgrounds (BIB) represent the main challenge in the design of the detector and the event reconstruction algorithms. The current detector design aims to show that satisfactory performance can be achieved, while further optimizations are expected to significantly improve the overall performance. We present the characterization of the expected beam-induced background, describe the detector design and software used for detailed event simulations taking into account BIB effects. The expected performance of charged-particle reconstruction, jets, electrons, photons and muons is discussed, including an initial study on heavy-flavor jet tagging. A simple method to measure the delivered luminosity is also described. Overall, the proposed design and reconstruction algorithms can successfully reconstruct the high transverse-momentum objects needed to carry out a broad physics program.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2022

Muon Collider Physics Summary

The perspective of designing muon colliders with high energy and luminosity, which is being investigated by the International Muon Collider Collaboration, has triggered a growing interest in their physics reach. We present a concise summary of the muon colliders potential to explore new physics, leveraging on the unique possibility of combining high available energy with very precise measurements.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Promising Technologies and R&D Directions for the Future Muon Collider Detectors

Among the post-LHC generation of particle accelerators, the muon collider represents a unique machine with capability to provide very high energy leptonic collisions and to open the path to a vast and mostly unexplored physics programme. However, on the experimental side, such great physics potential is accompanied by unprecedented technological challenges, due to the fact that muons are unstable particles. Their decay products interact with the machine elements and produce an intense flux of background particles that eventually reach the detector and may degrade its performance. In this paper, we present technologies that have a potential to match the challenging specifications of a muon collider detector and outline a path forward for the future R&D efforts.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Diamond-Like Carbon for the Fast Timing MPGD

The present generation of Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) are radiation hard detectors, capable of detecting efficiently particle rates of several MHz/cm$^2$ , while exhibiting good spatial resolution ($\leq$ 50 $μ$m) and modest time resolution of 5-10 ns, which satisfies the current generation of experiments (High Luminosity LHC upgrades of CMS and ATLAS) but it is not sufficient for bunch crossing identification of fast timing systems at FCC- hh. Thanks to the application of thin resistive films such as Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) a new detector concept was conceived: Fast Timing MPGD (FTM). In the FTM the drift volume of the detector has been divided in several layers each with their own amplification structure. The use of resistive electrodes makes the entire structure transparent for electrical signals. After some first initial encouraging results, progress has been slowed down due to problems with the wet-etching of DLC-coated polyimide foils. To solve these problems a more in-depth knowledge of the internal stress of the DLC together with the DLC-polyimide adhesion is required. We will report on the production of DLC films produced in Italy with Ion Beam Sputtering and Pulsed Laser Deposition, where we are searching to improve the adhesion of the thin DLC films, combined with a very high uniformity of the resistivity values.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

222Rn daughters influence on scaler mode of the ARGO-YBJ detector

The ARGO-YBJ experiment is a full coverage air shower array; its lowest energy threshold is reached using the "scaler mode technique". Working in this mode, the signals generated by any particle hitting each cluster are put in coincidence every 150 ns and read by four independent scaler channels, giving the counting rates of multiplicity \geq1, \geq2, \geq3 and \geq4 (C1, C2, C3 and C4, respectively). The study of these counting rates pointed out a different behaviour of C1 respect to C2, C3 and C4, suggesting that C1 is detecting not only cosmic rays. This work shows that the radon (222Rn) gamma emitter daughters present in the ARGO-YBJ building air are contributing to C1 counts at the level of 1 Hz each Bq/m3 of radon. The uncertainty about this contribution is great, because of the high variability of 222Rn concentration and the building ventilation. The radon monitoring will allow the C1 correction improving the sensitivity of the ARGO-YBJ experiment at its lowest energy threshold.

astro-ph.IM↗