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Paolo Leonetti

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Leonetti.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Complexity and Polishability of characterized subgroups on the unit circle

Given an ideal $\mathcal I$ on $\omega$, a subgroup $H$ of the unit circle $\mathbb T$ is said to be $\mathcal I$-characterized if there exists a sequence of integers $(a_n:n\in\omega)$ such that $$ H= \left\{ x\in\mathbb T: \mathcal I\text{-}\lim_{n\to\infty}a_nx=0 \right\}. $$ We investigate the descriptive complexity and Polishability of these subgroups in terms of the structural and topological properties of the ideal $\mathcal I$. Our main structural result shows that $\mathcal{I}$ is an analytic $P$-ideal if and only if all $\mathcal I$-characterized subgroups are Polishable. In such case, we explicitly describe a compatible finer Polish group topology. Using results on Polishable subgroups, we obtain a trichotomy for their possible Borel complexities. If $\mathcal{I}$ is a generalized density ideal, we show the sharper dichotomy that every proper $\mathcal I$-characterized subgroup is either countable or $F_{\sigma\delta}$-complete. We also prove that this fails for general analytic $P$-ideals by constructing a subgroup characterized by a summable ideal which is neither $F_\sigma$ nor $F_{\sigma\delta}$-complete. Finally, we give explicit descriptions of the subgroups associated with the sequences of powers, the Fibonacci sequence, and the sequence of factorials. We conclude with several open questions.

math.GN

In orbit background for hard X-ray CubeSat polarimeters: case study of the CUSP mission in low-earth orbit

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) project aims to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the 25 - 100 keV hard X-ray band using a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed to develop innovative CubeSat technologies and missions. As part of CUSPs Phase B study, initiated in December 2024 and closed on July 2nd, 2026, estimating the in orbit background to optimize the signal-to-background ratio was one of the key objectives. In low-Earth orbit, the instrument is exposed to cosmic and albedo X-ray backgrounds, charged particles, and secondary radiation from the spacecraft and atmosphere. Simulating these contributions enables optimization of detector geometry and shielding to maximize signal-to-noise performance. We present initial in orbit background estimates for CUSP using a Geant4-based simulator. A detailed mass model of the CUSP has been implemented to simulate background components and estimate the background count rate in the CUSP orbit.

astro-ph.IM

On non-symmetric $t$-convexity

Zsolt P\'ales asked whether there exists a function $f: \mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$ such that $$ f\left(\frac{x+2y}{3}\right) \le \frac{f(x)+2f(y)}{3} \quad \text{ for all }x\le y $$ which is not midconvex. We show that the answer is negative.

math.GM

Compton Polarimeter Prototype for the CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) mission

The space-based CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) mission aims to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band (25-100 keV) by means of a dual-phase Compton polarimeter. CUSP will allow to study the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures of our star with its unprecedented sensitivity to solar flare polarization. CUSP is a project under development as part of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed at developing new CubeSat missions. In the frame of CUSP's Phase B, which started in December 2024, a flight-representative prototype of the Compton polarimeter has been developed and characterized with hard X-ray sources in the laboratory. This prototype consists of a 4$\times$4 central matrix of plastic scintillator bars surrounded by 4 strips of 8 elongated GAGG scintillators, respectively coupled to a multi-anode photomultiplier tube and arrays of avalanche photodiodes. These sensors are read out by custom front-end electronics based on MAROC-3A and SKIROC-2A ASICs with a Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA. The plastic scintillators act as scatterers, while the GAGG bars fully absorb the scattered photons. Coincident plastic-GAGG events allow for reconstructing the Compton scattering direction, whose distribution allows for inferring the polarization parameters of the source. We report here the measured performance of the polarimeter prototype using well-known radioactive isotopes and X-ray tubes, allowing us to assess the performance of our polarimeter prototype over the full 25-100 keV energy range.

astro-ph.IM

Linear relations modulo meager sets

We prove several topological zero-one laws. First, we show that, if a subset $A$ of a Banach space $X$ has the Baire property, then $A$ admits a somewhere dense set of vectors $x \in X$ such that $A+x$ agrees with $A$ modulo meager sets if and only if it is either meager or comeager. Additional equivalent conditions are given if $X=\mathbb{R}$. Second, we prove that if $A_1,\ldots,A_k\subseteq \mathbb{R}$ are subsets with the Baire property, $\alpha_1,\ldots,\alpha_k$ are nonzero reals with distinct finite sums, and $(x_{n,i}: n\in \omega)$ are injective real sequences which converge to $0$ for each $i=1,\ldots,k$, then $$ \sum_{i=1}^k \alpha_i(1_{A_i+x_{n,i}}-1_{A_i})=0 $$ modulo meager sets for all $n \in \omega$ if and only if each $A_i$ is either meager or comeager. Finally, we provide some additional results in the case where the $\alpha_1,\ldots,\alpha_k$ do not have distinct finite sums. For instance, if $k=2$ and $\alpha_1=\alpha_2$, then the above equality holds modulo meager sets for all $n \in \omega$ if and only if each $A_i$ is either meager or comeager or if $\{A_1,A_2\}$ is a partition of $\mathbb{R}$ modulo meager sets. Additional characterizations are given in the case $k\ge 3$. These results yield the category analogues of several results by Fejzi\'{c}, Freiling, and Rinne in [J. London Math. Soc.~\textbf{82} (2010), no. 3, 717--732].

math.GN

Characterized subgroups on the unit circle

Given an ideal $\mathcal{I}$ on $\omega$, a subgroup $H$ of the unit circle $\mathbb{T}$ is said to be $\mathcal{I}$-characterized if there exists an integer sequence $a=(a_n: n \in \omega)$ such that $$ H=\mathsf{H}_{a}(\mathcal{I}):= \left\{x\in\mathbb{T}:\mathcal I\text{-}\lim_{n\to \infty} a_nx=0\right\}. $$ We also consider the corresponding $\mathcal{I}^\star$-version. We provide upper bounds for the topological complexities of those subgroups in terms of the complexity of $\mathcal{I}$. Moreover, we prove that Rudin--Keisler and Rudin--Blass reductions between ideals induce inclusions between the corresponding families of characterized subgroups. As a consequence, every characterized subgroup, and in particular every countable subgroup of $\mathbb{T}$, is $\mathcal{I}$-characterized for every meager ideal $\mathcal{I}$. We also show that if the image of $(a_n: n \in \omega)$ contains arbitrarily large intervals, then every subgroup of $\mathbb{T}$ can be written as $\mathsf{H}_{a}(\mathcal{J})$ for some ideal $\mathcal{J}=\mathcal{J}_{H,a}$. We analyze the descriptive complexity and $P$-properties of these ideals. Finally, we study when the equality $\mathsf H_{a}(\mathcal{I})=\mathbb{T}$ forces $\mathrm{supp}(a)\in\mathcal{I}$. We prove this for a class of ideals satisfying a Katetov-type condition involving $\mathcal{ED}$, including nowhere tall ideals as well as the ideals $\mathsf{nwd}$ and $\mathsf{null}$. We also obtain non-inclusion results between families of $\mathcal{I}$-characterized subgroups: for instance, we show that if the ideal $\mathcal{I}$ is tall and translation invariant then the subgroup $\mathsf{H}_{(2^n)}(\mathcal{I})$ cannot be characterized. We use our results to answer several open problems posed in the literature.

math.FA

On maximal families of independent sets with respect to asymptotic density

We study families of subsets of $\omega$ which are independent with respect to the asymptotic density $\mathsf{d}$. We show, for instance, that there exists a maximal $\mathsf{d}$-independent family $\mathcal{A}$ such that $\mathsf{d}[\mathcal{A}]$ attains a prescribed set of values in $(0,1)$ with at most countably many exceptions. In addition, under $\mathrm{cov}(\mathcal{N})=\mathfrak{c}$, it is possible to construct such $\mathcal{A}$ with no exceptions. We also construct $2^{\mathfrak{c}}$ maximal $\mathsf{d}$-independent families with pairwise distinct generated density fields and obtain maximal families with strong definability pathologies, including examples without the Baire property and, consistently, nonmeasurable examples.

math.LO

On rough ideal convergence

We continue the study of ideal convergence for sequences $(x_n)$ with values in a topological space $X$ with respect to a family $\{F_\eta:\eta\in X\}$ of subsets of $X$ with $\eta\in F_\eta$, where each $F_\eta$ measures the allowed ``roughness'' of convergence toward $\eta$. More precisely, after introducing the corresponding notions of cluster and limit points, we prove several inclusion and invariance properties, discuss their structural properties, and give examples showing that the rough notions are genuinely different from the classical ideal ones.

math.GN

Sets of Ramsey-limit points and IP-limit points

Let $X$ be an uncountable Polish space and let $\mathcal{H}$ be the Hindman ideal, that is, the family of all $S\subseteq \omega$ which are not $IP$-sets. For each sequence $x=(x_n)_{n \in \omega}$ taking values in $X$, let $\Lambda_{x}(FS)$ be the set of $IP$-limit points of $x$. Also, let $\Lambda_{x}(\mathcal{H})$ be the set of $\mathcal{H}$-limit points of $x$, that is, the set of ordinary limits of subsequences $(x_n)_{n \in S}$ with $S\notin \mathcal{H}$. After proving that these two notions do not coincide in general, we show that both families of nonempty sets of the type $\Lambda_{x}(FS)$ and of the type $\Lambda_{x}(\mathcal{H})$ are precisely the class of nonempty analytic subsets of $X$. An analogous result holds also for Ramsey convergence. In the proofs, we use the concept of partition regular functions introduced in J. Symb. Log. (2024) [doi:10.1017/jsl.2024.8], which provide a unified approach to these types of convergence.

math.GN

Spectral performance of single-channel plastic and GAGG scintillator bars of the CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP)

Our Sun is the closest X-ray astrophysical source to Earth. As such, it makes a formidable case study to better understand astrophysical processes. Solar flares are in particular very interesting as they are linked to coronal mass ejections as well as magnetic field reconnection sites in the solar atmosphere. Flares can therefore provide insightful information on the physical processes at play on their production sites, but also on the emission and acceleration of energetic charged particles towards our planet, making it a formidable forecasting tool for space weather. While solar flares are critical to understanding magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration, their hard X-ray polarization -- key to distinguishing between competing theoretical models -- remains poorly constrained by existing observations. To address this, we present the CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP), a mission under development to perform solar flare polarimetry in the 25-100 keV energy range. CUSP consists of a 6U-XL platform hosting a dual-phase Compton polarimeter. The polarimeter is made of a central assembly of four 4x4 arrays of plastic scintillators, each coupled to multi-anode photomultiplier tubes, surrounded by four strips of eight elongated GAGG scintillator bars coupled to avalanche photodiodes. Both types of sensors from Hamamatsu are respectively read out by the MAROC-3A and SKIROC-2A ASICs from Weeroc. In this manuscript, we present the preliminary spectral performances of single plastic and GAGG channels measured in the laboratory using development boards of the ASICs foreseen for the flight model.

astro-ph.IM

Solar Flare Hard X-ray Polarimetry with the CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) mission

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) project is a CubeSat mission planned for a launch in low-Earth orbit and aimed to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will allow us to study the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures of our star. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed at developing new CubeSat missions. It is undergoing a 12-month Phase B that started in December 2024. The Compton polarimeter on board CUSP is composed of two acquisition chains based on plastic scintillators read out by Multi-Anode PhotoMultiplier Tubes for the scatterer part and GAGG crystals coupled to Avalanche PhotoDiodes for the absorbers. An event coincident between the two readout schemes will lead to a measurement of the incoming X-ray's azimuthal scattering angle, linked to the polarization of the solar flare in a statistical manner. The current status of the CUSP mission design, mission analysis, and payload scientific performance will be reported. The latter will be discussed based on preliminary laboratory results obtained in parallel with Geant4 simulations.

astro-ph.SR

Can a small Gaussian perturbation break subadditivity?

Given an integer $a\ge 1$, a function $f: \mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$ is said to be $a$-subadditive if $$ f(ax+y) \le af(x)+f(y) \,\,\,\text{ for all }x,y \in \mathbb{R}. $$ Of course, $1$-subadditive functions (which correspond to ordinary subadditive functions) are $2$-subadditive. % and $3$-subadditive. Answering a question of Matkowski, we show that there exists a continuous function $f$ satisfying $f(0)=0$ which is $2$-subadditive but not $1$-subadditive. In addition, the same example is not $3$-subadditive, which shows that the sequence of families of continuous $a$-subadditive functions passing through the origin is not increasing with respect to $a$. The construction relies on a perturbation of a given subadditive function with an even Gaussian ring, which will destroy the original subadditivity while keeping the weaker property. Lastly, given a positive rational cone $H\subseteq (0,\infty)$ which is not finitely generated, we prove that there exists a subadditive bijection $f:H\to H$ such that $\liminf_{x\to 0}f(x)=0$ and $\limsup_{x\to 0}f(x)=1$. This is related an open question of Matkowski and {Ś}wi{\k a}tkowski in [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 119 (1993), 187--197].

math.CA

On uniform summability

Let $\mathscr{A}$ be a nonempty set of infinite matrices of linear operators between two topological vector spaces. We show that a sequence is uniformly $\mathscr{A}$-summable if and only if it is $B$-summable for all matrices $B$ of linear operators such that the $n$th row of $B$ is the $n$th row for some $A \in \mathscr{A}$. This extends the main result of Bell in [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 38 (1973), 548--552]. We also provide several applications including uniform versions of Silverman--Toeplitz theorem, characterizations of almost regular matrices, uniform superior limits, and inclusion of ideal cores. Basically, our methods allow to translate ordinary results into their uniform versions, using directly the former ones.

math.FA

The multi-physics analysis, design and testing of CUSP, a CubeSat mission for space weather and solar flares x-ray polarimetry

The space-based CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) mission aims to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed at developing new CubeSat missions. As part of CUSP's Phase B study, which began in December 2024 and will last one year, we present the current development status of the design solutions adopted for the mission's most critical multi-physics design drivers. These solutions have been formulated and applied to demonstrate compliance with system requirements at both the spacecraft and platform levels. In particular, we describe the mechanical design of each structural component, the results of static, dynamic finite element analyses, and a proposal for topological optimization of the interface between the platform and payload and some fixture for test, and the preliminary environmental testing campaign (e.g., vibration, shock) that will be carried out on a mechanical demonstrator.

astro-ph.IM

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP): mission overview II

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) project is an Earth-orbiting CubeSat mission designed to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band using a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will enable the study of magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration within the Sun's flaring magnetic structures. This project is being developed within the framework of the Italian Space Agency's Alcor Program, which aims to foster new CubeSat missions. CUSP entered its Phase B in December 2024, a phase scheduled to last 12 months. This paper reports on the current status of the CUSP mission design, mission analysis, and payload scientific performance.

astro-ph.SR

CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) Sensitivity Estimation and Performance Optimization using Geant4

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) aims to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the 25-100 keV X-ray band using a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will allow us to study the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures of our star by providing high-sensitivity polarization measurements. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed to develop innovative CubeSat technologies and missions. As part of CUSPs Phase B study, which began in December 2024 and will continue for one year, we present the development status of the Geant4 based simulator to accurately simulate the detectors response and initial results on the sensitivity of the instrument. Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation is used to assess the physical interactions of the source photons with the detector and the passive materials. We implemented a detailed CUSP Mass Model within Geant4 to simulate and estimate the instruments sensitivity, correcting the geometric effects of the instrument. We also evaluated the effect of backscattering shielding on the sensitivity to optimize the mass model of the instrument.

astro-ph.SR

Prototype Development and Calibration of the CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP)

The space-based CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) mission aims to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will allow to study the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures of our star with its unprecedented sensitivity to solar flare polarization. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed to develop new CubeSat missions. It has been proposed as a constellation of a two Cubesat mission to monitor the Sun for Space Weather, and will proceed with a single-satellite asset in its baseline implementation. In the frame of CUSP's Phase B study, that started in December 2024 for a 1-year period, we present the development status of this dual-phase polarimeter. Preliminary laboratory results using two chains of acquisition will be discussed. The first chain of acquisition, based on the Hamamatsu R7600 multi-anode photomultiplier tubes coupled to plastic scintillator bars and read out by the MAROC-3A ASIC, is used to detect the Compton scattering of incoming photons. On the other hand, GAGG crystals coupled to avalanche photo-diodes with a readout based on the SKIROC-2A ASIC are used to absorb the scattered photons. By reconstructing the azimuthal scattering direction for many incoming photons, one can infer the linear polarization degree and angle of the source. We will discuss the calibration results obtained with our prototype detector by using well-known radioactive isotopes, allowing us to assess the performances of our detector over the full 25-100 keV energy range.

astro-ph.IM

Study of the HV power supply modules for the CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP)

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) project is a CubeSat mission orbiting the Earth aimed to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will allow to study the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures of our star. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed to develop new CubeSat missions. CUSP undergoing the Phase B started in December 2024 that will last for 12 month. The Compton polarimeter of the CUSP payload performs coincidence measurements between plastic scintilaltors and GaGG(Ce) crystals to derive the polarization of X-rays. These sensors are readout by Multi Anode Photomultiplier Tubes (MAPMTs) and Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) respectively. Both sensors need an HV power supply up to -1~kV (for the MAPMT) and +500~V (for the APD). We tested precision regulated High Voltage DC/DC Converters by HVM Technology Inc. with Sub-Miniature Case Size ($0.85''\times0.85''\times0.60''$) of the SMHV series. These modules are compact and suited for CubeSat missions.

astro-ph.IM