Search Results (7)

The search for a novel technology able to detect and reconstruct nuclear and electron recoil events with the energy of a few $\mathrm{keV}$ has become more and more important now that large regions of high-mass dark matter (DM) candidates have been excluded. Moreover, a detector sensitive to incoming particle direction will be crucial in the case of DM discovery to open the possibility of studying its properties. Gaseous time projection chambers (TPC) with optical readout are very promising detectors combining the detailed event information provided by the TPC technique with the high sensitivity and granularity of latest-generation scientific light sensors. The CYGNO experiment (a CYGNus module with Optical readout) aims to exploit the optical readout approach of multiple-GEM structures in large volume TPCs for the study of rare events as interactions of low-mass DM or solar neutrinos. The combined use of high-granularity sCMOS cameras and fast light sensors allows the reconstruction of the 3D direction of the tracks, offering good energy resolution and very high sensitivity in the few keV energy range, together with a very good particle identification useful for distinguishing nuclear recoils from electronic recoils. This experiment is part of the CYGNUS proto-collaboration, which aims at constructing a network of underground observatories for directional DM search. A one cubic meter demonstrator is expected to be built in 2022/23 aiming at a larger scale apparatus (30 m${}^3$–100 m${}^3$) at a later stage. Full article

The MEG experiment took data at the Paul Scherrer Institute in the years 2009–2013 to test the violation of the lepton flavor conservation law, which originates from an accidental symmetry that the Standard Model of elementary particle physics has, and published the most stringent limit on the charged lepton flavor violating decay ${\mathsf{\mu }}^{+}\to {\mathrm{e}}^{+}\mathsf{\gamma }$: BR(${\mathsf{\mu }}^{+}\to {\mathrm{e}}^{+}\mathsf{\gamma }$) $<4.2\times {10}^{-13}$ at $90\%$ confidence level. The MEG detector has been upgraded in order to reach a sensitivity of $6\times {10}^{-14}$. The basic principle of MEG II is to achieve the highest possible sensitivity using the full muon beam intensity at the Paul Scherrer Institute ($7\times {10}^7$ muons/s) with an upgraded detector. The main improvements are better rate capability of all sub-detectors and improved resolutions while keeping the same detector concept. In this paper, we present the current status of the preparation, integration and commissioning of the MEG II detector in the recent engineering runs. Full article

The CYGNO project aims at developing a high resolution Time Projection Chamber with optical readout for directional dark matter searches and solar neutrino spectroscopy. Peculiar CYGNO’s features are the 3D tracking capability provided by the combination of photomultipliers and scientific CMOS camera signals, combined with a helium-fluorine-based gas mixture at atmospheric pressure amplified by gas electron multipliers structures. In this paper, the performances achieved with CYGNO prototypes and the prospects for the upcoming underground installation at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of a 50-L detector in fall 2021 will be discussed, together with the plans for a 1-m${}^3$ experiment. The synergy with the ERC consolidator, grant project INITIUM, aimed at realising negative ion drift operation within the CYGNO 3D optical approach, will be further illustrated. Full article

The present manuscript faces the problem of performing high-resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) radar imaging in sounder modality, i.e., into the vertical plane defined by the along-tack and the nadir directions. Data are collected by means of a light and compact UAV radar prototype; flight trajectory information is provided by two positioning estimation techniques: standalone Global Positioning System (GPS) and Carrier based Differential Global Positioning System (CDGPS). The radar imaging is formulated as a linear inverse scattering problem and a motion compensation (MoCo) procedure, accounting for GPS or CDGPS positioning, is adopted. The implementation of the imaging scheme, which is based on the Truncated Singular Value Decomposition, is made efficient by the Shift and Zoom approach. Two independent flight tests involving different kind of targets are considered to test the imaging strategy. The results show that the CDGPS supports suitable imaging performance in all the considered test cases. On the other hand, satisfactory performance is also possible by using standalone GPS when the meter-level positioning error exhibits small variations during the radar integration time. Full article

This paper deals with a feasibility study assessing the reconstruction capabilities of a small Multicopter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (M-UAV) based radar system, whose flight positions are determined by using the Carrier-Phase Differential GPS (CDGPS) technique. The paper describes the overall radar imaging system in terms of both hardware devices and data processing strategy for the case of a single flight track. The data processing is cast as the solution of an inverse scattering problem and is able to provide focused images of on surface targets. In particular, the reconstruction is approached through the adjoint of the functional operator linking the unknown contrast function to the scattered field data, which is computed by taking into account the actual flight positions provided by the CDGPS technique. For this inverse problem, we provide an analysis of the reconstruction capabilities by showing the effect of the radar parameters, the flight altitude and the spatial offset between target and flight path on the resolution limits. A measurement campaign is carried out to demonstrate the imaging capabilities in controlled conditions. Experimental results referred to two surveys performed on the same scene but at two different UAV altitudes verify the consistency of these results with the theoretical resolution analysis. Full article

The search for the Lepton Flavor Violating decay $\mu \to e\gamma$ exploits the most intense continuous muon beams, which can currently deliver ∼ ${10}^8$ muons per second. In the next decade, accelerator upgrades are expected in various facilities, making it feasible to have continuous beams with an intensity of ${10}^9$ or even ${10}^{10}$ muons per second. We investigate the experimental limiting factors that will define the ultimate performances, and hence the sensitivity, in the search for $\mu \to e\gamma$ with a continuous beam at these extremely high rates. We then consider some conceptual detector designs and evaluate the corresponding sensitivity as a function of the beam intensity. Full article

In recent years many sterols with unusual structures and promising biological profiles have been identified from marine sources. Here we report the isolation of a series of 24-alkylated-hydroxysteroids from the soft coral Sinularia kavarattiensis, acting as pregnane X receptor (PXR) modulators. Starting from this scaffold a number of derivatives were prepared and evaluated for their ability to activate the PXR by assessing transactivation and quantifying gene expression. Our study reveals that ergost-5-en-3β-ol (4) induces PXR transactivation in HepG2 cells and stimulates the expression of the PXR target gene CYP3A4. To shed light on the molecular basis of the interaction between these ligands and PXR, we investigated, through docking simulations, the binding mechanism of the most potent compound of the series, 4, to the PXR. Our findings provide useful functional and structural information to guide further investigations and drug design. Full article