580 research outputs found
Perspectives for Smart Landscapes
The urban landscape is a topic scarcely covered in international literature, but
today has a new consideration. The search for attractiveness and quality of life is the objective of long-term projects in the
cities that propose to initiate new trajectories of development related to smart city paradigm, conditioning the social,
economic, cultural and landscape perspective of towns. The landscape diagonally crosses the five dimension of smart city
(mobility, environment, people, knowledge, tourism, urban transformations) becoming a necessary component of new
policies and actions and therefore emerging as a strategic element on which to focus to develop an intelligent future for our
cities
Topological phase transitions and chiral inelastic transport induced by the squeezing of light
We show how the squeezing of light can lead to the formation of topological
states. Such states are characterized by non-trivial Chern numbers, and exhibit
protected edge modes which give rise to chiral elastic and inelastic photon
transport. These topological bosonic states are not equivalent to their
fermionic (topological superconductor) counterparts and cannot be mapped by a
local transformation onto topological states found in particle-conserving
models. They thus represent a new type of topological system. We study this
physics in detail in the case of a Kagome lattice model, and discuss possible
realizations using nonlinear photonic crystals or superconducting circuits.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Controlled Shock Shells and Intracluster Fusion Reactions in the Explosion of Large Clusters
The ion phase-space dynamics in the Coulomb explosion of very large ( atoms) deuterium clusters can be tailored using two consecutive
laser pulses with different intensities and an appropriate time delay. For
suitable sets of laser parameters (intensities and delay), large-scale shock
shells form during the explosion, thus highly increasing the probability of
fusion reactions within the single exploding clusters. In order to analyze the
ion dynamics and evaluate the intracluster reaction rate, a one-dimensional
theory is used, which approximately accounts for the electron expulsion from
the clusters. It is found that, for very large clusters (initial radius
100 nm), and optimal laser parameters, the intracluster fusion yield becomes
comparable to the intercluster fusion yield. The validity of the results is
confirmed with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, to appear in Physical Review
Confinement-induced resonances for a two-component ultracold atom gas in arbitrary quasi-one-dimensional traps
We solve the two-particle s-wave scattering problem for ultracold atom gases
confined in arbitrary quasi-one-dimensional trapping potentials, allowing for
two different atom species. As a consequence, the center-of-mass and relative
degrees of freedom do not factorize. We derive bound-state solutions and obtain
the general scattering solution, which exhibits several resonances in the 1D
scattering length induced by the confinement. We apply our formalism to two
experimentally relevant cases: (i) interspecies scattering in a two-species
mixture, and (ii) the two-body problem for a single species in a non-parabolic
trap.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figure
All-optical trapping and acceleration of heavy particles
A scheme for fast, compact, and controllable acceleration of heavy particles
in vacuum is proposed, in which two counterpropagating lasers with variable
frequencies drive a beat-wave structure with variable phase velocity, thus
allowing for trapping and acceleration of heavy particles, such as ions or
muons. Fine control over the energy distribution and the total charge of the
beam is obtained via tuning of the frequency variation. The acceleration scheme
is described with a one-dimensional theory, providing the general conditions
for trapping and scaling laws for the relevant features of the particle beam.
Two-dimensional, electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations confirm the
validity and the robustness of the physical mechanism.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, to appear in New Journal of Physic
Consumer attitudes and preference exploration towards fresh-cut salads using best–worst scaling and latent class analysis
This research explored the preferences and buying habits of a sample of 620 consumers of fresh-cut, ready-to-eat salads. A best–worst scaling approach was used to measure the level of preference stated by individuals regarding 12 attributes for quality (intrinsic, extrinsic and credence) of fresh-cut salads. The experiment was carried out through direct interviews at several large-scale retail outlets in the Turin metropolitan area (north-west of Italy). Out of the total number of questioned consumers, 35% said they did not consume fresh-cut salads. On the contrary, the rest of the involved sample expressed the highest degree of preference towards the freshness/appearance attribute, followed by the expiration date and the brand. On the contrary, attributes such as price, organic certification and food safety did not emerge as discriminating factors in consumer choices. Additionally, five clusters of consumers were identified, whose preferences are related both to purchasing styles and socio-demographic variables. In conclusion, this research has highlighted the positive attitude of consumers towards quality products backed by a brand, providing ideas for companies to improve within this sector and implement strategies to answer the needs of a new segment of consumers, by determining market opportunities that aim to strengthen local brands
Prospects for all-optical ultrafast muon acceleration
A scheme for fast, compact, and controllable acceleration of heavy particles
in vacuum has been recently proposed [F. Peano et al., New J. Phys. 10 033028
(2008)], wherein two counterpropagating laser beams with variable frequencies
drive a beat-wave structure with variable phase velocity, leading to particle
trapping and acceleration. The technique allows for fine control over the
energy distribution and the total charge of the accelerated beam, to be
obtained via tuning of the frequency variation. Here, the theoretical bases of
the acceleration scheme are described, and the possibility of applications to
ultrafast muon acceleration and to the prompt extraction of cold-muon beams is
discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Plasma Physics and Controlled
Fusio
- …