Use of sound recordings and analysis for physics lab practices

[EN] The study of oscillations, waves, and sound is included in most first-year courses on Physics, however, analyzing audio recordings to understand and test physics experiments in laboratory practices is not a common practice, compared for example with the use of visual techniques. In this paper, we fill in this gap showing the usefulness of the application of sound recording and its analysis in Physics Laboratory practices of first-year Engineering University studies. Sound recording is very simple and implemented in commonly available technology tools, such as smartphones. The analysis can be done with ease in free open-source applications, such as Audacity. This means that this experimental procedure can be easily implemented and extensively used, even in distance learning, which is particularly convenient in a pandemic context. In fact, we illustrate in this work how this approach let us to successfully transform two in-person lab practices into sessions that can be run remotely: the study of free fall and measurement of the coefficient of restitution of a ball bouncing when released from a certain height, and the measurement of the speed of vehicles by analyzing the Doppler effect of the sound that the motor vehicles produce. With this, we conclude that this is a powerful technique that should be considered, alone or in combination with other techniques, for instance video analysis, when planning the lab practices of Physics courses.S.A. was supported by the CIDEGENT Program from the Generalitat Valenciana CIDEGENT/2019/043.Ardid-Ramírez, JS.; Marquez, S.; Ardid Ramírez, M. (2021). Use of sound recordings and analysis for physics lab practices. IATED. 7687-7693. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2021.1547S7687769

Constraining Secluded Dark Matter models with the ANTARES neutrino telescope

[EN] In this work we describe the search for Secluded Dark Matter (SDM) annihilation in the Sun with ANTARES. SDM is a special scenario where DM, which would gravitationally accumulate in astrophysical objects like the Sun, is annihilated into a pair of non-Standard Model mediators, which subsequently decay into SM particles. It was suggested to explain some experimental observations, such as the positron-electron ratio observed by satellite detectors. Three different cases are studied: a) direct detection of di-muons from the mediator decay, or neutrino detection from: b) the mediator that decays into di-muons and, in turn, into neutrinos, and c) the mediator that directly decays into neutrinos. The ANTARES results obtained for SDM models ¿the first experimental limits established directly in neutrino telescopes¿ are presented. The limits imposed to these models are much more restrictive than those derived in direct detection searches for the case of spin-dependent interaction for a wide range of lifetimes of the metastable mediator.We acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Grants FPA2012-37528-C02-02, and Consolider MultiDark CSD2009-00064, and of the Generalitat Valenciana, Grant PrometeoII/2014/079.Ardid Ramírez, M.; Tönnis, C. (2015). Constraining Secluded Dark Matter models with the ANTARES neutrino telescope. PoS. Proceedings of Science. 1212:1-8. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/140891S18121

Producció de partícules a la factoria de Pions del GSI de Darmstadt

RESUM Recentment s'ha installat un feix secundari de pions al laboratori d'ions pesants GSI de Darmstadt (Alemanya) per a produir feixos de pions amb moment fins a 3 GeV/c. Aquesta és la primera vegada que feixos d'ions pesants són utilitzats per a aquesta finalitat. La tesi investiga la validesa d'aquest aspecte i estudia exhaustívament el feix de pions abans mencionat. Primer, es fa una revisió de les dades experimentals de la producció de pions en reaccions nuclears i es presenten algunes aplicacions per a aquest feix secundari. A continuació, es descriuen els sistemes experimentals de les línies HADES i C emprats en els distints experiments, es mostren els resultats dels experiment que s'analitzen i s'interpreten. Per a complementar tota aquesta informació, s'ha realitzat simulacions de la producció de pions i del seu transport al llarg de la línia, els resultats dels quals s'han descrit i comparat a dades experimentals. Els principals resultats d'aquest treball són que les propietats del feix secundari de pions es coneixen bé i que som capaços de definir les millor condicions per a un experiment donat emprant aquest feix. Finalment, cal destacar la demostració que feixos d'ions pesants són útils per produir feixos secundari de pions i que les intensitats assolides al GSI (amb un màxim d'al voltant de 6106 - i 107 + per cicle) són suficients per desenvolupar l'ampli programa físic proposat. Més encara, el feix de pions esta actualment operatiu i s'esta ja utilitzant. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ SUMARY A secondary pion beam facility has recently been installed at the heavy ion laboratory GSI-Darmstadt (Germany) in order to provide pion beams with momenta up to 3 GeV/c. This is the first time that heavy ion beams are used to produce secondary pion beams. The thesis investigates the validity of this aspect and studies exhaustively the pion beam facility mentioned. First, a review of the previously available experimental data for pion production in nuclear reactions is made and some future applications of this facility are presented. Next, the setups of the HADES and C beam-lines used in the different experiments are described, the results of the experiments are shown and the data are analysed and interpreted. To complement all this information some simulations in pion production and transport along the beam-line have been done and reported. The main results of this work are that the properties of the secondary pion beam are well understood and we are able to define the best conditions for a given experiment. Last, but not least, the demonstration that heavy ion beams are useful to produce secondary pion beams and the intensities reached at GSI (with a maximum of nearly 6106 negative or 107 positive pions per spill) are enough to develop the wide physics program proposed. Moreover, the pion beam is already operational and it is being used

Análisis del cambio repentino a docencia remota por la COVID-19 en los resultados de aprendizaje: caso de dos asignaturas anuales básicas en Grados de Ingeniería

[EN] In this article we analyse the experience in two basic annual subjects in Engineering Degrees with the aim of determining if there are differences in the degree of achievement of the learning objectives, due to the sudden change to virtual teaching obliged by the COVID-19 lockdown. With this aim, a statistical analysis of the grades obtained by the students is carried out, comparing the periods of in-class teaching with those of forced remote teaching in contrast with the experience of previous courses, where virtual teaching was absent. Results of this analysis do not hold significant differences in the grades of the students associated with the vast transformation in teaching and learning process. Even though the results cannot necessarily conclude that there have not been changes in learning outcomes, they are indicative of a reasonably good adaptability of the teaching and learning process to the sudden new context given by the pandemics.[ES] En este artículo analizamos la experiencia en dos asignaturas básicas anuales en Grados en Ingenierías con el objetivo de determinar si se observan diferencias en el grado de consecución de los objetivos de aprendizaje debido al repentino cambio a docencia virtual por el confinamiento de la COVID-19. Para ello se hace un análisis estadístico de las calificaciones obtenidas por los estudiantes, comparando los periodos de docencia presencial con los de docencia remota forzada y contrastándolos con la experiencia de los cursos precedentes, donde la docencia virtual no era presente. Los resultados de este análisis no sustentan diferencias significativas en las calificaciones de los estudiantes asociados a esta transformación en la docencia. Si bien los resultados no concluyen unívocamente que no haya habido cambios en los resultados de aprendizaje, sí que son indicativos de una buena adaptabilidad de la docencia ante el nuevo contexto de pandemia, en la que se ha sabido acompasar el nivel de exigencia a los condicionantes del entorno en situación de crisis sobrevenida.S. Ardid agradece el apoyo del Programa CIDEGENT de la Generalitat Valenciana, CIDEGENT/2019/043.Ardid Ramírez, M.; Ardid Ramírez, JS.; Herrero Debón, A. (2021). Análisis del cambio repentino a docencia remota por la COVID-19 en los resultados de aprendizaje: caso de dos asignaturas anuales básicas en Grados de Ingeniería. En IN-RED 2021: VII Congreso de Innovación Edicativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 931-940. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2021.2021.13448OCS93194

Neutrinos from Cosmic Ray Interactions in the Sun as background for dark matter searches

[EN] Neutrino telescopes have been proposed as efficient tools for indirect dark matter searches, especially using the Sun as source for its good capability to capture dark matter and since we do not expect high-energy neutrinos from it. However, the last statement should be taken with caution because high-energy neutrinos may come from cosmic particle interactions in the atmosphere of the Sun and producing neutrinos. In this work, we describe an analysis of the ANTARES neutrino telescope optimised for the observation of neutrinos coming from the atmosphere of the Sun due to cosmic particles interactions. Focusing in the 10 GeV - 10 TeV energy range and using 2007-2012 data, the sensitivity obtained for the flux is approximately 1012 km-2 y -1 , whereas the expected flux is two order of magnitudes below. From this, we can conclude that present high-energy neutrino telescopes dark matter searches in the Sun can indeed neglect this contribution, but could play a role in future detectors with better neutrino flux sensitivities in the 10 GeV - 10 TeV energy range and very good angular resolution.We acknowledge the financial support of Plan Estatal de Investigación, ref. FPA2015-65150-C3-1-Pand ref. FPA2015-65150-C3-2-P (MINECO/FEDER), Consolider MultiDark CSD2009-00064 (MINECO) and of the Generalitat Valenciana, Grant PrometeoII/2014/079.Ardid Ramírez, M.; Felis-Enguix, I.; Lotze, M.; Tönnis, C. (2018). Neutrinos from Cosmic Ray Interactions in the Sun as background for dark matter searches. PoS. Proceedings of Science. 301:1-8. https://doi.org/10.22323/1.301.0907S1830

A Compact Array Transducer for Full Calibration of Underwater Acoustic Detection Neutrino Telescopes

[EN] KM3NeT, the underwater neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea, is a detector under construction. KM3NeT uses Digital Optical Modules (DOMs) to detect neutrinos but there will be a study about the viability to acoustic detection of neutrinos using mainly the acoustic sensors the telescope has for positioning purposes. For this, it is necessary to calibrate and test the acoustic response of the receivers in the detector to determine the sensitivity to detect the neutrino acoustic signal and discriminate it from the environmental background. In this work, the strategy for the calibration of the sensor system using a compact array using three steps (frequency, directivity and neutrino signal-like) is described. Moreover, some R&D activities and results about the second step (long parametric directive signals) are shown.Financial support of the Spanish Plan Estatal de Investigación, ref. PGC2018-096663-B-C43 (MICINN/FEDER)Ardid Ramírez, M.; Tortosa, DD.; Martínez Mora, JA. (2019). A Compact Array Transducer for Full Calibration of Underwater Acoustic Detection Neutrino Telescopes. IEEE. 591-595. https://doi.org/10.1109/IOTSMS48152.2019.8939244S59159

Study of the Optimum Frequency at 2.4GHz ISM Band for Underwater Wireless Ad Hoc Communications

Underwater communications at low frequencies are characterized by the low data rate. But in some cases wireless sensors must be placed quite close to each other and need high data rates in order to accurately sense an ecosystem that could be contaminated by invasive plants or hazardous waste. Most researchers focus their efforts on increasing the data transfer rates for low frequencies, but, due to the wave features, this is very complicated. For this reason, we propose the use of high frequency band communications for these special cases. In this paper we measure the optimum working frequency for an underwater communication in the 2.4 GHz range. We measure the number of lost packets and the average round trip time value for a point-to-point link for different distances. These measures will be performed by varying the data rate, the type of modulation and the working frequency. We will show that we are able to transmit higher data transfer rates, by using higher frequencies, than the using acoustic waves. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.This work has been partially supported by the "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación”, through the “Plan Nacional de I+D+i 2008-2011” in the “Subprograma de Proyectos de Investigación Fundamental”, project TEC2011-27516, and by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, though the PAID-15-11 multidisciplinary projects.Sendra Compte, S.; Lamparero Arroyo, JV.; Lloret, J.; Ardid Ramírez, M. (2012). Study of the Optimum Frequency at 2.4GHz ISM Band for Underwater Wireless Ad Hoc Communications. En Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer Verlag (Germany). 260-273. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31638-8_20S260273Mohsin, A.H., Bakar, K.A., Adekiigbe, A., Ghafoor, K.Z.: A Survey of Energy-aware Routing protocols in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks: Trends and Challenges. Network Protocols and Algorithms 3(4), 1–17 (2011)Segal, M.: Improving Lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks. Network Protocols and Algorithms 1(2), 48–60 (2009)Garcia, M., Sendra, S., Atenas, M., Lloret, J.: Underwater Wireless Ad-hoc Networks: a Survey. In: Mobile Ad hoc Networks: Current Status and Future Trends, pp. 379–411. CRC Press (2011)Chakraborty, U., Tewary, T., Chatterjee, R.P.: Exploiting the loss-frequency relationship using RF communication in Underwater communication networks. In: Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Computers and Devices for Communication, CODEC 2009, Kolkata, India, December 14-16 (2009)Liebe, H.J., Hufford, G.A., Manabe, T.: A model for the complex permittivity of water at frequencies below 1 THz. International Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves 12(7), 659–675 (1991)Somaraju, R., Trumpf, J.: Frequency, Temperature and Salinity Variation of the Permittivity of Seawater. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 54(11), 3441–3448 (2006)IEEE Std 802.11, IEEE Standard for Information technology—telecommunications and information exchange between systems—Local and metropolitan area networks—Specific requirements—Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications, New York, USA, pp.1–1184 (2007)Chaitanya, D.E., Sridevi, C.V., Rao, G.S.B.: Path loss analysis of underwater communication systems. In: 2011 IEEE Students’ Technology Symposium (TechSym 2011), Kharagpur, India, January 14-16, pp. 65–70 (2011)Sehgal, A., Tumar, I., Schonwalder, J.: Variability of available capacity due to the effects of depth and temperature in the underwater acoustic communication channel. In: OCEANS 2009 – EUROPE, Bremen, Germany, May 11-14, pp. 1–6 (2009)Arnon, S.: Underwater optical wireless communication network. Journal of Optical Engineering 49, 015001 (January 15, 2010), doi: 10.1117/1.3280288Hunt, K.P., Niemeier, J.J., Kruger, A.: RF communications in underwater wireless sensor networks. In: IEEE International Conference on Electro/Information Technology 2010, Normal, Illinois, USA, May 20-22 (2010)Jiang, S., Georgakopoulos, S.: Electromagnetic Wave Propagation into Fresh Water. Journal of Electromagnetic Analysis and Applications 3(07), 261–266 (2011)Sendra, S., Lamparero, J.V., Lloret, J., Ardid, M.: Underwater Communications in Wireless Sensor Networks using WLAN at 2,4Ghz. In: International Workshop on Marine Sensors and Systems (MARSS), Valencia, Spain, October 17-22 (2011)Martin, F., Gorday, P., Adams, J., Leeuwen, H.V.: IEEE 802.15.4 PHY Capabilities (May 2004 ) Doc.: 15-04-0227-04-004A, https://mentor.ieee.org/802.15/file/04/15-04-0227-04-004a-ieee-802-15-4-phy-layer-and-implementation.pptChitode, J.S.: Digital Communications, 1st edn. Technical Publications Pune (2007-2008)Andren, C., Webster, M.: CCK Modulation Delivers 11Mbps for High Rate 802.11 Extension. In: Proceedings of the Wireless Symposium/Portable By Design Conference, San Jose, CA, USA, February 22-26 (Spring 1999)Lloret, J., López, J.J., Ramos, G.: Wireless LAN Deployment in Large Extension Areas: The Case of a University Campus. In: Proceedings of Communication Systems and Networks 2003, Benalmádena, Málaga, Spain, September 8-10 (2003)Ardid, M.: ANTARES: An Underwater Network of Sensors for Neutrino Astronomy and Deep-Sea Research. Ad Hoc & Sensor Wireless Networks 8, 21–34 (2009)Garcia, M., Sendra, S., Lloret, G., Lloret, J.: Monitoring and Control Sensor System for Fish Feeding in Marine Fish Farms. IET Communications 5(12), 1682–1690 (2011); The Institution of Engineering and Technolog

Acoustic Bragg Peak Localization in Proton Therapy Treatment: Simulation Studies

[EN] A full chain simulation of the acoustic hadron therapy monitoring for brain tumors is presented in this work. For the study, a proton beam of 100 MeV was considered. In the first stage, Geant4 was used to simulate the energy deposition and to study the behavior of the Bragg peak. The energy deposition in the medium produced local heating that can be considered instantaneous with respect to the hydrodynamic time scale producing a sound pressure wave. The resulting thermoacoustic signal was subsequently obtained by solving the thermoacoustic equation. The acoustic propagation was simulated by the Finite Element Method (FEM) in the brain and the skull, where a set of piezoelectric sensors were placed. Lastly, the final received signals in the sensors were processed in order to reconstruct the position of the thermal source and, thus, to determine the feasibility and accuracy of acoustic beam monitoring in hadron therapy.Otero, J.; Felis, I.; Ardid Ramírez, M.; Herrero Debón, A.; Merchán, JA. (2019). Acoustic Bragg Peak Localization in Proton Therapy Treatment: Simulation Studies. MDPI. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecsa-6-06533S1

Acoustic Localization of Bragg Peak Proton Beams for Hadrontherapy Monitoring

[EN] Hadrontherapy makes it possible to deliver high doses of energy to cancerous tumors by using the large energy deposition in the Bragg-peak. However, uncertainties in the patient positioning and/or in the anatomical parameters can cause distortions in the calculation of the dose distribution. In order to maximize the effectiveness of heavy particle treatments, an accurate monitoring system of the deposited dose depending on the energy, beam time, and spot size is necessary. The localized deposition of this energy leads to the generation of a thermoacoustic pulse that can be detected using acoustic technologies. This article presents different experimental and simulation studies of the acoustic localization of thermoacoustic pulses captured with a set of sensors around the sample. In addition, numerical simulations have been done where thermo-acoustic pulses are emitted for the specific case of a proton beam of 100 MeV.This research was funded by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigacion, grant number FPA2015-65150-C3-2-P (MINECO/FEDER).Otero-Vega, JE.; Felis-Enguix, I.; Ardid Ramírez, M.; Herrero Debón, A. (2019). Acoustic Localization of Bragg Peak Proton Beams for Hadrontherapy Monitoring. Sensors. 19(9):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/s19091971S113199Kundu, T. (2014). Acoustic source localization. Ultrasonics, 54(1), 25-38. doi:10.1016/j.ultras.2013.06.009Bortfeld, T. (1997). An analytical approximation of the Bragg curve for therapeutic proton beams. Medical Physics, 24(12), 2024-2033. doi:10.1118/1.598116Ahmad, M., Xiang, L., Yousefi, S., & Xing, L. (2015). Theoretical detection threshold of the proton-acoustic range verification technique. Medical Physics, 42(10), 5735-5744. doi:10.1118/1.4929939Knapp, C., & Carter, G. (1976). The generalized correlation method for estimation of time delay. IEEE Transactions on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, 24(4), 320-327. doi:10.1109/tassp.1976.1162830Adrián-Martínez, S., Bou-Cabo, M., Felis, I., Llorens, C. D., Martínez-Mora, J. A., Saldaña, M., & Ardid, M. (2015). Acoustic Signal Detection Through the Cross-Correlation Method in Experiments with Different Signal to Noise Ratio and Reverberation Conditions. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 66-79. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-46338-3_7Felis, I., Martínez-Mora, J., & Ardid, M. (2016). Acoustic Sensor Design for Dark Matter Bubble Chamber Detectors. Sensors, 16(6), 860. doi:10.3390/s16060860Bragg, W. H., & Kleeman, R. (1905). XXXIX. On the α particles of radium, and their loss of range in passing through various atoms and molecules. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, 10(57), 318-340. doi:10.1080/14786440509463378Janni, J. F. (1982). Energy loss, range, path length, time-of-flight, straggling, multiple scattering, and nuclear interaction probability. Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables, 27(2-3), 147-339. doi:10.1016/0092-640x(82)90004-3Jones, K. C., Seghal, C. M., & Avery, S. (2016). How proton pulse characteristics influence protoacoustic determination of proton-beam range: simulation studies. Physics in Medicine and Biology, 61(6), 2213-2242. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/61/6/2213Lai, H. M., & Young, K. (1982). Theory of the pulsed optoacoustic technique. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 72(6), 2000-2007. doi:10.1121/1.388631Sigrist, M. W. (1986). Laser generation of acoustic waves in liquids and gases. Journal of Applied Physics, 60(7), R83-R122. doi:10.1063/1.337089Tam, A. C. (1986). Applications of photoacoustic sensing techniques. Reviews of Modern Physics, 58(2), 381-431. doi:10.1103/revmodphys.58.381Xiang, L., Han, B., Carpenter, C., Pratx, G., Kuang, Y., & Xing, L. (2012). X-ray acoustic computed tomography with pulsed x-ray beam from a medical linear accelerator. Medical Physics, 40(1), 010701. doi:10.1118/1.4771935Assmann, W., Kellnberger, S., Reinhardt, S., Lehrack, S., Edlich, A., Thirolf, P. G., … Parodi, K. (2015). Ionoacoustic characterization of the proton Bragg peak with submillimeter accuracy. Medical Physics, 42(2), 567-574. doi:10.1118/1.4905047De Bonis, G. (2009). Acoustic signals from proton beam interaction in water—Comparing experimental data and Monte Carlo simulation. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 604(1-2), S199-S202. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2009.03.072Kraan, A. C., Battistoni, G., Belcari, N., Camarlinghi, N., Cirrone, G. A. P., Cuttone, G., … Rosso, V. (2014). Proton range monitoring with in-beam PET: Monte Carlo activity predictions and comparison with cyclotron data. Physica Medica, 30(5), 559-569. doi:10.1016/j.ejmp.2014.04.003Patch, S. K., Hoff, D. E. M., Webb, T. B., Sobotka, L. G., & Zhao, T. (2017). Two-stage ionoacoustic range verification leveraging Monte Carlo and acoustic simulations to stably account for tissue inhomogeneity and accelerator-specific time structure - A simulation study. Medical Physics, 45(2), 783-793. doi:10.1002/mp.12681Lehrack, S., Assmann, W., Bertrand, D., Henrotin, S., Herault, J., Heymans, V., … Parodi, K. (2017). Submillimeter ionoacoustic range determination for protons in water at a clinical synchrocyclotron. Physics in Medicine & Biology, 62(17), L20-L30. doi:10.1088/1361-6560/aa81f8Hickling, S., Lei, H., Hobson, M., Léger, P., Wang, X., & El Naqa, I. (2017). Experimental evaluation of x-ray acoustic computed tomography for radiotherapy dosimetry applications. Medical Physics, 44(2), 608-617. doi:10.1002/mp.12039Ardid, M., Felis, I., Martínez-Mora, J. A., & Otero, J. (2017). Optimization of Dimensions of Cylindrical Piezoceramics as Radio-Clean Low Frequency Acoustic Sensors. Journal of Sensors, 2017, 1-8. doi:10.1155/2017/817967

Search for secluded dark matter towards the Galactic Centre with the ANTARES neutrino telescope

Searches for dark matter (DM) have not provided any solid evidence for the existence of weakly interacting massive particles in the GeV-TeV mass range. Coincidentally, the scale of new physics is being pushed by collider searches well beyond the TeV domain. This situation strongly motivates the exploration of DM masses much larger than a TeV. Secluded scenarios contain a natural way around the unitarity bound on the DM mass, via the early matter domination induced by the mediator of its interactions with the Standard Model. High-energy neutrinos constitute one of the very few direct accesses to energy scales above a few TeV. An indirect search for secluded DM signals has been performed with the ANTARES neutrino telescope using data from 2007 to 2015. Upper limits on the DM annihilation cross section for DM masses up to 6 PeV are presented and discussed.Postprint (published version