Precision Measurement of Boron-to-Carbon ratio in Cosmic Rays from 2 GV to 2 TV with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

AMS-02 is a wide acceptance high-energy physics experiment installed on the International Space Station in May 2011 and it has been operating continuously since then. AMS-02 is able to separate cosmic rays light nuclei ($1\leq Z \leq 8$) with contaminations less than $10^{-3}$. The ratio between the cosmic rays Boron and Carbon fluxes is known to be very sensitive to the properties of the propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy, being Boron a secondary product of spallation on the interstellar medium of heavier primary elements such as Carbon and Oxygen. A precise measurement reaching the TeV region can significantly help understanding cosmic rays propagation in the Galaxy and the amount of matter traversed before reaching Earth. The status of the measurement of the boron-to-carbon ratio based on 10 millions Boron and Carbon events is presented.Comment: XXV ECRS 2016 Proceedings - eConf C16-09-04.

Modulation of galactic protons in the heliosphere during the unusual solar minimum of 2006 to 2009

The last solar minimum activity period, and the consequent minimum modulation conditions for cosmic rays, was unusual. The highest levels of galactic protons were recorded at Earth in late 2009 in contrast to expectations. Proton spectra observed for 2006 to 2009 from the PAMELA cosmic ray detector on-board the Resurs-DK1 satellite are presented together with the solutions of a comprehensive numerical model for the solar modulation of cosmic rays. The model is used to determine what mechanisms were mainly responsible for the modulation of protons during this period, and why the observed spectrum for 2009 was the highest ever recorded. From mid-2006 until December 2009 we find that the spectra became significantly softer because increasingly more low energy protons had reached Earth. To simulate this effect, the rigidity dependence of the diffusion coefficients had to decrease significantly below ~3 GeV. The modulation minimum period of 2009 can thus be described as relatively more "diffusion dominated" than previous solar minima. However, we illustrate that drifts still had played a significant role but that the observable modulation effects were not as well correlated with the waviness of the heliospheric current sheet as before. Protons still experienced global gradient and curvature drifts as the heliospheric magnetic field had decreased significantly until the end of 2009, in contrast to the moderate decreases observed during previous minimum periods. We conclude that all modulation processes contributed to the observed increases in the proton spectra for this period, exhibiting an intriguing interplay of these major mechanisms

Eco-Innovative Solutions for Wasted Landscapes

The paper focuses on the impact generated by the un-efficient management of waste flows, on both natural environment, and urbanization process, and on the opportunity to invert it by regenerating Wasted Landscapes, i.e. underused, polluted and abandoned sites, especially located in peri-urban areas. This is one of the aims of the REPAiR project, funded in 2016 by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 framework, developed by University of Naples with TU Delft as Lead Partner. The implementation of multi-scaling/multi-disciplinary approach, for testing out collaborative decision-making, has seen so far the research of a scientific based definition of peri-urban area in the context of the Metropolitan Area of Naples. The selection of the peri-urban areas has also been tested through Living Labs, aimed at designing eco-innovative solutions towards circularity