Scaling behavior in the adiabatic Dicke Model

We analyze the quantum phase transition for a set of $N$-two level systems interacting with a bosonic mode in the adiabatic regime. Through the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, we obtain the finite-size scaling expansion for many physical observables and, in particular, for the entanglement content of the system.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

The PADME experiment

The PADME experiment, hosted at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, will search for a Dark Photon that decays in invisible channels with a mass up to 23.7\,\mbox{MeV} and coupling constant down to $10^{-3}$.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the IFAE2016 proceedings on Nuovo Cimento C - Colloquia on Physic

Low energy analysis in CUORE-0

The majority of the mass of the Universe appears to be made of an unknown form of matter, called Dark Matter. The upcoming CUORE experiment, thanks to its large mass and low background, will be able to search for a DM annual modulation signal. The final sensitivity will depend on the achievable energy threshold. Here we present the low energy trigger developed for CUORE, some examples obtained with its application to CUORE-0 (the CUORE test detector) and the tools for the low energy analysis

Dark photon search with the PADME experiment

The PADME experiment, at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, is dedicated to the search for a dark photon that decays into invisible channels. Its aim is to observe the reaction e+ e− → A γ, by searching for unbalanced final state events (A undetected), with a missing energy equal to the non-interacting A mass. With the present beam energy of 550 MeV it is possible to search for masses up to 23.7 MeV, while the foreseen statistics allows to scan coupling constants down to ∼ 10−3

Performance of the PADME calorimeter prototype at the DAΦ\PhiNE BTF

The PADME experiment at the DA$\Phi$NE Beam-Test Facility (BTF) aims at searching for invisible decays of the dark photon by measuring the final state missing mass in the process $e^+e^- \to \gamma+ A'$, with $A'$ undetected. The measurement requires the determination of the 4-momentum of the recoil photon, performed using a homogeneous, highly segmented BGO crystals calorimeter. We report the results of the test of a 5$\times$5 crystals prototype performed with an electron beam at the BTF in July 2016

Measurements and optimization of the light yield of a TeO2_2 crystal

Bolometers have proven to be good instruments to search for rare processes because of their excellent energy resolution and their extremely low intrinsic background. In this kind of detectors, the capability of discriminating alpha particles from electrons represents an important aspect for the background reduction. One possibility for obtaining such a discrimination is provided by the detection of the Cherenkov light which, at the low energies of the natural radioactivity, is only emitted by electrons. This paper describes the method developed to evaluate the amount of light produced by a crystal of TeO$_2$ when hit by a 511 keV photon. The experimental measurements and the results of a detailed simulation of the crystal and the readout system are shown and compared. A light yield of about 52 Cherenkov photons per deposited MeV was measured. The effect of wrapping the crystal with a PTFE layer, with the aim of maximizing the light collection, is also presented

Cancer treatment-induced oral mucositis

Oral mucositis is one of the main complications in non-surgical cancer treatments. It represents the major dose-limiting toxicity for some chemotherapeutic agents, for radiotherapy of the head and neck region and for some radiochemotherapy combined treatments. Many reviews and clinical studies have been published in order to define the best clinical protocol for prophylaxis or treatment of mucositis, but a consensus has not yet been obtained. This paper represents an updated review of prophylaxis and treatment of antineoplastic-therapy-related mucositis using a MEDLINE search up to May 2006, in which more than 260 clinical studies have been found. They have been divided according to antineoplastic therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemo-radiotherapy, high-dose chemotherapy). The prophylactic or therapeutic use of the analysed agents, the number of enrolled patients and the study design (randomized or not) were also specified for most studies. Accurate pre-treatment assessment of oral cavity hygiene, frequent review of symptoms during treatment, use of traditional mouthwashes to obtain mechanical cleaning of the oral cavity and administration of some agents like benzydamine, imidazole antibiotics, tryazolic antimycotics, povidone iodine, keratinocyte growth factor and vitamin E seem to reduce the intensity of mucositis. Physical approaches like cryotherapy, low energy Helium-Neon laser or the use of modern radiotherapy techniques with the exclusion of the oral cavity from radiation fields have been shown to be efficacious in preventing mucositis onset. Nevertheless a consensus protocol of prophylaxis and treatment of oral mucositis has not yet been obtained

TeO2_2 bolometers with Cherenkov signal tagging: towards next-generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiments

CUORE, an array of 988 TeO$_2$ bolometers, is about to be one of the most sensitive experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Its sensitivity could be further improved by removing the background from $\alpha$ radioactivity. A few years ago it has been pointed out that the signal from $\beta$s can be tagged by detecting the emitted Cherenkov light, which is not produced by $\alpha$s. In this paper we confirm this possibility. For the first time we measured the Cherenkov light emitted by a CUORE crystal, and found it to be 100 eV at the $Q$-value of the decay. To completely reject the $\alpha$ background, we compute that one needs light detectors with baseline noise below 20 eV RMS, a value which is 3-4 times smaller than the average noise of the bolometric light detectors we are using. We point out that an improved light detector technology must be developed to obtain TeO$_2$ bolometric experiments able to probe the inverted hierarchy of neutrino masses.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Added referee correction

Evaluation of clustering algorithms at the < 1 GeV energy scale for the electromagnetic calorimeter of the PADME experiment

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