The liquid Argon TPC: a powerful detector for future neutrino experiments and proton decay searches

We discuss the possibility of new generation neutrino and astroparticle physics experiments exploiting the liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) technique, following a graded strategy that envisions applications with increasing detector masses (from 100 ton to 100 kton). The ICARUS R&D program has already demonstrated that the technology is mature with the test of the T600 detector at surface. Since 2003 we have been working with the conceptual design of a very large LAr TPC with a mass of 50-100 kton to be built by employing a monolithic technology based on the use of industrial, large volume, cryogenic tankers developed by the petro-chemical industry. Such a detector, if realized, would be an ideal match for a Super Beam, Beta Beam or Neutrino Factory, covering a broad physics program that includes the detection of atmospheric, solar and supernova neutrinos, and searches for proton decay, in addition to the rich accelerator neutrino physics program. A "test module" with a mass of the order of 10 kton operated underground or at shallow depth would represent a necessary milestone towards the realization of the 100 kton detector, with an interesting physics program on its own. In parallel, physics is calling for a shorter scale application of the LAr TPC technique at the level of 100 ton mass, for low energy neutrino physics and for use as a near station setup in future long baseline neutrino facilities. We outline here the main physics objectives and the design of such a detector for operation in the upcoming T2K neutrino beam. We finally present the result of a series of R&D studies conducted with the aim of validating the design of the proposed detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures, Invited talk at High Intensity Physics HIF05, La Biodola, Isola d'Elba (Italy), June 200

Testo, parola, sillaba, andata e ritorno. Un modello di didattica per classi a nulla o bassa scolarizzazione

L'articolo descrive un modello di didattica fortemente innovativo rivolto ad adolescenti ed adulti migranti che arrivano in Italia senza essere mai andati a scuola e che devono apprendere contemporaneamente una nuova lingua e le basi dell'alfabetizzazione

Handbook of Research on Visual Computing and Emerging Geometrical Design Tools

Visual computing and descriptive geometry are multidisciplinary fields addressing the handling of images, 3D models, and other computer graphics. These ideas are experiencing a revival due to emergent technologies and applications available to developers. Based in traditional forms of design and architecture, these fields are currently experiencing a bounty of new research based on old principles. The Handbook of Research on Visual Computing and Emerging Geometrical Design Tools seeks to add to this knowledge base by considering these technologies from a designer’s perspective rather than reiterating the principles of computer science. It combines aspects of geometry and representation with emerging tools for CAD, generation, and visualization while addressing the digital heritage of such fields. This book is an invaluable resource for developers, students of both graphic and computer-generated design, researchers, and designers. This book is the result of a scientific challenge, the creation of a wide international network of experts with different background and expertise, from academic institutions and from the world of practice, that are pursuing the innovation in the fields of visual computing, descriptive geometry and digital design media. The books collects peer-reviewed chapters dedicated to the emerging design tools and their new frontiers of knowledge where geometry is the starting point of generative design processes and a keyword for the understanding of our World heritage. Riccardo Migliari in 2005 wrote a paper entitled Has Perspective a future? (Has Man a future?) addressing the “analogies between questions on the future of Man in the face of the disasters of the indiscriminate use of science and technology (during the era of the Cold War, but still of interest today) and some considerations on the future of the perspective (and the descriptive geometry) in the automatons era”. With the outstanding contribute of Migliari, disciplines related to descriptive geometry are living a great revival thanks to new horizons opened by digital media and visual computing potential. These studies support the architectural and industrial design practice bridging the conceptual development through Cad tools with the final fabrication needs, allowing the visualization, the construction and the invention of complex forms (Migliari, 2009). Visual computing is a multidisciplinary environment for scholars, practitioners, makers and users engaging the traditional challenges of design. Its broad field of influence makes studies about the subject attracting and continuously related to the evolution of workflows. For this reason the book includes chapters that cover several topics like geometry, descriptive geometry, digital design media, digital heritage, perspective-based design tools, generative tools, stereotomic design, technology and digital fabrication. applications related to the Second Industrial Revolution introduced by digital design media; as in the words of William J. Mitchell and Malcolm McCullough, a designer’s view point is taken throughout: devices and techniques are introduced as a means of pursuing serious design intentions rather than as illustrations of the principles of computer science and technology (Mitchell & McCullough, 1995). The aim to combine knowledge about geometry, representation and descriptive geometry with emerging tools for cad, generation and visualization of shapes and spaces and new technologies applications is giving the opportunity to develop also a source about digital heritage and its multidisciplinary fields of applications. The book addresses a multidisciplinary target and research challenges, as requested from market and industrial/institutional bodies, encompassing the specialist audience, academics and scholars, and the end-users, students, practitioners and company employees. The effort is to encounter the strong interest about publications that starting from the solid roots of fundamentals and demonstrate how emerging processes and digital tools are innovating the fields of design and educational practices

The illusory baroque space in the architectural perspectives of Girolamo Curti and Angelo Michele Colonna at the Town Hall of Bologna

[EN] The research describes the projective principles of illusory space of the Bolognese School through the representation of the architectural perspectives of GirolamoCurti (1575- 1632) and Angelo Michele Colonna (1604-1687) at the town hall of Bologna. In 1627 Cardinal Bernardino Spada was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII to drive the Bolognese delegation; he started the renovation of his apartments through the illusory artifice of perspective. In addition to the sala Urbana and the sala del Dentone, Colonna, a pupil of Curti, will become the protagonist of a long artistic season; he was also active in Spain where at the initiative of Diego Velázquez, he worked at the Court of Philip IV. Returned from Madrid he left his last masterpiece painting on the ceiling of the Council Hall. The operative methodologies “di sotto in sù,” perspective, here presented, are based on the rigorous representation of the illusory space.[ES] La investigación describe los principios proyectivos del espacio ilusorio de la escuela boloñesa a través del dibujo de las perspectivas arquitectónicas de Girolamo Curti (1575-1632) y Angelo Michele Colonna (1604-1687) en el Ayuntamiento de Bolonia. En 1627 Bernardino Spada, fue designado por el Papa Urbano VIII para conducir la delegación boloñesa y comenzó la renovación de los apartamentos a través del artificio ilusorio de la perspectiva. Además de la sala Urbana y la sala Dentone, Colonna, un joven ayudante de Curti, también se convertirá en el protagonista de una larga estancia artística; siendo también activo en España, donde por iniciativa de Diego Velázquez, trabajó en la corte de Felipe IV. A su regreso de Madrid dejó su última obra de pintura en la sala del Consejo.Los métodos de la perspectiva “di sotto in sù” hicieron una representación rigurosa del espacio ilusorio, cuyos caracteres están presentes en esta investigación.Este estudio forma parte de la investigación trianual PRIN “Perspectivas de arquitectura: preservación digital, difusión y estudio”, 2010-2011, financiada por el MIUR - Ministerio de Educación, Investigación y Universidad y coordinado por Riccardo Migliari, de la Universidad La Sapienza de Roma.El autor agradece el Prof. Joaquín Angel Martínez Moya para la revisión del texto.Amoruso, G. (2018). El espacio ilusorio barroco en las perspectivas arquitectónicas de Girolamo Curti y Angelo Michele Colonna en el Palacio de la Ciudad de Bolonia. EGA. Revista de Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica. 23(33):78-89. doi:10.4995/ega.2018.10389SWORD78892333Amoruso, G., (2016). The Relief-Perspectives of Bitonti and Borromini: Design and Representation of the Illusory Space in Handbook of Research on Visual Computing and Emerging Geometrical Design Tools. Giuseppe Amoruso (ed.), p. 420-455. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0029-2.ch018Amoruso, G., (2016). Figuring Out the Interiors through the Geometric Tools of Representation: The Illusory Cast of Design in Design Innovations for Contemporary Interiors and Civic Art, Luciano Crespi (ed.), p. 289-310. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.Armenini, G. B. (1587). De veri precetti della pittura. Ravenna.Camerota, F., (2006). La prospettiva del Rinascimento. Arte architettura scienza. Milano: Electa.Malvasia, C. C., (1678). Felsina pittrice. Vite de' pittori bolognesi. Bologna.Neppi, L., (1975). Palazzo Spada. Roma: Editalia.Palomino, A. (1715-1724). El museo pictorico, y escala òptica, libro octavo, capitulo IV, En que se trata de la perspectiva de los techos. Three volumes. Madrid.Pigozzi, M., (2007). La percezione e la rappresentazione dello spazio a Bologna e in Romagna nel Rinascimento fra teoria e prassi. Bologna: Clueb.Poudra, N., (1864). Histoire de la perspective ancienne et moderne. Paris: J. Corréard.Troili, G., (1683). Paradossi per pratticare la prospettiva senza saperla, fiori, per facilitare l'intelligenza, frutti per non operare alla cieca. Bologna

Analisi dell’impatto di colate detritiche ad alta velocità contro strutture

L’obiettivo della presente tesi è l’identificazione delle azioni esplicate dalle masse in movimento all’impatto contro strutture. A causa dell’estrema variabilità delle concentrazioni di solidi nella massa in movimento, che ne determina il comportamento, sono stati considerati modelli di comportamento semplificati: impatto di sospensioni fluide; impatto di blocchi isolati; impatto di correnti granulari asciutte. Nel presente rapporto sono innanzitutto sinteticamente descritte soluzioni teoriche, tratte dalla letteratura tecnica, del problema dell’interazione tra fluidi e solidi; sono quindi esposti i risultati di un’attenta disamina di dati sperimentali ottenuti da ricercatori di diversi discipline (ingegneria geotecnica, idraulica, costiera) sul tema. Sono infine presentati i risultati di analisi numeriche condotte con un codice di calcolo agli elementi finiti, con lo scopo di definire le azioni che le colate con comportamento tipo fluido esplicano all’impatto contro solidi. La medesima organizzazione della trattazione è ripetuta per lo studio dell’impatto di blocchi e correnti granulari. Il lavoro si chiude con l’esposizione di alcuni casi applicativi studiati per via numerica, volti ad identificare gli effetti meccanici dell’impatto di colate, sia con comportamento fluido, sia blocchi, e con la proposta di criteri di progettazione delle strutture di mitigazione.The report deals with the characterization of the dynamic forces acted on structures by a fast moving debris flow. Due to the heterogeneity of the involved materials, the work has been organized into three sections: impact of fluid-like debris flows; impact of blocks, impact of dry granular matter

The Tale of the Roman Theater of Philadelphia, Amman. Representative and experiential methodology of the theatrical space

The project aims to present the 3D reconstruction of the Roman Theater of Amman, the ancient Philadelphia of the Palestinian Decapolis, through rigorous representative models. The outcomes will be part of a future exhibition providing site-specific installations and user experience artifacts based on digital interaction and tactile models. The paper illustrates the multidisciplinary approach associated with using 3D virtual reconstruction and game engine tools to reflect on the practice of representing ancient monuments and digital museology. Travelers of the 18th and 19th centuries drafted the fascination of discovery as an experience in their notebooks. At the same time, their written records could address contemporary visitors to an extensive cultural knowledge of places and buildings, the historia of Philadelphia. Investigations are shifting scientific models towards a dynamic cultural experience representative of cultural heritage, including intangible heritage, stories, and new technological paradigms, increasingly rapidly making it possible to duplicate art and heritage. This shift is pinpointing the role of representation for cultural studies and humanities, experimenting with practices and tools to drill methodologies, and producing models for interaction design, socialization, gaming, and museum experience

Collective excitations of a trapped degenerate Fermi gas

We evaluate the small-amplitude excitations of a spin-polarized vapour of Fermi atoms confined inside a harmonic trap. The dispersion law $\omega=\omega_{f}[l+4n(n+l+2)/3]^{1/2}$ is obtained for the vapour in the collisional regime inside a spherical trap of frequency $\omega_{f}$, with $n$ the number of radial nodes and $l$ the orbital angular momentum. The low-energy excitations are also treated in the case of an axially symmetric harmonic confinement. The collisionless regime is discussed with main reference to a Landau-Boltzmann equation for the Wigner distribution function: this equation is solved within a variational approach allowing an account for non-linearities. A comparative discussion of the eigenmodes of oscillation for confined Fermi and Bose vapours is presented in an Appendix.Comment: 14 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in Eur.Phys.Jour.

UNA PERSPECTIVA NEUROCIENTÍFICA SOBRE LA HISTERIA

En la última década, el desarrollo y la puesta en marcha delas modernas técnicas de neuroimagen en el campo de laneurociencia cognitiva han proporcionado una nueva vía deacercamiento al estudio experimental de algunos trastornosmentales. Dentro de esta perspectiva, denominada por algunosautores “neuropsiquiatría cognitiva”, la histeria (o trastornode conversión, de acuerdo con la clasificación psiquiátricaactual) ha cobrado un amplio protagonismo. De acuerdo conlo anterior, el objetivo del presente trabajo consiste en introducirestudios pioneros basados en una perspectiva neurocientíficade la histeria. Conviene destacar que, si bien estosaportan evidencia significativa sobre algunas de las áreascerebrales y las disfunciones cognitivas comprometidas enel mencionado trastorno, los resultados obtenidos a la fechadistan aún de ser concluyentes