Unitarity-based Methods for Muon-Electron Scattering in Quantum Electrodynamics

In this thesis we elaborate on the modern techniques for the evaluation of Scattering Amplitudes in Quantum Field Theory, and apply them to the calculation of at one loop in Quantum Electrodynamics, within the Dimensional Regularization scheme. The corresponding Feynman diagrams contribute to the so called real-virtual term of the Next-to-Next-to-Leading-Order corrections to scattering. Their calculation is crucial for a novel estimation of the leading Hadronic corrections to the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment, which is the goal of the MUonE experiment, recently proposed at CERN. First, we review the theoretical background behind the contributions to the muon’s magnetic moment and the connection with scattering. Then, we elaborate on the algorithimic steps required by the evaluation of multi-loop Feynman amplitudes, from the form-factor decomposition, to the reduction onto a basis of Master Integrals, and, finally, to the calculation of the latter by means of the Differential Equations method. We outline the modern frameworks based on Unitarity of the S-matrix, which employ amplitude cuts to construct a decomposition onto Master Integrals in the Generalised Unitarity framework. This includes Integrand-level Decomposition methods which take advantage of the polynomial properties of Feynman amplitude integrands and offer a higher level of automation for the calculation of complex amplitudes. Specifically we detail the more recent Adaptive Integrand Decomposition and its automated code implementation AIDA used to carry out the calculations presented. We illustrate the Momentum Twistor parametrisation for particle kinematics used by AIDA, and introduce four and five-point twistor parametrisations suitable for our goals. We present our results on the Master Integral decompositions of and at one-loop, both considering massive and massless electrons, and finally we review the evaluation of the Master Integrals for in the limit with Differential Equations.ope

Urban freight transport in Bologna: Planning commercial vehicle loading/unloading zones

AbstractMany European and overseas studies have brought into focus issues related to urban freight transport in order to find possible solutions (city logistics). Urban areas, instead of being living, commercial and resting places may have their functions jeopardized either due to the intense and short range road good's transport and by the lack of infrastructure. Commercial vehicles are detrimental for the urban environment, polluting with gasses and noise. The “just in time” policy of no warehousing enhances this kind of transportation. This paper describes some technical solutions for the management of stop and access areas for goods transport vehicles in order to allow the on-time delivery as well as to mitigate the traffic induced issues towards citizens.In particular, we focus attention on various issues concerning the areas where goods are loaded and unloaded, proposing a method that allows their size, their number and their location to be optimised

A Decision Support System for the safety evaluation of urban pedestrian crossings

This paper proposes an innovative methodology, based on a Decision Support Systems, for the safety evaluation of pedestrian crossings without traffic lights in urban neighborhood areas. It provides an on-site inspection performed using ad-hoc data check lists, and it allows to assign a safety rate to the pedestrian crossing, in order to define a priority list of interventions and to suggest which features need to be improved. This new approach can be useful and easy to use for public administration managers and local governances, when they need to allocate limited financial resources to several pedestrian crossings. It has been applied to 10 pedestrian crossings on two roads in the urban area of Bologna and the resulted ranking list has been used by the Municipality of Bologna in its Urban Road Safety Plan 2016-201

Rheological characterization of bituminous mastics containing waste bleaching clays

Bleaching clays are mostly used in food industries to clarify vegetal oils. After use they are generally dumped as waste (stage 1) or used in green innovative plants to feed biogas reactors (stage 2). In latter stage the initial residual oil content (ap-prox. 25% by mass) is reduced to less than 1% by the biological process. In this study the bleaching clays effects on bituminous mastics of a traditional binder course Hot Mix Asphalt have been investigated. The physical characteristics of the two bleaching clays and of a traditional limestone filler were also studied. DSR rheological tests at high and low temperatures were performed on mastics samples containing different amounts of fillers (limestone, stage 1 or stage 2). The addition of the different waste bleaching clays significantly affects the rheological behav-ior of the mastics: the filler from stage 2 increases the mastic stiffness improving the resistance to permanent deformations as shown by repeated creep tests, while the filler from stage 1 strongly interacts with the bitumen reducing the mechanical characteristics of the mastics at all temperatures

Road users’ behaviour in the "30 km/h zones". The case study of Bologna

Excessive vehicle speeds in urban areas have resulted to be a major cause of road accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, identified as "vulnerable road users" (VRU). A possible useful strategy to overcome this problem, both reducing speed and safeguarding vulnerable road users (VRU), is the introduction of "30 km/h zones". As traffic calming measures, they allow a maximum speed for drivers of 30km/h. The purpose of this study is to monitor the behaviour of drivers in the “30 km/h zones” of the centre of Bologna. With the close collaboration of Bologna Municipality, the study has provided for the monitoring of speed and type of transport in specific points within a selected circuit. Data collected showed that, although in most of the selected zones, speeds are below 30 km/h, in the areas where traffic is heavier, drivers exceed the permitted limit

A laboratory and filed evaluation of Cold Recycled Mixture for base layer entirely made with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

Asphalt concrete (AC) recycling is probably the most cost-effective technique for the rehabilitation of stressed road pavements and for the construction of new ones. The increased interest in this technology comes from the need of reducing the costs connected to the production processes and to the use of virgin raw materials. In fact, the benefits connected to the use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) are related to the possibility of substituting the natural aggregates and the virgin binder of an AC mixture, without negatively affecting its mechanical properties. When this process is made at ambient temperature (Cold Recycled Mixes – CRM), more advantages are brought about with, above all, the reduction in energy consumption and emissions during in plant production and laying, in addition to the actual possibility of achieving durable pavement layers. A CRM totally made of RAP is proposed in this research, the main goal of which was to evaluate the different physical and mechanical characteristics derived by the large use of recycled materials. According to the final mix-design, CRM does not show significant differences in terms of physical properties, when compared to a Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) for base layers. Moreover, even if the experimental mixture shows lower mechanical values, these are acceptable and higher than the limits imposed by the most common Italian technical specifications for Cold Mix Asphalts containing up to 30% RAP

Heterocoagulation-spray drying process for the inclusion of ceramic pigments

The improvement of the physico-chemical resistance of hematite pigment in ceramic bodies has been pursued through its inclusion into a transparent and refractory matrix of silica or zirconia. The inclusion process was accomplished by heterocoagulation followed by spray-drying. The heterocoagulation process was optimised through an electrokinetic technique, that measured the potential of both matrix and pigment as a function of pH and of different amounts of dispersing agents. Suspensions of pigment and matrix were designed in order to achieve the maximum surface charges. The heterocoagulated mix was then spray-dried in order to avoid any separated coagulation of pigment and matrix and to obtain a well granulated powder suitable for application in ceramic bodies. A stable red-coloured ceramic pigment for low firing applications was obtained starting from amorphous silica as matrix and hematite as colorant

use of image analysis for the evaluation of rolling bottle tests results

Abstract The adhesion between bitumen and aggregates is of paramount importance for asphalt mixtures, because it is confirmed that a weak bond strength results in a premature failure of the pavement. Methods for determining the affinity or the adhesion between components are made both on loose and compacted samples. Among the first category the rolling bottle method, which is standardized in EN 12697-11 part a, is very common. It represents a simple, rapid and low cost test for an indication of the affinity between aggregate and bitumen and its influence on the susceptibility of the mixture to stripping. This paper proposes the use of 2D image analysis to evaluate the rolling bottle test results, overcoming the limits and shortcomings of the visual analysis prescribed by the reference standard. In order to demonstrate its applicability to a broad range of materials, this procedure was applied to both light and dark aggregates, mixed with a wax modified binder. The mixing temperature was varied so that the influence of the binder viscosity on the adhesion was assessed. A comparison between visual and semi-automatic estimation is presented, demonstrating that the latter brings to far better results. The accuracies were determined through confusion matrixes that permit to identify the errors made during the process of classification