Engineering topics
Casolino, M.
Publications and source records attributed to Casolino, M..
Ultra high energy cosmic rays The intersection of the Cosmic and Energy Frontiers
The present white paper is submitted as part of the “Snowmass” process to help inform the long-term plans of the United States Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation for high-energy physics. It summarizes the science questions driving the Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic-Ray (UHECR) community and provides recommendations on the strategy to answer them in the next two decades.
Ultra high energy cosmic rays The intersection of the Cosmic and Energy Frontiers
The present white paper is submitted as part of the "Snowmass" process to help inform the long-term plans of the United States Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation for high-energy physics. Further, it summarizes the science questions driving the Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic-Ray (UHECR) community and provides recommendations on the strategy to answer them in the next two decades.
The POEMMA (Probe of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics) observatory
The Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA) is designed to accurately observe ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and cosmic neutrinos from space with sensitivity over the full celestial sky. POEMMA will observe the air fluorescence produced by extensive air showers (EASs) from UHECRs and potentially UHE neutrinos above 20 EeV. Additionally, POEMMA has the ability to observe the Cherenkov signal from upward-moving EASs induced by Earth-interacting tau neutrinos above 20 PeV. The POEMMA spacecraft are designed to quickly re-orientate to follow up transient neutrino sources and obtain currently unparalleled neutrino flux sensitivity. Developed as a NASA Astrophysics Probe-class mission, POEMMA consists of two identical satellites flying in loose formation in 525 km altitude orbits. Each POEMMA instrument incorporates a wide field-of-view (45°) Schmidt telescope with an optical collecting area of over 6 m 2 . The hybrid focal surface of each telescope includes a fast (1 μs) near-ultraviolet camera for EAS fluorescence observations and an ultrafast (10 ns) optical camera for Cherenkov EAS observations. In a 5-year mission, POEMMA will provide measurements that open new multi-messenger windows onto the most energetic events in the universe, enabling the study of new astrophysics and particle physics at these extreme energies.
Solar Energetic Particle Events Observed by the PAMELA Mission
Despite the significant progress achieved in recent years, the physical mechanisms underlying the origin of solar energetic particles (SEPs) are still a matter of debate. The complex nature of both particle acceleration and transport poses challenges to developing a universal picture of SEP events that encompasses both the low-energy (from tens of keV to a few hundreds of MeV)observations made by space-based instruments and the GeV particles detected by the worldwide network of neutron monitors in ground-level enhancements (GLEs). The high-precision data collected by the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) satellite experiment offer a unique opportunity to study the SEP fluxes between ∼80 MeV and a few GeV, significantly improving the characterization of the most energetic events. In particular, PAMELA can measure for the first time with good accuracy the spectral features at moderate and high energies, providing important constraints for current SEP models. In addition, the PAMELA observations allow the relationship between low and high-energy particles to be investigated, enabling a clearer view of the SEP origin. No qualitative distinction between the spectral shapes of GLE, sub-GLE and non-GLE events is observed, suggesting that GLEs are not a separate class, but are the subset of a continuous distribution of SEP events that are more intense at high energies. While the spectral forms found are to be consistent with diffusive shock acceleration theory, which predicts spectral rollovers at high energies that are attributed to particles escaping the shock region during acceleration, further work is required to explore the relative influences of acceleration and transport processes on SEP spectra.
The May 17, 2012 Solar Event: Back-Tracing Analysis and Flux Reconstruction with PAMELA
The PAMELA space experiment is providing first direct observations of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) with energies from about 80 MeV to several GeV in near-Earth orbit, bridging the low energy measurements by other spacecrafts and the Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) data by the worldwide network of neutron monitors. Its unique observational capabilities include the possibility of measuring the flux angular distribution and thus investigating possible anisotropies associated to SEP events. The analysis is supported by an accurate back-tracing simulation based on a realistic description of the Earth's magnetosphere, which is exploited to estimate the SEP energy spectra as a function of the asymptotic direction of arrival with respect to the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). In this work we report the results for the May 17, 2012 event.
PAMELA Observation of the 2012 May 17 GLE Event
The PAMELA (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics) satellite-borne experiment has been collecting data in orbit since July 2006, providing accurate measurements of the energy spectra and composition of the cosmic radiation from a few hundred MeVn up to hundred GeVn. This wide interval of measured energies makes PAMELA a unique instrument for Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) observations. Not only does it span the energy range between the ground-based neutron monitor data and the observations of SEPs from space, but also PAMELA carries out the first direct measurements of the composition for the highest energy SEP events, including those causing Ground Level Enhancements (GLEs). PAMELA has registered many SEP events in solar cycle 24 including the 2012 May 17 GLE event (GLE 71), offering unique opportunities to address the question of high-energy SEP origin. Experimental performances and preliminary results on the 2012 May 17 events will be presented. We will discuss the derived particle injection time and compare with other time scales at the Sun including the flare and CME onset times.
Study on 2012 March 7 Solar Particle Event and Forbush Decrease with the PAMELA Experiment
The PAMELA (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astro-physics) spaceborne experiment was launched on 15 June 2006 and has been continuously collecting data since then. The apparatus measures electrons, positrons, protons, anti-protons and heavier nuclei from about 100 megaelectronvolts to several hundreds of gigaelectronvolts. The on-board instrumentation is built around a permanent magnet with a silicon microstrip tracker, providing charge and track detection information. During solar maximum conditions of solar cycle 24, PAMELA has been providing key information about solar energetic particles (SEPs) and their influence at Earth. We discuss here the recent 2012 March 7 SEP event with a brief comment on the subsequent Forbush decrease, registered by PAMELA. This event was also observed by Fermi/LAT (Large Area Telescope) exhibiting unprecedented time-extended gamma-ray emission (greater than 100 megaelectronvolts) lasting nearly 20 hours. We compare the derived accelerated ion population at the Sun with the ion population measured in space by PAMELA and discuss the implications for particle acceleration.
The ALTCRISS Project On Board the International Space Station
The Altcriss project aims to perform a long term survey of the radiation environment on board the International Space Station. Measurements are being performed with active and passive devices in different locations and orientations of the Russian segment of the station. The goal is perform a detailed evaluation of the differences in particle fluence and nuclear composition due to different shielding material and attitude of the station. The Sileye-3/Alteino detector is used to identify nuclei up to Iron in the energy range above approximately equal to 60 MeV/n; a number of passive dosimeters (TLDs, CR39) are also placed in the same location of Sileye-3 detector. Polyethylene shielding is periodically interposed in front of the detectors to evaluate the effectiveness of shielding on the nuclear component of the cosmic radiation. The project was submitted to ESA in reply to the AO the Life and Physical Science of 2004 and was begun in December 2005. Dosimeters and data cards are rotated every six months: up to now three launches of dosimeters and data cards have been performed and have been returned with the end expedition 12 and 13.
The ALTEA/ALTEINO projects: studying functional effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation
The ALTEA project investigates the risks of functional brain damage induced by particle radiation in space. A modular facility (the ALTEA facility) is being implemented and will be operated in the International Space Station (ISS) to record electrophysiological and behavioral descriptors of brain function and to monitor their time dynamics and correlation with particles and space environment. The focus of the program will be on abnormal visual perceptions (often reported as "light flashes" by astronauts) and the impact on retinal and brain visual structures of particle in microgravity conditions. The facility will be made available to the international scientific community for human neurophysiological, electrophysiological and psychophysics experiments, studies on particle fluxes, and dosimetry. A precursor of ALTEA (the 'Alteino' project) helps set the experimental baseline for the ALTEA experiments, while providing novel information on the radiation environment onboard the ISS and on the brain electrophysiology of the astronauts during orbital flights. Alteino was flown to the ISS on the Soyuz TM34 as part of mission Marco Polo. Controlled ground experiments using mice and accelerator beams complete the experimental strategy of ALTEA. We present here the status of progress of the ALTEA project and preliminary results of the Alteino study on brain dynamics, particle fluxes and abnormal visual perceptions. c2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effects of heavy ions on visual function and electrophysiology of rodents: the ALTEA-MICE project
ALTEA-MICE will supplement the ALTEA project on astronauts and provide information on the functional visual impairment possibly induced by heavy ions during prolonged operations in microgravity. Goals of ALTEA-MICE are: (1) to investigate the effects of heavy ions on the visual system of normal and mutant mice with retinal defects; (2) to define reliable experimental conditions for space research; and (3) to develop animal models to study the physiological consequences of space travels on humans. Remotely controlled mouse setup, applied electrophysiological recording methods, remote particle monitoring, and experimental procedures were developed and tested. The project has proved feasible under laboratory-controlled conditions comparable in important aspects to those of astronauts' exposure to particle in space. Experiments are performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratories [BNL] (Upton, NY, USA) and the Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung mbH [GSI]/Biophysik (Darmstadt, FRG) to identify possible electrophysiological changes and/or activation of protective mechanisms in response to pulsed radiation. Offline data analyses are in progress and observations are still anecdotal. Electrophysiological changes after pulsed radiation are within the limits of spontaneous variability under anesthesia, with only indirect evidence of possible retinal/cortical responses. Immunostaining showed changes (e.g. increased expression of FGF2 protein in the outer nuclear layer) suggesting a retinal stress reaction to high-energy particles of potential relevance in space. c2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.