| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Abdellaoui, G., et al.
(författare)
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Cosmic ray oriented performance studies for the JEM-EUSO first level trigger
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; , s. 150-163
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- JEM-EUSO is a space mission designed to investigate Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays and Neutrinos (E > 5.10(19) eV) from the International Space Station (ISS). Looking down from above its wide angle telescope is able to observe their air showers and collect such data from a very wide area. Highly specific trigger algorithms are needed to drastically reduce the data load in the presence of both atmospheric and human activity related background light, yet retain the rare cosmic ray events recorded in the telescope. We report the performance in offline testing of the first level trigger algorithm on data from JEM-EUSO prototypes and laboratory measurements observing different light sources: data taken during a high altitude balloon flight over Canada, laser pulses observed from the ground traversing the real atmosphere, and model landscapes reproducing realistic aspect ratios and light conditions as would be seen from the ISS itself. The first level trigger logic successfully kept the trigger rate within the permissible bounds when challenged with artificially produced as well as naturally encountered night sky background fluctuations and while retaining events with general air-shower characteristics.
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| 3. |
- Abdellaoui, G., et al.
(författare)
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First observations of speed of light tracks by a fluorescence detector looking down on the atmosphere
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- EUSO-Balloon is a pathfinder mission for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory onboard the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM-EUSO). It was launched on the moonless night of the 25(th) of August 2014 from Timmins, Canada. The flight ended successfully after maintaining the target altitude of 38 km for five hours. One part of the mission was a 2.5 hour underflight using a helicopter equipped with three UV light sources (LED, xenon flasher and laser) to perform an inflight calibration and examine the detectors capability to measure tracks moving at the speed of light. We describe the helicopter laser system and details of the underflight as well as how the laser tracks were recorded and found in the data. These are the first recorded laser tracks measured from a fluorescence detector looking down on the atmosphere. Finally, we present a first reconstruction of the direction of the laser tracks relative to the detector.
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| 4. |
- Abdellaoui, G., et al.
(författare)
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Meteor studies in the framework of the JEM-EUSO program
- 2017
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 143, s. 245-255
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We summarize the state of the art of a program of UV observations from space of meteor phenomena, a secondary objective of the JEM-EUSO international collaboration. Our preliminary analysis indicates that JEM-EUSO, taking advantage of its large FOV and good sensitivity, should be able to detect meteors down to absolute magnitude close to 7. This means that JEM-EUSO should be able to record a statistically significant flux of meteors, including both sporadic ones, and events produced by different meteor streams. Being unaffected by adverse weather conditions, JEM-EUSO can also be a very important facility for the detection of bright meteors and fireballs, as these events can be detected even in conditions of very high sky background. In the case of bright events, moreover, exhibiting some persistence of the meteor train, preliminary simulations show that it should be possible to exploit the motion of the ISS itself and derive at least a rough 3D reconstruction of the meteor trajectory. Moreover, the observing strategy developed to detect meteors may also be applied to the detection of nuclearites, exotic particles whose existence has been suggested by some theoretical investigations. Nuclearites are expected to move at higher velocities than meteoroids, and to exhibit a wider range of possible trajectories, including particles moving upward after crossing the Earth. Some pilot studies, including the approved Mini-EUSO mission, a precursor of JEM-EUSO, are currently operational or in preparation. We are doing simulations to assess the performance of Mini-EUSO for meteor studies, while a few meteor events have been already detected using the ground-based facility EUSO-TA.
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| 5. |
- Abdellaoui, G., et al.
(författare)
-
Ultra-violet imaging of the night-time earth by EUSO-Balloon towards space-based ultra-high energy cosmic ray observations
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 111, s. 54-71
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The JEM-EUSO (Joint Experiment Missions for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory) program aims at developing Ultra-Violet (UV) fluorescence telescopes for efficient detections of Extensive Air Showers (EASs) induced by Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) from satellite orbit. In order to demonstrate key technologies for JEM-EUSO, we constructed the EUSO-Balloon instrument that consists of a similar to 1 m(2) refractive telescope with two Fresnel lenses and an array of multi-anode photo-multiplier tubes at the focus. Distinguishing it from the former balloon-borne experiments, EUSO-Balloon has the capabilities of single photon counting with a gate time of 2.3 mu s and of imaging with a total of 2304 pixels. As a pathfinder mission, the instrument was launched for an 8 h stratospheric flight on a moonless night in August 2014 over Timmins, Canada. In this work, we analyze the count rates over similar to 2.5 h intervals. The measurements are of diffuse light, e.g. of airglow emission, back-scattered from the Earth's atmosphere as well as artificial light sources. Count rates from such diffuse light are a background for EAS detections in future missions and relevant factor for the analysis of EAS events. We also obtain the geographical distribution of the count rates over a similar to 780 km(2) area along the balloon trajectory. In developed areas, light sources such as the airport, mines, and factories are clearly identified. This demonstrates the correct location of signals that will be required for the EAS analysis in future missions. Although a precise determination of count rates is relevant for the existing instruments, the absolute intensity of diffuse light is deduced for the limited conditions by assuming spectra models and considering simulations of the instrument response. Based on the study of diffuse light by EUSO-Balloon, we also discuss the implications for coming pathfinders and future space-based UHECR observation missions.
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| 6. |
- Adams, J. H., Jr., et al.
(författare)
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A Review of the EUSO-Balloon Pathfinder for the JEM-EUSO Program
- 2022
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Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer Nature. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 218:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- EUSO-Balloon is a pathfinder for JEM-EUSO, the mission concept of a spaceborne observatory which is designed to observe Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR)-induced Extensive Air Showers (EAS) by detecting their UltraViolet (UV) light tracks "from above." On August 25, 2014, EUSO-Balloon was launched from Timmins Stratospheric Balloon Base (Ontario, Canada) by the balloon division of the French Space Agency CNES. After reaching a floating altitude of 38 km, EUSO-Balloon imaged the UV light in the wavelength range similar to 290-500 nm for more than 5 hours using the key technologies of JEM-EUSO. The flight allowed a good understanding of the performance of the detector to be developed, giving insights into possible improvements to be applied to future missions. A detailed measurement of the photoelectron counts in different atmospheric and ground conditions was achieved. By means of the simulation of the instrument response and by assuming atmospheric models, the absolute intensity of diffuse light was estimated. The instrument detected hundreds of laser tracks with similar characteristics to EASs shot by a helicopter flying underneath. These are the first recorded laser tracks measured from a fluorescence detector looking down on the atmosphere. The reconstruction of the direction of the laser tracks was performed. In this work, a review of the main results obtained by EUSO-Balloon is presented as well as implications for future space-based observations of UHECRs.
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| 7. |
- Bacholle, S., et al.
(författare)
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Mini-EUSO Mission to Study Earth UV Emissions on board the ISS
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 253:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mini-EUSO is a telescope observing the Earth in the ultraviolet band from the International Space Station. It is a part of the JEM-EUSO program, paving the way to future larger missions, such as K-EUSO and POEMMA, devoted primarily to the observation of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays from space. Mini-EUSO is capable of observing extensive air showers generated by ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with an energy above 10(21) eV and to detect artificial showers generated with lasers from the ground. Other main scientific objectives of the mission are the search for nuclearites and strange quark matter, the study of atmospheric phenomena such as transient luminous events, meteors, and meteoroids, the observation of sea bioluminescence and of artificial satellites and man-made space debris. Mini-EUSO will map the nighttime Earth in the UV range (290-430 nm), with a spatial resolution of about 6.3 km and a temporal resolution of 2.5 mu s, through a nadir-facing UV-transparent window in the Russian Zvezda module. The instrument, launched on 2019 August 22, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, is based on an optical system employing two Fresnel lenses and a focal surface composed of 36 multianode photomultiplier tubes, 64 channels each, for a total of 2304 channels with single-photon counting sensitivity and an overall field of view of 44 degrees. Mini-EUSO also contains two ancillary cameras to complement measurements in the near-infrared and visible ranges. In this paper, we describe the detector and present the various phenomena observed in the first months of operations.
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| 8. |
- Bagheri, Mahdi, et al.
(författare)
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Overview of Cherenkov Telescope on-board EUSO-SPB2 for the Detection of Very-High-Energy Neutrinos
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the status of the development of a Cherenkov telescope to be flown on a long-duration balloon flight, the Extreme Universe Space Observatory Super Pressure Balloon 2 (EUSO-SPB2). EUSO-SPB2 is an approved NASA balloon mission that is planned to fly in 2023 and is a precursor of the Probe of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA), a candidate for an Astrophysics probe-class mission. The purpose of the Cherenkov telescope on-board EUSOSPB2 is to classify known and unknown sources of backgrounds for future space-based neutrino detectors. Furthermore, we will use the Earth-skimming technique to search for Very-High-Energy (VHE) tau neutrinos below the limb (E > 10 PeV) and observe air showers from cosmic rays above the limb. The 0.785 m2 Cherenkov telescope is equipped with a 512-pixel SiPM camera covering a 12.8° x 6.4° (Horizontal × Vertical) field of view. The camera signals are digitized with a 100 MS/s readout system. In this paper, we discuss the status of the telescope development, the camera integration, and simulation studies of the camera response.
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| 9. |
- Barrillon, P., et al.
(författare)
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The EUSO@TurLab project in the framework of the JEM-EUSO program
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 55:2, s. 569-602
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The EUSO@TurLab project aims at performing experiments to reproduce Earth UV emissions as seen from a low Earth orbit by the planned missions of the JEM-EUSO program. It makes use of the TurLab facility, which is a laboratory, equipped with a 5 m diameter and 1 m depth rotating tank, located at the Physics Department of the University of Turin. All the experiments are designed and performed based on simulations of the expected response of the detectors to be flown in space. In April 2016 the TUS detector and more recently in October 2019 the Mini-EUSO experiment, both part of the JEM-EUSO program, have been placed in orbit to map the UV Earth emissions. It is, therefore, now possible to compare the replicas performed at TurLab with the actual images detected in space to understand the level of fidelity in terms of reproduction of the expected signals. We show that the laboratory tests reproduce at the order of magnitude level the measurements from space in terms of spatial extension and time duration of the emitted UV light, as well as the intensity in terms of expected counts per pixel per unit time when atmospheric transient events, diffuse nightlow background light, and artificial light sources are considered. Therefore, TurLab is found to be a very useful facility for testing the acquisition logic of the detectors of the present and future missions of the JEM-EUSO program and beyond in order to reproduce atmospheric signals in the laboratory.
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| 10. |
- Battisti, M., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of the Mini-EUSO μs trigger logic performance
- 2022
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Ingår i: 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2021. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mini-EUSO is the first detector of the JEM-EUSO program deployed on the ISS. It is a wide field of view telescope currently operating from a nadir-facing UV-transparent window on the ISS. It is based on an array of MAPMTs working in photon counting mode with a 2.5 μs time resolution. Among the different scientific objectives it searches for light signals with time duration compatible to those expected from Extensive Air Showers (EAS) generated by EECRs interacting in the atmosphere. Although the energy threshold for cosmic ray showers is above E > 1021eV, due the constraints given by the size of the UV-transparent window, the dedicated trigger logic has been capable of the detection of other interesting classes of events, like elves and ground flashers. An overview of the general performance of the trigger system is provided, with a particular focus on the identification of classes of events responsible for the triggers.
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| 11. |
- Battisti, M, et al.
(författare)
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Trigger developments for the fluorescence detector of EUSO-TA and EUSO-SPB2
- 2019
-
Ingår i: 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2019.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The JEM-EUSO program aims at detecting Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) by observing the fluorescence light produced by extensive air showers (EAS) in the Earth’s atmosphere. Within this program, a new generation of missions is being built, including (i) Mini-EUSO that will be installed on board the ISS in August 2019, (ii) an upgrade to the ground-based telescope EUSO-TA and (iii) the second super pressure balloon flight (EUSO-SPB2). All these detectors will have a dedicated trigger system based on a board equipped with a Xilinx Zynq device that will be able to detect different types of events on three different time-scales: a microsecond timescale for cosmic ray detection (L1), a hundreds of microsecond time-scale for slower events like transient luminous events (TLEs) (L2), and a tens of millisecond time-scale used to produce a continuous monitoring, for even slower events like meteors or nuclearites. The L1 trigger logic for the upgrade of EUSO-TA and EUSO-SPB2 are being developed taking into account the peculiarity of each detector (optic system, FOV, frame length) starting from the logic already developed for Mini-EUSO. In particular, every pixel will have an independent threshold that will be dynamically adapted to the level of the background; a predetermined condition on the number, the position and the time distribution of pixels above threshold has to be satisfied in order to issue a trigger. This contribution will summarize the L1 trigger logics and the tests currently performed.
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| 12. |
- Belov, A., et al.
(författare)
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Mini-EUSO photodetector module data processing system
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mini-EUSO is a UV telescope which is developed by the JEM-EUSO collaboration to be placed on board the International Space Station (ISS) to carry out measurements of UV atmosphere airglow and transient luminous events (TLEs) in a wide field of view (>40°) and high temporal resolution (2.5 μs). Mini-EUSO is developed to be a space qualified pathfinder of future JEMEUSO missions. Optical system of the detector consists of two Fresnel lenses of 25 cm diameter. The focal surface is composed of 36 produced by Hamamatsu multi anode photomultiplier tubes (MAPMT), each with 64 pixels. The output signal of all 2304 pixels is digitized and then passed to the data processing system that was specially developed for the experiment and is being discussed in this work. Data processing system is based on produced by Xilinx ZYNQ chip that contains both programmable part (FPGA) and processor. Such combination in a single chip gives a big advantage for processing a data gathered from focal surface including fast multi-level trigger algorithms, data buffering, MAPMTs high voltage control algorithms, interfaces with front-end electronics and with the separate central processor unit for data storage. The multi-level trigger was developed for the mini-EUSO instrument to perform measurements in various time scales (temporal resolutions 2.5 μs, 320 μs, 40 ms). This trigger was successfully implemented and tested.
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| 13. |
- Belov, A., et al.
(författare)
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The integration and testing of the Mini-EUSO multi-level trigger system
- 2017
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Ingår i: Advances in Space Research. - : Elsevier. - 0273-1177.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Mini-EUSO telescope is designed by the JEM-EUSO Collaboration to observe the UV emission of the Earth from the vantage point of the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth orbit. The main goal of the mission is to map the Earth in the UV, thus increasing the technological readiness level of future EUSO experiments and to lay the groundwork for the detection of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs) from space (Ebisuzaki et al., 2014). Due to its high time resolution of 2.5 μs, Mini-EUSO is capable of detecting a wide range of UV phenomena in the Earth’s atmosphere. In order to maximise the scientific return of the mission, it is necessary to implement a multi-level trigger logic for data selection over different timescales. This logic is key to the success of the mission and thus must be thoroughly tested and carefully integrated into the data processing system prior to the launch. This article introduces the motivation behind the trigger design and details the integration and testing of the logic.
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| 14. |
- Bisconti, F., et al.
(författare)
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EUSO-TA ground based fluorescence detector : Analysis of the detected events
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- EUSO-TA is a ground-based florescence detector built to validate the design of an ultra-high energy cosmic ray fluorescence detector to be operated in space. EUSO-TA detected the first air shower events with the technology developed within the JEM-EUSO program. It operates at the Telescope Array (TA) site in Utah, USA. With the external trigger provided by the Black Rock Mesa fluorescence detectors of Telescope Array (TA-FDs), EUSO-TA observed nine ultra-high energy cosmic ray events and several laser events from the Central Laser Facility of Telescope Array and portable lasers like the JEM-EUSO Global Light System prototype. The reconstruction parameters of the cosmic ray events which crossed the EUSO-TA field of view (both detected and not detected by EUSO-TA), were provided by the Telescope Array Collaboration. As the TA-FDs have a wider field of view than EUSO-TA (~30 times larger), they allow the cosmic ray energy reconstruction based on the observation of most of the extensive air-shower profiles, including the shower maximum, while EUSO-TA only observes a portion of the showers, usually far from the maximum. For this reason, the energy of the cosmic rays corresponding to the EUSO-TA signals appear lower than the actual ones. In this contribution, the analysis of the cosmic-ray events detected with EUSO-TA is discussed.
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| 15. |
- Bisconti, F, et al.
(författare)
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Mini-EUSO engineering model : Tests in open-sky condition
- 2019
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Ingår i: 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2019. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mini-EUSO is a UV telescope that will look downwards to the Earth’s atmosphere onboard the International Space Station. With the design of the ultra-high energy cosmic ray fluorescence detectors belonging to the JEM-EUSO program, it will make the first UV map of the Earth by observing atmospheric phenomena such as transient luminous events, sprites and lightning, as well as meteors and bioluminescence from earth. Diffused light from laser shots from the ground, which mimic the fluorescence light emitted by Nitrogen molecules when extensive air showers pass through the atmosphere, can be used to verify the capability of this kind of detector to observe ultra-high energy cosmic rays. To validate the electronics and the trigger algorithms developed for Mini-EUSO, a scaled down version of the telescope with 1:9 of the original focal surface and a lens of 2.5 cm diameter has been built. Tests of the Mini-EUSO engineering model have been made in laboratory and in open sky condition. In this paper, we report results of observations of the night sky, which include the detection of stars, meteors, a planet and a rocket body reflecting the sunlight. Interesting results of the observation of city lights are also reported.
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| 16. |
- Bisconti, F., et al.
(författare)
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Pre-flight qualification tests of the Mini-EUSO telescope engineering model
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 53:1, s. 133-158
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mini-EUSO is part of the JEM-EUSO program and operates on board the International Space Station (ISS). It is a UV-telescope with single-photon counting capability looking at nighttime downwards to the Earth through a nadir-facing UV-transparent window. As part of the pre-flight tests, the Mini-EUSO engineering model, a telescope with 1/9 of the original focal surface and a lens of 2.5 cm diameter, has been built and tested. Tests of the Mini-EUSO engineering model have been made in laboratory and in open-sky conditions. Laboratory tests have been performed at the TurLab facility, located at the Physics Department of the University of Turin, equipped with a rotating tank containing different types of materials and light sources. In this way, the configuration for the observation of the Earth from space was emulated, including the Mini-EUSO trigger schemes. In addition to the qualification and calibration tests, the Mini-EUSO engineering model has also been used to evaluate the possibility of using a JEM-EUSO-type detector for applications such as observation of space debris. Furthermore, observations in open-sky conditions allowed the studies of natural light sources such as stars, meteors, planets, and artificial light sources such as airplanes, satellites reflecting the sunlight, and city lights. Most of these targets could be detected also with Mini-EUSO. In this paper, the tests in laboratory and in open-sky conditions are reported, as well as the obtained results. In addition, the contribution that such tests provided to foresee and improve the performance of Mini-EUSO on board the ISS is discussed.
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| 17. |
- Cambié, G., et al.
(författare)
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Integration and qualification of the Mini-EUSO telescope on board the ISS
- 2022
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Ingår i: 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2021. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mini-EUSO is a compact telescope (37 × 37 × 62 cm3) currently hosted on board the International Space Station. Mini-EUSO is devoted primarily to study Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) above 1021 eV but also to search for Strange Quark Matter (SQM), to observe Transient Luminous Event (TLE) in upper atmosphere, meteoroids, sea bioluminescence and space debris tracking. Mini-EUSO consist of a main optical system, the Photo Detector Module (PDM), sensitive to UV spectrum (300 ÷ 400 nm) and several ancillary sensors comprising a visible (400 ÷ 780 nm) and NIR (1500 ÷ 1600 nm) cameras and a 8 × 8 channels Multi-Pixel Photon Counter Silicon PhotoMultiplier (MPPC SiPM) array which will increase the Tecnological Readyness Level of this ultrafast imaging sensor. Mini-EUSO belongs to a novel set of missions committed to evaluate, for the first time, the capability of observing Cosmic Rays from a space-based The instrumentation, space-qualified tests will be shown.
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| 18. |
- Capel, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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Bayesian constraints on the astrophysical neutrino source population from IceCube data
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physical Review D. - : American Physical Society (APS). - 1550-7998 .- 1550-2368. ; 101:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present constraints on an astrophysical population of neutrino sources imposed by recent data from the IceCube neutrino observatory. By using the IceCube point source search method to model the detection of sources, our detection criterion is more sensitive than using the observation of high-energy neutrino multiplets for source identification. We frame the problem as a Bayesian hierarchical model to connect the high-level population parameters to the IceCube data, allowing us to consistently account for all relevant sources of uncertainty in our model assumptions. Our results show that sources with a local density of n(0) greater than or similar to 10(-7) Mpc(-3) and luminosity L less than or similar to 10(43) erg s(-1) arc the most likely candidates, but that populations of rare sources with n(0) similar or equal to 10(-9) Mpc(-3) and L similar or equal to 10(45) erg s(-1) can still be consistent with the IceCube observations. We demonstrate that these conclusions are strongly dependent on the source evolution considered, for which we consider a wide range of models. In doing so, we present realistic, model-independent constraints on the population parameters that reflect our current state of knowledge from astrophysical neutrino observations. We also use our framework to investigate constraints in the case of possible source detections and future instrument upgrades. Our approach is flexible and can be used to model specific source cases and extended to include multimessenger information.
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| 19. |
- Capel, Francesca, 1992-
(författare)
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Cosmic clues from astrophysical particles
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are charged particles that have been accelerated to extreme energies, such that they are effectively travelling at the speed of light. Interactions of these particles with the Earth’s atmosphere lead to the development of extensive showers of particles and radiation that can be measured with existing technology. Despite decades of research, the origins of UHECRs remain mysterious. However, they are thought to be accelerated within powerful astrophysical sources that lie beyond the borders of our Galaxy. This thesis explores different ideas towards the common goal of reaching a deeper understanding of UHECR phenomenology. Part I concerns the development of a novel space-based observatory that has the potential to detect unprecedented numbers of these enigmatic particles. The feasibility of such a project is demonstrated by the results from the Mini-EUSO instrument, a small ultraviolet telescope that is currently on-board the International Space Station. In Part II, the focus is on fully exploiting the available information with advanced analysis techniques to close the gap between theory and data. UHECRs are closely connected to the production of neutrinos and gamma rays, so frameworks for the joint analysis of these complementary cosmic messengers are also developed. The results presented herein demonstrate that to progress, it is crucial to invest in the development of both detection and analysis techniques. By taking a closer look at the existing data, new clues can be revealed to reach a more comprehensive understanding and better inform the design of future experiments.
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| 20. |
- Capel, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of using the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray arrival energies to constrain source associations
- 2019
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 484:2, s. 2324-2340
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a Bayesian hierarchical model which enables a joint fit of the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) energy spectrum and arrival directions within the context of a physical model for the UHECR phenomenology. In this way, possible associations with astrophysical source populations can be assessed in a physically and statistically principled manner. The importance of including the UHECR energy data and detection effects is demonstrated through simulation studies, showing that the effective GZK horizon is significantly extended for typical reconstruction uncertainties. We also verify the ability of the model to fit and recover physical parameters from CRPROPA 3 simulations. Finally, the model is used to assess the fraction of the publicly available data set of 231 UHECRs detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory which are associated with the Fermi-LAT 2FHL catalogue, a set of starburst galaxies, and Swift-BAT hard X-ray sources. We find association fractions of 9.5(-5.9)(+2.4), 22.7(-12.4)(+6.6), and 22.8(-8.0)(+6.6) per cent for the 2FHL, starburst galaxies, and Swift-BAT catalogues respectively.
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| 21. |
- Capel, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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Mini-EUSO : A high resolution detector for the study of terrestrial and cosmic UV emission from the International Space Station
- 2017
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Ingår i: Advances in Space Research. - : Elsevier. - 0273-1177 .- 1879-1948.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Mini-EUSO instrument is a UV telescope to be placed inside the International Space Station (ISS), looking down on the Earth from a nadir-facing window in the Russian Zvezda module. Mini-EUSO will map the earth in the UV range (300-400. nm) with a spatial resolution of 6.11. km and a temporal resolution of 2.5. μs, offering the opportunity to study a variety of atmospheric events such as transient luminous events (TLEs) and meteors, as well as searching for strange quark matter and bioluminescence. Furthermore, Mini-EUSO will be used to detect space debris to verify the possibility of using a EUSO-class telescope in combination with a high energy laser for space debris remediation. The high-resolution mapping of the UV emissions from Earth orbit allows Mini-EUSO to serve as a pathfinder for the study of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs) from space by the JEM-EUSO collaboration.
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| 22. |
- Capel, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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Mini-EUSO data acquisition and control software
- 2019
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPES INSTRUMENTS AND SYSTEMS. - : SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS. - 2329-4124. ; 5:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the data acquisition and control software for the operation of the Mini-Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO), a space-based fluorescence telescope for the observation of extensive air showers and atmospheric phenomena. This framework has been extensively tested alongside the development of Mini-EUSO and was finalized ahead of the successful launch of the instrument to the ISS on August 22, 2019. The data acquisition, housekeeping, and subsystem control is achieved using custom-designed front-end electronics based on a Xilinx Zynq XC7Z030 chip interfaced with a PCIe/104 CPU module via the integrated Zynq processing system. The instrument control interface is handled using an object-oriented C++ design, which can be run both autonomously and interactively as required. Although developed for Mini-EUSO, the modular design of both the software and hardware can easily be scaled up to larger instrument designs and adapted to different subsystem and communication requirements. As such, this framework will also be used in the upgrade of the EUSO-TA instrument and potentially for the next EUSO-SPB2 NASA Balloon flight. The software and firmware presented are open source and released with detailed and integrated documentation.
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| 23. |
- Capel, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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Mini-EUSO flight software and operations on ISS
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - Trieste, Italy : Sissa Medialab Srl.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Mini-EUSO instrument is designed by the JEM-EUSO collaboration to pave the way for space-based observations of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs). To be placed inside the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2018, it is a small UV (300-400 nm) telescope which will observe the Earth's atmosphere with a spatial resolution of 6.11 km. Mini-EUSO is capable of detecting a wide variety of UV events such as cosmic ray signals, transient luminous events and meteors with a minimum time resolution of 2.5 μs. It will also be possible to detect space debris during twilight periods. The flight software is fully automated and takes advantage of the frequent day/night cycles of the ISS orbit and ancillary instruments with which Mini-EUSO is equipped in order to optimise the mission's scientific output. The flight operations of Mini-EUSO are presented including the data acquisition, storage and transfer, astronaut interaction and predicted instrument duty cycle.
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| 24. |
- Capel, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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The mini-EUSO multi-level trigger algorithm and its performance
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - Trieste, Italy : Sissa Medialab Srl.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Mini-EUSO telescope is designed by the JEM-EUSO Collaboration to observe the UV emission of the Earth from the vantage point of the International Space Station in low Earth orbit. The main goal of the mission is to map the Earth in the UV, thus increasing the technological readiness level of future EUSO experiments and to lay the groundwork for the detection of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs) from space. Due to its high time resolution of 2.5 μs, Mini-EUSO is capable of detecting a wide range of UV phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere. In order to maximise the scientific return of the mission, it is necessary to implement a multi-level trigger logic for data selection on various different timescales. This logic is key to the success of the mission and thus must be thoroughly tested and integrated into the data processing system prior to launch. This article introduces the motivation behind the trigger design and details the testing of the logic through simulations and data taken at the TurLab facility.
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| 25. |
- Capel, Pierre, et al.
(författare)
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Effective field theory analysis of the Coulomb breakup of the one-neutron halo nucleus 19 C
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal A. - 1434-601X .- 1434-6001. ; 59:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We analyse the Coulomb breakup of 19 C measured at 67A MeV at RIKEN. We use the Coulomb-Corrected Eikonal (CCE) approximation to model the reaction and describe the one-neutron halo nucleus 19 C within Halo Effective Field Theory (Halo EFT). At leading order we obtain a fair reproduction of the measured cross section as a function of energy and angle. The description is insensitive to the choice of optical potential, as long as it accurately represents the size of 18 C. It is also insensitive to the interior of the 19 C wave function. Comparison between theory and experiment thus enables us to infer asymptotic properties of the ground state of 19 C: these data put constraints on the one-neutron separation energy of this nucleus and, for a given binding energy, can be used to extract an asymptotic normalisation coefficient (ANC). These results are confirmed by CCE calculations employing next-to-leading order Halo EFT descriptions of 19 C: at this order the results for the Coulomb breakup cross section are completely insensitive to the choice of the regulator. Accordingly, this reaction can be used to constrain the one-neutron separation energy and ANC of 19 C.
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