1. |
- Adriani, O., et al.
(författare)
-
Ten years of PAMELA in space
- 2017
-
Ingår i: La Rivista del nuovo cimento della Società italiana di fisica. - : Società Italiana di Fisica. - 0393-697X .- 1826-9850. ; 40:10, s. 473-522
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PAMELA cosmic-ray detector was launched on June 15th 2006 on board the Russian Resurs-DK1 satellite, and during ten years of nearly continuous data-taking it has observed new interesting features in cosmic rays (CRs). In a decade of operation it has provided plenty of scientific data, covering different issues related to cosmic-ray physics. Its discoveries might change our basic vision of the mechanisms of production, acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. The antimatter measurements, focus of the experiment, have set strong constraints to the nature of Dark Matter. Search for signatures of more exotic processes (such as the ones involving Strange Quark Matter) was also pursued. Furthermore, the long-term operation of the instrument had allowed a constant monitoring of the solar activity during its maximum and a detailed and prolonged study of the solar modulation, improving the comprehension of the heliosphere mechanisms. PAMELA had also measured the radiation environment around the Earth, and it detected for the first time the presence of an antiproton radiation belt surrounding our planet. The operation of Resurs-DK1 was terminated in 2016. In this article we will review the main features of the PAMELA instrument and its constructing phases. The main part of the article will be dedicated to the summary of the most relevant PAMELA results over a decade of observation.
|
|
2. |
- Gálfi, Vera Melinda, et al.
(författare)
-
Applications of large deviation theory in geophysical fluid dynamics and climate science
- 2021
-
Ingår i: La Rivista del nuovo cimento della Società italiana di fisica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0393-697X .- 1826-9850. ; 44:6, s. 291-363
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The climate is a complex, chaotic system with many degrees of freedom. Attaining a deeper level of understanding of climate dynamics is an urgent scientific challenge, given the evolving climate crisis. In statistical physics, many-particle systems are studied using Large Deviation Theory (LDT). A great potential exists for applying LDT to problems in geophysical fluid dynamics and climate science. In particular, LDT allows for understanding the properties of persistent deviations of climatic fields from long-term averages and for associating them to low-frequency, large-scale patterns. Additionally, LDT can be used in conjunction with rare event algorithms to explore rarely visited regions of the phase space. These applications are of key importance to improve our understanding of high-impact weather and climate events. Furthermore, LDT provides tools for evaluating the probability of noise-induced transitions between metastable climate states. This is, in turn, essential for understanding the global stability properties of the system. The goal of this review is manifold. First, we provide an introduction to LDT. We then present the existing literature. Finally, we propose possible lines of future investigations. We hope that this paper will prepare the ground for studies applying LDT to solve problems encountered in climate science and geophysical fluid dynamics.
|
|
3. |
- Nilsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
-
X-ray and simulation studies of water
- 2016
-
Ingår i: La Rivista del nuovo cimento della Società italiana di fisica. - 0393-697X .- 1826-9850. ; 39:5, s. 225-278
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here we present a picture that combines discussions regarding the thermodynamic anomalies in ambient and supercooled water with recent interpretations of X-ray spectroscopy and scattering data of water. At ambient temperatures most molecules favor a closer packing than tetrahedral, with strongly distorted hydrogen bonds, which allows the quantized librational modes to be excited and contribute to the entropy, but with enthalpically favored tetrahedrally bonded water patches appearing as fluctuations, i.e. a competition between entropy and enthalpy. Upon cooling water the amount of molecules participating in tetrahedral structures and the size of the tetrahedral patches increase. The two local structures are connected to the liquid-liquid critical point hypothesis in supercooled water corresponding to high-density liquid (HDL) and low-density liquid (LDL). We demonstrate that the HDL local structure deviates from a tetrahedral coordination not only through a collapse of the 2nd shell but also through severe distortions around the 1st coordination shell.
|
|