| 1. |
- Miyamoto, H., et al.
(author)
-
The Euso@turlab : Test of mini-EUSO engineering model
- 2019
-
In: Proceedings of Science. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The TurLab facility is a laboratory, equipped with a 5 m diameter and 1 m depth rotating tank, located in the Physics Department of the University of Turin. Originally, it was mainly built to study systems of different scales where rotation plays a key role in the fluid behavior such as in atmospheric and oceanic flows. In the past few years the TurLab facility has been used to perform experiments related to the observation of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs) from space using the fluorescence technique. For example, in the case of the JEM-EUSO mission, where the diffuse night brightness and artificial light sources can vary significantly in time and space inside the Field of View of the telescope. The Focal Surface of Mini-EUSO Engineering Model (Mini-EUSO EM) with the level 1 (L1) and 2 (L2) trigger logics implemented in the Photo-Detector Module (PDM) has been tested at TurLab. Tests related to the possibility of using an EUSO-like detector for other type of applications such as Space Debris (SD) monitoring and imaging detector have also been pursued. The tests and results obtained within the EUSO@TurLab Project on these different topics are presented.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bisconti, F, et al.
(author)
-
Mini-EUSO engineering model : Tests in open-sky condition
- 2019
-
In: 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2019. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)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.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bisconti, F., et al.
(author)
-
Pre-flight qualification tests of the Mini-EUSO telescope engineering model
- 2022
-
In: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 53:1, s. 133-158
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)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.
|
|
| 4. |
- Miyamoto, H, et al.
(author)
-
Space debris detection and tracking with the techniques of cosmic ray physics
- 2019
-
In: 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2019. - : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Space Debris (SD) consist of non-operational artificial objects orbiting around the Earth, which could possibly damage space vehicles, such as the International Space Station (ISS) or other manned spacecrafts. The vast majority of such objects are cm-sized, not catalogued and usually the tracking data are not precise enough. Here we present the feasibility study of SD detection and tracking with techniques usually employed in cosmic-ray physics. For this purpose, we have evaluated the possibility of using Mini-EUSO, a space-borne fluorescence telescope to be deployed on the ISS, to track SD illuminated by the Sun. By means of ESAF (EUSO Simulation and analysis Framework) simulation and by developing the trigger algorithms, we estimated the minimum size and maximum distances of detectable SD. We then studied the number of possible SD detections using an ESA software called MASTER (Meteoroid and SD Terrestrial Environment Reference). With the Mini-EUSO Engineering Model (Mini-EUSO EM), we performed some measurements to estimate the reflectance of the most common SD materials and to demonstrate the ability of Mini-EUSO to detect SD events. We also performed some tests in open-sky conditions, identifying and tracking fast-moving objects. In particular, the detection of a rocket body allowed us to confirm the simulation outcomes predictions and the expected performance of the detector.
|
|
| 5. |
- Barrillon, P., et al.
(author)
-
The EUSO@TurLab project in the framework of the JEM-EUSO program
- 2023
-
In: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 55:2, s. 569-602
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)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.
|
|
| 6. |
- Miao, J, et al.
(author)
-
Bile acid signaling pathways increase stability of Small Heterodimer Partner (SHP) by inhibiting ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation
- 2009
-
In: Genes & development. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. - 1549-5477 .- 0890-9369. ; 23:8, s. 986-996
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Small Heterodimer Partner (SHP) inhibits activities of numerous transcription factors involved in diverse biological pathways. As an important metabolic regulator, SHP plays a key role in maintaining cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis by inhibiting cholesterol conversion to bile acids. While SHP gene induction by increased bile acids is well established, whether SHP activity is also modulated remains unknown. Here, we report surprising findings that SHP is a rapidly degraded protein via the ubiquitin–proteasomal pathway and that bile acids or bile acid-induced intestinal fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) increases stability of hepatic SHP by inhibiting proteasomal degradation in an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-dependent manner. SHP was ubiquitinated at Lys122 and Lys123, and mutation of these sites altered its stability and repression activity. Tandem mass spectrometry revealed that upon bile acid treatment, SHP was phosphorylated at Ser26, within an ERK motif in SHP, and mutation of this site dramatically abolished SHP stability. Surprisingly, SHP stability was abnormally elevated in ob/ob mice and diet-induced obese mice. These results demonstrate an important role for regulation of SHP stability in bile acid signaling in normal conditions, and that abnormal stabilization of SHP may be associated with metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes.
|
|
| 7. |
- Suino, G., et al.
(author)
-
Simulations of Mini-EUSO observations of UV phenomena in the atmosphere
- 2017
-
In: Proceedings of Science. - Trieste, Italy : Sissa Medialab Srl.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Mini-EUSO instrument is an UV telescope to be placed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in the framework of the JEM-EUSO project. Mini-EUSO will map the Earth in the UV range (300-400 nm) with a spatial resolution of 5 km and a temporal resolution of 2.5 μs. Therefore, Mini-EUSO offers an excellent opportunity to study a variety of physics phenomena such as transient luminous events and meteors, as well as searching for strange quark matter and test the detection of space debris. Mini-EUSO will serve also as a pathfinder for the study of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays from space. A review on the expected performance of Mini-EUSO in detecting a variety of physical phenomena simulated with the EUSO Simulation and Analysis Framework (ESAF) package is described.
|
|
