The International Space Station (ISS) orbits at an average altitude of 400 km, in the Low Earth O... more The International Space Station (ISS) orbits at an average altitude of 400 km, in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and is regularly occupied by astronauts. The material of the Station, the residual atmosphere and the geomagnetic field offer a partial protection against the cosmic radiation to the crew and the equipment. The solar activity can cause sporadic bursts of particles with energies between ∼10 keV and several GeVs called Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). SEP emissions can last for hours or even days and can represent an actual risk for ISS occupants and equipment. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) was installed on the ISS in 2011 and is expected to take data until the decommissioning of the Station itself. The instrument detects cosmic rays continuously and can also be used to monitor SEPs in real-time. A detection algorithm developed for the monitoring measures temporary increases in the trigger rates of AMS, using McIlwain’s L-parameter to characterize different conditions o...
Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) is a consolidated technology developed for particle detectors at ... more Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) is a consolidated technology developed for particle detectors at colliders which allows for simultaneous and accurate time (<100 ps) and position (tens of µm) resolutions. It is a candidate technology that could enable for the first time 5D tracking in space using LGAD Si-microstrip tracking systems. The intrinsic gain of LGAD sensors may also allow to decrease the sensor thickness while achieving signal yields similar to those of Si-microstrips currently operated in Space. In this document we discuss the possible applications and breakthrough opportunities in next generation large area cosmic ray detectors and sub-GeV gamma-ray detectors that could be enabled by LGAD Si-microstrip tracking detectors in Space. We propose the design of a cost-effective instrument demonstrator on a CubeSat platform to enable and qualify the operations of LGAD Si-microstrip detectors in space.
Data management constitutes one of the major challenges that a geographically- distributed e-Infr... more Data management constitutes one of the major challenges that a geographically- distributed e-Infrastructure has to face, especially when remote data access is involved. We discuss an integrated solution which enables transparent and efficient access to on-line and near-line data through high latency networks. The solution is based on the joint use of the General Parallel File System (GPFS) and of the Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). Both products, developed by IBM, are well known and extensively used in the HEP computing community. Owing to a new feature introduced in GPFS 3.5, so-called Active File Management (AFM), the definition of a single, geographically-distributed namespace, characterised by automated data flow management between different locations, becomes possible. As a practical example, we present the implementation of AFM-based remote data access between two data centres located in Bologna and Rome, demonstrating the validity of the solution for the use case of the AMS experiment, an astro-particle experiment supported by the INFN CNAF data centre with the large disk space requirements (more than 1.5 PB).
The AMS experiment has been deployed onboard the International Space Station on 19 May 2011 to pe... more The AMS experiment has been deployed onboard the International Space Station on 19 May 2011 to perform accurate measurements of the cosmic radiation. In this contribution we will briefly discuss the characteristics of the detector and present the first results: the precision measurement of the positron fraction in primary cosmic rays (CR) in the energy range from 0.5 to 350 GeV
The work was focused on the Atmospheric Muon Flux on Ground determination with the data collected... more The work was focused on the Atmospheric Muon Flux on Ground determination with the data collected by the AMS-02 Detector during the pre-flight commissioning at Kennedy Space Center (FL, USA)
A space-based detector dedicated to measurements of γ-rays and charged particles has to achieve a... more A space-based detector dedicated to measurements of γ-rays and charged particles has to achieve a balance between different instrumental requirements. A good angular resolution is necessary for the γ-rays, whereas an excellent geometric factor is needed for the charged particles. The tracking reference technique of γ-ray physics is based on a pair-conversion telescope made of passive material (e.g., tungsten) coupled with sensitive layers (e.g., silicon microstrip). However, this kind of detector has a limited acceptance because of the large lever arm between the active layers, needed to improve the track reconstruction capability. Moreover, the passive material can induce fragmentation of nuclei, thus worsening charge reconstruction performances. The Tracker-In-Calorimeter (TIC) project aims to solve all these drawbacks. In the TIC proposal, the silicon sensors are moved inside a highly-segmented isotropic calorimeter with a couple of external scintillators dedicated to charge reco...
A new generation magnetic spectrometer in space will open the opportunity to investigate the fron... more A new generation magnetic spectrometer in space will open the opportunity to investigate the frontiers in direct high-energy cosmic ray measurements and to precisely measure the amount of the rare antimatter component in cosmic rays beyond the reach of current missions. We propose the concept for an Antimatter Large Acceptance Detector In Orbit (ALADInO), designed to take over the legacy of direct measurements of cosmic rays in space performed by PAMELA and AMS-02. ALADInO features technological solutions conceived to overcome the current limitations of magnetic spectrometers in space with a layout that provides an acceptance larger than 10 m2 sr. A superconducting magnet coupled to precision tracking and time-of-flight systems can provide the required matter–antimatter separation capabilities and rigidity measurement resolution with a Maximum Detectable Rigidity better than 20 TV. The inner 3D-imaging deep calorimeter, designed to maximize the isotropic acceptance of particles, all...
2019 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC), 2019
PAN is an instrument designed to precisely measure and monitor the flux, composition, and directi... more PAN is an instrument designed to precisely measure and monitor the flux, composition, and direction of highly penetrating particles (>100MeV/nucleon) in deep space and interplanetary missions with an energy resolution better than 10% for nuclei from H to Fe at 1GeV/n. The detector, limited to about 20kg in mass and 20W in power consumption, is based on the well-known magnetic spectrometer detection principle, and exploits the advantages provided by the integration of ultra-thin microstrip silicon detectors, hybrid silicon pixel detectors and silicon photomultipliers. This novel layout and detection concept facilitates the flexibility of the PAN instrument for a variegate spectrum of space missions and applications, and opens the possibility to deploy PAN instruments over a distributed array monitoring the radiation environment in different positions of the heliosphere. PAN will measure the properties of cosmic rays in the 100MeV/n - 20GeV/n energy range in deep space with unprecedented accuracy, providing novel results to investigate the mechanisms of origin, acceleration and propagation of galactic cosmic rays and of solar energetic particles, and producing unique information for solar system exploration missions.
Proceedings of International Symposium on Grids and Clouds 2018 in conjunction with Frontiers in Computational Drug Discovery — PoS(ISGC 2018 & FCDD), 2018
Harvesting dispersed computational resources is nowadays an important and strategic topic especia... more Harvesting dispersed computational resources is nowadays an important and strategic topic especially in an environment, like the computational science one, where computing needs constantly increase. On the other hand managing dispersed resources might not be neither an easy task not costly effective. We successfully explored the use of OpenStack middleware to achieve this objective, our man goal is not only the resource harvesting but also to provide a modern paradigm of computing and data usage access. In the present work we will illustrate a real example on how to build a geographically distributed cloud to share and manage computing and storage resources, owned by heterogeneous cooperating entities
Proceedings of 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2021), 2021
The flux of cosmic rays in the heliosphere is subjected to variations that are related to the Sun... more The flux of cosmic rays in the heliosphere is subjected to variations that are related to the Sun's magnetic activity. To study this effect, updated time series of multichannel observations are needed. Here we present a web application that collects real-time data on solar activity proxies, interplanetary plasma parameters, and charged cosmic-ray data. The data are automatically retrieved on daily basis from several space missions or observatories. With this application, the data can be visualized and downloaded into a common format. Along with observational data, the application aims to provide real-time calculations for the solar modulation of cosmic rays in the heliosphere.
The flux of cosmic rays (CRs) in the heliosphere is subjected to remarkable time variations cause... more The flux of cosmic rays (CRs) in the heliosphere is subjected to remarkable time variations caused by the 11-year cycle of solar activity. To help the study of this effect, we have developed a web application (Heliophysics Virtual Observatory) that collects real-time data on solar activity, interplanetary plasma, and charged radiation from several space missions or observatories. As we will show, our application can be used to visualize, manipulate, and download updated data on sunspots, heliospheric magnetic fields, solar wind, and neutron monitors counting rates. Data and calculations are automatically updated on daily basis. A nowcasting for the energy spectrum of CR protons near-Earth is also provided using calculations and real-time neutron monitor data as input.
Proceedings of The 21st International Workshop on Vertex Detectors — PoS(Vertex 2012), 2013
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galac... more The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galactic cosmic rays (CRs) in the rigidity range GV-TV. Prime goals of the AMS project are the direct search of anti-nuclei and the indirect search of dark matter particles. The final version of the experiment, AMS-02, is operating in the International Space Station (ISS) since May 2011. The AMS-02 tracking device, tout court Tracker, consists of nine planes of micro-strip silicon sensors giving a total active area of 6.4 m 2. The Tracker is composed by 2264 double-sided silicon sensors (72×41 mm 2 area, 300 µm thick) assembled in 192 read-out units, for a total of nearly 200,000 read-out channels. In this proceeding, we review the Tracker performances and status after the first 500 days of data taking in space.
Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Large Scale Applications and Radiation Hardness of Semiconductor Detectors — PoS(RD11), 2012
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galac... more The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galactic cosmic rays (CRs) in the rigidity range ∼ GV-TV. Prime goals of the AMS project are the direct search of anti-nuclei and the indirect search of dark matter particles. The final version of the experiment, AMS-02, is operating in the International Space Station (ISS) since May 2011. The AMS-02 tracking device, tout court Tracker, consists of nine planes of micro-strip silicon sensors giving a total active area of 6.2 m 2. The Tracker is composed by 2264 double-sided silicon sensors (72×41 mm 2 area, 300 µm thick) assembled in 192 read-out units, for a total of nearly 200,000 read-out channels. In this proceeding, we review the Tracker performance obtained with calibration and cosmic ray muon data. We also discuss the Tracker status in space after the first months of data taking.
Replicability and efficiency of data processing on the same data samples are a major challenge fo... more Replicability and efficiency of data processing on the same data samples are a major challenge for the analysis of data produced by HEP experiments. High level data analyzed by end-users are typically produced as a subset of the whole experiment data sample to study interesting selection of data (streams). For standard applications, streams may be eventually copied from servers and analyzed on local computing centers or user machine clients. The creation of streams as copy of a subset of the original data results in redundant information stored in filesystems and may be not efficient: if the definition of streams changes, it may force a reprocessing of the low-level files with consequent impact on the data analysis efficiency. We propose an approach based on a database of lookup tables intended for dynamic and on-demand definition of data streams. This enables the end-users, as the data analysis strategy evolves, to explore different definitions of streams with minimal cost in compu...
The International Space Station (ISS) orbits at an average altitude of 400 km, in the Low Earth O... more The International Space Station (ISS) orbits at an average altitude of 400 km, in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and is regularly occupied by astronauts. The material of the Station, the residual atmosphere and the geomagnetic field offer a partial protection against the cosmic radiation to the crew and the equipment. The solar activity can cause sporadic bursts of particles with energies between ∼10 keV and several GeVs called Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). SEP emissions can last for hours or even days and can represent an actual risk for ISS occupants and equipment. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) was installed on the ISS in 2011 and is expected to take data until the decommissioning of the Station itself. The instrument detects cosmic rays continuously and can also be used to monitor SEPs in real-time. A detection algorithm developed for the monitoring measures temporary increases in the trigger rates of AMS, using McIlwain’s L-parameter to characterize different conditions o...
Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) is a consolidated technology developed for particle detectors at ... more Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) is a consolidated technology developed for particle detectors at colliders which allows for simultaneous and accurate time (<100 ps) and position (tens of µm) resolutions. It is a candidate technology that could enable for the first time 5D tracking in space using LGAD Si-microstrip tracking systems. The intrinsic gain of LGAD sensors may also allow to decrease the sensor thickness while achieving signal yields similar to those of Si-microstrips currently operated in Space. In this document we discuss the possible applications and breakthrough opportunities in next generation large area cosmic ray detectors and sub-GeV gamma-ray detectors that could be enabled by LGAD Si-microstrip tracking detectors in Space. We propose the design of a cost-effective instrument demonstrator on a CubeSat platform to enable and qualify the operations of LGAD Si-microstrip detectors in space.
Data management constitutes one of the major challenges that a geographically- distributed e-Infr... more Data management constitutes one of the major challenges that a geographically- distributed e-Infrastructure has to face, especially when remote data access is involved. We discuss an integrated solution which enables transparent and efficient access to on-line and near-line data through high latency networks. The solution is based on the joint use of the General Parallel File System (GPFS) and of the Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). Both products, developed by IBM, are well known and extensively used in the HEP computing community. Owing to a new feature introduced in GPFS 3.5, so-called Active File Management (AFM), the definition of a single, geographically-distributed namespace, characterised by automated data flow management between different locations, becomes possible. As a practical example, we present the implementation of AFM-based remote data access between two data centres located in Bologna and Rome, demonstrating the validity of the solution for the use case of the AMS experiment, an astro-particle experiment supported by the INFN CNAF data centre with the large disk space requirements (more than 1.5 PB).
The AMS experiment has been deployed onboard the International Space Station on 19 May 2011 to pe... more The AMS experiment has been deployed onboard the International Space Station on 19 May 2011 to perform accurate measurements of the cosmic radiation. In this contribution we will briefly discuss the characteristics of the detector and present the first results: the precision measurement of the positron fraction in primary cosmic rays (CR) in the energy range from 0.5 to 350 GeV
The work was focused on the Atmospheric Muon Flux on Ground determination with the data collected... more The work was focused on the Atmospheric Muon Flux on Ground determination with the data collected by the AMS-02 Detector during the pre-flight commissioning at Kennedy Space Center (FL, USA)
A space-based detector dedicated to measurements of γ-rays and charged particles has to achieve a... more A space-based detector dedicated to measurements of γ-rays and charged particles has to achieve a balance between different instrumental requirements. A good angular resolution is necessary for the γ-rays, whereas an excellent geometric factor is needed for the charged particles. The tracking reference technique of γ-ray physics is based on a pair-conversion telescope made of passive material (e.g., tungsten) coupled with sensitive layers (e.g., silicon microstrip). However, this kind of detector has a limited acceptance because of the large lever arm between the active layers, needed to improve the track reconstruction capability. Moreover, the passive material can induce fragmentation of nuclei, thus worsening charge reconstruction performances. The Tracker-In-Calorimeter (TIC) project aims to solve all these drawbacks. In the TIC proposal, the silicon sensors are moved inside a highly-segmented isotropic calorimeter with a couple of external scintillators dedicated to charge reco...
A new generation magnetic spectrometer in space will open the opportunity to investigate the fron... more A new generation magnetic spectrometer in space will open the opportunity to investigate the frontiers in direct high-energy cosmic ray measurements and to precisely measure the amount of the rare antimatter component in cosmic rays beyond the reach of current missions. We propose the concept for an Antimatter Large Acceptance Detector In Orbit (ALADInO), designed to take over the legacy of direct measurements of cosmic rays in space performed by PAMELA and AMS-02. ALADInO features technological solutions conceived to overcome the current limitations of magnetic spectrometers in space with a layout that provides an acceptance larger than 10 m2 sr. A superconducting magnet coupled to precision tracking and time-of-flight systems can provide the required matter–antimatter separation capabilities and rigidity measurement resolution with a Maximum Detectable Rigidity better than 20 TV. The inner 3D-imaging deep calorimeter, designed to maximize the isotropic acceptance of particles, all...
2019 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC), 2019
PAN is an instrument designed to precisely measure and monitor the flux, composition, and directi... more PAN is an instrument designed to precisely measure and monitor the flux, composition, and direction of highly penetrating particles (>100MeV/nucleon) in deep space and interplanetary missions with an energy resolution better than 10% for nuclei from H to Fe at 1GeV/n. The detector, limited to about 20kg in mass and 20W in power consumption, is based on the well-known magnetic spectrometer detection principle, and exploits the advantages provided by the integration of ultra-thin microstrip silicon detectors, hybrid silicon pixel detectors and silicon photomultipliers. This novel layout and detection concept facilitates the flexibility of the PAN instrument for a variegate spectrum of space missions and applications, and opens the possibility to deploy PAN instruments over a distributed array monitoring the radiation environment in different positions of the heliosphere. PAN will measure the properties of cosmic rays in the 100MeV/n - 20GeV/n energy range in deep space with unprecedented accuracy, providing novel results to investigate the mechanisms of origin, acceleration and propagation of galactic cosmic rays and of solar energetic particles, and producing unique information for solar system exploration missions.
Proceedings of International Symposium on Grids and Clouds 2018 in conjunction with Frontiers in Computational Drug Discovery — PoS(ISGC 2018 & FCDD), 2018
Harvesting dispersed computational resources is nowadays an important and strategic topic especia... more Harvesting dispersed computational resources is nowadays an important and strategic topic especially in an environment, like the computational science one, where computing needs constantly increase. On the other hand managing dispersed resources might not be neither an easy task not costly effective. We successfully explored the use of OpenStack middleware to achieve this objective, our man goal is not only the resource harvesting but also to provide a modern paradigm of computing and data usage access. In the present work we will illustrate a real example on how to build a geographically distributed cloud to share and manage computing and storage resources, owned by heterogeneous cooperating entities
Proceedings of 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2021), 2021
The flux of cosmic rays in the heliosphere is subjected to variations that are related to the Sun... more The flux of cosmic rays in the heliosphere is subjected to variations that are related to the Sun's magnetic activity. To study this effect, updated time series of multichannel observations are needed. Here we present a web application that collects real-time data on solar activity proxies, interplanetary plasma parameters, and charged cosmic-ray data. The data are automatically retrieved on daily basis from several space missions or observatories. With this application, the data can be visualized and downloaded into a common format. Along with observational data, the application aims to provide real-time calculations for the solar modulation of cosmic rays in the heliosphere.
The flux of cosmic rays (CRs) in the heliosphere is subjected to remarkable time variations cause... more The flux of cosmic rays (CRs) in the heliosphere is subjected to remarkable time variations caused by the 11-year cycle of solar activity. To help the study of this effect, we have developed a web application (Heliophysics Virtual Observatory) that collects real-time data on solar activity, interplanetary plasma, and charged radiation from several space missions or observatories. As we will show, our application can be used to visualize, manipulate, and download updated data on sunspots, heliospheric magnetic fields, solar wind, and neutron monitors counting rates. Data and calculations are automatically updated on daily basis. A nowcasting for the energy spectrum of CR protons near-Earth is also provided using calculations and real-time neutron monitor data as input.
Proceedings of The 21st International Workshop on Vertex Detectors — PoS(Vertex 2012), 2013
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galac... more The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galactic cosmic rays (CRs) in the rigidity range GV-TV. Prime goals of the AMS project are the direct search of anti-nuclei and the indirect search of dark matter particles. The final version of the experiment, AMS-02, is operating in the International Space Station (ISS) since May 2011. The AMS-02 tracking device, tout court Tracker, consists of nine planes of micro-strip silicon sensors giving a total active area of 6.4 m 2. The Tracker is composed by 2264 double-sided silicon sensors (72×41 mm 2 area, 300 µm thick) assembled in 192 read-out units, for a total of nearly 200,000 read-out channels. In this proceeding, we review the Tracker performances and status after the first 500 days of data taking in space.
Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Large Scale Applications and Radiation Hardness of Semiconductor Detectors — PoS(RD11), 2012
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galac... more The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) space experiment is devoted to direct measurements of galactic cosmic rays (CRs) in the rigidity range ∼ GV-TV. Prime goals of the AMS project are the direct search of anti-nuclei and the indirect search of dark matter particles. The final version of the experiment, AMS-02, is operating in the International Space Station (ISS) since May 2011. The AMS-02 tracking device, tout court Tracker, consists of nine planes of micro-strip silicon sensors giving a total active area of 6.2 m 2. The Tracker is composed by 2264 double-sided silicon sensors (72×41 mm 2 area, 300 µm thick) assembled in 192 read-out units, for a total of nearly 200,000 read-out channels. In this proceeding, we review the Tracker performance obtained with calibration and cosmic ray muon data. We also discuss the Tracker status in space after the first months of data taking.
Replicability and efficiency of data processing on the same data samples are a major challenge fo... more Replicability and efficiency of data processing on the same data samples are a major challenge for the analysis of data produced by HEP experiments. High level data analyzed by end-users are typically produced as a subset of the whole experiment data sample to study interesting selection of data (streams). For standard applications, streams may be eventually copied from servers and analyzed on local computing centers or user machine clients. The creation of streams as copy of a subset of the original data results in redundant information stored in filesystems and may be not efficient: if the definition of streams changes, it may force a reprocessing of the low-level files with consequent impact on the data analysis efficiency. We propose an approach based on a database of lookup tables intended for dynamic and on-demand definition of data streams. This enables the end-users, as the data analysis strategy evolves, to explore different definitions of streams with minimal cost in compu...
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Papers by Matteo Duranti