Quinto Incontro Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare INFN 2022

9 May 2022, 09:00 → 11 May 2022, 18:00 Europe/Rome

Auditorium "E. Fermi" (LNGS)

Il Quinto Incontro Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare si terrà presso i Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso dal 9 all'11 maggio 2022.

Questa serie di incontri, di cui il primo si è tenuto a Catania presso i Laboratori Nazionali del Sud nel 2012, il secondo a Padova e ai Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro nel 2014, il terzo presso i Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati nel 2016 e il quarto presso i Laboratori Nazionali del Sud nel 2018, è un'iniziativa promossa da ricercatori INFN e universitari con l'obiettivo di creare un'occasione di confronto per la comunità italiana di fisici, teorici e sperimentali, attivi nel campo della fisica nucleare.

L’incontro, patrocinato dalle Commissioni Scientifiche Nazionali 3, 4 e 5, è organizzato in sessioni plenarie, nel corso delle quali saranno esaminate e discusse problematiche relative a diversi ambiti della fisica adronica e nucleare:

• dinamica dei quark e degli adroni

• transizioni di fase e plasma di quark e gluoni

• struttura nucleare e dinamica delle reazioni

• astrofisica nucleare

• simmetrie e interazioni fondamentali

• applicazioni e interdisciplinarietà della fisica nucleare

Le sessioni prevedono sia relazioni su invito che presentazioni da parte di giovani ricercatori. Le relazioni su invito illustreranno le attività nei vari settori di fisica nucleare, inquadrandole nel contesto internazionale, mettendo in evidenza i punti di contatto con altre linee di ricerca e delineandone le prospettive.
Le relazioni da parte di giovani ricercatori saranno selezionate dal Comitato Organizzatore sulla base degli abstract ricevuti. È inoltre prevista una sessione di poster.

Verranno premiati i migliori poster e le migliori presentazioni dei giovani ricercatori.

poster INFN 2022.png

PRIMA CIRCOLARE INFN 2022.pdf

programma_INFN_2022.pdf

SECONDA CIRCOLARE INFN 2022.pdf

Monday, 9 May

09:00 → 10:55 Astrofisica nucleare I

09:00 Welcome speech

Benvenuti.pdf

09:15 Nuclear Physics and neutron stars observations: probing the dense matter equation of state

I will review the recent developments in the construction of the Equation of State of hot and dense matter and its application to the merger observations, which have become recently a fundamental tool to constrain the properties of matter. I will make a survey of all results obtained by Italian groups, and discuss open questions and issues in the field.

Speaker: Dr Giuseppina Fiorella Burgio (INFN Sezione di Catania)

Talk_web.pdf

09:45 Beyond Iron peak: focus trasversale sulle sorgenti di neutroni $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n) e $^{22}$Ne($\alpha$,n), e sulla $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C

Da anni gli esperimenti INFN che si interessano di Astrofisica Nucleare studiano le reazioni nucleari legate ai processi di nucleosintesi che avvengono nelle stelle. A causa delle evidenti difficoltà sperimentali che si pongono nella misura di sezioni d'urto estremamente piccole con risonanze, negli anni sono stati proposti e sviluppati diversi approcci per affrontare esperimenti tanto impegnativi.

Ad esempio, malgrado i vari tentativi (con tecniche dirette e indirette) di misurare la sezione d'urto delle reazioni nucleari $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n)$^{16}$O e $^{22}$Ne($\alpha$,n)$^{25}$Mg respondabili della produzione di neutroni nelle stelle Giganti Rosse [1][2], i dati raccolti fino ad oggi non permettono di definire con certezza la densità di neutroni durante la nucleosintesi. Analogamente anche per la reazione di fusione $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C che segna il destino delle Supernovae, ad oggi non c'è un consenso unanime [3] sui risultati finora riportati.

In questo contributo verranno presentate le attività sperimentali condotte fino ad oggi dalle varie collaborazioni con uno sguardo verso il futuro.

[1] S. Cristallo et al., The Importance of the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n)$^{16}$O Reaction in Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars, ApJ 859 (2018) 105
[2] P. Adsley et al., Reevaluation of the $^{22}$Ne($\alpha$,$\gamma$)$^{26}$Mg and $^{22}$Ne($\alpha$,n)$^{25}$Mg reaction rates, Phys. Rev. C 103 (2021) 015805
[3] C.L. Jiang et al., Heavy-ion fusion reactions at extreme sub-barrier energies. Eur. Phys. J. A 57 (2021) 235

Speaker: Cristian Massimi (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022_Massimi.pdf

10:15 Was GW190814 a Black Hole–Strange Quark Star System?

I investigate the possibility that the low mass companion of the black hole in the source of GW190814 was a strange quark star. This possibility is viable within the so-called two-families scenario in which neutron stars and strange quark stars coexist. Strange quark stars can reach the mass range indicated by GW190814, M ∼(2.5–2.67)  M_sun. Neutron stars (actually hyperonic stars in the two-families scenario) can instead fulfill the presently available astrophysical and nuclear physics constraints which require a softer equation of state.

Speaker: Domenico Logoteta (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Logoteta_aquila.pdf

10:35 Numerical and experimental investigations on compact binary ejecta plasma opacity relevant for kilonova transient signals

Joint observations of gravitational-wave (GW) event to compact binary objects mergers, and of their electromagnetic counterpart, known as kilonova (KN) can provide a new avenue in the framework of the multi-messenger astronomy to constrain the astrophysical origin of the r-process elements and the equation of state of dense nuclear matter [1]. Coalescence of double neutron star releases neutron-rich ejecta which undergo r-process nucleosynthesis, with subsequent quick evolution of the KN thermal transient fed by radioactive decays of unstable nuclei. KN acts as spectral diagnostic to probe physical conditions and composition during the merger and aftermath, therefore is of fundamental relevance for future detection and for providing sounder nucleosynthetic yields occurring in these loci [2]. Largely heterogeneous post-merging ejecta composition made of both light and heavy-r process nuclei implies strong effects on the KN light-curve identification due to the varying opacity of the system. Hence, large uncertainties on the r-process nucleosynthesis final abundance from the spectroscopic analysis of the KN signal are still present, hardly fixed by theoretical models. Here we report on the current paradigm of early-stage timescale KN emission at optical wavelengths from light r-process ejecta component, and we present the work carried out in the framework of the PANDORA collaboration [3] to support planned experimental measurements of plasma opacity with in-laboratory plasmas resembling these KN-stage conditions [4]. In this view, the results of recently performed experiments at the LNS on the Flexible Plasma Trap (FPT) to reproduce suitable early-stage ejecta conditions for the designed first-of-its-kind opacity measurements of under-dense and low-temperature plasmas are here reported.

[1] Rosswog S. The multi-messenger picture of compact binary mergers. International Journal of Modern Physics D 24 (2015) 1530012.

[2] Kasen D., et al. Origin of the heavy elements in binary neutron-star mergers from a gravitational-wave event. Nature 551 (2017) 80–84.

[3] Mascali D., et al. A novel approach to beta-decay: Pandora, a new experimental setup for future in-plasma measurements. Universe 8 (2022).

[4] Pidatella A., et al. In-plasma study of opacity relevant for compact binary ejecta. Il Nuovo Cimento C 44 (2021) 4.

Speaker: Dr Angelo Pidatella (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud)

Pidatella_V-LNGS.pdf

Pidatella_V-LNGS.pptx

10:55 → 11:15 Pausa caffè e poster session

11:15 → 12:55 Plasma di quark e gluoni I

11:15 Produzione e trasporto di quark pesanti nel QGP

Heavy quarks (HQ) and heavy-flavored hadrons are excellent probes for studying the dynamics of high-energy nuclear collisions and the properties of the hot QCD matter therein produced. Understanding the interactions of HQ propagating through the Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP) allows to determine its transport coefficients: the description with realistic phenomenological models of the D-meson observables, from the nuclear modification factor to the elliptic flow and higher harmonics, have led to estimate a large non-perturbative spatial diffusion coefficient of charm quarks in agreement with lattice QCD calculations within current uncertainties. In heavy-ion collisions the enhancement of the baryon to meson ratios in the heavy-flavor sector, interpreted as a signature of the QGP formation, has been explained with a quark coalescence plus fragmentation approach. This insight into the heavy-flavor hadronization processes has been recently applied also to proton-proton collisions where the charm baryon production has been found by ALICE to strongly break the universality of fragmentation functions. A coalescence approach naturally predicts such a large enhancement of baryon production ($\Lambda_c$, $\Xi_c$, $\Omega_c$) and would also predict a large multi-charm production that could be explored for the first time with ALICE3. More recently, HQs are believed to have unique roles also for probing the intense electromagnetic and vortical fields produced in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions: their imprint on the D-meson directed flow is strictly connected to QGP transport properties, such as the HQ diffusion coefficient and the electric conductivity. Furthermore, the study of D-meson observables unveil characteristics of the very early stage of ultra-relativistic collisions, since the initial glasma phase may have a substantial impact on HQ propagation.

Speaker: Lucia Oliva (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Oliva_INFN2022.pdf

11:45 ALICE upgrade and physics prospectives in LHC Run 3

The full characterisation of the properties of the QGP requires high-precision measurements of light and heavy flavour, quarkonium, jet and (real and virtual) photon production over a wide momentum range.
In order to achieve these goals, the ALICE Collaboration has implemented a major upgrade of the experimental apparatus, aimed to improve the pointing resolution and increase the event readout rate. The upgrades involve a complete replacement of the inner tracking system (ITS) and the installation of the muon forward tracker (both of which are entirely instrumented with monolithic active pixel sensors), the replacement of the TPC readout chambers with GEM chambers, the installation of a fast interaction trigger (FIT) detector. In addition, the readout of several other detectors is being upgraded and a new Online-Offline system for data recording, compression, calibration and reconstruction is being implemented, allowing continuous readout to fully exploit the 50 kHz Pb-Pb interaction rate of the LHC.
In this talk, a review of the main physics goals of the ALICE experiment during LHC Run 3 as well as the characteristics of the main upgraded detectors will be shown.

Speaker: Domenico Colella (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN22_Colella_ALICEupgrades.pdf

12:15 The physics program of the NA60+ experiment at the CERN SPS

The NA60+ experiment is designed to study the phase diagram of the strongly interacting matter at high baryochemical potential, $\mu_b$ 200-400 MeV at the CERN SPS. Its main goals will be focused on precision studies of thermal dimuons, heavy quark and strangeness production in Pb-Pb collisions at center-of-mass energies ranging from 5 to 17 GeV.
The proposed experimental apparatus will be composed of a vertex telescope located close to the target and a muon spectrometer located downstream of a hadron absorber. The vertex telescope will consist of several planes of ultra-thin, large area Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) embedded in a dipole magnetic field. The muon spectrometer will utilize large area gaseous detectors for muon tracking and a toroidal magnet based on a new light-weight and general-purpose concept.
Significant progress has been achieved in the R&D for the MAPS detectors of the vertex spectrometer, thanks to a common project with the ALICE ITS3, and towards the construction of prototypes (GEM, MWPC) for the muon tracker. Furthermore, a working prototype of the toroidal magnet of the muon spectrometer (scale 1:5) was built and tested. An experimental zone on the beam line H8 of the SPS was singled out for the experiment, after detailed integration and radioprotection studies. A Letter of Intent is in preparation and will be submitted in 2022, and the experiment aims at taking data after LHC Long Shutdown 3.
An ambitious physics program is foreseen, which includes the search for chiral symmetry restoration effects through the $\rho-a_1$ interference, the study of the order of the phase transition at large $\mu_{B}$, the onset of the deconfinement through J/ψ suppression and the transport properties of the medium via the measurement of open charm states.
Strangeness production will be studied by measuring the production of several strange hadrons through their hadronic decays.
In this talk the status of the R&D activities, as well as the physics program of the NA60+ experiment will be described, together with its competitiveness and complementarity with respect to other experiments. The physics performances expected for hard and electromagnetic probes will be discussed. The capabilities for the measurement of $\phi$, K$^0_S$, (anti-)$\Lambda^0$, $\Xi^{\pm}$, and $\Omega^{\pm}$ production in central Pb-Pb collisions, reconstructed using the vertex telescope as a stand-alone detector will be presented.

Speaker: Giacomo Alocco (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN22_giacomo_alocco.pdf

12:35 Coalescence plus fragmentation approach for heavy hadrons production: spectra and ratios in AA and pp collisions

Measurements of heavy baryon production in $pp$, $pA$ and $AA$ collisions from RHIC to top LHC energies have recently attracted more and more attention, currently representing a challenge for the heavy-quark hadronization theoretical understanding.
The $\Lambda_c/D^0$ ratio observed in $AA$ collision at RHIC and LHC energies has a value of the order of the unity. Recent experimental measurements in $pp$ collisions at both $\sqrt{s}=5.02 \,\rm TeV$ $\sqrt{s}=13 \,\rm TeV$ have shown ratios for charm baryons $\Lambda_c$, $\Xi_c^0$ and $\Omega_c^0$ respect to $D^0$ meson larger than that measured and expected in $e^+e^-$, $ep$ collisions.
We study the hadronization after the propagation of charm quarks in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The propagation is described by means of a relativistic Boltzmann transport approach where the non-perturbative interaction between heavy quarks and light quarks is described by means of a quasi-particle approach.
We present a coalescence plus fragmentation model for the hadronization and the results obtained in $AA$ collisions for $D^0$, $D_s$, $\Lambda_c$ spectra and the related baryon to meson ratios at RHIC and LHC.
We found a large $\Lambda_c$ production resulting in a baryon over meson ratio of order O(1). We propose the $v_2$ of charmed baryons as a possible way to have a deeper insight into the hadronization mechanism.
We have furthermore extended this approach to study the production of hadrons containing multiple charm quark, i.e. $\Xi_{cc}$, $\Omega_{cc}$ and $\Omega_{ccc}$, and bottom quarks.
We present, also, results for the charmed hadron production in $pp$ collisions at top LHC energies (5 TeV, 13 TeV) assuming the formation of an hot QCD matter at finite temperature for these systems.
We calculate the heavy baryon/meson ratio and the $p_T$ spectra of charmed hadrons with and without strangeness content: $D^{0}$, $D_{s}$, $\Lambda_{c}^{+}$, $\Sigma_{c}$ and the recently measured $\Xi_c$ baryon, finding an enhancement in comparison with the ratio observed for $e^+e^-$, $ep$ collisions; moreover with this approach we predict also a significant production of $\Omega_c$ respect to $D^0$ such that $\Omega_c/D^0 \sim 0.15$.

Speaker: Vincenzo Minissale (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Minissale_INFN2022.pdf

12:55 → 14:30 Pausa pranzo

14:30 → 16:10 Astrofisica nucleare II

14:30 The relevance of Muons and Trapped Neutrinos in the microphysics of Binary Neutron Star mergers

A deep understanding of the dynamics of Binary Neutron Star (BNS) mergers requires a detailed treatment of the relativistic hydrodynamics of the merger, as well as of the microphysics governing the underlying electromagnetic, strong and weak interactions. Accurate numerical simulations are pivotal to correctly interpret the data collected through the detection of gravitational waves and electromagnetic counterparts, and to constrain the Equation of State (EOS) of Neutron Stars.
State-of-the-art simulations do not include muons in the microphysics of the system, even though physical muon creation is possible in such conditions. As a consequence, muonic neutrinos are not distinguished by tauonic ones. Moreover, the contribution of trapped neutrinos to the thermodynamic quantities characterising the remnant is usually neglected. During my talk, I will discuss the consequences of muons creation and neutrino trapping on the properties of BNS merger remnants, as well as the implications for the EOS.

Speaker: Eleonora Loffredo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

talk_loffredo.pdf

14:50 LUNA at LNGS: Status and perspectives

Over the last few years, several processes relevant to the CNO, MgAl and NeNa cycles have been studied using the LUNA 400 kV machine and I will report about few recent results. By the end of 2022 LNGS is planning to conclude installation and commissioning of the new 3.5 MV accelerator. This investment is allocated in the context of the Progetto Premiale "LUNA-MV”. LUNA has been measuring cross sections of nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest with direct approaches, using two accelerators installed underground at Gran Sasso, over the last 30 years. With this MV machine, a long list of experimental possibilities will be opened, and LUNA will presumably keep its leadership in the field. In the scientific program approved by the scientific committee of Gran Sasso Laboratory, the 12C+12C reaction is one of the key reactions. As a matter of fact, this process is fundamental for the universe evolution since it determines whether a star end its life with the helium burning or proceeds through carbon and successive cycles burning.
Other important reactions will be measured in the first phase of the LUNA-MV scientific program: in particular the (α,n) reactions on 13C and 22Ne, which are crucial for the s-process calculations. Indeed, recently an ERC grant has been obtained to study the 22Ne(α,n)25Mg reaction (SHADES project). The commissioning phase is planned within 2022 and during 2023 the first scientific experiment will be performed. In this contribution, the LUNA scientific program will be presented and details on the experimental setups (targets, detectors, …) will be discussed.

Speaker: Antonio Caciolli (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Caciolli_INFN_2022.pptx

Caciolli_INFN_2022.pptx

15:10 Thermal effects on nuclear matter properties

A quantitative description of the properties of hot nuclear matter will be needed for the interpretation of the available and forthcoming astrophysical data, providing information on the post merger phase of neutron star coalescence. We have employed a recently developed theoretical model, based on a phenomenological nuclear Hamiltonian, to study the temperature dependence of several nuclear matter properties relevant to astrophysical applications, including the symmetry energy and the nucleon effective masses. The dynamics is described by an effective nucleon-nucleon interaction obtained through the correlated basis functions formalism and the cluster expansion technique. Thermodynamic consistency at finite temperature is obtained by exploiting a variational principle. The possibility to represent the results of microscopic calculations using a simple, and yet physically motivated, parametrisation of thermal effects, suitable for use in simulations of astrophysical processes, is also discussed.

Speaker: Lucas Tonetto (ROMA1)

presentation_infn.pdf

15:30 ERNA commissioning for the $^{12}C(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}O$

Abundance of carbon and oxygen in the universe is one of the main questions of Nuclear Astrophysics. Its knowledge is strictly bound to the detrmination of the reaction rate of $^{12}C(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}O$ which heavily influences star evolution.\
At the energy of astrophysical interest ($\sim$300 keV) multiple transitions contribute to the cross section and its absolute value is too low to allow a direct measurement. Such a circumstance explains the need for high-precision measurements at higher energies to extrapolate accurate S-factor in the region of interest.\
After its success in measuring the $^{12}C(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}O$ with uncertainties below 10\% in the energy range from 1.9 to 4.9 MeV in Bochum, the ERNA separator has been moved to the Tandem laboratory of the University of Campania, Caserta, where several improvements have been developed.\
The apparatus is now capable of measuring down to 1 MeV in the CM reference with the capability of distinguish the transition components making up the total cross section.
In this contibution commissioning of the setup and planned measurement campaign will be presented.

Speaker: Claudio Santonastaso (Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", INFN sez. Napoli)

Santonastaso_LNGS_2022.pdf

15:50 Sheding light on $^{17}$O(n,$\alpha$)$^{14}$C reaction at astrophysical energies with Trojan Horse Method and Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient

The $^{17}$O(n,$\alpha$)$^{14}$C reaction is considered in astrophysical codes for its role in the astrophysically relevant "s(slow)-process" since it could act as a possible “neutron-poison” for the neutron induced nucleosynthesis thus influencing the final stellar abundances of some elements such as Fe, Ni or Sr. Thus, its reaction rate must be known in the energy region of interest for astrophysics, going from few keV’s up to about 400 keV. At such energies, the intermediate $^{17}$O+n$\rightarrow^{18}$O nucleus presents four excited levels (8038, 8125, 8213, and 8282 keV’s) affecting the magnitude of the $^{17}$O+n cross section at astrophysical energies because of the neutron emission threshold at 8044 keV for $^{18}$O. Although the role of the two 8213 keV (J$^{\pi}$=2$^{+}$) and 8282 keV (J$^{\pi}$=3$^{-}$) was already investigated in the direct measurements, insufficient informations are up to now available about the 8125 keV (J$^{\pi}$=5$^{-}$) resonant level, thus requiring a detailed experiment.

Indirect methods have been largely proved in the past as a complementary way of accreting our knowledge about nuclear structure and low-energy cross section measurements. Among these, the neutron induced reaction cross section appear to be of particular interest since their role both for unstable and stable beams. In view of this, we report here the combined study of the $^{17}$O(n,$\alpha$)$^{14}$C accomplished by the Trojan Horse Method (THM) and the Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient (ANC) method. The low lying resonances 8038, 8125, 8213, and 8282 keV in $^{18}$O are studied and $\Gamma_n$ are derived. A comparison with recent data and recent THM experimental data is presented. The independent ANC investigation corroborate our previous THM results, confirms the consistence of the two indirect investigation and shows new frontiers also in view of neutron induced reactions with radioactive ion beams.

Speaker: Giovanni Luca Guardo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Guardo_VincontroINFN.pdf

16:10 → 16:20 Pausa caffè e poster session

16:20 → 18:30 Dinamica di quark e adroni I

16:20 Hadron structure, spectroscopy and exotics at JLab, EIC and LHCB: the theory perspective

Una overview di risultati teorici di spettroscopia adronica rilevanti per Jlab, per LHC e soprattutto per prospettive future per l'Electron Ion Collider (EIC) saranno presentate, con particolare riferimento all'hot topic degli esotici (tetraquark, pentaquark ed ibridi).
Saranno anche presentati risultati relativi alla struttura del nucleone ed alla sua tridimensional view.

Speaker: Dr Jacopo Ferretti (University of Jyväskylä)

INFN 2022 ferretti.pdf

16:50 Baryon Structure and Spectrum

On-going experiments at international electron accelerators, such as MAMI and ELSA in Germany and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in the US, involve more than 70 scientists from ten different INFN locations.
The experimental program spans over a broad range of scientific scopes, designed to address fundamental issues in nuclear physics, such as spectroscopy and structure of the excited baryon states, including the search for hybrid hadrons having the glue as an extra constituent component beyond the valence quarks, 3-D imaging of the ground state nucleons and exploration of the N →N* form factors in the transition from confinement to perturbative QCD.
Additional profound questions in hadron physics, such as the emergence of the mass and the spin of the nucleon and the properties of dense systems of gluons, will be addressed at the future electron-ion collider, which is expected to attract the next generation of physicists, interested in elucidating the working of QCD.

Speaker: Annalisa D'Angelo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

DAngelo_INFN2022.pdf

DAngelo_INFN2022.pptx

17:20 Beyond hadronic physics @ JLAB

Although its main scientific mission is hadronic physics, in the last decade a new direction has emerged within the Jefferson Lab research program related to searches for new light particles, possibly explaining the Dark Matter problem. Experiments such as APEX,HPS and BDX-mini exploit the laboratory unique capabilities to produce and detect Dark Photons, i.e. hypothetical bosons constituting a "portal" to a new Dark Sector of particles. Future upgrades of the CEBAF accelerator will offer even more opportunities, such as the possibility to run light dark matter experiments using dedicated positron beams. After a brief overview of the relevant physics scenario, this contribution will review the current and future experimental efforts at JLAB.

Speaker: Dr Mariangela Bondi (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022-Bondi.pdf

17:40 Tetraquarks and pentaquarks at LHCb

The last two decades have witnessed the discovery of a myriad of new and unexpected hadrons. Hadron spectroscopy provides direct physical measurements that shed light on the non-perturbative behavior of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the new tetraquark and pentaquark states observed by LHCb offer unique insights on the QCD dynamics in hadron structures. In this talk, some of the main experimental findings and theoretical predictions, given before the experimental discoveries, regarding fully charm tetraquarks and pentaquarks, will be presented and discussed.

Speaker: Alessandro Giachino

GiachinoINFN2022.pdf

18:00 Il progetto INFN_E: applicazioni di rivelatori e tecnologie nel campo dell’energia

Nell’intervento, in una breve introduzione verranno richiamati le principali prospettive e problematiche nel campo dell’energia nucleare e verrà fatto un accenno alla situazione mondiale. Si darà poi una panoramica delle attività del progetto strategico INFN_E (INFN Energia), mostrando come le competenze dell'INFN su aspetti teorici di base e sulla progettazione, costruzione e utilizzo di acceleratori e rivelatori di radiazione, possono essere applicate a progetti specifici per la sicurezza nucleare e protezione delle persone, per la caratterizzazione ma anche per il possibile incenerimento dei rifiuti radioattivi e nell'ambito di impianti avanzati per lo studio della fusione nucleare.

Speaker: Marco Ripani (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

infn-e Incontro Nazionale Fisica Nucleare LNGS 090522.pptx

18:30 → 19:30 Poster session

Tuesday, 10 May

09:00 → 10:50 Struttura nucleare e dinamica delle reazioni I

09:00 Nuclear spectroscopy with the gamma-ray tracking array AGATA at LNL.

Nuclear spectroscopy, that has a large tradition at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, has shown in the last decades its huge potential to scrutinise the nuclear Hamiltonian. Thanks to the methods of $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy it has been possible to test such interaction in nuclei at very high spin and with large isospin values (exotic nuclei). The continuous improvement in germanium $\gamma$-arrays performances has allowed an enormous increase of the experimental sensitivity. The current forefront in γ-ray detection is the detector AGATA which is based on the new concept of gamma-ray tracking. In this presentation a review on the past achievements in nuclear spectroscopy as well as near future perspectives with the AGATA array at LNL will be discussed.

Speaker: Jose' Javier Valiente Dobon (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022.pptx

09:30 The NUMEN project: probing nuclear response to weak interaction by nuclear reactions

The physics of neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay has important implications on particle physics, cosmology and fundamental physics. In particular, it is the most promising process to access the effective neutrino mass. To determine quantitative information from the possible measurement of the 0νββ decay half-lives, the knowledge of the Nuclear Matrix Elements (NME) involved in the transition is mandatory. The possibility of using heavy-ion induced double charge exchange (DCE) reactions as tools toward the determination of the NME is at the basis of the NUMEN project [1]. The basic points are that the initial and final state wave functions in the two processes are the same and the transition operators are similar, including in both cases a superposition of Fermi, Gamow-Teller and rank-two tensor components. Full understanding of the DCE reaction mechanism is fundamental to disentangle the reaction part from the nuclear structure aspects relevant for the 0νββ decay NMEs. The most crucial and debated aspect in the DCE and SCE nuclear reactions is the competition between the direct process, proceeding via the meson-exchange paths, and the sequential ones proceeding through the transfer of several nucleons.
The availability of the MAGNEX spectrometer [2] for high resolution measurements of the DCE reactions is essential to obtain high resolution energy spectra and accurate cross sections at very forward angles, including zero degree, and allows the concurrent measurement of the other relevant reaction channels (elastic and inelastic scattering, one- and two-nucleon transfer reactions and single charge exchange). The strategy applied to study such full net of reactions is to theoretically analyse the experimental data using state-of-the-art nuclear structure and reaction theories in a unique comprehensive and coherent theoretical calculation. This multi-channel approach has been recently applied to the analyse data acquired during the experimental campaign of the NUMEN project at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud in Catania, using the MAGNEX spectrometer, focused on few cases of interest for 0νββ decay. An overview will be presented at the Conference.
References
[1] F.Cappuzzello et al., Eur. Phys. J. A 54 (2018) 72.
[2] F.Cappuzzello et al., Eur. Phys. J. A 52 (2016) 167.

Speaker: Diana Carbone (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022_Carbone.pdf

10:00 Ab Initio Computations of Ground States and Optical Potentials in Nuclei

Modern ab initio theory in low energy nuclear physics is based on two addressing main challenges: defusing the nuclear force consistently from QCD (the residual string force between confined nucleons being the relevant degrees of freedom) and providing reliable first principle solutions of the associated many-body problem.
Crucial advances on both problems over the last 20 years have allowed predictions up to masses A~140 with unprecedented precision. These are allowing to shed light on the structure exotic isotopes, in particular those o high relevance to astrophysics, electro weak processes and many other observables of interest.
In recent years, we have advanced high-performance computations using many-body propagator theory that can be used to compute the spectral function but that also allow meaningful predictions of radii and binding energies up to masses of A~140.
This talk will review such progress and aim at giving a broader perspective of ab initio theory, in which large scale computations are used to benchmark the theories of nuclear forces besides helping to constrain our insight about nuclear phenomena. I will further discuss some cases in which the knowledge fo the spectral function is important to predict, e.g., the interplay between structure and reactions and the response to neutrinos under the wide range of energies relevant to oscillation experiments.

Speaker: Carlo Barbieri (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022_Barbieri_10May2022.pdf

10:30 Study of intruder states in $^{83}$Se via lifetime measurements

Quadrupole interaction between protons and neutrons drives the nucleus into deformed configurations at low excitation energies. The $^{83}$Se nucleus is at the mid of the proton fp-shell (Z=28-40), it is a good candidate to study the properties of particle-hole intruder states lowered in energy by large quadrupole correlations. Lifetime measurement of the low-lying intruder state with spin 1/2$^{+}$, originating from s$_{1/2}$, will provide information on its wave function and allow one to estimate the degree of N = 50 core breaking in the ground state of Se isotopes.
The lifetime of the 500-keV 1/2$^+$ level was measured using the Recoil Distance Method. A beam of 82Se, with intensity 0.02 pnA accelerated at 270 MeV from TANDEM accelerator at LNL-INFN, impinged into a deuterated polyethylene (C2D4) target which was evaporated on a 6 mg/cm2 thick gold layer. The GALILEO γ-array was coupled to the SPIDER silicon array, allowing one to obtain the needed channel selectivity through coincidence measurements between γ rays and protons coming from the (d,p) reaction.

Speaker: Julgen Pellumaj (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

J_Pellumaj.pdf

10:50 → 11:05 Pausa caffè e poster session

11:05 → 12:45 Plasma di quark e gluoni II

11:05 Inspecting the charm hadronization via measurements of charm baryon production in hadronic collisions with the ALICE experiment at the LHC

The transition from quarks to hadrons is a fundamental process in nature that can be studied at colliders. Given their mass of the GeV scale, charm and beauty quarks are mainly produced in the hard scattering processes occurring in the early stages of the hadronic collisions. Their production at the hadronization time is negligible, differently from light quarks. Thus, heavy quarks are used as markers to study the hadronization processes. Recent results at the LHC showed a significant enhancement of charm baryon production relative to that of charm mesons in pp collisions with respect to that in $\rm e^+e^-$ and $\rm e^-p$ collisions, assessing a possible non-universality of fragmentation functions among collision systems. These results suggest that the presence of surrounding colour charges may significantly influence the charm quark hadronization. Similarly to what expected in the quark-gluon plasma produced in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, heavy quarks can hadronize by combining with lighter quarks in the nearby, in a process usually called "coalescence" that modifies the hadro-chemistry expected in a pure fragmentation scenario.
In this contribution, the most recent measurements with the ALICE experiment of charm baryon production ($\Lambda_{\rm c}^+$, $\Sigma_{\rm c}^{0,+,++}$, $\Xi_{\rm c}^{0,+}$, $\Omega_{\rm c}^0$ in pp collisions, and $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+$ in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions) are shown and the comparison with model calculations including several modeling for the charm hadronization in the different collision systems is discussed.

Speaker: Mattia Faggin (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022_mfaggin_v3.pdf

11:25 Strange hadron production in and out of jets in proton-proton collisions with ALICE

The main goal of the ALICE experiment is to study the physics of strongly interacting matter, including the properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The enhanced production of strange hadrons with respect to non-strange hadrons was historically considered as one of the signatures of QGP formation during the evolution of the system created in heavy-ion collisions. The excellent tracking and particle identification capabilities of the ALICE experiment allow the reconstruction of multi-strange baryons via their weak decay channels over a large range of transverse momentum. Recent measurements performed in high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions have shown features that are reminiscent of those observed in lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions. The microscopic origin of this phenomenon is still not fully understood: is it related to soft particle production or to hard scattering events, such as jets?
To separate strange hadrons produced in jets from those produced in soft processes, the angular correlation between high-$p_\mathrm{T}$ charged particles and strange hadrons has been exploited. The near-side jet yield and the out-of-jet yield of $\mathrm{K^0_S}$ and $\Xi^\pm$ have been studied as a function of the multiplicity of charged particles produced in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV.
The results suggest that strangeness enhancement in pp collisions is driven by out-of-jet processes, which give the dominant contribution to strange particle production.

Speaker: Chiara De Martin (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

IncontroFisicaNucleare_INFN2022.pdf

11:45 Charged particle production as a function of underlying event-activity and search for jet-like modifications in small systems with ALICE

It is well-established that high-multiplicity pp and p–Pb collisions exhibit a collective-like behaviour and signatures, like the strangeness enhancement and the ridge behaviors, that were commonly attributed to the formation of the Quark-Gluon Plasma. In this contribution, the similarity between small and large collision systems will be explored by studying the underlying event (UE) properties, such as the transverse region multiplicity, $N_{\rm T}$, and the relative self-normalized observable, $R_{\rm T}$. By selecting on $R_{\rm T}$ and on the topological region, different microscopic processes contributing to the inclusive particle production can be explored. Final measurements of charged particle production as a function of $N_{\rm T}$ in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV will be presented in the toward, away and transverse regions. In addition, the UE contributions measured in the transverse region can be subtracted from the toward and the away regions to search for jet-like modifications in small collision systems. The jet-like signals are studied as a function of $N_{\rm T}$. Finally, the results will be compared with predictions from QCD-inspired Monte Carlo event generators such as PYTHIA and EPOS LHC.

Speaker: Sushanta Tripathy (INFN, Bologna (IT))

NchvsRT_Sushanta.pdf

12:05 Measurement of light (anti)nuclei production with ALICE

The energy densities reached in high-energy hadronic collisions at the LHC allow significant production of light (anti)nuclei.
Their production yields have been measured as a function of transverse momentum and charged-particle multiplicity in proton-proton, proton-lead and lead-lead collisions and at different center-of-mass energies by ALICE. One of the most interesting results obtained from such a large variety of experimental data is that the dominant production mechanism of light (anti)nuclei seems to depend solely on the event charged-particle multiplicity. Evidence for this comes from the continuous evolution of the deuteron-to-proton and $^{3}$He-to-proton ratios with the event multiplicity across different collision systems and energies.

In this contribution, the latest results on the measurements of light (anti)nuclei production obtained with the ALICE detector will be shown and discussed in the context of the statistical hadronization and coalescence models.

Speaker: Alessandro Balbino (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare and Politecnico di Torino)

nuclei_INFN2022.pdf

12:25 Strangeness production in pp as a function of particle multiplicity and effective energy with ALICE

The enhanced production of strange hadrons in heavy-ion collisions relative to that in pp collisions was historically considered as one of the signatures of the formation of a deconfined quark-gluon plasma. At the LHC, recent measurements in pp and p-Pb collisions showed that the production of strange hadrons relative to pions increases with the charged particle multiplicity in the event, a feature that is reminiscent of the heavy-ion phenomenology but that still remains to be understood.
The particle multiplicity is an important characteristic of the hadronic final state of a proton-proton interaction, but it also reflects the initial dynamics of the collision, being strongly correlated with the energy effectively available for particle production in its initial stages (effective energy). In pp collisions the effective energy is reduced with respect to the full center of mass energy due to leading baryon emission at forward rapidities.
In this contribution, we will present results on the production of $\Lambda$, $\Xi$, and $\Omega$ baryons as a function of the charged particle multiplicity measured at midrapidity and of the forward energy detected by ALICE Zero Degree Calorimeters.
The results provide new insights on the role of initial state effects on strangeness production.

Speaker: Francesca Ercolessi (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFNIncontroNazionale_FErcolessi.pdf

12:45 → 14:20 Pausa pranzo

14:20 → 15:40 Dinamica di quark e adroni II

14:20 Particle Identification by the forward and backward RICHes of ATHENA collaboration at EIC

The Electron Ion collider(EIC) will be the ultimate facility to address the internal dynamics played by the quarks and gluons to global phenomenology of the nucleons and nuclei. Particle identification (PID) is crucial for major physics cases to be addressed by the EIC. The collaboration ATHENA has performed a detailed systematic study of the high momentum PID performance in the forward and backward regions using the RICH technology. In the forward region, ATHENA has employed a focusing dual radiator RICH (dRICH) in order to perform pion-kaon separation from few $MeV/c$ to $50~GeV/c$; whereas in the backward region there is a proximity focusing RICH (pfRICH). Contrary to a classical design the 40$~cm$ proximity gap is enhanced with filled $C_4F_{10}$ to use this RICH also in the threshold mode. This enables an electron-pion separation from few $MeV/c$ to $10~GeV/c$.
This contribution will give an overview of the simulation studies of the particle identification performance of both RICHes designed for the proposal of the ATHENA detector. A detailed description of the simulation chain, the models of both RICHes designed for the proposal of the ATHENA spectrometer, their performances, and technological synergies and the future plans will be addressed in this contribution.

Speaker: Chandradoy Chatterjee (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Chatterjee_INFN2022.pdf

14:40 Kaonic atoms with SIDDHARTA-2 at the DAFNE collider

The study of kaonic atoms plays a key role for the understanding of the low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in the strangeness sector, by allowing to directly access the antikaon-nucleus interaction at threshold. State-of-the-art X-ray detectors and suitable experimental technologies allow to perform kaonic atoms X-ray spectroscopy with unprecedented precision, providing fundamental results for the nuclear, particle and astrophysics research. To this end, the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment at INFN-LNF DAFNE collider is carrying on its data taking campaign, aiming at performing high precision X-ray spectroscopy of kaonic atoms, in particular the first measurement of kaonic deuterium X-ray transition to the fundamental level to completely solve the isospin-dependent antikaon-nucleon scattering length. The scientific case, the SIDDHARTA-2 experimental apparatus as well as the kaonic helium measurement performed during the DAFNE commissioning phase in 2021 will be presented.

Speaker: Francesco Sgaramella (INFN-LNF)

INFN2022.pdf

15:00 Kaonic atoms beyond SIDDHARTA-2: future measurements and perspectives at the DAFNE collider

The recent progress in the field of X-ray detection and their readout electronics contributed, in these last years, to a renewed interest in new and more precise measurements of kaonic atoms.
The DAFNE machine at the INFN Laboratories of Frascati is still the best facility in the world, in terms of purity of the kaon beam, luminosity, and kinematic conditions, where these important measurements can be carried on.
Beyond the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment, presently installed on the DAFNE Interaction Point exploiting 450 mm thick Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) to measure for the first time X-rays from kaonic transitions in deuterium, several other important measurements are planned or proposed.
These new measurements, among which transitions in kaonic helium, carbon, sulfur, lead, wolfram, nitrogen, and molybdenum, are now feasible thanks to new technologies: 1 mm thick SDDs, CdZnTe, and HPGe detectors as well as crystal spectrometers and TES microcalorimeters.
In this talk, an overview of the already planned and foreseen measurements, together with others proposed for future campaigns, will be presented; for each one, the physics case, possible impacts, and details of the experimental setup will be given

Speaker: Alessandro Scordo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022_10052022_Scordo.pptx

15:20 The dual Ring Imaging Cherenkov detector for the Electron-Ion Collider

The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is the new large-scale particle accelerator planned in the US and designed to collide polarized electrons with polarized protons and nuclei and investigate the dynamics of quarks and gluons, unlocking the secrets of QCD. For the general purpose detector at EIC, the capability to distinguish charged particles over the full momentum range is required.
A prototype of dual Ring Imaging Cherenkov (dRICH), a detector which exploits the Cherenkov light produced in two different mediums, is being developed by EIC_NET to discriminate between pions, kaons and protons from few GeV/c up to 50 GeV/c, and support electron identification in the EIC hadronic endcap. Particles crossing a layer of aerogel ($n\simeq 1.02$) and a volume of $\textrm{C}_2\textrm{F}_6$ gas ($n \simeq 1.00085$) with a velocity greater than the light in medium, produce Cherenkov photons which are focalized by two different spherical mirrors onto the same photon detector array. The combined information of two imaged Cherenkov rings and the particle momentum allow to infer its mass and therefore its type. Two test beams were performed at CERN in fall 2021, when a full tracking and imaging system has been commissioned. In this presentation, the prototype and the preliminary results obtained, together with a preview of the future dRICH detector at EIC will be presented.
The development of the dRICH prototype is an EIC_NET initiative.

Speaker: Simone Vallarino (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

slides_QuintoIncontro_SimoneVallarino.pdf

15:40 → 16:20 Pausa caffè e poster session

16:20 → 18:00 Simmetria e Interazioni fondamentali

16:20 Esperimento LEA, Antimateria a bassa energia

Un ruolo importante nella spiegazione di alcuni problemi aperti della Fisica Moderna, quali l'esistenza della materia oscura e il predominio della materia sull'antimateria nell'Universo, può essere svolto testando i limiti delle simmetrie universali come CPT, l'Invarianza di Lorentz e il Principio di Equivalenza Debole.
Studi di elevata precisione eseguiti a basse energie con l'antimateria sono complementari agli studi effettuati ad alte energie per risolvere alcuni di questi misteri permettendo di scoprire nuova fisica oltre il Modello Standard.
Uno strumento molto utile per fare questi studi è l'Antiproton Decelerator col deceleratore ELENA del CERN che, grazie ad un fascio di antiprotoni di bassa energia, permette di realizzare esperimenti per indagare su possibili violazioni di CPT, attraverso misurazioni di antiprotoni, elio antiprotonico e anti-idrogeno, e per testare il Principio di Equivalenza Debole.
L'INFN partecipa alle attività di AD sin dalla sua nascita, dapprima con l'esperimento ATHENA e in seguito con AEgIS e ASACUSA, ai quali si è recentemente aggiunto ALPHA.
Diversi risultati sono stati ottenuti dalla prima osservazione di atomi di anti-idrogeno freddo nel 2002 fino alle recenti misure di spettroscopia.
I gruppi italiani hanno sviluppato competenze che consentono di svolgere ricerche in fisica fondamentale anche con l'uso di positroni e positronio.
PsICO a Trento e QUPLAS a Como studiano le simmetrie fondamentali nel settore leptonico completando così la ricerca sui sistemi adronici e si propongono di misurare l'interazione gravitazionale della Terra col positronio.

Speaker: Luca Venturelli (Università degli Studi di Brescia e Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

LEA_V_IncontroFisNucl_may2022.pdf

16:50 The search for electric dipole moments of charged particles using storage rings

The Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) of elementary particles, including hadrons, is considered as one of the most powerful tools to study CP-violation beyond the Standard Model. Such CP-violating mechanisms are searched for to explain the dominance of matter over anti-matter in our universe. Up to now EDM experiments concentrated on neutral systems, namely neutron, atoms and molecules. Storage rings offer the possibility to measure EDMs of charged particles by observing the influence of the EDM on the spin motion.
A stepwise approach to the measurement of the proton EDM, starting with a proof-of-principle experiment at the existing storage ring Cooler Synchrotron COSY at Forschungszentrum Jülich, followed by an electrostatic prototype ring allowing for a simultaneous operation of counter circulating beams in order to cancel systematic effects, to the design of a dedicated 500 m circumference storage ring will be presented.

Speaker: Giuseppe Tagliente (INFN Bari)

INFN2022.pptx

17:20 Underground tests of Quantum Mechanics :the Pauli Exclusion Principle violation and Collapse Models

We are experimentally investigating possible departures from the standard quantum mechanics’ predictions at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy.
In particular, with radiation detectors we are searching signals predicted by the collapse models (spontaneous emission of radiation) which were proposed to solve the “measurement problem” in quantum physics and signals coming from a possible violation of the Pauli Exclusion Principle.
I shall present the VIP experiment with which we look for possible violations of the Pauli Exclusion Principle by searching for “impossible” atomic transitions and comment the impact of this research in relation to Quantum Gravity models.
I shall also discuss our recent results published in Nature Physics under the title “Underground test of gravity-related wave function collapse”, where we ruled out the natural parameter-free version of the gravity-related collapse model. I shall then present more generic results on testing CSL (Continuous Spontaneous Localization) collapse models.
Future perspectives will be also discussed.

Speaker: Catalina Oana Curceanu (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

catalina-INFN2022-conf-LNGS-may2022-final.pdf

catalina-INFN2022-conf-LNGS-may2022-final.ppt

17:40 The FAMU experiment: measurement of the ground state hyperfine splitting of muonic hydrogen

The main goal of the FAMU experiment is a precise laser spectroscopy measurement of the ground state of the muonic hydrogen ($\mu$p 1S). From the measurement of the $\mu$p 1S hyperfine splitting, precise information about the magnetic structure of the proton can be extracted. The structure of atomic systems is described by quantum electrodynamics (QED) up to an extremely high precision allowing for high-precision experimental tests. The hyperfine splitting in muonic hydrogen represents a case where the accuracy of QED calculations exceeds those of the known values of fundamental physical parameters. Hence, the FAMU experiment provides a unique possibility for the measurement of the low energy proton structure with higher accuracy than what can be achieved in nuclear or high-energy physics experiments. In this contribution, the status of the FAMU experiment will be presented.

Speaker: Cecilia Pizzolotto (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Pizzolotto_INFN2022_LNGS.pdf

Wednesday, 11 May

09:00 → 10:20 Struttura nucleare e dinamica delle reazioni II

09:00 Investigating three-nucleon forces with current and future gravitational wave detections

A detailed description of the properties of dense matter in extreme conditions, as those within Neutron Star cores, is still an open problem, whose solution is hampered by both the lack of empirical data and by the difficulties in developing a suitable theoretical framework for the microscopic nuclear dynamics in such regimes. The detection of gravitational waves from the first observed coalescence of two neutron stars, GW170817, has opened the possibility to exploit gravitational waves as a new window to understand the behavior of nuclear matter.
We report here the results of a study aimed at inferring the properties of the repulsive three-nucleon interaction [1] driving the stiffness of the equation of state at high densities, by performing bayesian inference on current and future astrophysical observations.
We have also explored the potential of the Einstein Telescope which is expected to be able of largely improving our knowledge of nuclear dynamics in the upcoming future.

[1] A. Maselli, A. Sabatucci and O. Benhar Phys. Rev. C 103, 065804 (2021)

Speaker: Andrea Sabatucci (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN-2022.pdf

09:20 Heavy ion double charge exchange reactions and their role in probing double beta decay nuclear matrix elements

Heavy ion double charge exchange reactions are described by sequential meson-exchange, corresponding to a double single charge exchange (DSCE) reaction mechanism. The theoretical formulation of second-order nuclear reactions and its application to DSCE is represented by a fully quantum mechanical distorted wave 2-step process (second order DWBA). Special emphasis is given to the role of initial and final state ion-ion elastic interactions. Formally, the DSCE reaction amplitudes are shown to be separable into superpositions of distortion factors, accounting for those interactions, and nuclear matrix elements. It is shown that the nuclear response tensors resemble the nuclear matrix elements of $2\nu\beta\beta$ decay in structure but contain in general a considerable more complex multipole and spin structure. The QRPA theory is used to derive explicit expressions for nuclear matrix elements (NMEs). Reduction schemes for the transition form factors are also discussed, by investigating their momentum structure in closure approximation. Formal analogies between the nuclear matrix elements (NME) involved in DSCE reactions and in double beta decay are pointed out. As a first application, calculations are performed for the reaction $^{40}$Ca $(^{18}$O, $^{18}$Ne$)^{40}$Ar at 15 AMeV. Results are compared to the data measured at LNS by the NUMEN Collaboration. Preliminary results of a more systematic analysis, including heavier systems, will also be shown.

Speaker: Jessica Bellone (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022_BelloneJI.pdf

09:40 Ruolo del grado di clusterizzazione del 6Li nelle reazioni di transfer dirette

L'accuratezza di diversi modelli astrofisici, come quelli che descrivono le abbondanze degli elementi nell'Universo, è limitata dalla conoscenza delle sezioni d'urto di un ampio numero di reazioni nucleari, spesso riguardanti reagenti carichi e leggeri a basse energie di collisione ($< 100$ keV). La dinamica di reazione in tale regime è dominata dalla penetrazione della barriera Coulombiana. Il processo, sia nei siti astrofisici che in laboratorio, è inoltre influenzato dalla presenza di altre cariche elettriche nell'ambiente circostante. Per diverse reazioni, la combinazione dei dati disponibili da misure dirette in esperimenti a bersaglio fisso è in contrasto con le predizioni della teoria atomica sull'incremento delle sezioni d'urto dovuto agli elettroni atomici [1]. Il problema è stato considerato in [1] in termini di effetti sulla sezione d'urto prettamente nucleare, tramite un modello semi-classico, assumendo una struttura a cluster per i nuclei coinvolti nella reazione. Questo lavoro è invece incentrato su uno studio teorico della reazione da una prospettiva puramente quantistica, che coinvolge una valutazione esplicita della sezione d'urto del processo di interesse impiegando un modello più sofisticato per la struttura e le interazioni dei reagenti.
Nella presente comunicazione si esaminerà la reazione $^{6}$Li + p $\to$ $^{3}$He + $\alpha$, che è uno dei casi in cui si è osservato un incremento anomalo della sezione d'urto misurata direttamente a basse energie [1,2]. Le reazioni che distruggono il $^{6}$Li sono inoltre interessanti nello studio delle stelle di pre-sequenza principale, nei riguardi del problema del litio cosmologico [2], e nel contesto della produzione di energia da fusione nucleare controllata [3]. La reazione è stata descritta come trasferimento diretto di un deuterio o di due nucleoni, in approssimazione di Born in onde distorte di primo o secondo ordine, utilizzando il codice Fresco [4], dalle energie attorno alla barriera Coulombiana ($\sim$1.5 MeV) fino a quelle rilevanti per il problema dello screening elettronico e le applicazioni astrofisiche ($\sim 10$ keV). Si discuterà dell'impatto, sulla sezione d'urto di transfer, della deformazione quadrupolare e del peso delle configurazionu clusterizzate nello stato fondamentale del $^{6}$Li.

[1] C. Spitaleri et al., Physics Letters B 755 (2016), p. 275
[2] L. Lamia et al., The Astrophysical Journal 768 (2013), p. 65
[3] J. R. McNally, Nuclear Fusion 11 (1971), p. 187
[4] I. J. Thompson, Computer Physics Reports 7 (1988), p. 167

Speaker: Salvatore Simone Perrotta (INFN-LNS, Università di Catania, Universidad de Sevilla)

Perrotta_INFN2022.pdf

10:00 The PREX-II measurement of the 208Pb Neutron Skin Thickness

The JLab experiment PREX-II, extension of the experiment PREX, measured for the first time, in a model independent way, the neutron skin of the nucleus 208Pb. The existence in heavy nuclei of a neutron skin, that is of a positive difference between the radii of the neutron and proton distributions, was supposed to exist since many years, but up to PREX and PREX-II measurements, its incontrovertible and quantitative measurement was not possible due to extreme experimental difficulties and the use of techniques, which produced results whose analysis could not be performed in a model independent way. To overcome these difficulties, PREX and PREX-II measured, in the electron scattering off the nucleus 208Pb, the Parity Violating Asymmetry (APV), which is the factionary difference between the elastic cross sections of right-handed and left-handed electrons scattered off a nucleus. This measurement provided, in a model independent way, a value of the lead neutron skin equal to 0.283 +- 0.071 fm. Because the value of the 208Pb neutron skin is related to the density dependence of the symmetry energy, this measurement is strongly correlated to neutron star features. In particular, it implies, for neutron stars of mass equal to 1.4 solar masses, a radius between 13.25 and 14.26 Km and a tidal deformability between 642 and 955. These results agree with NICER telescope observations but are slightly in tension with the values inferred from the GW170817 gravitational wave (GW) signal observation by LIGO and VIRGO interferometers. New and more precise measurements of the 208Pb neutron skin as well as more multi-messenger observations of neutron star mergers are hence necessary to confirm whether this tension is real.

Speaker: Guido Maria Urciuoli (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

INFN2022_Urciuoli_v1.pptx

10:20 → 10:50 Pausa caffè e poster session

10:50 → 12:20 Applicazioni e interdisciplinarietà della fisica nucleare

10:50 Nuclear Physics applications in Medicine: State of the Art

Medical applications of nuclear physics started to be part of INFN activities in the last couple of decades, and nowadays represent an important portion of funded research projects, especially in CSN V. In this context, the continuous development of charged particle therapy (CPT) represents a prolific scenario for the birth of a number of initiatives. On the one hand, CPT demands for innovative technologies, ranging from accelerator-related aspects to devices for beam monitoring, dosimetry and imaging. On the other hand, a deepened knowledge of radiation-matter interactions on multiple physical scales is required for allowing efficient treatments. This is needed in order to improve the accuracy of treatment plan calculations, as well as to understand the radiobiological response of cells and tissues exposed to different radiation qualities compared to photons, which is finally responsible for treatment outcomes.
Proton therapy is currently the most widespread solution for charged particle treatments, with few clinical centers operating in Italy, and a number planned for the near future. While proton therapy is considered an established approach for the treatment of specific cancer types (e.g. those in the brain, head-and-neck districts), research efforts are ongoing, aiming at further improving the potential of this technique. INFN provided several contributions to this field in the last few years, not only from the technological point of view, but also with more basic research dedicated to the understanding of target fragmentation processes, as well as to the use of boron nuclei as radiosensitizers, due to the alpha emitted by the proton-boron reaction.
The talk will provide an overview of the main activities carried out in the framework of INFN on the topics introduced above. Future perspectives and starting initiatives will also be discussed. From this point of view, a special focus will be dedicated to the ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy, also called FLASH. This stems from the experimental observation that the delivery of a therapeutic amount of dose to the target in a very narrow time window in the typical range of 1-200 milliseconds, allows reducing significantly treatment-related toxicity, while preserving the same treatment effectiveness. Extensive research is developing worldwide in this field, since the potential of an unprecedented paradigm shift in RT treatments is attributed to FLASH. Activities in this direction started already in INFN, which will thus have the chance to contribute to this rapidly developing field.

Speaker: Francesco Tommasino (University of Trento - INFN TIFPA)

Talk_INFN2022_FT.pdf

11:20 The FOOT (Fragmentation of Target) experiment: an overview and first results

The correct dose quantification in ion therapy is currently affected by limited knowledge of the double differential fragmentation cross-section of nuclei composing the biological tissue interacting with proton or carbon beams. Fragmentation of these nuclei generates ions with short range and high linear energy transfer, thus with high radiobiological effectiveness, out of the treatment region.
The FragmentatiOn Of Target (FOOT) experiment aims at measuring these cross sections for protons and ions interacting with carbon and oxygen material in the range of 200 MeV/u – 800 MeV/u. The results of the FOOT measurements will also be fundamental for the correct assessment of the radiobiological risk in long space travels, where astronauts have prolonged exposure to Galactic Cosmic Rays and potentially to Solar Particle Events.
The FOOT experiment is composed of two different setups. The first one consists of an emulsion spectrometer employed to identify low charge fragments (from H to Li), while the second one (named electronic setup) is optimized for heavier fragments (up to oxygen) and consists of a magnetic spectrometer, a time of flight (TOF) system and a calorimeter. In both setups, a drift chamber is used for beam monitoring. Targets of carbon and C2H4 will be irradiated using oxygen and carbon beams, in order to reconstruct the required cross-sections with an inverse kinematic approach. Data takings were already performed at GSI and CNAO using a subset of the detectors of the electronic setup. In this contribution, a detailed description of the apparatus will be presented, a particular focus will be then given to the TOF system and to its performances in terms of Z identification of the fragments.

Speaker: Matteo Morrocchi (University of Pisa, Department of Physics and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Pisa))

INFN2022 Morrocchi.pdf

11:40 Proton-induced nuclear reactions on natV and 49Ti for the theranostic 47Sc production: preliminary cross-section results

In recent years, as underlined by the IAEA CRP (Coordinated Research Project) on $^{67}$Cu, $^{47}$Sc, and $^{186}$Re (1), the scientific interest focused on $^{47}$Sc due to its theranostic characteristics making it exploitable both for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In fact, in its radioactive decay to the stable $^{47}$Ti, $^{47}$Sc (t$_{1/2}$=3.3492 d) emits γ-rays of the proper energy (E=159.381 keV, I=68.3%) to be used with SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) cameras, together with low-energy β$^{-}$-particles (E$_{mean}$=162.0 keV, I=100%) suitable for the treatment of small-medium sized tumors.
At INFN-LNL, in the framework of LARAMED (LAboratory of RAdionuclides for MEDicine) (2), the possible production routes of $^{47}$Sc using proton beams are investigated in two different projects: PASTA (Production with Accelerator of Sc-47 for Theranostic Applications) and REMIX (Research on Emerging Medical radIonuclides from the X-sections). In PASTA, funded by INFN for the years 2017/2018, the production using $^{nat}$V and enriched $^{48}$Ti targets is studied (3,4). On the other hand, within the REMIX project, funded by INFN for the years 2021/2023, the employment of enriched $^{49}$Ti and $^{50}$Ti is analyzed. Those targets are irradiated in collaboration with the ARRONAX facility (5) where a 70 MeV proton beam is provided by a cyclotron similar to not yet operative one installed at LNL. However, the enriched targets are realized at Legnaro laboratories (6).
In this work, the $^{47}$Sc cross-section values obtained from the proton bombardment of $^{nat}$V targets are presented and compared to the preliminary results achieved when using, instead, enriched $^{49}$Ti targets. Together with $^{47}$Sc, also the cross-sections of the co-produced contaminants are taken into account since they can contribute to the dose delivered to a patient. In particular, $^{46}$Sc (t$_{1/2}$=83.79 d) represents the main contaminant since it is not possible to wait for its decay and it cannot be separated chemically. The results are also compared to the literature data, when available.

(1) A.Jalilian, et al., Curr Radiopharm. 14(4):306-314 (2021).
(2) J. Esposito, et al., Molecules 24(1), 20 (2019).
(3) G. Pupillo, et al., J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem 322, 1711-1718 (2019).
(4) F. Barbaro, et al., Phys Rev C 104, 044619 (2021).
(5) F. Haddad, et al., Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging 35(7):1377-1387 (2008).
(6) H. Skliarova, et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res A 981, 164371 (2020).

Speaker: Lucia De Dominicis (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro)

De Dominicis_Sc47.pdf

12:00 Nuclear Quantum Simulations on Quantum Computers in the Optimal Control Context

One promising application of quantum computing consists in the simulation of quantum systems. The use of a device which is itself quantum should allow for a better management of the exponential scaling of time and memory resources needed to capture the details of quantum systems. Optimal control techniques provide a means to tailor control pulse sequences necessary for the generation of customized quantum gates implementing system’s dynamics, moreover enhancing the resilience of quantum simulations to gate errors and device noise. However, the substantial amount of (classical) computing required for the generation of such customized gates can quickly spoil the effectiveness of this approach, especially when the pulse optimization needs to be iterated at every simulation time-step.
We propose a method to reduce the computing time required for the generation of these control pulses by the use of simple interpolation schemes to accurately reconstruct the control pulses starting from a batch of pulses obtained, in advance, for a discrete set of pre-determined values of the system’s parameters. We then present device-level quantum simulations, carried out with this method, of two systems: the hydrogen atom in the hypothetical case in which the hydrogen Hamiltonian depends parametrically on a time-varying effective electron mass, and the scattering process of two neutrons whose spin dynamics depends instantaneously on their relative position. In both test cases, we obtain a high fidelity reconstruction and a substantial reduction of the computational effort showing how this method can help to improve quantum nuclear systems simulations on quantum devices.

Speaker: Piero Luchi (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Talk Piero Luchi LNGS 2022 v3.pdf

12:20 → 14:00 Pausa pranzo

14:00 → 16:00 Sessione conclusiva

14:00 Rivelazione di neutrini solari della catena pp e del ciclo CNO in Borexino

L’esperimento Borexino ha preso dati da maggio 2007 ad ottobre 2021. Durante questo lungo periodo si sono succedute tre fasi sperimentali intervallate da miglioramenti strumentali dell’apparato, che hanno aumentato progressivamente la sensibilità del rivelatore. Dalla prima evidenza sperimentale dei neutrini del Be7, si è passati alla spettroscopia completa dei neutrini emessi dalla catena pp, il meccanismo principale di produzione di energia nel Sole. Di recente, Borexino ha coronato la sua carriera con la prima evidenza sperimentale dei neutrini del ciclo CNO, meccanismo sottodominante nel Sole, arrivando così a comprendere la produzione di energia del sole al livello del percento. A testimonianza del lungo successo nella rivelazione di neutrini solari, dovuta alla stabilità e alla precisione nella misura, anticiperemo la prima significativa determinazione dei parametri orbitali terrestri fatta esclusivamente con i neutrini solari.

Speaker: Nicola Rossi (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

nrossi_borexino_INFN2022.pdf

14:20 ECFA: Early-Career Researchers Panel

Speaker: Valentina Zaccolo (INFN Trieste)

ECFA-ECR_Zaccolo-LNGS.pdf

14:40 Premiazione poster