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Fast emitting polymeric scintillators are requested in advanced applications where high-speed detectors with large signal-to-noise ratio are needed. However, their low density implies a weak stopping power of high energy radiations, thus a limited light output and sensitivity. To enhance their performances, polymeric scintillators can be loaded with dense nanoparticles (NPs). We investigate the properties of a series of polymeric scintillators by means of photoluminescence and scintillation spectroscopy, comparing standard scintillators with a composite system loaded with dense hafnium dioxide (HfO2) NPs. The nanocomposite shows a scintillation yield enhancement of +100% with unchanged time response. We provide for the first time an interpretation of this effect, pointing out the local effect of NPs in the generation of emissive states upon interaction with the ionizing radiation. The obtained results indicate that coupling of fast conjugated emitters with optically inert dense NPs could allow to surpass the actual limits of pure polymeric scintillators., Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures

Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP-NCs) embedded in polymeric hosts are gaining attention as scalable and low-cost scintillation detectors for technologically relevant applications. Despite rapid progress, little is currently known about the scintillation properties and stability of LHP-NCs prepared by the ligand assisted reprecipitation (LARP) method, which allows mass scalability at room temperature unmatched by any other type of nanostructure, and the implications of incorporating LHP-NCs into polyacrylate hosts are still largely debated. Here, we show that LARP-synthesized CsPbBr3 NCs are comparable to particles from hot-injection routes and unravel the dual effect of polyacrylate incorporation, where the partial degradation of LHP-NCs luminescence is counterbalanced by the passivation of electron-poor defects by the host acrylic groups. Experiments on NCs with tailored surface defects show that the balance between such antithetical effects of polymer embedding is determined by the surface defect density of the NCs and provide guidelines for further material optimization.

In this note we study estimates from below of the single radius spherical discrepancy in the setting of compact two-point homogeneous spaces. Namely, given a $d$-dimensional manifold $\mathcal M$ endowed with a distance $\rho$ so that $(\mathcal M, \rho)$ is a two-point homogeneous space and with the Riemannian measure $\mu$, we provide conditions on $r$ such that if $D_r$ denotes the discrepancy of the ball of radius $r$, then, for an absolute constant $C>0$ and for every set of points $\{x_j\}_{j=1}^N$, one has $\int_{\mathcal M} |D_{r}(x)|^2\, d\mu(x)\geqslant C N^{-1-\frac1d}$. The conditions on $r$ that we have depend on the dimension $d$ of the manifold and cannot be achieved when $d \equiv 1 \ ( \operatorname{mod}4)$. Nonetheless, we prove a weaker estimate for such dimensions as well., Comment: 16 pages

In the present paper we prove that some renowned lower bounds in discrepancy theory admit a discrete analogue. Namely, we prove that the lower bound of the discrepancy for corners in the unit cube due to Roth holds true also for a suitable finite family of corners. We also prove two analogous results for the discrepancy on the torus with respect to squares and balls., Comment: 25 pages

Given a probability space $(X,\mu)$, a square integrable function $f$ on such space and a (unilateral or bilateral) shift operator $T$, we prove under suitable assumptions that the ergodic means $N^{-1}\sum_{n=0}^{N-1} T^nf$ converge pointwise almost everywhere to zero with a speed of convergence which, up to a small logarithmic transgression, is essentially of the order of $N^{-1/2}$. We also provide a few applications of our results, especially in the case of shifts associated with toral endomorphisms., Comment: 19 pages

Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography is a medical imaging technique, based on the detection of two back-to-back {\gamma}-photons generated from radiotracers injected in the body. Its limit is the ability of employed scintillation detectors to discriminate in time the arrival of {\gamma}-pairs, i.e. the coincidence time resolution (CTR). A CTR < 50 ps that would enable fast imaging with ultralow radiotracer dose. Monolithic materials do not have simultaneously the required high light output and fast emission characteristics, thus the concept of scintillating heterostructure is proposed, where the device is made of a dense scintillator coupled to a fast-emitting light material. Here we present a composite polymeric scintillator, whose density has been increased upon addition of hafnium oxide nanoparticles. This enhanced by +300% its scintillation yield, surpassing commercial plastic scintillators. The nanocomposite is coupled to bismuth germanate oxide (BGO) realizing a multilayer scintillator. We observed the energy sharing between its components, which activate the nanocomposite fast emission enabling a net CTR improvement of 25% with respect to monolithic BGO. These results demonstrate that a controlled loading with dense nanomaterials is an excellent strategy to enhance the performance of polymeric scintillators for their use in advanced radiation detection and imaging technologies.

Given an irrational vector $\alpha$ in $\mathbb{R}^{d}$, a continuous function $f(x)$ on the torus $\mathbb{T}^{d}$ and suitable weights $\Phi(N,n)$ such that $\sum_{n=-\infty}^{+\infty}\Phi(N,n)=1$, we estimate the speed of convergence to the integral $\int_{\mathbb{T}^{d}}f(y)dy$ of the weighted sum $\sum_{n=-\infty}^{+\infty}\Phi(N,n) f(x+n\alpha)$ as $N\rightarrow +\infty$. Whereas for the arithmetic means $N^{-1}\sum_{n=1}^{N}f(x+n\alpha)$ the speed of convergence is never faster than $cN^{-1}$, for other means such speed can be accelerated. We estimate the speed of convergence in two theorems with different flavor. The first result is a metric one, and it provides an estimate of the speed of convergence in terms of the Fourier transform of the weights $\Phi(N,n)$ and the smoothness of the function $f(x)$ which holds for almost every $\alpha$. The second result is a deterministic one, and the speed of convergence is estimated also in terms of the Diophantine properties of the given irrational vector $\alpha\in\mathbb R^d$., Comment: 28 pages

In this work we explore the theme of $L^p$-boundedness of Bergman projections of domains that can be covered, in the sense of ramified coverings, by "nice" domains (e.g. strictly pseudoconvex domains with real analytic boundary). In particular, we focus on two-dimensional normal ramified coverings whose covering group is a finite unitary reflection group. In an infinite family of examples we are able to prove $L^p$-boundedness of the Bergman projection for every $p\in(1,\infty)$., Comment: 24 pages

In this work we consider smooth unbounded worm domains $\mathcal Z_\lambda$ in $\mathbb C^2$ and show that the Bergman projection, densely defined on the Sobolev spaces $H^{s,p}(\mathcal Z_\lambda)$, $p\in(1,\infty)$, $s\ge0$, does not extend to a bounded operator $P_\lambda:H^{s,p}(\mathcal Z_\lambda)\to H^{s,p}(\mathcal Z_\lambda)$ when $s>0$ or $p\neq2$. The same irregularity was known in the case of the non-smooth unbounded worm. This improved result shows that the irregularity of the projection is not a consequence of the irregularity of the boundary but instead of the infinite windings of the worm domain., Comment: Revised version. To appear on the Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics

The photon upconversion based on sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation (sTTA-UC) is a spin-flip mechanism exploited to recover the energy of dark triplet states in conjugated systems. In this process a high-energy fluorescent singlet is created through the collision and fusion of two low-energy triplets belonging to different diffusing molecules. Its excellent yield in solution under low excitation intensity and non-coherent light highlighted the huge potential of sTTA-UC to provide a breakthrough in solar technologies. However, its diffusion-limited bi-molecular nature limits its efficiency in the solid state. To overcome this issue, we designed a molecular systems able to host simultaneously more than one triplet, thus enabling a diffusion-free intramolecular TTA. We obtain the first direct demonstration of intramolecular triplet fusion by tailored photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments, thus opening the way to realize a new family of single molecule upconverters with huge potential in solar and lightening technologies by accessing the natural triplets energy reservoir.

We provide a multidimensional weighted Euler--MacLaurin summation formula on polytopes and a multidimensional generalization of a result due to L. J. Mordell on the series expansion in Bernoulli polynomials. These results are consequences of a more general series expansion; namely, if $\chi _{\tau\mathcal{P}}$ denotes the characteristic function of a dilated integer convex polytope $\mathcal{P}$ and $q$ is a function with suitable regularity, we prove that the periodization of $q\chi_{\tau\mathcal{P}}$ admits an expansion in terms of multivariate Bernoulli polynomials. These multivariate polynomials are related to the Lerch Zeta function. In order to prove our results we need to carefully study the asymptotic expansion of $\widehat{q\chi_{\tau\mathcal{P}}}$, the Fourier transform of $q\chi _{\tau\mathcal{P}}$., Comment: 38 pages, 1 table

In this paper we consider the question of sampling for spaces of entire functions of exponential type in several variables. The novelty resides in the growth condition we impose, that is, that their restriction to a hypersurface is square integrable with respect to a natural measure. The hypersurface we consider is the boundary $b\mathcal U$ of the Siegel upper half-space $\mathcal U$ and it is fundamental that $b\mathcal U$ can be identified with the Heisenberg group $\mathbb H_n$. We consider entire functions in $\mathbb C^{n+1}$ of exponential type with respect to the hypersurface $b\mathcal U$ whose restriction to $b\mathcal U$ are square integrable with respect to the Haar measure on $\mathbb H_n$. For these functions we prove a version of the Whittaker--Kotelnikov--Shannon Theorem. Instrumental in our work are spaces of entire functions in $\mathbb C^{n+1}$ of exponential type with respect to the hypersurface $b\mathcal U$ whose restrictions to $b\mathcal U$ belong to some homogeneous Sobolev space on $\mathbb H_n$. For these spaces, using the group Fourier transform on $\mathbb H_n$, we prove a Paley--Wiener type theorem and a Plancherel--P\'olya type inequality.

In this work we study what we call Siegel--dissipative vector of commuting operators $(A_1,\ldots, A_{d+1})$ on a Hilbert space $\mathcal H$ and we obtain a von Neumann type inequality which involves the Drury--Arveson space $DA$ on the Siegel upper half-space $\mathcal U$. The operator $A_{d+1}$ is allowed to be unbounded and it is the infinitesimal generator of a contraction semigroup $\{e^{-i\tau A_{d+1}}\}_{\tau<0}$. We then study the operator $e^{-i\tau A_{d+1}}A^{\alpha}$ where $A^{\alpha}=A_1^{\alpha_1}\cdots A^{\alpha_d}_d$ for $\alpha\in\mathbb N^d_0$ and prove that can be studied by means of model operators on a weighted $L^2$ space. To prove our results we obtain a Paley--Wiener type theorem for $DA$ and we investigate some multiplier operators on $DA$ as well., Comment: 17 pages. Typos were fixed and the references updated

Low power photon upconversion (UC) based on sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation (sTTA) is considered as the most promising upwards wavelength-shifting technique to enhance the light harvesting capability of solar devices by recovering the low-energy tail of the solar spectrum. Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) with conjugated organic ligands have been proposed as broadband sensitizers for extending the light-harvesting capability of sTTA-UC molecular absorbers. Key to their functioning is efficient energy transfer (ET) from the NC to the triplet state of the ligands that sensitizes the triplet state of free emitters, whose annihilation generates the upconverted emission. To date, the triplet sensitization efficiency in such systems is limited by parasitic processes, such as charge transfer (typically of the photohole) to the organic ligand due to the disadvantageous band alignment of typical NCs and organic moieties. Available strategies only partially mitigate such losses and intrinsically limit the ET yield. Here we demonstrate a new exciton-manipulation approach that enables loss-free ET without detrimental side-effects. Specifically, we use CdSe NCs doped with gold atoms featuring a hole-accepting state in the NC bandgap at a higher energy than the HOMO level of the ligand 9-anthracene acid. Upon photoexcitation, the NC photoholes are routed to the Au-state faster than their transfer to the ligand, producing a long-lived bound exciton in perfect resonance with its triplet state. This hinders hole-transfer losses and results in ~100% efficient ET, over 50-fold higher than in standard NCs. By combining our hybrid sensitizers with an annihilator moiety, we achieved an sTTA-UC efficiency of ~12% (~24% in the normalized definition), which is the highest value for hybrid upconverters based on sTTA reported to date and approaches optimized organic systems.

In this paper we discuss some recent results concerning the regularity and irregularity of the Bergman and Szeg\H{o} projections on some weakly pseudoconvex domains that have the common feature to possess a nontrivial Nebenh\"ulle., Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures

We introduce and study a family of spaces of entire functions in one variable that generalise the classical Paley-Wiener and Bernstein spaces. Namely, we consider entire functions of exponential type $a$ whose restriction to the real line belongs to the homogeneous Sobolev space $\dot{W}^{s,p}$ and we call these spaces fractional Paley-Wiener if $p=2$ and fractional Bernstein spaces if $p\in(1,\infty)$, that we denote by $PW^s_a$ and $\mathcal B^{s,p}_a$, respectively. For these spaces we provide a Paley-Wiener type characterization, we remark some facts about the sampling problem in the Hilbert setting and prove generalizations of the classical Bernstein and Plancherel-P\'olya inequalities. We conclude by discussing a number of open questions., Comment: Typos fixed

We characterize $Q$-dimensional Ahlfors regular spaces among trees' boundaries and show how to construct, for each $0 < \alpha < Q$, an $\alpha$-regular subspace. As an application, we give an alternative simple proof of the existence of $\alpha$-regular subspaces of a $Q$-dimensional complete Ahlfors regular metric space $(X,\rho)$, which was proved in \cite{JJKRRS}., Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures

The definition of classical holomorphic function spaces such as the Hardy space or the Dirichlet space on the Hartogs triangle is not canonical. In this paper we introduce a natural family of holomorphic function spaces on the Hartogs triangle which includes some weighted Bergman spaces, a candidate Hardy space and a candidate Dirichlet space. For the weighted Bergman spaces and the Hardy space we study the $L^p$ mapping properties of Bergman and Szeg\H{o} projection respectively, whereas for the Dirichlet space we prove it is isometric to the Dirichlet space on the bidisc., Comment: Corrected some typos and the proof of Lemma 1.9 was fixed. Accepted for publication on Math. Nachr

We study the fractional Laplacian and the homogeneous Sobolev spaces on R^d , by considering two definitions that are both considered classical. We compare these different definitions, and show how they are related by providing an explicit correspondence between these two spaces, and show that they admit the same representation. Along the way we also prove some properties of the fractional Laplacian., Comment: 17 pages - some new references and comments have been added

We study properties of inner and outer functions in the Hardy space of the quaternionic unit ball. In particular, we give sufficient conditions as well as necessary ones for functions to be inner or outer.

In this paper we characterize the closed invariant subspaces for the ($*$-)multiplier operator of the quaternionic space of slice $L^2$ functions. As a consequence, we obtain the inner-outer factorization theorem for the quaternionic Hardy space on the unit ball and we provide a characterization of quaternionic outer functions in terms of cyclicity., Comment: 19 pages. Typos fixed and minor changes