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Transition-metal dichalcogenides monolayers exhibit strong exciton resonances that enable intense light-matter interactions at room temperature (RT). However, the sensitivity of these materials to the surrounding environment and their intense interactions with the sustaining substrate result in the enhancement of excitonic losses through scattering, dissociation and defects formation, hindering their full potential for the excitation of optical nonlinearities in exciton-polariton platforms. From this point of view, the use of suspended monolayers holds the potential to completely eliminate substrate-induced losses, offering unique advantages for the investigation and exploitation of intrinsic electronic, mechanical, and optical properties of 2D materials based polaritonic systems, without any influence of proximity effects of all sort. In this work, we report a novel fabrication approach enabling the realization of a planar {\lambda}/2 microcavity filled with a suspended WS2 monolayer in its centre. In such a system, we experimentally demonstrate a 2-fold enhancement of the strong coupling at RT, due to reduced overall losses as compared to similar systems based on dielectric-filled microcavities. Moreover, as a result of minimized losses, spin-dependent polaritonic interactions in our platform are significantly amplified, leading to achievement of a record exciton interaction constant approaching the theoretically predicted value at RT, without making use of theoretical hypothesis on the effective polariton densities. This approach holds promises for pushing 2D materials-based polaritonic systems to their intrinsic limits, paving the way for the realization of novel polaritonic devices with superior performance.

We consider a counter--rotating torus orbiting a central Kerr black hole (\textbf{BH}) with dimensionless spin $a$, and its accretion flow into the \textbf{BH}, in an agglomerate of an outer counter--rotating torus and an inner co--rotating torus. This work focus is the analysis of the inter--disks inversion surfaces. Inversion surfaces are spacetime surfaces, defined by the condition $u^{\phi}=0$ on the flow torodial velocity, located out of the \textbf{BH} ergoregion, and totally embedding the \textbf{BH}. They emerge as a necessary condition, related to the spacetime frame--dragging, for the counter--rotating flows into the central Kerr \textbf{BH}. In our analysis we study the inversion surfaces of the Kerr spacetimes for the counter--rotating flow from the outer torus, impacting on the inner co--rotating disk. Being totally or partially embedded in (internal to) the inversion surfaces, the inner co--rotating torus (or jet) could be totally or in part ``shielded", respectively, from the impact with flow with $a u^{\phi}<0$. We prove that, in general, in the spacetimes with $a<0.551$ the co--rotating toroids are always external to the accretion flows inversion surfaces. For $0.5510.886$, a co--rotating torus could be entirely embedded in the inversion surface and, for larger spins, it is internal to the inversion surfaces. Tori orbiting in the \textbf{BH} outer ergoregion are a particular case. Further constraints on the \textbf{BHs} spins are discussed in the article., Comment: 28 pages, 19 figures, 3 tables. To appear in EPJC

Recently, new exploratory channels have opened up for the physics of highly compact objects, such as gravitational waves and black hole shadows. Moreover, more precise analysis and observations are now possible in the physics of accretion around compact objects. These advancements provide in particular an unprecedented insight into the physics near the horizons of a black hole. In this work we focus on the shadow boundary of a Kerr black hole, introducing observables related to special null orbits, called horizons replicas, solutions of the shadow edge equations which are related to particular photon orbits, defined by constraints on their impact parameter, carrying information about the angular momentum of the central spinning object. These orbits are related to particular regions on the shadow boundary and might be used to determine the spin of the black hole. The results provide the conditions by which horizon replicas are imprinted in the black hole shadow profile, in dependence on the black hole dimensionless spin and observational angle, providing eventually new templates for the future observations., Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures. To appear in NPB

Detections of fast X-ray transients (FXTs) have been accrued over the last few decades. However, their origin has remained mysterious. There is now rapid progress thanks to timely discoveries and localisations with the Einstein Probe mission. Early results indicate that FXTs may frequently, but not always, be associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Here, we report on the multi-wavelength counterpart of FXT EP240414a, which has no reported gamma-ray counterpart. The transient is located 25.7~kpc in projection from a massive galaxy at $z=0.40$. We perform comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic follow-up. The optical light curve shows at least three distinct emission episodes with timescales of $\sim 1, 4$ and 15 days and peak absolute magnitudes of $M_R \sim -20$, $-21$, and $-19.5$, respectively. The optical spectrum at early times is extremely blue, inconsistent with afterglow emission. It may arise from the interaction of both jet and supernova shock waves with the stellar envelope and a dense circumstellar medium, as has been suggested for some Fast Blue Optical Transients (LFBOTs). At late times, the spectrum evolves to a broad-lined~Type~Ic supernova, similar to those seen in collapsar long-GRBs. This implies that the progenitor of EP240414a is a massive star creating a jet-forming supernova inside a dense envelope, resulting in an X-ray outburst with a luminosity of $\sim 10^{48}$ erg s$^{-1}$, and the complex observed optical/IR light curves. If correct, this argues for a causal link between the progenitors of long-GRBs, FXTs and LFBOTs., Comment: 36 pages, 13 figures, submitted to ApJ

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an innovative binary form of radiation therapy with high selectivity towards cancer tissue based on the neutron capture reaction 10B(n,$\alpha$)7Li, consisting in the exposition of patients to neutron beams after administration of a boron compound with preferential accumulation in cancer cells. The high linear energy transfer products of the ensuing reaction deposit their energy at cell level, sparing normal tissue. Although progress in accelerator-based BNCT has led to renewed interest in this cancer treatment modality, in vivo dose monitoring during treatment still remains not feasible and several approaches are under investigation. While Compton imaging presents various advantages over other imaging methods, it typically requires long reconstruction times, comparable with BNCT treatment duration. This study aims to develop deep neural network models to estimate the dose distribution by using a simulated dataset of BNCT Compton camera images. The models pursue the avoidance of the iteration time associated with the maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization algorithm (MLEM), enabling a prompt dose reconstruction during the treatment. The U-Net architecture and two variants based on the deep convolutional framelets framework have been used for noise and artifacts reduction in few-iterations reconstructed images, leading to promising results in terms of reconstruction accuracy and processing time., Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, preprint

Split-vacancy color centers in diamond are promising solid state platforms for the implementation of photonic quantum technologies. These luminescent defects are commonly fabricated upon low energy ion implantation and subsequent thermal annealing. Their technological uptake will require the availability of reliable methods for the controlled, large scale production of localized individual photon emitters. This task is partially achieved by controlled ion implantation to introduce selected impurities in the host material, and requires the development of challenging beam focusing or collimation procedures coupled with single-ion detection techniques. We report on protocol for the direct optical activation of split-vacancy color centers in diamond via localized processing with continuous wave laser at mW optical powers. We demonstrate the activation of photoluminescent Mg- and Sn-related centers at both the ensemble and single-photon emitter level in ion-implanted, high-purity diamond crystals without further thermal processing. The proposed lithographic method enables the activation of individual color centers at specific positions of a large area sample by means of a relatively inexpensive equipment offering the real-time, in situ monitoring of the process., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures

We consider a class of birth/death like process corresponding to coupled biochemical reactions and consider the problem of quantifying the variance of the molecular species in terms of the rates of the reactions. In particular, we address this problem in a configuration where a species is formed with a rate that depends nonlinearly on another spontaneously formed species. By making use of an appropriately formulated expansion based on the Newton series, in conjunction with spectral properties of the master equation, we derive an analytical expression that provides a hard bound for the variance. We show that this bound is exact when the propensities are linear, with numerical simulations demonstrating that this bound is also very close to the actual variance. An analytical expression for the covariance of the species is also derived., Comment: 19 pages, 2 figure one of which with 4 sub-figures

Amazon Echo is one of the most popular product families of smart speakers and displays. Considering their growing presence in modern households as well as the digital traces associated with residents' interactions with these devices, analyses of Echo products are likely to become more common for forensic investigators at "smart home" crime scenes. With this in mind, we present the first forensic examination of the Echo Show 15, Amazon's largest smart display running on Fire OS and the first Echo device with Visual ID, a face recognition feature. We unveil a non-invasive method for accessing the unencrypted file system of the Echo Show 15 based on an undocumented pinout for the eMMC interface which we discovered on the main logic board. On the device, we identify various local usage artifacts, such as searched products, streamed movies, visited websites, metadata of photos and videos as well as logged events of Visual ID about movements and users detected by the built-in camera. Furthermore, we utilize an insecurely stored token on the Echo Show 15 to obtain access to remote user artifacts in Amazon's cloud, including Alexa voice requests, calendars, contacts, conversations, photos, and videos. In this regard, we also identify new Amazon APIs through network traffic analysis of two companion apps, namely Alexa and Photos. Overall, in terms of practical relevance, our findings demonstrate a non-destructive way of data acquisition for Echo Show 15 devices as well as how to lift the scope of forensic traces from local artifacts on the device to remote artifacts stored in the cloud., Comment: Digital Forensics Research Conference USA (DFRWS USA 2024), https://dfrws.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dfrws-usa-2024-echo-show-15.pdf

We consider a network of identical agents, coupled through linear asymmetric coupling. An important case is when each agent has an asymptotically stable periodic orbit, so that the full network inherits a synchronous periodic orbit, but also chaotic trajectories are of interest. In this work, we will restrict to "nearest-neighbor" type of couplings. The Master Stability Function (MSF) is a powerful tool to establish local stability of the synchronous orbit, in particular a negative MSF implies asymptotic stability. But not every network structure gives a negative MSF. Moreover, there are many situations where in order to obtain a negative MSF, symmetric networks need a coupling strength so large, that the model bears little physical interest. We make two main contributions: (i) Given a tridiagonal nearest neighbor topology, we show how it is possible to choose appropriate coupling so that the synchronous orbit is stable, and (ii) we show that this stability comes without the need of a large coupling strength if the structure is not symmetric. Our construction is based on solving inverse eigenvalue problems. We will see that the coupling of the agents cannot always be chosen to be symmetric so that the underlying graph structure is that of a directed graph with edges having different weights. We provide numerical implementation of our technique on networks of van der Pol and of chaotic R\"ossler oscillators, where the standard symmetric nearest neighbor coupling fails to give stability of the synchronous orbit., Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures

Gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic known explosions. Despite fading rapidly, they allow to measure redshift and important properties of their host-galaxies. We report the photometric and spectroscopic study of GRB 160203A and its host-galaxy. Fine-structure absorption lines, detected in the afterglow at different epochs, allow us to investigate variability due to the strong fading background source. We obtained two optical to near-infrared spectra of the afterglow with X-shooter on ESO/VLT, 18 min and 5.7 hrs after the burst, allowing us to investigate temporal changes of fine-structure absorption lines. We measured HI column density log N(HI/cm-2)=21.75+/-0.10, and several heavy-element ions along the GRB sight-line in the host-galaxy: SiII,AlII,AlIII,CII,NiII,SiIV,CIV,ZnII,FeII, and FeII and SiII fine structure transitions from energetic levels excited by the afterglow, at a redshift z=3.518. We measured [M/H]TOT=-0.78+/-0.13 and [Zn/Fe]FIT=0.69+/-0.15, representing the total(dust-corrected) metallicity and dust depletion, respectively. We detected additional intervening systems along the line of sight at z=1.03,z=1.26,z=1.98,z=1.99,z=2.20 and z=2.83. We could not measure significant variability in the fine-structure lines throughout all the observations and determined an upper limit for the GRB distance from the absorber of d<300 pc, adopting the canonical UV pumping scenario. However, we note that the quality of our data is not sufficient to conclusively rule out collisions as an alternative mechanism. GRB 160203A belongs to a growing sample of GRBs with medium resolution spectroscopy, provided by the Swift/X-shooter legacy program, which enables detailed investigation of the interstellar medium in high-redshift GRB host-galaxies. In particular, this host galaxy shows relatively high metal enrichment and dust depletion already in place when the universe was only 1.8 Gyr old., Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, 2 appendices, A&A accepted

Long GRB hosts at z<1 are usually low-mass, low metallicity star-forming galaxies. Here we present the until now most detailed, spatially resolved study of the host of GRB 171205A, a grand-design barred spiral galaxy at z=0.036. Our analysis includes MUSE integral field spectroscopy, complemented by high spatial resolution UV/VIS HST imaging and CO(1-0) and HI 21cm data. The GRB is located in a small star-forming region in a spiral arm of the galaxy at a deprojected distance of ~ 8 kpc from the center. The galaxy shows a smooth negative metallicity gradient and the metallicity at the GRB site is half solar, slightly below the mean metallicity at the corresponding distance from the center. Star formation in this galaxy is concentrated in a few HII regions between 5-7 kpc from the center and at the end of the bar, inwards of the GRB region, however, the HII region hosting the GRB is in the top 10% of regions with highest specific star-formation rate. The stellar population at the GRB site has a very young component (< 5 Myr) contributing a significant part of the light. Ionized and molecular gas show only minor deviations at the end of the bar. A parallel study found an asymmetric HI distribution and some additional gas near the position of the GRB, which might explain the star-forming region of the GRB site. Our study shows that long GRBs can occur in many types of star-forming galaxies, however, the actual GRB sites consistently have low metallicity, high star formation and a young population. Furthermore, gas inflow or interactions triggering the star formation producing the GRB progenitor might not be evident in ionized or even molecular gas but only in HI., Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures, Appendix with additional figures, A&A under revision

We examine the shadow cast by a Kerr black hole, focusing on constraints on photons corresponding to different shadow boundaries. The photons are related to different orbital ranges and impact parameter values, creating a map of the shadow boundaries. Our analysis fixes also the conditions under which it is possible to observe an "imprint" of the black hole (outer) ergosurface and (outer) ergoregion on the Kerr black hole shadow boundary. The counter-rotating case resulted strongly constrained with respect to the co-rotating case, constituting a remarkable and significant difference where the counter-rotating component associated with the shadow boundary is strongly distinct from the co-rotating one. However, in this framework, even the co-rotating photons imply restrictions on conditions on the spins and planes, which are bounded by limiting values. We believe the results found here, being a tracer for the central black hole, can constitute new templates for the ongoing observations., Comment: 25 pages; 24 multi-panel figure, to appear in EPJP

The nature of the minute-to-hour long Fast X-ray Transients (FXTs) localised by telescopes such as Chandra, Swift, and XMM-Newton remains mysterious, with numerous models suggested for the events. Here, we report multi-wavelength observations of EP240315a, a 1600 s long transient detected by the Einstein Probe, showing it to have a redshift of z=4.859. We measure a low column density of neutral hydrogen, indicating that the event is embedded in a low-density environment, further supported by direct detection of leaking ionising Lyman-continuum. The observed properties are consistent with EP240315a being a long-duration gamma-ray burst, and these observations support an interpretation in which a significant fraction of the FXT population are lower-luminosity examples of similar events. Such transients are detectable at high redshifts by the Einstein Probe and, in the (near) future, out to even larger distances by SVOM, THESEUS, and Athena, providing samples of events into the epoch of reionisation., Comment: 41 pages, 7 figures, submitted

Modern eBike on-board computers are basically small PCs that not only offer motor control, navigation, and performance monitoring, but also store lots of sensitive user data. The Bosch Nyon series of board computers are cutting-edge devices from one of the market leaders in the eBike business, which is why they are especially interesting for forensics. Therefore, we conducted an in-depth forensic analysis of the two available Nyon models released in 2014 and 2021. On a first-generation Nyon device, Telnet access could be established by abusing a design flaw in the update procedure, which allowed the acquisition of relevant data without risking damage to the hardware. Besides the user's personal information, the data analysis revealed databases containing user activities, including timestamps and GPS coordinates. Furthermore, it was possible to forge the data on the device and transfer it to Bosch's servers to be persisted across their online service and smartphone app. On a current second-generation Nyon device, no software-based access could be obtained. For this reason, more intrusive hardware-based options were considered, and the data could be extracted via chip-off eventually. Despite encryption, the user data could be accessed and evaluated. Besides location and user information, the newer model holds even more forensically relevant data, such as nearby Bluetooth devices., Comment: In: Proceedings of the Digital Forensics Research Conference EU (DFRWS EU). 2024

This paper introduces a novel computer-assisted method for detecting and constructively proving the existence of cusp bifurcations in differential equations. The approach begins with a two-parameter continuation along which a tool based on the theory of Poincar\'e index is employed to identify the presence of a cusp bifurcation. Using the approximate cusp location, Newton's method is then applied to a given augmented system (the cusp map), yielding a more precise numerical approximation of the cusp. Through a successful application of a Newton-Kantorovich type theorem, we establish the existence of a non-degenerate zero of the cusp map in the vicinity of the numerical approximation. Employing a Gershgorin circles argument, we then prove that exactly one eigenvalue of the Jacobian matrix at the cusp candidate has zero real part, thus rigorously confirming the presence of a cusp bifurcation. Finally, by incorporating explicit control over the cusp's location, a rigorous enclosure for the normal form coefficient is obtained, providing the explicit dynamics on the center manifold at the cusp. We show the effectiveness of this method by applying it to four distinct models.

The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) is a key period of cosmological history in which the intergalactic medium (IGM) underwent a major phase change from being neutral to almost completely ionized. Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are luminous and unique probes of their environments that can be used to study the timeline for the progression of the EoR. Here we present a detailed analysis of the ESO Very Large Telescope X-shooter spectrum of GRB 210905A, which resides at a redshift of z ~ 6.3. We focus on estimating the fraction of neutral hydrogen, xHI, on the line of sight to the host galaxy of GRB 210905A by fitting the shape of the Lyman-alpha damping wing of the afterglow spectrum. The X-shooter spectrum has a high signal to noise ratio, but the complex velocity structure of the host galaxy limits the precision of our conclusions. The statistically preferred model suggests a low neutral fraction with an 3-sigma upper limit of xHI < 0.15, indicating that the IGM around the GRB host galaxy is mostly ionized. We discuss complications in current analyses and potential avenues for future studies of the progression of the EoR and its evolution with redshift., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Comparing different dark matter (DM) models, we explore the DM influence on black hole (BH) accretion disk physics, considering corotating and counterrotating thick accretion tori orbiting a central spinning BH. Our results identify accretion onto a central BH as a good indicator of DM presence, signaling possible DM tracers in accretion physics. We analyze accretion around a spinning BH immersed in perfect-fluid dark matter, cold dark matter and scalar field dark matter. Our investigation addresses observational evidence of distinctive DM effects on toroidal accretion disks and protojet configurations, proving that BH accretion tori immersed in DM can present characteristics, such as interdisk cusp or double tori, which have usually been considered as tracers for superspinars and naked singularity attractors. Therefore, in this context DM influence on the BH geometry could manifest as superspinar mimickers. DM also affects the central spinning attractor energetics associated with accretion physics, and its influence on accretion disks can be searched for in a variation of the central BH energetics as an increase of the mass accretion rates.

Long gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are produced by the collapse of some very massive stars, which emit ultra-relativistic jets. When the jets collide with the interstellar medium they decelerate and generate the so-called afterglow emission, which has been observed to be polarised. In this work we study the polarimetric evolution of GRB 210610B afterglow, at $z = 1.1341$. This allows to evaluate the role of geometric and/or magnetic mechanisms in the GRB afterglow polarisation. We observed GRB 210610B using imaging polarimetry with CAFOS on the 2.2 m Calar Alto Telescope and FORS2 on the 4 $\times$ 8.1 m Very Large Telescope. Complementary optical spectroscopy was obtained with OSIRIS on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias. We study the GRB light-curve from X-rays to optical bands and the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED). This allows us to strongly constrain the line-of-sight extinction. Finally, we study the GRB host galaxy using optical/NIR data to fit the SED and derive its integrated properties. GRB 210610B had a bright afterglow with a negligible line-of-sight extinction. Polarimetry was obtained at three epochs: during an early plateau phase, at the time when the light curve breaks, and after the light curve steepened. We observe an initial polarisation of $\sim 4\%$ that goes to zero at the time of the break, and then increases again to $\sim 2\%$ with a change of the position angle of $54 \pm 9$ deg. The spectrum show features with very low equivalent widths, indicating a small amount of material in the line-of-sight within the host. The lack of dust and the low amount of material on the line-of-sight to GRB 210610B allow us to study the intrinsic polarisation of the GRB optical afterglow. We find the GRB polarisation signals are consistent with ordered magnetic fields in refreshed shock or/and hydrodynamics-scale turbulent fields in the forward shock., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics 23 Feb 2024

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) studies the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP): a deconfined state of matter obtained in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. One of the probes for QGP study are quarkonia and open heavy flavour, of which ALICE exploits the muonic decay. A set of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs), placed in the forward rapidity region of the ALICE detector, is used for muon identification purposes. The correct operation of these detectors is ensured by the choice of the proper gas mixture. Currently they are operated with a mixture of C$_{2}$H$_{2}$F$_{4}$, i-C$_{4}$H$_{10}$ and SF$_{6}$ but, starting from 2017, new EU regulations have enforced a progressive phase-out of C$_{2}$H$_{2}$F$_{4}$ because of its large Global Warming Potential (GWP), making it difficult and costly to purchase. CERN asked LHC experiments to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, to which RPC operation contributes significantly. A possible candidate for C$_{2}$H$_{2}$F$_{4}$ replacement is the C$_{3}$H$_{2}$F$_{4}$ (diluted with other gases, such as CO$_{2}$), which has been extensively tested using cosmic rays. Promising gas mixtures have been devised; the next crucial steps are the detailed in-beam characterization of such mixtures as well as the study of their performance under increasing irradiation levels. This contribution will describe the methodology and results of beam tests carried out at the CERN GIF++ (equipped with a high activity $^{137}$Cs source and muon beam) with an ALICE-like RPC prototype, operated with several mixtures with varying proportions of CO$_{2}$, C$_{3}$H$_{2}$F$_{4}$, i-C$_{4}$H$_{10}$ and SF$_{6}$ . Absorbed currents, efficiencies, prompt charges, cluster sizes, time resolutions and rate capabilities will be presented, both from digitized (for detailed shape and charge analysis) and discriminated (using the same front-end electronics as employed in ALICE) signals.

Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) are gaseous detectors widely used in high energy physics experiments, operating with a gas mixture primarily containing Tetrafluoroethane (C$_{2}$H$_{2}$F$_{4}$), commonly known as R-134a, which has a global warming potential (GWP) of 1430. To comply with European regulations and explore environmentally friendly alternatives, the RPC EcoGas@GIF++ collaboration, involving ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, LHCb/SHiP, and EP-DT communities, has undertaken intensive R\&D efforts to explore new gas mixtures for RPC technology. A leading alternative under investigation is HFO1234ze, boasting a low GWP of 6 and demonstrating reasonable performance compared to R-134a. Over the past few years, RPC detectors with slightly different characteristics and electronics have been studied using HFO and CO$_{2}$-based gas mixtures at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility. An aging test campaign was launched in August 2022, and during the latest test beam in July 2023, all detector systems underwent evaluation. This contribution will report the results of the aging studies and the performance evaluations of the detectors with and without irradiation.

In this work we consider generic losses of rank for complex valued matrix functions depending on two parameters. We give theoretical results that characterize parameter regions where these losses of rank occur. Our main results consist in showing how following an appropriate smooth SVD along a closed loop it is possible to monitor the Berry phases accrued by the singular vectors to decide if -- inside the loop -- there are parameter values where a loss of rank takes place. It will be needed to use a new construction of a smooth SVD, which we call the "joint-MVD" (minimum variation decomposition)., Comment: 18 pages

Our analysis focus on the dragging effects on the accretion flows and jet emission in Kerr super-spinars. These attractors are characterized by peculiar accretion structures as double tori, or special dragged tori in the ergoregion, produced by the balance of the hydrodynamic and centrifugal forces and also effects of super-spinars repulsive gravity. We investigate the accretion flows, constituted by particles and photons, from toroids orbiting a central Kerr super-spinar. As results of our analysis, in both accretion and jet flows, properties characterizing these geometries, that constitute possible strong observational signatures or these attractors, are highlighted. We found that the flow is characterized by closed surfaces, defining inversion coronas (spherical shell), with null the particles flow toroidal velocity ($u^\phi=0$) embedding the central singularity. We proved that this region distinguishes proto-jets and accretion driven flows, co-rotating and counter-rotating flows. Therefore in both cases the flow carries information about the accretion structures around the central attractor, demonstrating that inversion points can constitute an observational aspect capable of distinguishing the super-spinars., Comment: 34 pages 29 multipanels figures, 3 Tables

In this chapter, we study special photon orbits defined by means of Killing vectors and present a framework based on the properties of such null orbits. For concreteness, we restrict ourselves to the case of axially symmetric spacetimes describing either black holes with Killing horizons or naked singularities. The null-orbits framework is then applied to analyze properties of naked singularities and concepts of black hole thermodynamics., Comment: 37 pages, 7 figures multi-panel

We study the accretion flows towards a central Kerr super-spinning attractor, discussing the formation of the flow inversion points, defined by condition $u^{\phi}=0$ on the particles flow axial velocity. We locate two closed surfaces, defining \emph{inversion coronas} (spherical shells), surrounding the central attractor. The coronas analysis highlights observational aspects distinguishing the central attractors and providing indications on their spin and the orbiting fluids. The inversion corona is a closed region, generally of small extension and thickness, which is for the counter-rotating flows of the order of $\lesssim 1.4 M$ (central attractor mass) on the vertical rotational axis. There are no co-rotating inversion points (from co-rotating flows). The results point to strong signatures of the Kerr super-spinars, provided in both accretion and jet flows. With very narrow thickness, and varying little with the fluid initial conditions and the emission process details, inversion coronas can have remarkable observational significance for primordial Kerr super-spinars predicted by string theory. The corona region closest to the central attractor is the most observably recognizable and active part, distinguishing black holes solutions from super-spinars. Our analysis expounds the Lense--Thirring effects and repulsive gravity effects in the super-spinning ergoregions., Comment: 21 pages;16 figures multipanels; 1 Table. To appear in EPJC

The existence of a secondary (in addition to compact object mergers) source of heavy element ($r$-process) nucleosynthesis, the core-collapse of rapidly-rotating and highly-magnetized massive stars, has been suggested by both simulations and indirect observational evidence. Here, we probe a predicted signature of $r$-process enrichment, a late-time ($\gtrsim 40$ days post-burst) distinct red color, in observations of GRB-supernovae (GRB-SNe) which are linked to these massive star progenitors. We present optical to near-IR color measurements of four GRB-SNe at $z \lesssim 0.4$, extending out to $> 500$ days post-burst, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and large-aperture ground-based telescopes. Comparison of our observations to models indicates that GRBs 030329, 100316D and 130427A are consistent with both no enrichment and producing $0.01 - 0.15 M_{\odot}$ of $r$-process material if there is a low amount of mixing between the inner $r$-process ejecta and outer SN layers. GRB 190829A is not consistent with any models with $r$-process enrichment $\geq 0.01 M_{\odot}$. Taken together the sample of GRB-SNe indicates color diversity at late times. Our derived yields from GRB-SNe may be underestimated due to $r$-process material hidden in the SN ejecta (potentially due to low mixing fractions) or the limits of current models in measuring $r$-process mass. We conclude with recommendations for future search strategies to observe and probe the full distribution of $r$-process produced by GRB-SNe., Comment: Resubmission after comments. Accepted to ApJ. 36 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables

Results obtained by the RPC ECOgas@GIF++ Collaboration, using Resistive Plate Chambers operated with new, eco-friendly gas mixtures, based on Tetrafluoropropene and carbon dioxide, are shown and discussed in this paper. Tests aimed to assess the performance of this kind of detectors in high-irradiation conditions, analogous to the ones foreseen for the coming years at the Large Hadron Collider experiments, were performed, and demonstrate a performance basically similar to the one obtained with the gas mixtures currently in use, based on Tetrafluoroethane, which is being progressively phased out for its possible contribution to the greenhouse effect. Long term aging tests are also being carried out, with the goal to demonstrate the possibility of using these eco-friendly gas mixtures during the whole High Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider., Comment: Submitted to European Physical Journal C on October 24, 2023, 15 pages, 14 figures

Given a set of $n$ distinct real numbers, our goal is to form a symmetric, unreduced, tridiagonal, matrix with those numbers as eigenvalues. We give an algorithm which is a stable implementation of a naive algorithm forming the characteristic polynomial and then using a technique of Schmeisser., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure

Single-photon emitters (SPEs) within wide-bandgap materials represent an appealing platform for the development of single-photon sources operating at room temperatures. Group III- nitrides have previously been shown to host efficient SPEs which are attributed to deep energy levels within the large bandgap of the material, in a way that is similar to extensively investigated colour centres in diamond. Anti-bunched emission from defect centres within gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminium nitride (AlN) have been recently demonstrated. While such emitters are particularly interesting due to the compatibility of III-nitrides with cleanroom processes, the nature of such defects and the optimal conditions for forming them are not fully understood. Here, we investigate Al implantation on a commercial AlN epilayer through subsequent steps of thermal annealing and confocal microscopy measurements. We observe a fluence-dependent increase in the density of the emitters, resulting in creation of ensembles at the maximum implantation fluence. Annealing at 600 {\deg}C results in the optimal yield in SPEs formation at the maximum fluence, while a significant reduction in SPE density is observed at lower fluences. These findings suggest that the mechanism of vacancy formation plays a key role in the creation of the emitters, and open new perspectives in the defect engineering of SPEs in solid state., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures

Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are promising systems for quantum technologies, including quantum metrology and sensing. A promising strategy for the achievement of high sensitivity to external fields relies on the exploitation of large ensembles of NV centers, whose fabrication by ion implantation is upper limited by the amount of radiation damage introduced in the diamond lattice. In this works we demonstrate an approach to increase the density of NV centers upon the high-fluence implantation of MeV N2+ ions on a hot target substrate (>550 {\deg}C). Our results show that, with respect to room-temperature implantation, the high-temperature process increases the vacancy density threshold required for the irreversible conversion of diamond to a graphitic phase, thus enabling to achieve higher density ensembles. Furthermore, the formation efficiency of color centers was investigated on diamond substrates implanted at varying temperatures with MeV N2+ and Mg+ ions revealing that the formation efficiency of both NV centers and magnesium-vacancy (MgV) centers increases with the implantation temperature., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures

Much of what is known of the chemical composition of the universe is based on emission line spectra from star forming galaxies. Emission-based inferences are, nevertheless, model-dependent and they are dominated by light from luminous star forming regions. An alternative and sensitive probe of the metallicity of galaxies is through absorption lines imprinted on the luminous afterglow spectra of long gamma ray bursts (GRBs) from neutral material within their host galaxy. We present results from a JWST/NIRSpec programme to investigate for the first time the relation between the metallicity of neutral gas probed in absorption by GRB afterglows and the metallicity of the star forming regions for the same host galaxy sample. Using an initial sample of eight GRB host galaxies at z=2.1-4.7, we find a tight relation between absorption and emission line metallicities when using the recently proposed $\hat{R}$ metallicity diagnostic (+/-0.2dex). This agreement implies a relatively chemically-homogeneous multi-phase interstellar medium, and indicates that absorption and emission line probes can be directly compared. However, the relation is less clear when using other diagnostics, such as R23 and R3. We also find possible evidence of an elevated N/O ratio in the host galaxy of GRB090323 at z=3.58, consistent with what has been seen in other $z>4$ galaxies. Ultimate confirmation of an enhanced N/O ratio and of the relation between absorption and emission line metallicities will require a more direct determination of the emission line metallicity via the detection of temperature-sensitive auroral lines in our GRB host galaxy sample., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 24 pages, 15 figures

The last decade's market has been characterized by wearable devices, mainly smartwatches, edge, and cloud computing. A possible application of these technologies is to improve the safety of dangerous activities, especially driving motor vehicles. Common enabling technologies, such as system-on-chip, ultra-low-power computational platforms, and wide-band wireless connectivity, push all these trends. On the one hand, wearable devices, thanks to the continuous contact with the user's body, can measure physiological parameters. On the other hand, edge computing and machine learning techniques, alongside cameras, allow the implementation of contactless computer vision systems capable of providing information about the user's current behavior. Another trend is the usage of RADARs in automotive applications, both for collision avoidance and monitoring driver behavior. These technologies can be combined to develop systems designed to aid the driver. For the sake of this paper, we are focusing on warning drivers, allowing them to know whenever they are drowsy and hence risking a sleep onset or are not paying attention to the road. Developing such systems poses many challenges, such as automatic classification of physiological signal patterns, facial expression recognition, head movements and eye gaze detection. These challenges have been individually addressed in the literature. Anyway, we noticed a need for more description on implementing data fusion. Two main reasons for adopting the fusion approach are to improve the quality of the overall representation (increasing accuracy and specificity against drowsy) and make a more reliable system due to redundancy., Comment: Accepted for presentation at the CPS workshop 2023 (http://www.cpsschool.eu/cps-workshop)

Context: GRB 211106A and GRB 211227A are recent gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with initial X-ray positions suggesting associations with nearby galaxies (z < 0.7). Their prompt emission characteristics indicate GRB 211106A is a short-duration GRB and GRB 211227A is a short GRB with extended emission, likely originating from compact binary mergers. However, classifying solely based on prompt emission can be misleading. Aims: These short GRBs in the local Universe offer opportunities to search for associated kilonova (KN) emission and study host galaxy properties in detail. Methods: We conducted deep optical and NIR follow-up using ESO-VLT FORS2, HAWK-I, and MUSE for GRB 211106A, and ESO-VLT FORS2 and X-Shooter for GRB 211227A, starting shortly after the X-ray afterglow detection. We performed photometric analysis to look for afterglow and KN emissions associated with the bursts, along with host galaxy imaging and spectroscopy. Optical/NIR results were compared with Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and other high-energy data. Results: For both GRBs we placed deep limits to the optical/NIR afterglow and KN emission. Host galaxies were identified: GRB 211106A at photometric z = 0.64 and GRB 211227A at spectroscopic z = 0.228. Host galaxy properties aligned with typical short GRB hosts. We also compared the properties of the bursts with the S-BAT4 sample to further examined the nature of these events. Conclusions: Study of prompt and afterglow phases, along with host galaxy analysis, confirms GRB 211106A as a short GRB and GRB 211227A as a short GRB with extended emission. The absence of optical/NIR counterparts is likely due to local extinction for GRB 211106A and a faint kilonova for GRB 211227A., Comment: Accepted to A&A on 08 August 2023, 21 pages, 24 figures