What do you do here at Wright Lab?
I work on neutrino physics in Bonnie Fleming’s group. I specialize in particle detector R&D, in particular noble liquid Time Projection Chambers (TPCs). My work focuses on the next generation neutrino beam experiments such as SBND and DUNE, for which I am the coordinator at Yale. Also, we perform many hardware activities in our local laboratory. Currently, we are building a Liquid Argon TPC (LArTPC) system, in which we will use pixels to readout the charge. This is a novel, promising way for charge readout in LAr and it will be used for one of DUNE’s near detectors. Pixels are native 3D and provide the full set of spatial variables (x,y,z) for each electron drifting in the detector’s volume, rather than a set of 2D projections typical of wires planes and strips.
What is the most unique and/or exciting experience you’ve had here at Wright Lab?
Wright Lab has great instrumentation capabilities, thanks to its high level workshops and prototyping labs, and this is something I like. But the unique experience of working here is the very active department life. A lot of occasions to chat with colleagues, exchange opinion and experiences, to attend many interesting talks, having coffee or lunch with other people. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has strongly reduced this for the last 2 years, but we are slowly getting back to normal, hopefully.
What are you looking forward to in the coming year at Wright Lab?
It is an exciting moment for neutrino physics. MicroBooNE results have been released in the past weeks, and we are installing the SBND Field Cage, which will be completed in March 2022. After that, the detector will be lowered in the cryostat and undergo commissioning. Then, the data taking should start within the end of the next year. Also, the DUNE project is ramping up; we are involved both in the Near and Far detector, and we will have many activities on both sides happening here at Wright Lab next year.
What is something that people might not know about you that you’d like to share with the community?
Sport has been an important part of my life. I am a karate black belt and I played volleyball for many years. Before moving to the U.S., I used to be a volleyball coach. In particular, in Italy I coached teams at high level such as national B league. Also, I like riding my motorcycle and sailing. I plan one day to have my own sailboat for going around the world with my son Liam and my wife Natalia.
