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Investigation at a φ -factory can shed light on several debated issues in particle physics. We discuss: (i) recent theoretical development and experimental progress in kaon physics relevant for the Standard Model tests in the flavor sector, (ii) the sensitivity we can reach in probing CPT and Quantum Mechanics from time evolution of entangled-kaon states, (iii) the interest for improving on the present measurements of non-leptonic and radiative decays of kaons and η / η ′ mesons, (iv) the contribution to understand the nature of light scalar mesons, and (v) the opportunity to search for narrow di-lepton resonances suggested by recent models proposing a hidden dark-matter sector. We also report on the e + e − physics in the continuum with the measurements of (multi)hadronic cross sections and the study of γ γ processes.

The final analysis of atmospheric neutrino events collected with the MACRO detector is presented. Three different classes of events, generated by neutrinos in different energy ranges, are studied looking at rates, angular distributions and estimated energies. The results are consistent for all the subsamples and indicate a flux deficit that depends on energy and path-length of neutrinos. The no-oscillation hypothesis is excluded at \\(\\sim 5\\sigma\\), while the hypothesis of \\(\\nu_\\mu \\to \\nu_\\tau\\) oscillation gives a satisfactory description of all data. The parameters with highest probability in a two flavor scenario are \\(\\sin^2 2\\theta_m = 1\\) and \\(\\Delta m^2 = 0.0023 \\textrm{eV}^2\\). This result is independent of the absolute normalization of the atmospheric neutrino fluxes. The data can also be used to put experimental constrain on this normalization.

Nuclear fragmentation processes are relevant in different fields of basic research and applied physics and are of particular interest for tumor therapy and for space radiation protection applications. The FIRST (Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy) experiment at SIS accelerator of GSI laboratory in Darmstadt, has been designed for the measurement of different ions fragmentation cross sections at different energies between 100 and 1000 MeV/nucleon. The experiment is performed by an international collaboration made of institutions from Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The experimental apparatus is partly based on an already existing setup made of the ALADIN magnet, the MUSIC IV TPC, the LAND2 neutron detector and the TOFWALL scintillator TOF system, integrated with newly designed detectors in the interaction Region (IR) around the carbon removable target: a scintillator Start Counter, a Beam Monitor drift chamber, a silicon Vertex Detector and a Proton Tagger for detection of light fragments emitted at large angles (KENTROS). The scientific program of the FIRST experiment started on summer 2011 with the study of the 400 MeV/nucleon 12C beam fragmentation on thin (8mm) carbon target.

The interaction of a Grand Unification Magnetic Monopole with a nucleon can lead to a barion-number violating process in which the nucleon decays into a lepton and one or more mesons (catalysis of nucleon decay). In this paper we report an experimental study of the effects of a catalysis process in the MACRO detector. Using a dedicated analysis we obtain new magnetic monopole (MM) flux upper limits at the level of \\(\\char1263\\cdot 10^{-16} cm^{-2} s^{-1} sr^{-1}\\) for \\(1.1\\cdot 10^{-4} \\le \\vert\\beta\\vert \\le 5\\cdot 10^{-3}\\), based on the search for catalysis events in the MACRO data. We also analyze the dependence of the MM flux limit on the catalysis cross section.

We present the final results of the search for stellar gravitational collapses obtained by the MACRO experiment. The detector was active for a stellar collapse search for more than 11 years and it was sensitive to collapses occurring all over in our galaxy for 8.6 years. A real time system for a prompt recognition of neutrino bursts was developed and was operating on-line for almost the whole life of the experiment. No signal compatible with a neutrino burst from a galactic supernova was observed.

Hadrontherapy is an emerging technique in cancer therapy that uses beams of charged particles. To meet the improved capability of hadrontherapy in matching the dose release with the cancer position, new dose monitoring techniques need to be developed and introduced into clinical use. The measurement of the fluxes of the secondary particles produced by the hadron beam is of fundamental importance in the design of any dose monitoring device and is eagerly needed to tune Monte Carlo simulations. We report the measurements done with charged secondary particles produced from the interaction of a 80 MeV/u fully stripped carbon ion beam at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania, with a Poly-methyl methacrylate target. Charged secondary particles, produced at 90\\(\\degree\\) with respect to the beam axis, have been tracked with a drift chamber, while their energy and time of flight has been measured by means of a LYSO scintillator. Secondary protons have been identified exploiting the energy and time of flight information, and their emission region has been reconstructed backtracking from the drift chamber to the target. Moreover a position scan of the target indicates that the reconstructed emission region follows the movement of the expected Bragg peak position. Exploting the reconstruction of the emission region, an accuracy on the Bragg peak determination in the submillimeter range has been obtained. The measured differential production rate for protons produced with \\(E^{\\rm Prod}_{\\rm kin} >\\) 83 MeV and emitted at 90\\(\\degree\\) with respect to the beam line is: \\(dN_{\\rm P}/(dN_{\\rm C}d\\Omega)(E^{\\rm Prod}_{\\rm kin} > 83 {\\rm ~MeV}, \\theta=90\\degree)= (2.69\\pm 0.08_{\\rm stat} \\pm 0.12_{\\rm sys})\\times 10^{-4} sr^{-1}\\).

Proton and carbon ion therapy is an emerging technique used for the treatment of solid cancers. The monitoring of the dose delivered during such treatments and the on-line knowledge of the Bragg peak position is still a matter of research. A possible technique exploits the collinear \\(511\\ \\kilo\\electronvolt\\) photons produced by positrons annihilation from \\(\\beta^+\\) emitters created by the beam. This paper reports rate measurements of the \\(511\\ \\kilo\\electronvolt\\) photons emitted after the interactions of a \\(80\\ \\mega\\electronvolt / u\\) fully stripped carbon ion beam at the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) of INFN, with a Poly-methyl methacrylate target. The time evolution of the \\(\\beta^+\\) rate was parametrized and the dominance of \\(^{11}C\\) emitters over the other species (\\(^{13}N\\), \\(^{15}O\\), \\(^{14}O\\)) was observed, measuring the fraction of carbon ions activating \\(\\beta^+\\) emitters \\(A_0=(10.3\\pm0.7)\\cdot10^{-3}\\). The average depth in the PMMA of the positron annihilation from \\(\\beta^+\\) emitters was also measured, \\(D_{\\beta^+}=5.3\\pm1.1\\ \\milli\\meter\\), to be compared to the expected Bragg peak depth \\(D_{Bragg}=11.0\\pm 0.5\\ \\milli\\meter\\) obtained from simulations.

Proton and carbon ion therapy is an emerging technique used for the treatment of solid cancers. The monitoring of the dose delivered during such treatments is still a matter of research. A possible technique exploits the information provided by single photon emission from nuclear decays induced by the irradiation. This paper reports the measurements of the spectrum and rate of such photons produced from the interaction of a 80 MeV/u fully stripped carbon ion beam at the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of INFN, Catania, with a Poly-methyl methacrylate target. The differential production rate for photons with energy E > 2 MeV and emitted at 90 degree is found to be \\(dN_{\\gamma}/(dN_C d\\Omega)=(2.92\\pm 0.19)\\times 10^{-2}\\)sr\\(^{-1}\\).

The existence of a secluded gauge sector could explain several puzzling astrophysical observations. This hypothesis can be tested at low energy e+e- colliders such as DAPHNE. Preliminary results obtained with KLOE data and perpectives for the KLOE-2 run, where a larger data sample is expected, are discussed.