Education

June 2007

EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland - PhD

Electrostatic instabilities and turbulence in a toroidal magnetized plasma

Advisor: Prof. Ambrogio Fasoli.

04/1998 – 03/1999

University of Padova, Italy

Post graduate Master in Plasma physics and fusion engineering

University “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy - Laurea in Fisica

“Effect of stellar evolution on the integrated light of old stellar populations”
advisor: Prof. V. Castellani

Reconstruction of the HR diagram of old globular clusters, including a parametric estimate of the light integrated during advanced stellar stages and of the mass loss at the end of the Red Giant Branch.

Research

09/2007 - 08/2010

CRPP-EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland. PhD assistant

Experimental activity in the TORPEX group – design and realization of electrostatic probes for the measurement of density and potential fluctuations. Mainly involved in the measurement and analysis of fluctuations. Identification of the nature of instabilities generated in inhomogeneous plasmas embedded in curved magnetic fields. Experimental characterization of the linear and nonlinear properties of instabilities and comparison with theory. Investigation of the saturation mechanism and transition to turbulence, effect of magnetic configuration and plasma parameters on the properties of the instabilities. Specific competences acquired: conventional (Fourier) and non-conventional (wavelets) spectral analysis, cross-correlation techniques. Linear and nonlinear spectral techniques based on two-point measurements for the estimate of the dispersion relation and the nonlinear transfer function.

EURATOM-ENEA Association, FTU, Frascati, Italy. Fellowship

Involved in the operation of the neutron and gamma ray diagnostics. Study of generation and dynamics of runaway electrons in ohmic and heated discharges and during disruptions. Active in the Task Force “High Density and confinement” and in the Topic Group “Transport and Data validation”. International collaboration (ENEA-PTB-JET) for the realization of an NE213 spectrometer for the measurement of neutron spectra with high temporal resolution.

RFX, Padova, Italy. Fellowship
Analysis of trajectory deflections and penetration depth of pellets injected in plasmas with RFP configuration.

Undergraduate Research

University “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy.

Solar spectroscopy. Measurement of the solar gravitational redshift effect.

Visiting student at the Astronomical Observatory Teramo, Italy (summer 1996, summer 1997).