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04/07/2025 - SapienzaTerahertz at EBSA Annual Meeting in Rome 30 June - 04 July, 2025.
Dr. T. Mancini has discussed the experimental results obtained in the framework of her PhD mobility project in collaboration with University of Graz (Austria). Data concern the development of a new and ultrasensitive optical infrared biosensor for monitoring airborne pathogens. The work received the Best Poster Award at EBSA 2025 with a poster entitled "Optical sensing and structural investigation of mutants SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins via infrared spectroscopy coupled with MOF-based sensor platform ".
07/05/2025 - Minerva Prize is awarded annually by the Roma Sapienza Foundation, in agreement with Sapienza University of Rome, to PhD students and PhD graduates whose scientific activities significantly contribute to the advancement of research in their respective fields, for each macroarea.
Dr. Tiziana Mancini, PhD in Physics (37th cycle) and research fellow at SapienzaTerahertz Laboratories, was awarded Minerva Prize for Scientific Research, V Edition (May 7, 2025), in Macroarea A, in the PhD student category. Dr. Mancini received the award for her interdisciplinary and highly technological research and results in the field of IR spectroscopy applied to the development of new, and highly sensitive sensor systems for the detection and automatic discrimination/recognition of chemical and viral contaminants.
link: https://www.phys.uniroma1.it/it/minerva-prize-scientific-research-awarded-tiziana-mancini
30/04/2025 - Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is a significant public health and workplace safety issue. While several gold-standard analytical techniques exist for VOC detection, most of them work ex-situ and often lack sufficient sensitivity and molecular chemical specificity.
Recently we developed an ultrasensitive approach for detecting and analyzing toxic VOCs in workplaces by combining Infrared (IR) spectroscopy with Machine Learning (ML) models. Focusing on six aromatic VOCs, we produce a fully comprehensive gas-phase IR spectral database further introducing, for the first time, universal IR calibration curves. Through these, ML-based system enables automatic, real-time detection of VOCs at concentrations below 1 ppm, supporting long-term exposure monitoring, and identifying multiple gases simultaneously present in atmosphere. This research was carried out by the SapienzaTerahertz group in collaboration with INFN, INAIL, and University of Roma Tre, and published on Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering.
15/01/2025 - Dr. Annalisa D'Arco successfully defended her PhD thesis in Physics entitled "Optical Applications of Terahertz/Infrared Spectroscopy for the Detection of Biomolecules". The entire work was highly evaluated by the examination committee, with a final grade of Excellent with Honors. This is Dr. D'Arco's second PhD in her carrier. We extend our warmest congratulations to her.
16-18/09/2024 - In the framework of NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, SapienzaTerahertz Labs is pleased to announce the organization of an international Advanced Research Workshop on 16-18 September 2024 at University of Rome La Sapienza (Rome), Italy.
This advance research workshop "Multi-Messenger Monitoring for occupational health & safety" is organized in the framework of a SPS Multi-Year Project supported by NATO Science for Peace and Security programme seeing a collaboration between Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) and Graz University of Technology (Austria) for joining forces to strengthen health and safety in workplaces.
The aim of research workshop "Multi-Messenger Monitoring for occupational health & safety" is to promote new research and international scientific collaborations in the field of monitoring pathogens, VOCs and other chemical/organic hazards by innovative techniques, and provides a forum for scientists, industry practitioners, and involved institutions to discuss the state of the art and a possible roadmap of the sensing in the monitoring for occupational health & safety.
13/09/2024 - SapienzaTerahertz at EOSAM 2024 Annual Meeting in Naples 9-13 Septembr 2024.
Dr. R. Mosetti presented our results, obtained as consequence of PhD mobility (Dr. T. Mancini) concerning the development of a new and ultrasensitive optical Infrared biosensing for monitoring of airborne pathogens, receiving the Best Poster award at EOSAM 2024 with poster entitled "Optical Infrared biosensig for ultrasenstive monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants".
12/07/2024 - The knowledge of the secondary structural characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 S protein and their components is of primary importance to understand the mechanisms occurring in the viral process and to address specific actions aimed at developing prevention actions. In a collaborative framework coordinated by SapienzaTerahertz group, SARS-CoV-2 Viral Protein domains, from Receptor Binding Domain to Spike Protein, are investigated through infrared vibrational spectroscopy. Experimental data in combination with MultiFOLD predictions, Define Secondary Structure of Proteins (DSSP) web server and Gravy value calculations, provide a comprehensive understanding of RBD, S1, S2, and S proteins in terms of their secondary structure content, conformational order, and interaction with the solvent. The results are published on Advanced Science .
All these results allow us to clarify the role of each S component and their contribution to the whole S protein conformational order and interaction, contributing to shed light on their properties and functionalities. Moreover, those results are of primary importance for addressing specific actions aimed at the development of specific drugs and diagnostic tools, such as the design of optical-based biosensors.
28/06/2024 - SapienzaTerahertz at Rome Technopole Spoke 6 - International Young Researcher Workshop! This workshop was held at Sapienza University of Rome to share some of the cutting-edge research projects in the Spoke 6 framework.
Dr. A. D'Arco discussed the "FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with Machine Learning for highly sensitive detection and discrimination of gaseous Volatile Organic Compounds". This activity aims to the development of a new, and highly sensitive sensor system for VOCs monitoring based on ultrasensitive multi-messenger spectroscopy.
Dr. T. Mancini and R. Mosetti presented our results concerning the study of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Protein domains through IR spectroscoy and preliminary steps towards a IR optical biosensor for the monitoring of airborne pathogens in the poster session.
20/06/2024 - SapienzaTerahertz at XXVII Congresso Nazionale SIBPA 2024 Società Italiana di Biofisica Pura e Applicata 16-20 June 2024.
Dr. T. Mancini presented our results concerning the development of a new, and highly sensitive gas sensor system based on ultrasensitive multi-messenger spectroscopy for the detection and automatic discrimination/recognition of gaseous Volatile Organic Compounds, receiving the Best Poster award at XXVII Congresso Nazionale 2024 Società Italiana di Biofisica Pura e Applicata
10/06/2024- Through the scientific synergy between the teams led by Stefano Lupi from the Dept. of Physics at Sapienza University of Rome and Alessandro Molle from CNR-IMM Agrate Brianza, the generation of unconventional electronic dynamics on a new type of exotic material known as PtTe2, platinum ditelluride, has been investigated. This material is a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal with an electronic structure similar to graphene, i.e., a conductive system in which electrons show a linear energy/momentum dispersion due to their non-trivial electronic band topology. The class of materials to which PtTe2 belongs has enormous potential for photonic applications, especially in the infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) spectral regions. The exploitation of these intrinsic properties was the focus of the work conducted by the two teams: first, platinum ditelluride was "grown" as a thin film on a substrate using chemical vapor deposition methods, a technologically essential step to integrate the material into optoelectronic and photonic devices; second, the material's growth was engineered to have a "plasmonic pattern" a sequence of linear micrometric stripes designed to trigger plasmonic resonance when illuminated by THz and IR radiation. This pioneering observation is the basis for developing terahertz and infrared detectors and modulators whose efficiency will be highly increased due to the non-conventional electron topology of platinum ditelluride, Given the impact and originality of this work, which has been operationally conducted by Salvatore Macis (DepT of Physics at the University of Rome Sapienza) and Christian Martella (CNR-IMM, Agrate Brianza) the results have been recently published on Advanced Materials.
This publication has been supported by the European Union under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) of Next Generation EU partnership PE0000023-NQSTI, and “Telecommunications of the Future” (PE00000001 - program “RESTART”, Structural Project DREAMS) and MUR PRIN project PHOtonics Terahertz devices based on tOpological materials (PHOTO) 2020RPEPNH.
29-31/1/2024 - Workshop "Physics and Topology" will be held at Aula Conversi of Sapienza University from January 29th to January 31st, 2024. Topology which concerns the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending, has recently found a route from mathematics to physics. Indeed, although within the Landau paradigm, quantum phases of matter differ by their symmetries, a finer classification exists, based on the entanglement (topological) properties of their wavefunctions. This finer classification gave rise to the discovery of new quantum topological phases like the quantum spin Hall effect and topological insulators culminating with the Nobel Prize in 2016 to Haldane, Kousterliz, and Thouless. Today, topology is one of the most active and fruitful research areas in physics, and intense efforts have been devoted to the exploration of new topological quantum phases and phenomena. This goal is driven not only by the prediction of fundamentally new physical phenomena but also by the potential technological applications of such systems. In this workshop after a general discussion of topological effects in physics and mathematics, more focalized talks will be given, touching specific fields like quantum topological materials, topological photonics and acoustic, topological superconductivity, and their applications in devices. In our opinion, this multidisciplinary environment is of fundamental importance for a general vision of the topological effects in physics and cross-fertilization among different research fields.
Info at: https://sites.google.com/uniroma1.it/physicsandtopology
10/2023 - Metamaterials are attracting increasing attention due to their ability to support novel and engineerable functionalities, including exotic electromagnetic and transport properties not available in natural systems. One of their notable advantages lies in the possibility of manipulating electromagnetic radiation on a sub-wavelength scale, seeking field concentration and improved optical transmission. Consequently, highly localized fields on an engineered interface are useful for the development of nanophotonic sensing devices in different electromagnetic spectral regions. Recently, our group in collaboration with IIT studied a phononic metamaterial composed of Si3N4 membranes patterned with a periodic lattice of micrometric size holes. We engineered its optical response by demonstrating that the coupling between the incoming electromagnetic wave with an optical Si3N4 phonon triggers an extraordinary optical transmittance (EOT) effect in the technological important infrared spectral region. The EOT effect was studied by combining state-of-the-art spatially resolved nanoscale infrared measurements with electromagnetic simulations, revealing the formation of a surface phonon polariton excitation that mediates the transmittance enhancement.
09/2023 - A comparative IR study of viral S1 proteins from MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 is presented in the paper Secondary Structures of MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins Revealed by Infrared Vibrational Spectroscopy, recently published on International Journal of Molecular Sciences. S1 conformation was investigated for MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 at serological pH by measuring their Amide I infrared absorption bands. The SARS-CoV-2 S1 secondary structure revealed a strong difference compared to those of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, with a significant presence of extended β-sheets. Furthermore, the conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 S1 showed a significant change by moving from serological pH to mild acidic and alkaline pH conditions. Both results suggest the capability of infrared spectroscopy to follow the secondary structure adaptation of the SARS-CoV-2 S1 to different environments. This work was funded by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program under grant No. 5889 “SARS-CoV-2 Multi-Messenger Monitoring for Occupational Health & Safety (SARS 3M)”, and FISR2020 “Monitoraggio multi-messaggero e di apprendimento automatico di SARS-CoV-2 per la salute e la sicurezza sul lavoro (4M SARS-CoV-2)”
04-05/07/2023 - We are now pleased to announce the workshop DEUPAS "Ultrasensitive monitoring of VOCs and pathogens by spectroscopy - Innovative solutions and sensor systems for air-quality monitoring'', which will be held on July 4th-5th, 2023, in Frascati at INFN - National Laboratories. Here, the results of the project DEUPAS will be presented. In these two days, we will take stock of the criticalities and will discuss potential innovative solutions and technological advances in environmental monitoring, spanning from air-quality to environmental pollution. Researchers and experts will share their results and will compare with the Authority demand and the industrial reality of the territory.
17-18/11/2022 - The technological roadmap of the THz radiation considers a wide plethora of scientific fields and applications. There are still many open questions regarding working at THz frequencies. In particular, it is important to invest in new methodologies and in novel materials exhibiting unconventional THz properties to develop new and more performing THz emitters, detectors and beam shapers. In this workshop results related to this research were reported with particular regard for applications in biomedicine, cultural heritage, technology.
11/2022 - SapienzaTerahertz group received a special mention from the scientific committee of the SIF 2022 congress for the oral communication entitled "Infrared Spectroscopy Characterization of MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins for a Sensoristic Platform" by Dr. A. D'Arco. This research, coordinated by Prof. Lupi, concerns the study of the secondary conformational structure of spike proteins of some coronavirus families and their correlation with the viral characteristics of transmissibility and pathogenesis. The activity is supported by the projects Nato for Peace G5889 and LazioInnova Research Groups 2020.
11/2022 - The SapienzaTerahertz group (L. Tomarchio, L. Mosesso and S. Lupi) in collaboration with Prof. Ke He from Tsinghua University, and Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, have recently published a paper on NPJ Nature ASIA Materials “Electrodynamics of MnBi2Te4 Intrinsic Magnetic Topological Insulator”. Here, the effects of time-reversal symmetry breaking are investigated on topological massless Dirac states. The time reversal breaking is induced by the insurgence of magnetic order in the MnBi2Te4 crystal structure, opening an exchange gap at the Dirac node. This gap opening corresponds to a finite mass for Dirac fermions at the surface of MnBi2Te4. Topological insulators, and Weyl and Dirac semimetals not only represent a class of Quantum Materials for quantum technology applications but offer also a valuable platform for combining condensed matter with high-energy particle physics in a very useful cross-fertilization interaction.
20-21/04/2022 - In the Workshop "Bioaerosols & Atmosphere Pollutants - Innovative solutions and sensor systems for air-quality monitoring" we will take stock of the criticalities and will discuss potential innovative solutions and technological advances in air-quality monitoring. Researchers and experts of the field will share their results and will compare with the Authority demands and the industrial reality of the territory
14-15/02/2022 - In the Workshop "Quantum Materials for Quantum Technologies", which include Italian researchers and internationally recognized experts, we will discuss the physical properties of many Quantum Materials and their applications in particle physics and more in general for quantum technologies.
25-26/11/2021 - Bilateral Workshop "3D Graphene and other 2D -> 3D Materials", supported by the Italian/Chinese Great Relevance Bilateral Project, was held at LNF-INFN (Frascati) in hybrid form.
The Workshop is organized to enhance the collaboration and exchange of ideas between Chinese and Italian researchers around the potentialities of 3D Graphene network and other 2D-> 3D materials of interest, and relative applications.
19/11/2021 - The SapienzaTerahertz group in collaboration with INFN-LNF and the University of Tsukuba in Japan have recently published a paper on NPG Asia Materials, about the light-matter interaction in novel 3D graphene networks. Here, the unique electrical, thermal and optical properties of graphene have been extended into 3D structures by stacking high-quality graphene monolayers in a wide variety of three-dimensional networks. By measuring the optical properties of these 3D networks in a broad spectral range from terahertz to ultraviolet, we demonstrate how 3D graphene behaves like a high-pass optical filter due to its multiscale spatial scatterers.
Thus 3D graphene represents a novel disordered photonic material resembling the complex scattering structures found in biological systems. This similarity opens a pathway to the future exploitation of graphene 3D structures for the fabrication of innovative materials with unique optoelectronic properties.
14-15/10/2021 - The first workshop dedicated to the EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB user applications at LNF-INFN (Frascati). EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB is a facility dedicated to developing a FEL based on plasma acceleration for User Application within EuPRAXIA, the first European project that develops a dedicated particle accelerator research infrastructure based on novel plasma acceleration concepts and laser technology.
27/05/2021 - Launch of a joint NATO SPS project by two Italian and Austrian universities aimed to join forces to strengthen health and safety in response to new challenges posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
04/02/2021 - Prof. Stefano Lupi won Zhejiang Provincial Program for High-Level Overseas Talents (Short-Term Innovative Talent, “Seagull Program”.
10-11/12/2019 - The Workshop "Spectroscopy and Imaging with Terahertz Radiation using Ultimate Radiation Sources", chaired by Prof. Stefano Lupi, Dr. Augusto Marcelli and Prof. Akinori Irizawa, is organized to enhance the collaboration and exchange of ideas between Japanese and Italian researchers around different Terahertz radiation topics.
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