Roberto Battiston
{{short description|Italian physicist}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox scientist
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Roberto Battiston
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Roberto_Battiston_2015.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Roberto Battiston in 2015 at ASI in Rome.
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date |1956|11|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = Trento, Italy
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| residence =
| citizenship =
| nationality = Italian
| fields =
| patrons =
| education =
| alma_mater = Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Paris-Sud University
| workplaces = University of Perugia, University of Trento, Italian Space Agency, INFN
}}
Roberto Battiston is an Italian physicist, specialized in the field of fundamental physics and elementary particles, and leading experts in the physics of cosmic rays. He was the president of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) from 2014 to 2018 and president of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) Committee on Astroparticle Physics from 2009 to 2014.{{cite web |url=https://www.robertobattiston.it/about/|title=Curriculum Vitae et Honorum Prof. Roberto Battiston}}
Life
Battiston graduated in physics in 1979 at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa with a thesis on the production of muons in proton-proton interactions at the CERN ISR, under the supervision of Nobel Prize laureate Samuel C. C. Ting and of Prof. Giorgio Bellettini. He went on to receive a fellowship at the Ecole Normale de Rue D’Ulm in Paris and was awarded a Doctorate at University of Paris XI, Orsay.
From 1983 to 2012, he was first researcher and then, from 1993, full professor in physics at University of Perugia. In 2009, he was elected for a three-years mandate as president of the National Commission for Astroparticle Physics of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN).
He moved in 2012 he moved to the Department of Physics of the University of Trento, where he holds the chair in Experimental Physics and where he contributed in founding the new INFN National Center, TIFPA (Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications), devoted to space physics and technology in the astroparticle sector.{{cite web|url=https://www.festivaldellospazio.com/roberto-battiston|language=it|title=Roberto Battiston - L'Agenzia Italiana Spaziale ha 30 anni.|trans-title=Roberto Battiston - The Italian Space Agency turns 30.}}
On 16 May 2014, following a competitive selection by an international committee, he was appointed by Minister Stefania Giannini President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) for 2014–2018.{{cite web|url=https://bandiasi.almaviva.it/en/press-room/press-releases/professor-roberto-battiston-appointed-new-asi-president|title=Professor Roberto Battiston appointed as new ASI President}}
Scientific contributions
= Particle Physics =
= Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer =
From 1995 to 2014, his scientific activity was mainly devoted to a new area of research, astroparticle physics, with advanced elementary particle detectors used to characterize primordial antimatter and dark matter, two important open issues of modern astrophysics and cosmology. He participated to the design and construction of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) in the role of deputy spokesperson.{{cite web|url=http://www.ams02.org/partners/who-is-who-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912110803/http://www.ams02.org/partners/who-is-who-2/|archive-date=12 September 2011|title=The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Experiment - Who is who}} After the successful engineering mission on the Space Shuttle (AMS-01),{{cite web|url=https://ams.nasa.gov/about.html|title=About AMS-02|date=9 November 2021 }} the final version, AMS-02, was installed on the International Space Station in 2011 and has been collecting data ever since.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/alpha-magnetic-spectrometer.html|title=Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer|date=28 October 2015 }}
= CSES (China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite) - LIMADOU =
Since 2007, he coordinates the Italian delegation in the joint Sino-Italian development of the Chinese satellite CSES, dedicated to the development of new techniques for the monitoring of seismic phenomena from space.{{cite web|url=http://cses.roma2.infn.it/node/53|title=CSES Collaboration}} The launch of the satellite, which took place in 2018,{{cite web|url=https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/content/-/article/cses-zhangheng-1|title=CSES/Zhangheng 1|access-date=2020-09-19|archive-date=2021-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209195454/https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/content/-/article/cses-zhangheng-1|url-status=dead}} opens up new perspectives in the field of Earth observation from space and will be followed by a second satellite in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.tifpa.infn.it/news/a-trento-il-limadou-general-meeting-2020/|language=it|title=A Trento il Limadou General Meeting 2020|trans-title=The 2020 Limadou General Meeting in Trento}}
= Space and Industrial Policy =
== ASI presidency ==
Under his presidency of the ASI, important programs involving the Agency were launched:
- completion of the financing and construction of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (satellites 1 and 2),{{cite web|url=https://www.arianespace.com/press-release/italian-space-agency-and-italian-ministry-of-defense-choose-arianespace-to-launch-cosmo-skymed-second-generation-csg-satellites-manufactured-by-thales-alenia-space-on-the-occasion-of-the-34th-french|title=Italian Space Agency and Italian Ministry of Defense choose Arianespace to launch COSMO-SkyMed Second-Generation (CSG) satellites manufactured by Thales Alenia Space on the occasion of the 34th French-Italian summit}}
- completion and construction of the PRISMA multispectral satellite{{cite web|url=http://prisma-i.it/index.php/en|title=PRISMA: small Innovative Earth Observation mission}}
- launch of the PLATiNO (Small High-Tech Satellites) program aimed at developing industrial capacity in the low-mass satellite sector{{cite web|url=http://www.sitael.com/platino-small-satellite-programme/|title=SITAEL signs a contract with Italian Space Agency for the PLATiNO Small Satellite Programme|date=19 December 2017 }}
- launch of the first European Venture Capital space fund{{cite web|url=https://spacenews.com/eu-to-invest-200-million-euros-into-space-industry|title=EU to invest 200 million euros into space industry|date=22 January 2020 }}
- creation of the Edoardo Amaldi Foundation devoted to technology transfer in the space sector{{cite web|url=https://www.asi.it/en/the-agency/holdings/foundations/17416-2/|title=Fondazione E. Amaldi}}
= Publications =
As of August 25, 2020, Web of Science reports Battiston as author of 486 published papers, with 17.350 citations received and an H index of 58.
Battiston is a columnist for La Stampa, L'Adige, La Repubblica, and he wrote for a long time the "Astri e Particelle" ("Stars and Particles") section in Le Scienze (Italian version of Scientific American). He also authored the following books:
- {{cite book |date=2012|title=Dialogo tra un artista ed uno scienziato|trans-title=Dialogue between an artist and a scientist|url= |language=it |location=Perugia |publisher=Futura |isbn=978-8897720218}}
- {{cite book |date=2018|title=La meccanica quantistica. Per chi non ne sa nulla|trans-title=Quantum mechanics for those who don't know anything about it|url= |language=it |location=Rome |publisher=Castelvecchi |isbn=978-8832821161}}
- {{cite book |date=2019|title=Fare spazio. I miei anni all'Agenzia Spaziale Italiana|trans-title=Making space. My years at the Italian Space Agency|url= |language=it |location=Milano |publisher=La nave di Teseo |isbn=978-8893448826}}
- {{cite book |date=2019|title=La prima alba del cosmo|trans-title=The first dawn of the cosmos|url= |language=it |location=Milano |publisher=Rizzoli |isbn=9788817141901}}
- {{cite book |date=2020|title=La matematica del virus. I numeri per capire e sconfiggere la pandemia.|trans-title=Mathematics of virus. The numbers to understand and defeat the pandemic|language=it|location=Rome|publisher=Castelvecchi}}
Awards and acknowledgments
- Asteroid 21256 Robertobattiston was named after him{{cite web|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?orb=1;sstr=21256|title=21256 Robertobattiston (1996 CK7)}}
- Awardee of the ASAS Space Economy 2017 prize by the Association for ICT Services, Applications and Technologies for Space{{cite web|url=https://www.researchitaly.it/en/news/roberto-battiston-awarded-with-the-space-economy-award/|title=Roberto Battiston awarded with the Space Economy Award}}
- Recipient of the 2017 GAL Hassin Prize, together with the astrophysicist Nicolò D'Amico{{cite web|url=https://www.researchitaly.it/en/news/astrophysics-2017-gal-hassin-award-to-battiston-and-d-amico/|title=Astrophysics, 2017 GAL Hassin Award to Battiston and D'Amico}}
- Awardee of the Vladimir Syromniatnikov IAASS prize (2017) {{cite web|url=http://iaass.space-safety.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2012/05/9th-IAASS-Conference-Programme-25092017-v10.pdf|title=IAASS AWARDS WINNERS 2017}}
- Second Italian ever, in 2019, to enter the Hall of Fame of the International Astronautical Federation{{cite web|url=https://webmagazine.unitn.it/en/news/ateneo/69836/professor-roberto-battiston-to-receive-the-international-astronautical-federation|title=Professor Roberto Battiston to receive the International Astronautical Federation Hall of Fame Award|date=24 October 2019 }}
- Awardee of the "International Science and Technology Cooperation Award" by the Chinese government (2019) {{cite web|url=https://www.jellypages.com/science/The-scientist-Roberto-Battiston-awarded-by-the-chinese-president-Xi-Jinping-h97548.html|title=The scientist Roberto Battiston awarded by the chinese president Xi Jinping}}
= Honors =
- {{Flag|Italy}}: Commendatore of the Order of Merit for Labour (2018){{cite web|url=https://webmagazine.unitn.it/news/ateneo/58009/battiston-commendatore-ordine-merito-repubblica-italiana|language=it|title=Roberto Battiston, Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana|date=20 March 2019 |trans-title=Roberto Battiston, Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic}}
- {{Flag|France}}: Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor (2017){{cite web|url=https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/roberto-battiston-nel-firmamento-dellastronautica/|title=Roberto Battiston in the firmament of Astronautics}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battiston, Roberto}}
Category:21st-century Italian physicists
Category:Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Category:Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa alumni