Showing papers by "Roma Tre University published in 2019"

Changing climate both increases and decreases European river floods

Abstract: Climate change has led to concerns about increasing river floods resulting from the greater water-holding capacity of a warmer atmosphere1. These concerns are reinforced by evidence of increasing economic losses associated with flooding in many parts of the world, including Europe2. Any changes in river floods would have lasting implications for the design of flood protection measures and flood risk zoning. However, existing studies have been unable to identify a consistent continental-scale climatic-change signal in flood discharge observations in Europe3, because of the limited spatial coverage and number of hydrometric stations. Here we demonstrate clear regional patterns of both increases and decreases in observed river flood discharges in the past five decades in Europe, which are manifestations of a changing climate. Our results—arising from the most complete database of European flooding so far—suggest that: increasing autumn and winter rainfall has resulted in increasing floods in northwestern Europe; decreasing precipitation and increasing evaporation have led to decreasing floods in medium and large catchments in southern Europe; and decreasing snow cover and snowmelt, resulting from warmer temperatures, have led to decreasing floods in eastern Europe. Regional flood discharge trends in Europe range from an increase of about 11 per cent per decade to a decrease of 23 per cent. Notwithstanding the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the observational record, the flood changes identified here are broadly consistent with climate model projections for the next century4,5, suggesting that climate-driven changes are already happening and supporting calls for the consideration of climate change in flood risk management. Analysis of a comprehensive European flood dataset reveals regional changes in river flood discharges in the past five decades that are consistent with models suggesting that climate-driven changes are already happening.

FCC-ee: The Lepton Collider: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 2

Abstract: In response to the 2013 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics, the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched, as an international collaboration hosted by CERN. This study covers a highest-luminosity high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee) and an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh), which could, successively, be installed in the same 100 km tunnel. The scientific capabilities of the integrated FCC programme would serve the worldwide community throughout the 21st century. The FCC study also investigates an LHC energy upgrade, using FCC-hh technology. This document constitutes the second volume of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, devoted to the electron-positron collider FCC-ee. After summarizing the physics discovery opportunities, it presents the accelerator design, performance reach, a staged operation scenario, the underlying technologies, civil engineering, technical infrastructure, and an implementation plan. FCC-ee can be built with today’s technology. Most of the FCC-ee infrastructure could be reused for FCC-hh. Combining concepts from past and present lepton colliders and adding a few novel elements, the FCC-ee design promises outstandingly high luminosity. This will make the FCC-ee a unique precision instrument to study the heaviest known particles (Z, W and H bosons and the top quark), offering great direct and indirect sensitivity to new physics.

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH)–a community perspective

Abstract: This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through online media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focused on the process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come.

Binary Black Hole Population Properties Inferred from the First and Second Observing Runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

Abstract: We present results on the mass, spin, and redshift distributions with phenomenological population models using the 10 binary black hole (BBH) mergers detected in the first and second observing runs completed by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. We constrain properties of the BBH mass spectrum using models with a range of parameterizations of the BBH mass and spin distributions. We find that the mass distribution of the more massive BH in such binaries is well approximated by models with no more than 1% of BHs more massive than 45 M and a power-law index of (90% credibility). We also show that BBHs are unlikely to be composed of BHs with large spins aligned to the orbital angular momentum. Modeling the evolution of the BBH merger rate with redshift, we show that it is flat or increasing with redshift with 93% probability. Marginalizing over uncertainties in the BBH population, we find robust estimates of the BBH merger rate density of R= (90% credibility). As the BBH catalog grows in future observing runs, we expect that uncertainties in the population model parameters will shrink, potentially providing insights into the formation of BHs via supernovae, binary interactions of massive stars, stellar cluster dynamics, and the formation history of BHs across cosmic time.

Gene-Expressing Liposomes as Synthetic Cells for Molecular Communication Studies.

Abstract: The bottom-up branch of synthetic biology includes-among others-innovative studies that combine cell-free protein synthesis with liposome technology to generate cell-like systems of minimal complexity, often referred to as synthetic cells. The functions of this type of synthetic cell derive from gene expression, hence they can be programmed in a modular, progressive and customizable manner by means of ad hoc designed genetic circuits. This experimental scenario is rapidly expanding and synthetic cell research already counts numerous successes. Here, we present a review focused on the exchange of chemical signals between liposome-based synthetic cells (operating by gene expression) and biological cells, as well as between two populations of synthetic cells. The review includes a short presentation of the "molecular communication technologies," briefly discussing their promises and challenges.

Tests of General Relativity with GW170817

Abstract: The recent discovery by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo of a gravitational wave signal from a binary neutron star inspiral has enabled tests of general relativity (GR) with this new type of source. This source, for the first time, permits tests of strong-field dynamics of compact binaries in the presence of matter. In this Letter, we place constraints on the dipole radiation and possible deviations from GR in the post-Newtonian coefficients that govern the inspiral regime. Bounds on modified dispersion of gravitational waves are obtained; in combination with information from the observed electromagnetic counterpart we can also constrain effects due to large extra dimensions. Finally, the polarization content of the gravitational wave signal is studied. The results of all tests performed here show good agreement with GR.

FCC-hh: The Hadron Collider

Abstract: Particle physics has arrived at an important moment of its history. The discovery of the Higgs boson, with a mass of 125 GeV, completes the matrix of particles and interactions that has constituted the “Standard Model” for several decades. This model is a consistent and predictive theory, which has so far proven successful at describing all phenomena accessible to collider experiments. However, several experimental facts do require the extension of the Standard Model and explanations are needed for observations such as the abundance of matter over antimatter, the striking evidence for dark matter and the non-zero neutrino masses. Theoretical issues such as the hierarchy problem, and, more in general, the dynamical origin of the Higgs mechanism, do likewise point to the existence of physics beyond the Standard Model. This report contains the description of a novel research infrastructure based on a highest-energy hadron collider with a centre-of-mass collision energy of 100 TeV and an integrated luminosity of at least a factor of 5 larger than the HL-LHC. It will extend the current energy frontier by almost an order of magnitude. The mass reach for direct discovery will reach several tens of TeV, and allow, for example, to produce new particles whose existence could be indirectly exposed by precision measurements during the earlier preceding e+e– collider phase. This collider will also precisely measure the Higgs self-coupling and thoroughly explore the dynamics of electroweak symmetry breaking at the TeV scale, to elucidate the nature of the electroweak phase transition. WIMPs as thermal dark matter candidates will be discovered, or ruled out. As a single project, this particle collider infrastructure will serve the world-wide physics community for about 25 years and, in combination with a lepton collider (see FCC conceptual design report volume 2), will provide a research tool until the end of the 21st century. Collision energies beyond 100 TeV can be considered when using high-temperature superconductors. The European Strategy for Particle Physics (ESPP) update 2013 stated “To stay at the forefront of particle physics, Europe needs to be in a position to propose an ambitious post-LHC accelerator project at CERN by the time of the next Strategy update”. The FCC study has implemented the ESPP recommendation by developing a long-term vision for an “accelerator project in a global context”. This document describes the detailed design and preparation of a construction project for a post-LHC circular energy frontier collider “in collaboration with national institutes, laboratories and universities worldwide”, and enhanced by a strong participation of industrial partners. Now, a coordinated preparation effort can be based on a core of an ever-growing consortium of already more than 135 institutes worldwide. The technology for constructing a high-energy circular hadron collider can be brought to the technology readiness level required for constructing within the coming ten years through a focused R&D programme. The FCC-hh concept comprises in the baseline scenario a power-saving, low-temperature superconducting magnet system based on an evolution of the Nb3Sn technology pioneered at the HL-LHC, an energy-efficient cryogenic refrigeration infrastructure based on a neon-helium (Nelium) light gas mixture, a high-reliability and low loss cryogen distribution infrastructure based on Invar, high-power distributed beam transfer using superconducting elements and local magnet energy recovery and re-use technologies that are already gradually introduced at other CERN accelerators. On a longer timescale, high-temperature superconductors can be developed together with industrial partners to achieve an even more energy efficient particle collider or to reach even higher collision energies.The re-use of the LHC and its injector chain, which also serve for a concurrently running physics programme, is an essential lever to come to an overall sustainable research infrastructure at the energy frontier. Strategic R&D for FCC-hh aims at minimising construction cost and energy consumption, while maximising the socio-economic impact. It will mitigate technology-related risks and ensure that industry can benefit from an acceptable utility. Concerning the implementation, a preparatory phase of about eight years is both necessary and adequate to establish the project governance and organisation structures, to build the international machine and experiment consortia, to develop a territorial implantation plan in agreement with the host-states’ requirements, to optimise the disposal of land and underground volumes, and to prepare the civil engineering project. Such a large-scale, international fundamental research infrastructure, tightly involving industrial partners and providing training at all education levels, will be a strong motor of economic and societal development in all participating nations. The FCC study has implemented a set of actions towards a coherent vision for the world-wide high-energy and particle physics community, providing a collaborative framework for topically complementary and geographically well-balanced contributions. This conceptual design report lays the foundation for a subsequent infrastructure preparatory and technical design phase.

FCC Physics Opportunities: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 1

Abstract: We review the physics opportunities of the Future Circular Collider, covering its e+e-, pp, ep and heavy ion programmes. We describe the measurement capabilities of each FCC component, addressing the study of electroweak, Higgs and strong interactions, the top quark and flavour, as well as phenomena beyond the Standard Model. We highlight the synergy and complementarity of the different colliders, which will contribute to a uniquely coherent and ambitious research programme, providing an unmatchable combination of precision and sensitivity to new physics.

Increasing the Astrophysical Reach of the Advanced Virgo Detector via the Application of Squeezed Vacuum States of Light.

Abstract: Current interferometric gravitational-wave detectors are limited by quantum noise over a wide range of their measurement bandwidth. One method to overcome the quantum limit is the injection of squeezed vacuum states of light into the interferometer’s dark port. Here, we report on the successful application of this quantum technology to improve the shot noise limited sensitivity of the Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detector. A sensitivity enhancement of up to 3.2±0.1 dB beyond the shot noise limit is achieved. This nonclassical improvement corresponds to a 5%–8% increase of the binary neutron star horizon. The squeezing injection was fully automated and over the first 5 months of the third joint LIGO-Virgo observation run O3 squeezing was applied for more than 99% of the science time. During this period several gravitational-wave candidates have been recorded.

Pantographic metamaterials: an example of mathematically driven design and of its technological challenges

Abstract: In this paper, we account for the research efforts that have been started, for some among us, already since 2003, and aimed to the design of a class of exotic architectured, optimized (meta) materials. At the first stage of these efforts, as it often happens, the research was based on the results of mathematical investigations. The problem to be solved was stated as follows: determine the material (micro)structure governed by those equations that specify a desired behavior. Addressing this problem has led to the synthesis of second gradient materials. In the second stage, it has been necessary to develop numerical integration schemes and the corresponding codes for solving, in physically relevant cases, the chosen equations. Finally, it has been necessary to physically construct the theoretically synthesized microstructures. This has been possible by means of the recent developments in rapid prototyping technologies, which allow for the fabrication of some complex (micro)structures considered, up to now, to be simply some mathematical dreams. We show here a panorama of the results of our efforts (1) in designing pantographic metamaterials, (2) in exploiting the modern technology of rapid prototyping, and (3) in the mechanical testing of many real prototypes. Among the key findings that have been obtained, there are the following ones: pantographic metamaterials (1) undergo very large deformations while remaining in the elastic regime, (2) are very tough in resisting to damage phenomena, (3) exhibit robust macroscopic mechanical behavior with respect to minor changes in their microstructure and micromechanical properties, (4) have superior strength to weight ratio, (5) have predictable damage behavior, and (6) possess physical properties that are critically dictated by their geometry at the microlevel.

The Belle II Physics Book

Abstract: The Belle II detector will provide a major step forward in precision heavy flavor physics, quarkonium and exotic states, searches for dark sectors, and many other areas. The sensitivity to a large number of key observables can be improved by about an order of magnitude compared to the current measurements, and up to two orders in very clean search measurements. This increase in statistical precision arises not only due to the increased luminosity, but also from improved detector efficiency and precision for many channels. Many of the most interesting observables tend to have very small theoretical uncertainties that will therefore not limit the physics reach. This book has presented many new ideas for measurements, both to elucidate the nature of current anomalies seen in flavor, and to search for new phenomena in a plethora of observables that will become accessible with the Belle II dataset. The simulation used for the studiesinthis book was state ofthe artat the time, though weare learning a lot more about the experiment during the commissioning period. The detector is in operation, and working spectacularly well.

Combination of searches for invisible Higgs boson decays with the ATLAS experiment

Abstract: Dark matter particles, if sufficiently light, may be produced in decays of the Higgs boson. This Letter presents a statistical combination of searches for H→invisible decays where H is produced according to the standard model via vector boson fusion, Z(ll)H, and W/Z(had)H, all performed with the ATLAS detector using 36.1 fb^{-1} of pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13 TeV at the LHC. In combination with the results at sqrt[s]=7 and 8 TeV, an exclusion limit on the H→invisible branching ratio of 0.26(0.17_{-0.05}^{+0.07}) at 95% confidence level is observed (expected).

Electron and photon performance measurements with the ATLAS detector using the 2015-2017 LHC proton-proton collision data

Abstract: This paper describes the reconstruction of electrons and photons with the ATLAS detector, employed for measurements and searches exploiting the complete LHC Run 2 dataset. An improved energy clustering algorithm is introduced, and its implications for the measurement and identification of prompt electrons and photons are discussed in detail. Corrections and calibrations that affect performance, including energy calibration, identification and isolation efficiencies, and the measurement of the charge of reconstructed electron candidates are determined using up to 81 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data collected at √s=13 TeV between 2015 and 2017.

ATLAS b-jet identification performance and efficiency measurement with tt¯ events in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV

Abstract: The algorithms used by the ATLAS Collaboration during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider to identify jets containing b-hadrons are presented. The performance of the algorithms is evaluated in the s ...

The Potential of Additive Manufacturing in the Smart Factory Industrial 4.0: A Review

Abstract: Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3D) printing has introduced a novel production method in design, manufacturing, and distribution to end-users. This technology has provided great freedom in design for creating complex components, highly customizable products, and efficient waste minimization. The last industrial revolution, namely industry 4.0, employs the integration of smart manufacturing systems and developed information technologies. Accordingly, AM plays a principal role in industry 4.0 thanks to numerous benefits, such as time and material saving, rapid prototyping, high efficiency, and decentralized production methods. This review paper is to organize a comprehensive study on AM technology and present the latest achievements and industrial applications. Besides that, this paper investigates the sustainability dimensions of the AM process and the added values in economic, social, and environment sections. Finally, the paper concludes by pointing out the future trend of AM in technology, applications, and materials aspects that have the potential to come up with new ideas for the future of AM explorations.

Convolutional Neural Network for Finger-Vein-Based Biometric Identification

Abstract: The use of human finger-vein traits for the purpose of automatic user recognition has gained a lot of attention in recent years. Current state-of-the-art techniques can provide relatively good performance, yet they are strongly dependent upon the quality of the analyzed finger-vein images. In this paper, we propose a convolutional-neural-network-based finger-vein identification system and investigate the capabilities of the designed network over four publicly available databases. The main purpose of this paper is to propose a deep-learning method for finger-vein identification, which is able to achieve stable and highly accurate performance when dealing with finger-vein images of different quality. The reported extensive set of experiments show that the accuracy achievable with the proposed approach can go beyond 95% correct identification rate for all the four considered publicly available databases.

Study of the rare decays of B s 0 and B 0 mesons into muon pairs using data collected during 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector

Abstract: A study of the decays B0 s ! + and B0 ! + has been performed using 26 : 3 fb of 13TeV LHC proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. Since the detector resolut ...

A Standard Siren Measurement of the Hubble Constant from GW170817 without the Electromagnetic Counterpart

Abstract: We perform a statistical standard siren analysis of GW170817. Our analysis does not utilize knowledge of NGC 4993 as the unique host galaxy of the optical counterpart to GW170817. Instead, we consider each galaxy within the GW170817 localization region as a potential host; combining the redshifts from all of the galaxies with the distance estimate from GW170817 provides an estimate of the Hubble constant, H 0. Considering all galaxies brighter than $0.626{L}_{B}^{\star }$ as equally likely to host a binary neutron star merger, we find ${H}_{0}={77}_{-18}^{+37}$ km s−1 Mpc−1 (maximum a posteriori and 68.3% highest density posterior interval; assuming a flat H 0 prior in the range $\left[10,220\right]$ km s−1 Mpc−1). We explore the dependence of our results on the thresholds by which galaxies are included in our sample, and we show that weighting the host galaxies by stellar mass or star formation rate provides entirely consistent results with potentially tighter constraints. By applying the method to simulated gravitational-wave events and a realistic galaxy catalog we show that, because of the small localization volume, this statistical standard siren analysis of GW170817 provides an unusually informative (top 10%) constraint. Under optimistic assumptions for galaxy completeness and redshift uncertainty, we find that dark binary neutron star measurements of H 0 will converge as $40 \% /\sqrt{(N)}$, where N is the number of sources. While these statistical estimates are inferior to the value from the counterpart standard siren measurement utilizing NGC 4993 as the unique host, ${H}_{0}={76}_{-13}^{+19}$ km s−1 Mpc−1 (determined from the same publicly available data), our analysis is a proof-of-principle demonstration of the statistical approach first proposed by Bernard Schutz over 30 yr ago.

HE-LHC : The High-Energy Large Hadron Collider Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 4

Abstract: In response to the 2013 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics (EPPSU), the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched as a world-wide international collaboration hosted by CERN. The FCC study covered an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh), a highest-luminosity high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee), the corresponding 100 km tunnel infrastructure, as well as the physics opportunities of these two colliders, and a high-energy LHC, based on FCC-hh technology. This document constitutes the third volume of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, devoted to the hadron collider FCC-hh. It summarizes the FCC-hh physics discovery opportunities, presents the FCC-hh accelerator design, performance reach, and staged operation plan, discusses the underlying technologies, the civil engineering and technical infrastructure, and also sketches a possible implementation. Combining ingredients from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the high-luminosity LHC upgrade and adding novel technologies and approaches, the FCC-hh design aims at significantly extending the energy frontier to 100 TeV. Its unprecedented centre-of-mass collision energy will make the FCC-hh a unique instrument to explore physics beyond the Standard Model, offering great direct sensitivity to new physics and discoveries.

First Measurement of the Hubble Constant from a Dark Standard Siren using the Dark Energy Survey Galaxies and the LIGO/Virgo Binary-Black-hole Merger GW170814

Abstract: We present a multi-messenger measurement of the Hubble constant H 0 using the binary–black-hole merger GW170814 as a standard siren, combined with a photometric redshift catalog from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). The luminosity distance is obtained from the gravitational wave signal detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo Collaboration (LVC) on 2017 August 14, and the redshift information is provided by the DES Year 3 data. Black hole mergers such as GW170814 are expected to lack bright electromagnetic emission to uniquely identify their host galaxies and build an object-by-object Hubble diagram. However, they are suitable for a statistical measurement, provided that a galaxy catalog of adequate depth and redshift completion is available. Here we present the first Hubble parameter measurement using a black hole merger. Our analysis results in ${H}_{0}={75}_{-32}^{+40}\,\mathrm{km}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}\,{\mathrm{Mpc}}^{-1}$, which is consistent with both SN Ia and cosmic microwave background measurements of the Hubble constant. The quoted 68% credible region comprises 60% of the uniform prior range [20, 140] km s−1 Mpc−1, and it depends on the assumed prior range. If we take a broader prior of [10, 220] km s−1 Mpc−1, we find ${H}_{0}={78}_{-24}^{+96}\,\mathrm{km}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}\,{\mathrm{Mpc}}^{-1}$ (57% of the prior range). Although a weak constraint on the Hubble constant from a single event is expected using the dark siren method, a multifold increase in the LVC event rate is anticipated in the coming years and combinations of many sirens will lead to improved constraints on H 0.

Electron reconstruction and identification in the ATLAS experiment using the 2015 and 2016 LHC proton-proton collision data at s=13 TeV

Abstract: Algorithms used for the reconstruction and identification of electrons in the central region of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented in this paper; these algorithms a ...

Ancient Rome: A genetic crossroads of Europe and the Mediterranean

Abstract: Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about the genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial period, Rome’s population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.

All-sky search for continuous gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars using Advanced LIGO O2 data

Abstract: We present results of an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves (CWs), which can be produced by fast spinning neutron stars with an asymmetry around their rotation axis, using data from the second observing run of the Advanced LIGO detectors. Three different semicoherent methods are used to search in a gravitational-wave frequency band from 20 to 1922 Hz and a first frequency derivative from -1×10-8 to 2×10-9 Hz/s. None of these searches has found clear evidence for a CW signal, so upper limits on the gravitational-wave strain amplitude are calculated, which for this broad range in parameter space are the most sensitive ever achieved.

Energy-Efficient Algorithm for Reliable Routing of Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract: Quality of service (QoS) routing is one of the critical challenges in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), especially for surveillance systems. Multihop data transmission of WSNs, due to the high packet loss and energy-efficiency, requires reliable links for end-to-end data delivery. Current multipath routing works can provision QoS requirements like end-to-end reliability and delay, but suffer from a significant energy cost. To improve the efficiency of the network with multiconstraints QoS parameters, in this paper we model the problem as a multiconstrained optimal path problem and propose a distributed learning automaton (DLA) based algorithm to preserve it. The proposed approach leverages the advantage of DLA to find the smallest number of nodes to preserve the desired QoS requirements. It takes several QoS routing constraints like end-to-end reliability and delay into account in path selection. We simulate the proposed algorithm, and the obtained results verify the effectiveness of our solution. The results demonstrate that our algorithm has a better performance than current state-of-the-art competitive algorithms in terms of end-to-end delay and energy-efficiency.

Latest advances on solar thermal collectors: A comprehensive review

Abstract: The need to put in place alternative energy policies stems from the awareness that fossil fuels are exhaustible and harmful to the environment. For this reason, during the last decades the scientific world has focused on systems able to use and convert renewable energy sources, particularly solar radiation. Nowadays, solar thermal collectors use solar energy to distribute low-cost domestic and industrial heating. In this review a comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed journals and relevant papers on solar thermal collectors is provided. Descriptions of the different types of solar collectors are provided. Theoretical analyses, latest developments related to the functional elements, and hybrid systems have been considered throughout this analysis. Performance test methods for solar thermal collectors and standards are discussed. This cross-review aims to assist researchers, engineers and manufacturers in keeping them abreast of latest developments in the field of solar thermal collectors.