Superconductivity of vapour quenched beryllium and beryllium-based alloys

The properties of Be films, quench-condensed upon a³He cooled substrate, have been investigated by resistance and tunneling measurements. The superconducting transition temperature,T _c , of Be films increased with thickness and a thick film limit of 9.95 K could be estimated. Alloying with Al or Pb decreasedT _c. The ratios between energy gaps andT _c 's indicated that Be is a weak coupling superconductor, and no phonon induced structure could be traced in tunneling curves neither in pure Be nor in the Be based alloys. Resistance change during annealing as well as superconducting data indicated that the vapour quenched Be films were amorphous as deposited.     

Experimental investigation of highly excited states of the 5,6He and 5,6Li nuclei in the (6Li, 7Be) and (6Li, 7Li) one-nucleon pickup reactions

The (⁶Li, ⁷Be) and (⁶Li, ⁷Li) reactions on ⁶Li and ⁷Li nuclei were investigated in the angular interval 0°–20° in the laboratory system at a ⁶Li energy of 93 MeV. In addition to low-lying states of the ^5,6He and ^5,6Li nuclei, broad structures were observed near the t(³He)+d and t(³He)+t thresholds at the excitation energies of 16.75 (3/2⁺) and ～20 MeV (for ⁵He), 16.66 (3/2⁺) and ～20 MeV (⁵Li), 14.0 and 25 MeV (⁶He), and ～20 MeV (⁶Li). The angular distributions measured in the ⁷Li(⁶Li, ⁷Be)⁶He reaction for transitions to the ground state (0⁺) and excited states at E _x=1.8 MeV (2⁺) and 14.0 MeV of the ⁶He nucleus were analyzed by the finite-range distorted-wave method assuming the 1p-and 1s-proton pickup mechanism. The (⁶Li, ⁷Be) and (⁶Li, ⁷Li) reactions were shown to proceed predominantly through the one-step pickup mechanism, and the broad structures observed at high excitation energies are considered as quasimolecular states of the t(³He)+d and t(³He)+t types.     

Trinucleon cluster structure at high-excitation energies in A=6 nuclei

Trinucleon molecular structures in ⁶He and ⁶Be were investigated by using the ⁶Li(⁷Li, ⁷Be)⁶He reaction at 455 MeV and ⁶Li(³He, t)⁶Be reaction at 450 MeV, respectively. Binary decays into t + t from a broad state at E _x =18.0±1.0 MeV in ⁶He and into ³He + ³He from one at E _x =18.0±1.2 MeV in ⁶Be, respectively, were observed by measuring trinucleon cluster decays in coincidence with reaction particles. The branching ratios for binary decay were estimated to be about 0.7 for ⁶He and ⁶Be. These large branching ratios show that a trinucleon cluster state exists as an isobaric partner around E _x =18 MeV in ⁶He and ⁶Be.     

Fragmentation channels of relativistic 7Be nuclei in peripheral interactions

At the JINR Nuclotron, ⁷Li nuclei are accelerated. The charge-exchange reaction involving these nuclei at an external target provides a secondary 1.23-A-GeV ⁷Be beam. This beam is used to irradiate emulsion chambers. The mean free path λ_inel(⁷Be) = 14.0 ± 0.8 cm for inelastic ⁷Be interactions in an emulsion coincides within the errors with those for ⁶Li and ⁷Li nuclei. More than 10% of the ⁷Be events are associated with the peripheral interactions in which the total charge of the relativistic fragments is equal to the charge of the ⁷Be nucleus and in which charged mesons are not produced. An unusual ratio of the helium isotopes is revealed in the composition of the doubly charged fragments of the ⁷Be nuclei: the number of the ³He fragments is twice as large as that of the ⁴He fragments. Each of 50% of peripheral interaction events includes two doubly charged fragments. The channels of the ⁷Be fragmentation into charged fragments are presented. In 50% of events, the ⁷Be fragmentation occurs only into charged fragments without the emission of neutrons. The ⁴He + ³He channel dominates, whereas each of the ⁴He + d + p and ⁶Li + p channels constitutes 10%. Two events without neutron emission are observed in the ³He + t + p and ³He + d + d three-body channels. The mean free path for the coherent dissociation of relativistic ⁷Be nuclei into ⁴He + ³He is equal to 7 ± 1 m. The main features of the fragmentation of relativistic ⁷Be nuclei in such peripheral interactions are explained by the ³He + ⁴He two-cluster structure of the ⁷Be nucleus.     

The four-neutron system

The development of light, neutron-rich beams has opened new perspectives for the study of many-neutron systems in the last decade. Breakup experiments at GANIL are described, using beams of ^6,8He, ¹¹Li, ¹⁴Be and ¹⁵B at several tens of MeV/N. Our approach is based on the detection in coincidence of the breakup fragment and the neutrons in order to investigate the different correlations in the final state of these very neutron-rich systems, in particular, 2n correlations in ⁶He, ¹¹Li and ¹⁴Be, three-body correlations in ¹⁴Be, and 4n correlations in ⁸He and ¹⁴Be.     

Electron-beam induced reduction of carbon concentration on BeO and its effects on secondary electron emission

Electron-beam stimulated reduction of C concentration on BeO, which requires an oxygen ambient ～ 10^?7 torr, was studied using Auger spectroscopy. As the C Auger line decreases, those of Be and O increase, the secondary electron emission ratio δ increases, and the work function decreases. We have concluded that these effects stem from electron stimulated desorption of C. The desorption process is monomolecular, at least initially, with a cross-section of about 2.1 × 10^?20cm², from which we infer that the desorbing species is CO⁺. The adsorbed C, initially in the graphite form, can be converted to the carbide form by heat treatment as low as 450°C. This conversion is accompanied by a decrease in work function of 2.50 V from the value associated with the graphite C. The magnitude of the Auger electron signal from carbide C decreases under electron beam irradiation; however, in this case, the reduction in the magnitude of the C Auger line is not accompanied by any change in δ or yield curve. It is suggested that this decrease is not due to desorption of the carbide C, but rather to an electron-induced change in the C bonding state.     

Resonant structure observed in the 3He(τ, γ)6Be capture reaction

The ³He(τ,γ)⁶Be capture reaction has been studied for ³He bombarding energies from 12 to 27, MeV. Transitions to the first excited state in ⁶Be(T = 1, 2⁺) are readily seen. Transitions to the ground state in ⁶Be (T = 1, 0⁺) are very weak and their presence could not be ascertained. The 90° excitation function for these transitions shows a broad maximum centered at E_τ = 23 ±1 MeV. This is interpreted as a resonance in the compound nucleus ⁶Be at E_x = 23.0±0.5 MeV with a configuration other than ³He+³He. These results are compared with other experimental work as well as with theoretical predictions.     

Features of the 9Be → 2He fragmentation in an emulsion for an energy of 1.2 GeV per nucleon

The results of investigation of the fragmentation of relativistic nuclei ⁹Be in an emulsion, which is accompanied by the formation of two 1.2-A-GeV He fragments, are presented. The angular measurements of the ⁹Be → 2He events are analyzed. The ⁹Be → ⁸Be + n fragmentation channel with the decay of ⁸Be from the ground (0⁺) and first excited (2⁺) states into a pair of α particles appears to be dominant.     

Chemical effects on beryllium K X-ray spectra produced by heavy ion bombardment

Beryllium X-ray spectra from Be and BeO targets by proton, helium, nitrogen and argon ion bombardment have been measured. In the oxide, chemical shifts of K_α and K²_α X-ray lines are similar magnitude and the intense satellite KL and hypersatellite K²L lines are observed by heavy ion bombardment.     

Light Nuclei in the Continuum

The development of light, neutron-rich beams has opened in the last decade new perspectives for the study of many-neutron systems. Breakup experiments at GANIL are described, using beams of ^6,8He, ¹¹Li, ¹⁴Be and ¹⁵B at several tens of MeV/N. Our approach is based on the detection in coincidence of the breakup fragment and the neutrons in order to investigate the different correlations in the final state of these very neutron-rich systems. Several particular cases are discussed: fragment-n correlations in unbound ⁷He, ¹⁰Li and ⁹He; 2n correlations in ⁶He, ¹¹Li and ¹⁴Be; and three-body and 4n correlations in ⁸He and ¹⁴Be.     

Manifestation of the cluster structure of the <Superscript>9</Superscript>Be nucleus in direct nuclear reactions

Specific features of ⁴He interaction with light ⁹Be nuclei are studied. The potential of ⁴He–⁹Be interaction is calculated within the framework of the double folding model using the wave function of the ground state of the ⁹Be nucleus constructed in the three-cluster α + α + n approximation. The differential cross sections of elastic and inelastic ⁴He–⁹Be scattering and single-nucleon transfer in the intermediate range of energies are calculated. Comparative analysis of experimental and calculated results demonstrate their good agreement, indicating that the model assumptions on the cluster structure of ⁹Be nucleus are valid.     

The growth and composition of anodic films on GaP

Anodic films have been grown on GaP in a variety of buffered anodizing solutions with pH ranging from 3 to 10. The films were grown at constant current densities from 1 to 100 mA/cm². Films with thicknesses in the range 500–1000 Å resulted from the higher current densities. The films were analyzed using the Rutherford backscattering of 1·7–2 MeV ⁴He ions in conjunction with ion channeling. This analysis revealed two distinct types of films; those with uniform composition as a function of depth and those with non-uniform profiles. The uniform films have Ga:P:O composition ratios typically ～1:2:5:8 whereas the non-uniform films have typical integrated Ga:P:O ratios of ～1:1·5:5. In the non-uniform films, which are the majority of those grown, Ga is piled up at the film-electrolyte interface; associated with this Ga excess is a corresponding P deficiency at the interface. This indicates that Ga migrates through the films during anodizing and forms a Ga-rich outer layer. In the uniform films it appears that much of the migrating Ga is continually being dissolved in the electrolyte during anodization.     

Implementation of the thermonuclear process in D<Superscript>3</Superscript>He-<Superscript>9</Superscript>Be plasma on the basis of a Z pinch with an ultrafast laser ignition

A new concept of inertial-magnetic confinement fusion is proposed. This concept is based on a high-current Z pinch combined with a femtosecond laser. The fusion target is composed of a D³He fuel contained under a high pressure inside a sealed cylindrical capsule made from metallic ⁹Be. An electric discharge along the capsule preheats the target and transforms it into a state of compressed liner. A subsequent TW femtosecond-laser pulse focused on a target end face causes ultrafast cold ignition of a small portion of the D³He fuel. This laser impact generates energetic electrons and ions, which trigger a nuclear-physics mechanism of a catalytic heating of the fuel and also creates a detonation shock wave capable of propagating along the plasma filament. It is shown that the self-sustaining fusion burn wave can appear in the D³He-⁹Be plasma, in which case the bulk of the energy release is carried by nonradioactive ions, with the energy gain being in excess of 50. The possibility of probing the fusion process by means of gamma-ray spectroscopy is also discussed. The radiative-capture reactions ³He(d, γ), D(d, γ), and ³He(³He, γ) naturally accompanying the burning of the D³He fuel are shown to serve as a convenient diagnostic tool. A nuclear “marker” of D³He fusion on the basis of the detection of monochromatic gamma rays produced in the reaction ⁹Be(α, γn), which is induced in the liner beryllium shell by energetic fusion alpha particles, is also examined.     

Spin-alignment and g-factor measurement of the I^{\pi} = 12+ isomer in 192Pb produced in the relativistic-energy fragmentation of a 238U beam

Reactions of a 16.8 MeV ⁶He beam with a ⁹Be target have been investigated using highly segmented detector setup covering a large solid angle. Data on elastic and quasi-free scattering, as well as two-neutron transfer, are reported. The results for elastic scattering are fairly well reproduced by a CDCC calculation, in agreement with the interpretation of a breakup effect already observed for the scattering of ⁶He on other light targets. Exotic quasi-free scattering of ⁶He on $ \alpha$ -cluster in ⁹Be is clearly observed. Inclusive and coincident events were used to extract information on the two-neutron transfer reaction ⁹Be(⁶He, $ \alpha$ )¹¹Be . Sequential decay of the ¹¹Be state at the excitation energy $\ensuremath E_x = 10.6$ MeV through different channels is discussed.     

Spectroscopic Measurement in 9He and 12Be

Spectroscopy for neutron-rich nuclei ⁹He and ¹²Be has been performed by means of heavy-ion double charge exchange (HIDCX) (¹⁸O, ¹⁸Ne) reaction on stable target nuclei ⁹Be and ¹²C, respectively. Several clear peaks in ¹²Be at low excitation energy region even above neutron separation energy have been observed in one-shot measurement, whereas no prominent signals of ⁹He have been observed owing to the small cross section. It is shown that the HIDCX reaction is a new powerful spectroscopic tool for study of unstable neutron-rich nuclei.     

Neutron periphery in light nuclei

A spatial configuration of light nuclei that involves two excess neutrons (⁶He, ¹⁰Be, and ¹²B) is studied by analyzing cross sections for various reactions on these nuclei: ⁶He(α, α)⁶He, ⁹Be(d, p)¹⁰Be, and ¹⁰B(t, p)¹²B. Pole dineutron-transfer mechanisms (dineutron configuration of the neutron periphery) and second-order mechanisms involving sequential neutron transfer (cigar-like configuration of the neutron periphery) are taken into account in the calculations. It is shown that the neutron periphery is drastically different in the nuclei in question: in ⁶He, there is a halo receiving a contribution from both configurations; in ¹⁰Be, there is an only slightly noticeable halo featuring a contribution of practically one neutron from the cigar-like configuration; and, in ¹²B, there is a neutron skin.     

Clustering Features of the 7Be Nucleus in Relativistic Fragmentation

Charge topology of fragmentation of 1.2 A GeV ⁷Be nuclei in nuclear track emulsion is presented. The dissociation channels ⁴He + ³He, 2³He+ n, ⁴He + 2¹H are considered in detail. It is established that the events ⁶Be + n amount about to 27 % in the channel ⁴He + 2¹H.     

Determination of the nuclear vertex constants for the 7Be ↔ 3He4He vertex using theN/D equations and calculation of the astrophysical S factor for the 4He(3He, γ)7Be reaction

N/D equations taking into account the Coulomb interaction effects are used to consider the phase analysis data on ³He⁴He scattering and determine the nuclear vertex constants for the ⁷Be ? ³He⁴He vertex, where the beryllium nucleus is in the ground (3/2^?) or first excited (1/2^?) states. Information about the asymptotic normalization coefficients of the wave functions of the ⁷Be nucleus in the noted states is derived. The data obtained are used to calculate the astrophysical S factor for the ⁴He(³He, γ)⁷Be reaction.     

Core-breakup reactions of the halo nuclei 11Be and 11Li: momentum distributions and shadow effects

The halo nuclei ¹¹Be and ¹¹Li have been studied in core-breakup reactions where the halo neutrons are expected to be released without a major distortion due to the reaction. The widths of the halo-neutron momentum distributions have been extracted in coincidence with He fragments, Γ = 32 ± 4 MeV/c, and Li fragments, Γ = 42 ± 4 MeV/c for ¹¹Be and with He fragments, Γ = 42 ± 6 MeV/c for ¹¹Li. The ¹¹Be breakup gives a very low neutron multiplicity of 0.38±0.09 which is a manifestation of the shadowing of the neutron in the core-breakup reaction. This value can be understood from a simple theoretical calculation, which also accounts for the observed transverse momentum widths at small angles.