The cosmic ray actinide charge spectrum derived from a 10 m array of solid state nuclear track detectors in Earth orbit

The DIAS-ESTEC Ultra Heavy Cosmic Ray Experiment (UHCRE) on the Long Duration Exposure Facility, collected approximately 3000 cosmic ray nuclei with Z>65 in the energy region E>1.5 GeVnucleon⁻¹ during a six year exposure in Earth orbit. The entire accessible collecting area of the solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) array has been scanned for actinides, yielding a sample of 30 from an exposure of ≈150 m² sryr. The UHCRE experimental setup is described and the observed charge spectrum presented. The current best value for the cosmic ray actinide relative abundance, (Z>88)/(74Z87), is reported.     

Study of fossil tracks due to 50 < or = Z < or = 92 galactic cosmic ray nuclei in meteoritic crystals: results and perspectives

A new approach to the problem of investigation of charge and energy spectra of ultra heavy Galactic cosmic ray nuclei, based on fossil track study of extraterrestrial olivine crystals has been developed. The results of an investigation of ultra heavy Galactic cosmic ray nuclei (Z=50-92) in meteoritic olivine crystals are presented. The technique was based on calibration of olivine crystals with accelerated Xe, Au, Pb and U ions and well-controlled partial annealing of "fresh" and "fossil" tracks. It allows us to determine the charge spectra and abundances of cosmic ray nuclei based on fossil track length study in meteoritic and Moon crystals. The comparative studies of the spectra of "fossil' tracks and tracks due to 208Pb and 238U nuclei have shown that the group of 210 micrometers "fossil" tracks, first observed in 1980 at JINR is due to Th-U nuclei-products of recent r-process nucleosynthesis in our Galaxy. The method in principle allows one to resolve Pt-Pb peaks in fossil tracks, to establish the upper limit of the abundance of Z>110 nuclei in the Galactic cosmic rays at the level < or = 10(-3) to the abundance of actinide nuclei and to get information on the history of Z>50 cosmic ray nuclei in time interval up to 220 M.Y.     

Heavy ion results from different locations on LDEF

Heavy ions (Z = 8–26) with energies far below the geomagnetic cutoff energy were measured in three different plastic nuclear track detector experiments on the 28.5° inclination orbit of the NASA satellite Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) at 460 km mean altitude. The results of the three experiments M0002 (Kiel University, Germany), A0015 (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt (= DLR) Köln, Germany) and HIIS (Naval Research Laboratory (= NRL) Washington, DC, U.S.A.), which were exposed at different satellite locations, agree with each other. At E ≤ 70 MeV/nuc all particle groups showed a steeply falling energy spectrum and an anisotropic arrival direction distribution. The results were consistent with magnetically trapped particles registered in the South Atlantic. The detected particles originated from the anomalous cosmic rays (O, Ne, Ar) and from an unknown source (Mg, Si, Fe). At E ≥ 70 MeV/nuc measured particles of the Fe-group showed a flattening energy spectrum.     

Study of fossil tracks due to VH and VVH groups of cosmic ray nuclei in olivine crystals from Luna-16 and Luna-24

The olivine crystals from lunar regolith samples taken by the Soviet unmanned spacecrafts Luna-16 and Luna-24 were investigated. Eleven 0.5 –1.0 mm size olivine crystals were mounted in epoxy, polished and then etched in modified WO₄ solution. The Fe-group track densities up to 10⁸ tracks.cm⁻² (Fe-group) were measured under optical microscope. The tracks of length greater than 30 microns due to Z ≥ 36 cosmic ray nuclei are counted for VVH tracks density for all the crystals. The VVH / VH track densities ratio for these lunar olivine crystals varies from 1.25×10⁻⁴ to 2×10⁻³. It corresponds to the averaged depth of these crystals in lunar soil of 2–8 cm during galactic cosmic ray exposure. Lunar crystals are well suited for VVH track studies due to a very high track density. Two crystals were annealed at 430°C for 32 hrs. This procedure eliminates iron group tracks completely and leaves etchable tracks of nuclei with Z 50 even in the olivine crystals with Fe-group tracks up to 1–2×10⁸ tracks cm⁻². We were able to measure two tracks with the length 195 and 210μm which were produced by Th---U group of Galactic cosmic ray nuclei.     

Investigation of Z > or = 70 cosmic ray nuclei on the LDEF mission

The ultra heavy cosmic ray experiment (UHCRE) on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) collected approximately 3000 cosmic ray nuclei with Z > 65 in the energy region E> 1.5 GeV/n. Almost 40% of the sample has been analysed to date. Details of the overall charge abundance pattern is outlined with estimates of the actinide abundance.     

Abundance of actinides in cosmic radiation

Ultra heavy (UH) cosmic rays of Z65 are produced either by s- or r-process of nucleosynthesis. Since these two processes occur under different astrophysical environments, the relative abundances of UH ions could be an important parameter in finding their source and origin. Data analysis is carried out on four detector stacks exposed in space by UH cosmic ray experiment on board LDEF. Scanning and analysis of 0.21 m² detector area resulted in finding of 72 UH ions (68Z96) including two actinides (88Z100). The ratio of actinides to that of sub-actinides is found to be 0.034±0.024, which is well within the observational limits of other experiments. Results suggest possible sources, which predominantly ejects r-process synthesized material.     

Systematic thermopower measurements of the thallium cuprates Tl(Ba,Sr)2Cam−1CumO2m+3−δ and Tl2Ba2Cam−1CumO2m+4+δ

The thermoelectric power (TEP) S versus temperature has been systematically investigated for several series of the superconducting cuprates Tl(Ba,Sr)₂Ca_m−1Cu_mO_2m+3−δ (m = 2, 3) and Tl₂Ba₂Ca_m−1Cu_mO_2m+4+δ (m = 1, 2, 3). The consideration of the S(T_c) curves allows two important points to be found evidence for. The first one deals with the fact that all these superconducting thallium cuprates are systematically overdoped whatever T_c, and whatever the number of Cu or Tl layers; no underdoped superconducting cuprate could be obtained. The second point shows that there exist two classes of Tl cuprates: the weakly overdoped cuprates that exhibit a T_{c max} ≥ 100 K (all the triple copper layer cuprates and the 2212 cuprates) and those which can be heavily doped that exhibit a T_{c max} ≤ 90 K (the 2201 and the 1212 cuprates). The different behavior of thallium cuprates compared to YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ and to bismuth cuprates is discussed.     

Ga primary ion ToF-SIMS fragment pattern of inorganic compounds and metals

Regularity of Ga⁺ primary ion ToF-SIMS fragment pattern of inorganic compounds is discussed. For an inorganic compound as formulated M–A, where the valence of cation M is +n and that of anion A is −p, the chemical composition of appeared ToF-SIMS fragment are M_xA_y, which satisfy the rule nx≥py+1 for positive ion fragments and nx≤py+1 for negative ones. For example, for oxide fragment of chemical composition, M_xA_y (valence of M is +n), the fragment obeys the rule nx≥2y+1 for positive ions and nx≤2y+1 for negative ones, respectively. The regularity of ToF-SIMS fragment patterns of sulfides, nitrates, sulfates etc. is discussed.     

Origin of the metal-insulator transition in the superconducting series Bi2Sr2Ca1−xYxCu2O8+δ

The metal-insulator transition in the solid solution Bi₂Sr₂Ca_1−xY_xCu₂O_8+δ (0≤x≤1) has been investigated by TGA (oxygen content) and by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (Bi and Cu valence states). Resistivity and AC magnetic susceptibility measurements have shown that the superconducting properties and the metallic behavior vanish for x>0.55. The oxygen content δ is larger than x/2 for x≤0.3 and smaller than x/2 for x≥0.6. For x=0, the Cu K edge shows a shift towards high energy with respect to the Cu(II) oxide La₂CuO₄; this shift decreases with increasing x in agreement with the decrease of the doping hole density and the variations of the physical properties. For 0≤x≤0.3, the Bi L₃ edge shows a shift of 1 eV towards low energy with respect to the Bi(III) oxide Bi₂O₃ in agreement with the charge transfer between [CuO₂]_∞ and [BiO]_∞ planes. This shift also decreases with increasing x, but is still present for the x=0.6 composition for which δ is smaller than x/2. A model of the metal-insulator transition in this series is proposed based on the fact that the intercalation of excess oxygen raises the bottom of the Bi-O band with respect to the Fermi level and decreases the contribution of the Bi-O electron pocket to the hole density.     

Effect of cobalt substitution on cationic distribution in LiNi1 − y CoyO2 electrode materials

A crystal chemistry study of LiNi_{1 − y}Co_yO₂ phases, used as positive electrode in lithium batteries, is presented. These materials crystallize in the rhombohedral system (space group: R m) with a layered structure. Rietveld profile refinement of the X-ray data shows that for low substitution amounts ( ≤ 0.20) extra-nickel ions are always present leading to the Li_{1 − z}Ni_{1 + z − t}CotO₂ (t = y(1 + z)) formula (z * > 0), while for y ≥ 0.30, a pure 2D structure is obtained (z = 0). The stabilization of the 2D character of the structure by cobalt substitution in lithium nickelate leads to the improvement of the electrochemical properties.     

Energy spectra of HZE-particles inside the International Space Station

To measure the energy spectra of low energy ions inside the International Space Station (ISS) we will expose three stacks of CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors aligned to the three coordinate axes of the space station. The energies of cosmic ray nuclei at the stack surfaces can be determined by reconstructing the trajectories of ions stopping inside the detector material and by measuring their ranges. To measure only HZE (high charge Z and energy E) ions with charges of Z6 stopping in our experiment a special batch of CR-39 detectors with low sensitivity will be used. This detector material has been already tested by an exposure to carbon ions at the GSI accelerator in Darmstadt, Germany.     

Anomalous cosmic ray carbon and oxygen tracks in CN-Kodak

For observation of low energy cosmic ray particles we used CN-Kodak nuclear track detectors on Cosmos satellites. In solar quiet periods during solar minima conditions the detectors registered anomalous cosmic rays (ACRs). The ACRs are characterized by flux enhancements of several elements and it is known that the carbon enhancement is small compared with that of oxygen. In all of our quiet-time exposures the relation between carbon and oxygen was extremely small (C/O 0.03). But in two quiet-time periods of 14.03.96–11.06.96 and of 15.12.97–14.04.98 we have identified many tracks as carbon in a L–R diagram. As a result the observed C/O ratio appears to be more than 0.5, whereas other experiments show no evidence of enhanced flux of carbon during these periods. The reason for the unexpected response of CN-Kodak is discussed.     

Projectile fragmentation of O and S at 3.65 GeV/n on several targets

We investigate the charge changing collisions for ¹⁶O and ³²S beams at 3.65 GeV/n on several targets, by using Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTD). Track measurements were performed by an automatic measurement system. We determined the total charge changing cross sections and the elemental cross sections for the production of fragments of charge 9 ≤ Z ≤ 14. Comparison with theoretical models as well as with experimental data are given.     

Cosmic history of the Bragin pallasite: evidence from the fission-track analysis

Chronology is rather a weak point in the investigation of pallasites, the stony-iron meteorites. No chronological data are known for the Bragin pallasite. Our attempt to reconstruct its cosmic history was based on the interpretation of fission-track analysis data. To apply this method only uranium-rich phosphates can be used. Extremely rare grains of stanfieldite were extracted from the silicate sawing residue and from the pallasite sample directly.

The researches pursued by us made it possible to find two populations of fossil tracks in stanfieldite grains. The tracks of these populations strongly differed both in size, shape and character of distribution. The first population, consisting of short (L2–6 μm instead of L8–12 μm for induced fission tracks), round-shaped tracks irregularly distributed, as we suppose, suffered an intense heating process, which caused a significant amount of partial annealing. The second population, consisting of longer (L8–12 μm), rhombic-shaped tracks homogeneously distributed, occurred after this thermal event. Only the second population track density was used for the fission-track age calculation.

After correction of the fossil track density, consisting of the second population tracks, for other possible track sources, the revealed tracks were unequivocally identified as those due to the spontaneous fission of ²⁴⁴Pu and ²³⁸U. The largest part of them was attributed to the spontaneous fission of ²⁴⁴Pu; ρ_Pu/ρ_U≈3. The model fission-track age of the studied pallasite turned out to be 4.20 Gyr. This value fix the time of the last shock/thermal event in the cosmic history of the Bragin pallasite, which had caused the partial annealing of tracks presented to that time and “fission-track clock” reset.     

Superconductivity in Ba2−xSrxYCu3Oz prepared at GPa

The compounds Ba_1.4Sr_0.6YCu₃O_z (7.0≤z<7.4) were synthesized at 2 GPa to clarify the effect of high temperature and pressure on the superconducting properties. The structure as observed by powder X-ray diffraction was tetragonal for z≥7.2, and orthorhombic or tetragonal for z<7.1. It has been revealed that high-pressure syntheses suppress the superconductivity in the compounds with z<7.1. Recovery of the superconducting properties occurs above z≥7.2. The effect of Sr substitution on the superconducting properties was also studied. The magnitude of diamagnetism at 5–30 K decreases monotonically from −0.003 to −0.0002 emu/g Oe with increasing x in Ba_2−xSr_xYCu₃O_z (x≥1.2).     

Charge susceptibility and charge correlation function in the d---p model

The properties of the charge fluctuation are investigated in the d---p model with the repulsion U_pd between holes on the nearest-neighbor Cu and O sites and the infinite on-site repulsion U_d at the Cu site. We calculate the charge susceptibility χ^c(q, iω_n) and the charge correlation function S^c(q) = TΣ_ωn χ^c(q, iω_n). It is found that S^c(q) has a peak at the Γ point and a maximum in a ring around the Γ point. The former is due to Tχ^c(q, 0). Its intensity is proportional to temperature T and strongly enhanced by U_pd. The latter is due to TΣ_{ωn ≠ 0} χ^c(q, iω_n) and shows a weak T and U_pd dependence. The intensity of the diffuse X-ray scattering on taking the charge fluctuation into account is also calculated. The result is consistent with the experiments in La_2−δSr_δCuO₄.     

A search for superheavy nuclei tracks in extraterrestrial olivine crystals

A study is made for the search of superheavy nuclei in Marjalahti, Eagle Station and in other pallasite olivines. The olivine crystals are calibrated for heavy ion track lengths by using heavy ion beams from cyclotrons. The calibration for ultra heavy ions which are presently not available with sufficient energy to produce volume tracks in olivine crystals, is based on Katz and Kobetich model of track formation. The length spectrum of volume tracks, revealed by puncturing them with focussed Nd-glass laser beam, is measured and the abundances of different nuclei groups are calculated. Partial annealing has been used at 430°C for 32 hr which eliminates the interfering tracks due to nuclei of atomic numberS ≤ 50. During the scanning 4 cm³ olivine crystals, about 360 long tracks of uranium group as well as two very long tracks have been found. If these tracks belong to superheavy nuclei, the relative abundance of super heavies is found to be 6 × 10⁻¹¹ in galactic cosmic rays.     

Influence of the Tl- and Hg-content on magnetic and transport properties of the Pb, Sr-doped Tl-1223 and Hg-1223 superconductors

The effects of the thallium and mercury content x on the as-sintered and post annealed samples of M_xPb_0.4Sr_1.6Ba_0.4Ca₂Cu₃O_8+δ {M: Tl (0.32≤x≤0.74) or Hg (0.18≤x≤0.68)} have been studied by magnetization and transport measurements. For Tl-1223 we have found the optimum Tl doping level to be x=0.53 regarding the grain properties, the content of superconducting phase, the first penetration field H_pl^wl, the transport (J_c^tr), magnetic intergrain (J_c^M) and intragrain (J_c^g) critical current densities. The critical temperature T_c of the as-sintered Tl-1223 sample decreased with increasing Tl content. Post-annealing in oxygen improved the T_c for Tl contents of x≥0.53 and had generally positive effects on the critical current densities. The intergrain properties of the Hg-1223 samples were much worse than those of the Tl-based superconductors.     

Effects of structure on exchange interactions in crystalline and amorphous alloys GdxY50−xAg50

Magnetic interactions and effects of dilution with nonmagnetic Y on the magnetic properties of crystalline and amorphous alloys Gd_xY_50−xAg₅₀ (10 ≤ x ≤ 50) have been investigated by measurements of bulk magnetization and susceptibility and by Mössbauer spectroscopy with ¹⁵⁵Gd. The crystalline alloys order antiferromagnetically for all Gd concentrations with a noncollinear arrangement of Gd moments induced by negative biquadratic exchange interactions. In amorphous alloys, ferromagnetic order is found for large Gd concentrations (x ≥ 40). Below the critical concentration x_cr, in the range 30<x_cr<40, properties typical for magnetic cluster glasses are observed. Magnetic hyperfine fields B_hf at ¹⁵⁵Gd nuclei vary with x in opposite directions in amorphous and in crystalline alloys. In crystalline alloys, the variation is due to a positive transferred hyperfine field. In amorphous alloys, a reduction of |B_hf| with decreasing Gd concentration is caused by a reduction of the frozen Gd moments in the cluster glass phase.     

Technique for determining the charge of cosmic ray nuclei by tracks in olivine crystals from meteorites

A technique for identifying the charge of cosmic ray nuclei, based on measurements of the length and average etch rate of tracks chemically etched in olivine crystals from the Marjalahti pallasite is described.