Spin determinations from the 58Ni(d→, α)56Co reaction at 80 MeV

Vector analyzing power angular distributions for the ${}^{58}\text{Ni}\text{(}\text{d}\text{→}\text{,a)}{}^{56}\text{Co}$ reaction have been measured at 80 MeV bombarding energy. They exhibit large differences between the possible transferred total angular momenta J=L+1, J=L and J=L ? 1, thus allowing unique spin determinations of the levels in the residual nucleus ⁵⁶Co. This has led to new spin assignments for the following high-spin states in ${}^{56}\text{Co}\text{: 3.54}\text{MeV}\text{, 7}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{; 4.44}\text{MeV}\text{, 7}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{; 5.14}\text{MeV}\text{, 5}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$.     

Excitons in artificial quantum dots in the weak spatial confinement regime

The exciton states in individual quantum dots prepared by the selective interdiffusion method in CdTe/CdMgTe quantum wells are studied by the methods of steady-state optical spectroscopy. The annealing-induced diffusion of Mg atoms inward to the bulk of the quantum well, which is significantly enhanced under the SiO₂ mask, leads to a modulation of the bandgap width in the plane of the well, with the minima of the potential being located in the mask aperture areas. A lateral potential that arises, whose height is in the range 30–270 meV and characteristic scale is about 100 nm, efficiently localizes carriers, which form quasi-zero-dimensional excitons in the weak spatial confinement regime. Detailed magnetooptical studies show that Coulomb correlations play a significant role in the formation of exciton states under such a regime, which, in particular, manifests itself in the localization of the wavefunction of carriers on scales that are considerably smaller than the scale of the lateral potential. The particular features of the interlevel splitting, of the biexciton binding energy, and of the diamagnetic shift are discussed. A strong dependence of the interlevel relaxation on the interlevel splitting (the phonon neck) indicates that alternative relaxation mechanisms in the quantum dots studied are weak. The excited states are populated according to the Pauli principle, which indicates that it is possible to apply the shell model of many-exciton states to quantum dots under the weak spatial confinement conditions.     

Formulation of Next-Generation Multicompartment Microcapsules by Reversible Electrostatic Attraction

The combination of several active substances into one carrier is often limited due to solubility, stability and phase-separation issues. These issues have been addressed by an innovative capsule design, in which nanocapsules are assembled on the microcapsule surface by electrostatic forces to form a pH-responsive hierarchical capsule@capsule system. Here, melamine-formaldehyde (MF) microcapsules with a negative surface charge were synthesized and coated with a novel MF-polyethyleneimine (PEI) copolymer to achieve a positive charge of ζ=+28 mV. This novel coating procedure allows the electrostatic assembly of negatively charged poly-l -lactide (PLLA, ζ=−19 mV) and poly-(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA, ζ=−56 mV) nanocapsules on the microcapsule surface. Assembly studies at pH 7 gave a partial surface coverage of PLLA nanocapsules and full surface coverage for PLGA nanocapsules. The pH-responsive adsorption and desorption of nanocapsules was shown at pH 7 and pH 3.     

Chromophores from hexeneuronic acids: chemical behavior under peroxide bleaching conditions

Hexeneuronic acids (HexA) are a major cause of discoloration (yellowing/brightness reversion) in pulps from xylan-containing wood, being generated from the xylan’s 4-O-methylglucuronic acid residues. The HexA-derived chromophores, whose identification and structure confirmation have been described in the previous part of this series (Rosenau et al. in Cellulose, 2017), were subject to conditions of peroxide bleaching, i.e. treatment with hydrogen peroxide in alkaline medium. These chromophores, ladder-type oligomers of mixed aromatic-quinoid and mixed furanoid-benzoid character, are degraded relatively quickly to one major product, 2,5-dihydroxy-[1,4]-benzoquinone (DHBQ), and a minor component, 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHA). These two compounds, which have already been identified as two of the three key chromophores (besides 5,8-dihydroxy-[1,4]-naphthoquinone, DHNQ) in aged cellulosics, are potent chromophores themselves and are subsequently more slowly degraded to non-colored degradation products, according to pathways already described in previous parts of this series. The occurrence of DHBQ and DHA in the bleaching treatment of the HexA-derived chromophores establishes the link between HexA chemistry and the key chromophore classes of residual chromophores found in aged cellulosic materials.     

Powerful, diffraction-limited semiconductor laser using photorefractive beam coupling

We use semiconductor laser amplifiers and a photorefractive crystal to generate a high-power, diffraction-limited laser beam at 860 nm. Using a single flared amplifier, we obtain 1.09 W in a diffraction-limited beam from 2.2 W of pump power. Using an array of flared amplifiers, we also demonstrate efficient beam coupling, showing that this technique is easily extended to semiconductor amplifier arrays.     

Precision measurement of antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium X-rays

X-rays from antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium have been measured at low pressures. Using the cyclotron trap, a 105 MeV/c antiproton beam from LEAR was stopped with an efficiency of 86% in 30 mbar hydrogen gas in a volume of only 100 cm³. The X-rays were measured with Si(Li) detectors and a Xe-CH₄ drift chamber. The strong interaction shift and broadening of the Lyman transition and the spin-averaged 2p width in antiprotonic hydrogen was measured with unprecedented accuracy. The triplet component of the ground state in antiprotonic hydrogen was determined for the first time.The authors would like to thank the LEAR staff for their efforts in providing the antiproton beam. The help of P. Gauss from the CERN cryogenic group and of P. Zettwoch from the PS workshop is gratefully acknowledged. We wish to thank K.-P. Wieder for his help with the drawings. This work is part of the Ph.D. thesis of one of us (K.H., University of Karlsruhe, 1990).     

Biosynthesis of lipstatin. Incorporation of multiply deuterium-labeled (5Z,8Z)-tetradeca-5,8-dienoic acid and octanoic acid.

Fermentation experiments with Streptomyces toxytricini were performed using (5Z,8Z)-[10,11,12,12-(2)H]tetradeca-5,8-dienoic acid or a mixture of [2,2-(2)H(2)]- and [8,8,8-(2)H(3)]octanoic acid as supplements. (2)H NMR and mass spectroscopy confirmed the incorporation of (5Z,8Z)-[10,11,12,12-(2)H]tetradeca-5,8-dienoic acid into the C(13) side chain as well as into the C(6) side chain of lipstatin. Moreover, deuterium was incorporated into the C(6) side chain of lipstatin from the 8-position but not from the 2-position of octanoate. The data establish that the beta-lactone moiety of lipstatin is formed by condensation of a C(8) and a C(14) fatty acid with a concomitant exchange of the H-2 atoms of the C(8) fatty acid.