Anisotropic alpha decay from oriented nuclei

Starting from the formalism for alpha decay presented by Jackson and Rhoades-Brown /4/ and adapted for the decay of deformed nuclei by Berggren and Olanders /3/, we calculate half-lives and anisotropies in the alpha decay of oriented odd-mass At isotopes. The earlier results for harmonic oscillator models are compared to results for a Woods-Saxon model.     

Backward particle production in neutrino neon interactions

Backward proton and pion production is studied in ν and \(\bar v\) charged current interactions in neon. The results are compared with other experiments and theory. The complete backward proton data is compatible with protons produced by reinteractions in the nucleus. However in events with only one proton, muon variables appear correlated to those for the backward proton, as expected by the two-nucleon correlation model.     

Coherent single pion production by antineutrino charged current interactions and test of PCAC

The cross section for coherent production of a single π^? meson in charged current antineutrino interactions on neon nuclei has been measured in BEBC to be (175±25) 10^?40 cm²/neon nucleus, averaged over the energy spectrum of the antineutrino wide band beam at the CERN SPS; this corresponds to (0.9±0.1) % of the total charged current \(\bar v_\mu \) cross section. The distributions of kinematical variables are in agreement with theoretical predictions based on the PCAC hypothesis and the meson dominance model; in particular, theQ ² dependence is well described by a propagator containing a massm=(1.35±0.18) GeV. The absolute value of the cross section is also in agreement with the model. This analysis thus provides a test of the PCAC hypothesis in the antineutrino energy range 5–150 GeV.     

Characterization of a putative sensory [FeFe]-hydrogenase provides new insight into the role of the active site architecture

[FeFe]-hydrogenases are known for their high rates of hydrogen turnover, and are intensively studied in the context of biotechnological applications. Evolution has generated a plethora of different subclasses with widely different characteristics. The M2e subclass is phylogenetically distinct from previously characterized members of this enzyme family and its biological role is unknown. It features significant differences in domain- and active site architecture, and is most closely related to the putative sensory [FeFe]-hydrogenases. Here we report the first comprehensive biochemical and spectroscopical characterization of an M2e enzyme, derived from Thermoanaerobacter mathranii. As compared to other [FeFe]-hydrogenases characterized to-date, this enzyme displays an increased H₂ affinity, higher activation enthalpies for H⁺/H₂ interconversion, and unusual reactivity towards known hydrogenase inhibitors. These properties are related to differences in active site architecture between the M2e [FeFe]-hydrogenase and “prototypical” [FeFe]-hydrogenases. Thus, this study provides new insight into the role of this subclass in hydrogen metabolism and the influence of the active site pocket on the chemistry of the H-cluster.

Characterization of a group D putative sensory [FeFe]-hydrogenase reveals how the active site can be tuned to decrease CO inhibition and increase stability of a reduced H-cluster while retaining the ability to catalyze H⁺/H₂ interconversion.     

A field theoretical description of states with different orbitals for different spins

A field theoretical formulation is given for the method of different orbitals for different spins (DODS ). For an infinite system DODS describes an antiferromagnetic state and to account for this spin ordering a Gorkov-type of factorization is introduced. A corresponding gap equation is derived, where a non-zero solution indicates the presence of long-range order in the system. Actually the formulation given is general enough as to render DODS as a special case. As shown, we may also obtain a ferrimagnetic as well as a density wave state solution depending on the special characteristics of the system at hand. A related type of antiferromagnetism is described by the Overhauser spin density wave (SDW ) state and also this theory is formulated in a field theoretical language. The similarities and differences between DODS and SDW are discussed. The energy expressions for the two states are given within the Hartree-Fock approximation. It is proposed that the SDW state could be used to partly account for the correlation problem in molecules, as well as the method of DODS which has previously been employed for that purpose.     

Quantum phenomena in small semiconductor structures and devices

The ability to artificially structure new semiconductor materials on an atomic scale, using advanced crystal growth methods such as molecular beam epitaxy and metal organic chemical vapor deposition, has led recently to the observation of new physical phenomena as well as the creation of entirely new classes of devices based on band gap and wave function engineering. In these lectures an elementary introduction is given to the quantum aspects of these new structures.     

A uniformly well-conditioned, unfitted Nitsche method for interface problems

A finite element method for elliptic partial differential equations that allows for discontinuities along an interface not aligned with the mesh is presented. The solution on each side of the interface is separately expanded in standard continuous, piecewise-linear functions, and jump conditions at the interface are weakly enforced using a variant of Nitsche’s method. In our method, the solutions on each side of the interface are extended to the entire domain which results in a fixed number of unknowns independent of the location of the interface. A stabilization procedure is included to ensure well-defined extensions. We prove that the method provides optimal convergence order in the energy and the L ² norms and a condition number of the system matrix that is independent of the position of the interface relative to the mesh. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical results and demonstrate optimal convergence order also for the pointwise errors.