Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence – A tool for interdisciplinary research

Trace elements have been at the focus of attention for decades with considerable emphasis on their role in biology and biomedical sciences, environmental sciences, geology, archaeology and material sciences. They comprise a large number of elements, some having essential physiological functions, whereas others are toxic, mutagenic or carcinogenic. A few even have antiproliferative and anticarciniogenic properties. The advent of various instrumental techniques and sophisticated instrumentations has made their detection to very low limits possible, making this a very important multidisciplinary study. Among these techniques the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique is being widely used for trace element detection in various fields of science. Keeping the importance of trace elements in mind, the Kolkata centre of UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research initiated several research schemes in different fields of trace element research using various techniques, EDXRF being one of the main techniques. A Xenemetrix (erstwhile Jordan Valley) EX 3600 EDXRF spectrometer is being used to carry out the research. This presentation aims to highlight some of the very recent applications of EDXRF in the study of the role of trace elements in pre-cancerous tissues, medicinal plants and also in some environmental studies.     

Taming fluorescence yield of dye insensitive to temperature by non-covalent complex with the host CB[7] for aqueous dye lasers

Quantum yield of fluorescence (QYF) of widely used Rhodamine (RhB) dye in ethanol and water was observed to decrease rapidly with increase in temperature of the dye solutions, which was correlated to enhanced torsional motion of its flexible diethylamino groups. This is harmful for its use in high-average power dye lasers, pumped by copper vapour laser (CVL) or diode-pumped solid-state green laser (DPSSGL), in which bulk temperature of the dye solution was found to increase due to the heat generated by circulation pumps and non-radiative decay processes of excited dye molecules. The QYF of RhB dye in water was found to be not sensitive to temperature in the practical operating region 16–25°C of dye laser by adopting supramolecular route to form an inclusion complex of RhB with the container molecule cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]).     

Design of nanocomposite film-based plasmonic device for gas sensing

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a very efficient tool for chemical and biological sensing in nanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, medicine and environmental monitoring. A theoretical simulation study incorporating the use of admittance loci design methodology in SPR-based sensing device using gold-tungsten trioxide (Au-WO_3?x ) nanocomposite film is reported in this paper. A simple Kretschmann–Raether-type prism-based plasmonic device consisting of a glass prism, Au-WO_3?x nanocomposite film and various gas samples is considered. Complex permittivity for both stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric Au-WO_3?x nanocomposite films has been used for the simulation of the admittance loci plots, resonance curves and sensitivity curves by considering angular interrogation at a fixed wavelength of 632.8 nm.     

The dependence of scattering length on van der Waals interaction and reduced mass of the system in two-atomic collision at cold energies

The static exchange model (SEM) and the modified static exchange model (MSEM) recently introduced by Ray in Pramana – J. Phys.83, 907 (2014) are used to study the elastic collision between two hydrogen-like atoms when both are in ground states by considering the system as a four-body Coulomb system in the centre of mass frame, in which all the Coulomb interaction terms in direct and exchange channels are treated exactly. The SEM includes the non-adiabatic short-range effect due to electron exchange. The MSEM added in it, the long-range effect due to induced dynamic dipole polarizabilities between the atoms e.g., the van der Waals interaction. Applying the SEM code in different H-like two-atomic systems, a reduced mass (μ) dependence on the scattering length is observed. Again, applying the MSEM code on H(1s)–H(1s) elastic scattering and varying the minimum values of interatomic distance R₀, the dependence of scattering length on the effective interatomic potential consistent with the existing physics is observed. Both these basic findings in low and cold energy atomic collision physics are quite useful and are being reported for the first time.     

Collision between two ortho-positronium (Ps) atoms: A four-body Coulomb problem

The elastic collision between two ortho-positronium (e.g. S = 1) atoms is studied using an ab-initio static exchange model (SEM) in the centre of mass (CM) frame by considering the system as a four-body Coulomb problem where all the Coulomb interaction terms in the direct and exchange channels are treated exactly. A coupled channel methodology in momentum space is used to solve Lippman–Schwinger equation following the integral approach. A new SEM code is developed in which the Born–Oppenheimer (BO) scattering amplitude acts as input to derive the SEM amplitude adapting the partial wave analysis. The s-, p- and d-wave elastic phase shifts and the corresponding partial cross-sections for the spin alignment S = 0, i.e., singlet (+) and S = 2, i.e., triplet (?) states are studied. An augmented Born approximation is used to include the contribution of higher partial waves more accurately to determine the total/integrated elastic cross-section (σ), the quenching cross-section (σ_q) and ortho-to-para conversion ratio (σ/σ_q). The effective range theory is used to determine the scattering lengths and effective ranges in the s-wave elastic scattering. The theory includes the non-adiabatic short-range effects due to exchange.     

A NEW GENERATION OF INSTRUMENTATION AND CAPABILITIES FOR ATOMIC MASS SPECTROMETRY

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