Systematic studies of positron production in heavy-ion collisions near the Coulomb barrier

We present the results obtained from systematic studies of positron creation for a series of heavy-collision systems, with united chargeZ _u =Z ₁ +Z ₂ ranging fromZ _u =164 (Pb + Pb) toZ _u =184 (U+U) at bombarding energies close to the Coulomb barrier, using the Orangeβ-spectrometer at GSI. For each collision system studied, the dominating continuous distributions due to quasiatomic and nuclear positron emission are determined accurately. This is essential in obtaining the characteristics of the still unexplained monoenergetic positron lines which appear in the energy range between 200 keV and 400 keV. Our results are compared with coupled-channels calculations for quasi-atomic positron creation. The latter describe quite well the global features of the measured spectra, but overestimate systematically their absolute values. From the comparison, a common normalization factor of about 0.75 can be established for the calculated spectra. In particular, the dependence onZ _u of the measured emission probabilities was found to follow a power law (∝Z _u ^195±1), in fair agreement with the theoretical prediction.     

Gas chroamtographic separation of optically active compounds in glass capillaries

Summary Chiral compounds may be separated by gas chromatography by direct enantiomer separation on optically active stationary phases. More generally the separation can be achieved on conventional stationary phases after formation of diastereoisomeric derivatives. In this work we report on new results in enantiomer separation, indicating that hydrogen bond association is not the only kind of molecular interaction responsible for enantiomer separation. For the separation of a wide variety of chiral compounds with amino or hydroxy groups diastereo-isomeric derivatives may be formed by reaction with L--chlorisovaleryl chloride. The derivatives of amino acids, aliphatic and aromatic amines, amino alcohols and of some alcohols are separated in glass capillaries. Gas chromatography as a separation technique of high selectivity is specifically useful for the separation of mixtures of chemically related components with comparable molecular interactions with the molecules of the stationary phase of a gas chromatographic column. The separation of optically active compounds, particularly, requires highly efficient columns. Glass capillary chromatography is a tool that meets this standard and was applied exclusively in this work.     

Subthreshold antiproton andK − production in heavy ion collisions

Subthreshold ¯p andK ^– and energetic ^– production was studied in Ne + NaF, Cu, Sn and Bi, and in Ni + Ni collisions with incident energies between 1.6 and 2 GeV/u. The measured cross sections indicate a dominant contribution of baryonic resonances. This is also consistent with a generalized scaling behaviour of the cross sections with the energy available in the collision and the energy necessary to produce particles as observed with Ne induced reactions. Deviations from scaling especially pronounced in the Ni-Ni system will be discussed in terms of absorption effects. The flat slope of the excitation function for ¯p production can be related to a reduced production threshold caused by a reduction of the antiproton mass in the dense and heated medium by about 100—150 MeV/c². A similar in-medium mass reduction is also indicated forK ^– mesons. An increased ¯p reabsorption probability for the heavier systems is concluded from the comparison of the ¯p yields in Ne + NaF, Ne + Sn and Ni + Ni collisions.Dedicated to Professor Klaus Dietrich on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Investigations of correlated ρ+ e− emission in heavy-ion collisions near the Coulomb barrier

We present the results obtained from a series of ^+–-coincidence measurements in heavy-ion collisions using the double-Orange-spectrometer at GSI. The collision systems U+U, U+Pb, and U+Ta were investigated at bombarding energies close to and slightly above (U+Ta) the Coulomb barrier. For all systems studied, very narrow (FWHM–20 keV) ^+– lines were observed in the sum-energy spectra, with kinetic energies ranging from 555 keV to 810 keV, superimposed on a continuous distribution mainly due to uncorrelated ^+– emission. Particularly in the U+Ta system, a pronounced sum-energy line appears at 634 keV, predominantly in deep-inelastic collisions. In some cases (e.g. U+Pb) the line characteristics is consistent with a two-body decay mode of an emitter which moves with the c.m. velocity of the colliding ions. However, other lines, and in particular the 634 keV line (U+Ta), exhibit a rather isotropical opening-angle distribution whereas their energy is unequally shared between positrons and electrons, thus being in clear disagreement with this scenario. In general, the data preclude an emission from the separated (moving) nuclei, and, in the latter cases, provide evidence that the e⁺e^–-pair decay occurs in the vicinity of the Coulomb field of a third heavy (positively charged) partner having only a small transverse velocity (|v|<>Dedicated to Prof. B. Povh on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Importance of REP values when comparing the CALUX bioassay results with chemoanalyses results Example with spiked vegetable oils

Differences between chemical activated luciferase gene expression (CALUX) bioassay and chemoanalyses results are observed.This paper shows that calculations of the TEQ values using REP values instead of WHO TEF values give different results. The REP values do affect the results obtained by the CALUX technique. These differences are more marked for the dioxin like PCB compounds (CALUX TEQ values are lower than WHO TEQ values) than for the dioxin compounds (CALUX TEQ values are higher than WHO TEQ values).The CALUX results were compared with the concentrations of the congeners’ spiked into the oil.     

Determination of Pt in urine of tram drivers by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The Platinum Group Elements (PGEs) used in automotive catalytic converters are partly emitted into the air during use and can enter the human respiratory system. Due to the increasing use of automotive catalytic converters, the importance of this problem cannot be overlooked.The goal of this investigation was to determine the concentration of Pt in the urine of individuals occupationally exposed to urban air with heavy traffic. Sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF–ICP–MS) was used for determination of Pt in the urine of tram drivers. 38 and 34 subjects were investigated in Vienna and Budapest, respectively. Samples were taken from the tram drivers both before and after the shift.The results for Pt were compared to those from a previous study performed by our team. The comparison showed that the concentration medians were 4 times higher than the previous ones. Moreover, the values in Budapest were about twice as high as those from Vienna. A partly significant change could be observed between the two sets of data: before, and after the shift.