Second experiment at VASSILISSA separator on the synthesis of the element 112

The upgraded separator VASSILISSA was used to confirm results of previous experiments on the synthesis of the heavy isotopes of the element 112 obtained in complete-fusion reactions of ⁴⁸Ca and ²³⁸U. An additional reason was the non-observation of any events in the same reaction studied with the BGS separator at Berkeley. Limits of for the atomic mass number of the observed spontaneously fissioning isotope were measured. The obtained results on the decay mode, half-life and production cross-section are in agreement with those obtained in our first experiment.Received: 10 June 2003, Revised: 29 July 2003, Published online: 2 December 2003PACS: 23.60. + e decay - 25.70.-z Low and intermediate energy heavy-ion reactions - 25.85.Ca Spontaneous fission - 27.90. + b      

Some Isoperimetric Inequalities in Electrochemistry and Hele Shaw Flows

Isoperimetric inequalities are applied to a moving-boundaryproblem for doubly-connected domains. This problem occurs forexample in electrochemistry, in which case the domains in questionare the electrolyte of an electrolytic cell. The two electrodessurrounding the electrolyte are assumed to grow or dissolve,at different rates in general, by electrochemical reaction.We obtain optimal estimates showing, for example, that the leastchange in volume of each electrode always occurs in sphericalsymmetry.     

Some proposals of new experiments on cluster radioactivity

Measurement of elastic scattering and fusion-fission cross sections of the cluster decay products is proposed for the study of the mechanism of cluster radioactivity. The obtained data on ¹²C+²⁰⁸Pb allow to select between different theoretical models. The experiment on search of the exotic nucleus ¹¹²Ba and its cluster decay is discussed.     

Cross sections of 102 element isotopes formation in the reactions of22Ne+236U and26Mg+232Th

The production cross sections of the isotopes²⁵²102,²⁵³102, and²⁵⁴102 were measured for the heavy ion fusion reactions of²²Ne+²³⁶U and²⁶Mg+²³²Th by using the kinematic separator VASSILISSA. The obtained excitation functions and the maximum production cross sections are compared with the ones for more asymmetric reactions leading to the same compound nucleus²⁵⁸102. The experimental cross sections and the results of statistical model calculations are compared and discussed.The authors express their gratitude to Prof. Yu. Ts. Oganessian for his great interest and support of this work, to Drs. E.A. Cherepanov, Yu.A. Muzychka and B.I. Pustylnik for the calculations and for the useful discussions.     

MODELING CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE EFFECT ON THE NORWEGIAN SALMON FARMING INDUSTRY

Abstract Global warming is expected to affect the ecosystem in the Northeast Atlantic, and substantial changes will also affect the aquaculture industry. Farming of salmon and trout is the biggest aquaculture industry in Norway, with an export value of about 3 billion US dollars in 2007. The objective of the paper is to analyze the potential economic effect a general increase in sea temperature can have on the Norwegian salmon aquaculture industry. The assessment of the economic impact of global warming is made possible by estimating a growth function, which explicitly includes sea water temperature. The analysis compares the economic effect of a climate change on fish farming plants in the south and the north of Norway. The scenarios are based on a model with monthly seasonal variation in temperature.     

Reaction mechanism studies using the CN/ER spin distribution

To study basic properties of the fusion reaction dynamics for heavy compound systems the partial-wave distribution can be employed as an alternative to the classically used fusion/fission excitation functions. A variety of reactions leading to compound nuclei (CN) in the Pb region can be used to investigate features like the fusion-fission competition, the role of deformation in the fusion of heavy systems and a possible effect of the Z = 82 shell on the enhancement of evaporation residue (ER) production.Received: 5 November 2002, Revised: 26 March 2003, Published online: 9 March 2004PACS: 24.75. + i General properties of fission - 25.70.Gh Compound nucleus - 25.70.Jj Fusion and fusion-fission reactions