Studies of polarization/self-depolarization and electret-type effect in AgI

A novel d.c. polarization/self-depolarization study and electret-type effect in AgI are reported. AgI pellets of varying thicknesses, placed between two blocking (graphite) electrodes, were subjected to an external d.c. potential. A state of complete polarization was attained within ∼10 min, irrespective of the sample thickness. At this state, the potential difference, developed across the sample pellet as a result of polarization/accumulation of mobile Ag⁺ ions at the bulk/negative electrode interface, was measured experimentally. The potential difference, obtained immediately after the removal of the external d.c. source, has been referred to as ‘instant peak potential (V_p)’. As soon as the external voltage source is switched off, a process of self-depolarization is initiated due to the chemical/self diffusion of polarized mobile Ag⁺ ions throughout the bulk. ‘V_p’ gives a direct information regarding the extent of mobile ion concentration (n). ‘V_p’ measurements were carried out as a function of temperature and ‘Log V_p vs 1/T’ variation was compared with the ‘Log n vs 1/T’ Arrhenius plot, reported earlier in an entirely independent study. The two variations are almost analogous. This, in turn, supported as an earlier assertion that the abrupt conductivity increase in α-AgI, after β→α-phase transition at ∼147 °C, is predominantly due to the excessive increase in ‘n’. Furthermore, it has also been revealed that the Ag⁺ ions play another unique role which led to the existence of ‘persistent polarization’ states in AgI. These states are identical to the ‘electret-type effects’, observed in a number of dielectric materials. The polarization state persisted for very long time in ‘thermally stimulated polarized’ sample. A detailed investigation of the persistence/retention of polarization in the thermally-stimulated-polarized sample is reported.     

Weak Interaction Studies Using a Paul Trap

New developments in ion cooling and ion bunching allow the trapping of radioactive ions from a low energy beam, in a very short time scale and with very good efficiency. The performances of Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) coolers, recently developed in several laboratories in Europe and USA, are now better known. In the present study, a RFQ device will be used to inject ⁶He⁺ ions in a transparent Paul trap. The ion beam will be delivered by the SPIRAL facility at GANIL. The careful measurement of the β-recoil ion coincidence spectrum is sensitive to the angular correlation parameter a, which depends on the coupling constants of the weak hamiltonian. It should be equal to −1/3 if the interaction is only of axial vector type (V-A theory). Deviation from this value would imply a new tensor-like interaction involving a new exchange boson thus introducing new physics beyond the Standard Model. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermoluminescence in single crystals of RbBr:OH− and RbBr:Ca2+

Optical absorption, thermoluminescence glow and emission spectra of RbBr:Ca²⁺ and RbBr:OH⁻ have been studied and analysed. It is observed that both Ca²⁺ and OH⁻ ions enhance theF-centre concentration.F _Z1 band in RbBr:Ca²⁺ appears at 1.55 eV. TL glow peak corresponding toF _Z1 centre on analysis gives a trap depth of 0.84 eV. OH⁻ ions in the crystal seem to act as TL ‘killers’. Spectral distribution of emission under the glow peaks shows five bands around 1.5, 1.8, 2.1, 2.5 and 2.9 eV. Probable models of TL mechanism are suggested to explain the observed TL emission bands.     

Peak effect at microwave frequencies in swift heavy ion irradiated YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films

The vortex dynamics at microwave frequencies in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) films have been studied. We observe a peak in the microwave (4.88 and 9.55 GHz) surface resistance in some films in magnetic fields up to 0.8 T. This is associated with the ‘peak-effect’ phenomenon and reflects the order-disorder transformation of the flux line lattice near the transition temperature. Introduction of artificial pinning centers like columnar defects created as a result of irradiation with 200 MeV Ag ion (at a fluence of 4×10¹⁰ ions/cm²) leads to the suppression of the peak in films previously exhibiting ‘peak effect’.     

Shape mixing as an approximation to shell model24Ne

Band mixing calculations have been done for²⁴Ne including the two degenerate prolate and oblate Hartree-Fock states and also some particle-hole excited states in the projection formalism using an interaction obtained by Preedom and Wildenthal. The energy spectrum agrees very well with the experimental results as well as the exact shell model calculations. Thus the band mixing calculations provide a good approximation to the lengthy exact shell-model calcuations. In addition they offer a physical insight into the collective nature of the nucleus as nuclear states are described in terms of only a few ‘intrinsic’ states.     

Rotational analysis of the 0–9, 0–10 and 0–11 bands of theA 2II u -X 2II g band system of (16O18O)+

High-resolution spectra of the 0–9, 0–10 and 0–11 bands of theA ²II _u —X ²II _g system of (¹⁶O¹⁸O)⁺ ion have been studied for their rotational structure. This study enables a direct determination of the Λ-doubling parameters of theA ²II _u andX ²II _g states. The model of ‘pure precession’ explains, though not entirely, the Λ-doubling of theX ²II _a state as arising out of its interaction with theB ² Σ _g ⁻ state. The Λ-doubling in theA ²II _u state was found insignificant.     

Improvement of the Applicability, Efficiency, andPrecision of the Penning Trap Mass Spectrometer ISOLTRAP

With the Penning trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP, close to 200 nuclides have already been investigated and their masses determined with a typical relative precision of δm/m=10⁻⁷. Recently, ISOLTRAP's beam preparation system was replaced by an RFQ ion beam cooler and buncher. The principle and the characteristics of this new beam preparation system will be presented. It is planned to use ions of various carbon clusters C⁺ _n (n>1) as reference ions for mass measurements. Apart from negligible molecular binding energies, these clusters have masses that are exact multiples of the unified atomic mass unit. This will allow ISOLTRAP to carry out absolute mass measurements as well as to investigate possible mass-dependent systematic errors. The results of tests of the production, transport, and trapping of such carbon clusters will be presented. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Beta decay of highly charged ions

Ion storage rings and ion traps provide the very first opportunity to address nuclear beta decay under conditions prevailing in hot stellar plasmas during nucleosynthesis, i.e. at high atomic charge states. Experiments are summarized that were performed in this field during the last decade at the ion storage-cooler ring ESR in Darmstadt. Special emphasis is given to the first observation of bound-state beta decay, where the created electron remains bound in an inner orbital of the daughter atom. The impact of this specific ‘stellar’ decay mode for s-process nucleosynthesis as well as for nuclear ‘eon clocks’ is outlined. Finally, a new technique, single-ion decay spectroscopy, is presented, where one observes two-body beta decay characteristics (i.e. orbital electron capture or bound-state beta decay) of highly charged, single ions for well-defined nuclear and atomic quantum states of both the mother – and the daughter – ion.     

Super <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis>-Differentiation for <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis><Superscript> ∞ </Superscript>-Supermanifolds

The concept of ‘D-Differentiation’, which, in the context of smooth manifolds, generalises Lie and covariant differentiation, is extended to R ^∞-supermanifolds under the name of ‘Super D-Differentiation’. This is done by defining new (non-linear) mappings, called ‘μ-mappings’ and by relating their non-linearity to the Leibniz rule that a derivation must satisfy when it acts on a tensor product. The resulting axiomatics, which is basis-independent and coordinate-free, is then expressed in a general basis (not necessarily holonomic). Super Lie and Super covariant differentiation are, amongst others, special cases of Super D-Differentiation. In particular, the transformation rules for the connection coefficients and the commutation coefficients of non-holonomic bases are obtained. These special cases are found to be in agreement with the DeWitt Super covariant and Super Lie derivatives.      

Local field effect of the host matrix on the decay time of doped emitters

Experimental results for variations in the lifetime of excited states of Sm³⁺ ions incorporated in a glassy system with a ‘refractive index’ have been reported. Increasing content of barium carbonate in the solid host matrix results in a fairly large variation in its refractive index, which provides a way to determine the local field effects for ions doped in the solid host material. Measurements are observed to be in disagreement with the virtual cavity model, while they show a reasonable agreement with the real cavity model.     

First Measurements with the Gas Cell for SHIPTRAP

SHIPTRAP is an electromagnetic transport and trapping system to provide very clean and cold beams of singly-charged recoil ions from the SHIP facility at GSI. The different components of the system are currently under development in Munich (gas cell and extraction RFQ) and GSI (Buncher RFQ and Penning traps)[1]. Design and manufacturing of the prototype buffer gas cell and the extraction RFQ based on a wide range of simulations have been completed. The results of these simulations together with the first measurements will be reported. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Proposed Storage Ion Trap of an ‘In-Flight Capture’ Type for Precise Mass Measurement of Radioactive Nuclear Reaction Products and Fission Fragments

Data on nuclear masses provide a basis for creating and testing various nuclear models. A tandem system comprised of the U-400M cyclotron, the COMBAS magnetic separator and the mass spectrometric ion trap of an ‘in-flight capture’ type is considered as a complex for producing of the short-lived nuclei by heavy ions in fragmentation reactions and for precise mass measurement of this nuclei. The FLNR plan scientific and technical research includes a project DRIBs for producing accelerated beams of radioactive nuclear reaction products and photofission fragments. This project proposes also precise mass measurements with the help of ion trap. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fast ion beams from intense,femtosecond laser irradiated nanostructured surfaces

We present results on hot electron and energetic ion (keV–MeV) generation from polished and nanostructured metallic surfaces excited by p-polarized, femtosecond laser pulses in the intensity range of 1×10¹⁵–1.5×10¹⁷ W cm^-2. A clear enhancement in the hard X-ray spectrum from nanoparticle-coated surfaces is observed, indicating ‘hotter’ electron production in nanoparticle-produced plasma until the intensity of 2×10¹⁶ W cm^-2 is reached. Contrary to the existing perception, we find that the hotter electrons do not lead to hotter ion emission. The total ion flux and the ion energy integrated over the 4–1400 keV energy range are found to be enhanced by 50% and 16%, respectively, for nanostructured targets in comparison to those from polished targets. 55% enhancement in yield is observed for ions at the lower end of the energy range, while hotter ions are actually found to be suppressed by ∼40%. The surface modulations present on the nanoparticle-coated targets are observed to reduce the maximum energy of the ions and showed an intensity-dependent increase in the divergence of the ion beam. PACS 79.20.Ds; 68.47.De; 61.80.Ba; 61.82.Bg; 42.65.Re     

Segmented linear radiofrequency quadrupole/laser ion source project at TRIUMF

Reactions such as ²⁵Al(p,γ)²⁶Si are the key to understand the production of ^26g Al and ^26m Al in our galaxy. Experimental results could provide important constraints on nova nucleosynthesis and modelling where ²⁶Al is believed to be produced. To achieve such measurements, high-intensity and high-purity radioactive beams are required. However, production targets at ISOL-type facilities such as ISAC at TRIUMF produce high-intensity alkali beams by surface ionization on hot transfer tubes hampering the measurement of isotopes of interest. To overcome this issue, an ion source combining a segmented linear radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) to a laser ion source is being built. Its main function is to suppress alkali impurities whilst allowing for fast-release of short-lived isotopes. The beam production method, the RFQ/laser ion source and the removal of alkali contaminants are discussed in this paper.     

Experimental approaches to crystalline ion beams

Facing the difficulties associated with the preparation of crystalline ion beams in heavy ion storage rings we propose two complementary table top schemes to elucidate fundamental issues like stability criteria for moving ion crystals at low velocities. One is based on a small radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) storage ring, where by laser cooling Mg⁺ ion crystals at rest were observed, but conceptionally modified with additional acceleration electrodes and manufactured with highest mechanical precision. The other approach suggested here implies the use of an RFQ ion guide for the lateral confinement of the ions combined with buffer gas viscous damping, which could lead to an ideal starting condition for first time direct three-dimensional laser cooling in a single pass arrangement. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

White up-conversion emission in Ho/Tm/Yb tri-doped glass ceramics embedding BaF2 nanocrystals

Ho³⁺/Tm³⁺/Yb³⁺ tri-doped glass ceramics with white light emitting have been developed and demonstrated. Pumped by 980 nm laser diode (LD), intensive red, green and blue up-conversions (UC) were obtained. The green emission is assigned to Ho³⁺ ion and the blue emission is assigned to Tm³⁺ ion, whereas the red emission is the combination contribution of the Ho³⁺ and Tm³⁺ ions. The RGB intensities could be adjusted by tuning the rare-earth ion concentration and pump power intensity. Thus, multicolor of the luminescence, including perfect white light with CIE-X=0.329 and CIE-Y=0.342 in the 1931 CIE chromaticity diagram can be obtained in 0.15 Ho³⁺/0.2Tm³⁺/3Yb³⁺ tri-doped glass ceramics embedding BaF₂ nanocrystals pumped by a single infrared laser diode source of 980 nm at 500 mW. The up-conversion luminescence mechanism of Yb³⁺ sensitize Ho³⁺ and Tm³⁺ ions and the energy transfer from Ho³⁺ to Tm³⁺ in oxy-fluoride silicate glass ceramics were analyzed.     

Probing for new physics and detecting non-linear vacuum QED effects using gravitational wave interferometer antennas

Low energy non-linear QED effects in vacuum have been predicted since 1936 and have been subject of research for many decades. Two main schemes have been proposed for such a ‘first’ detection: measurements of ellipticity acquired by a linearly polarized beam of light passing through a magnetic field and direct light–light scattering. The study of the propagation of light through an external field can also be used to probe for new physics such as the existence of axion-like particles and millicharged particles. Their existence in nature would cause the index of refraction of vacuum to be different from unity in the presence of an external field and dependent of the polarization direction of the propagating light. The major achievement of reaching the project sensitivities in gravitational wave interferometers such as LIGO and VIRGO has opened the possibility of using such instruments for the detection of QED corrections in electrodynamics and for probing new physics at very low energies. We show that it is possible to distinguish between various scenarios of new physics in the hypothetical case of detecting unexpected values. Considering the design sensitivity in the strain of the near future VIRGO+ interferometer leads to a variable dipole magnet configuration such that B ² D≥13000 T² m  for a ‘first’ vacuum non-linear QED detection.     

First principles study of nuclear quadrupole interactions in the molecular solid BF3 and the nature of binding between the molecules

The LPCTrap facility is coupled to the low-energy beam line LIRAT of the SPIRAL source at GANIL (France). The facility comprises an RFQ trap for beam preparation and a transparent Paul trap for in-trap decay studies. The system has been tested for several ion species. The Paul trap has been fully characterized for ⁶Li⁺ and ²³Na⁺ ions. This characterization together with GEANT4 simulations of the in-trap decay setup (Paul trap and detection system) has permitted to predict the effect of the size of the ion cloud on the decay study of ⁶He⁺.