Neutron-rich isotope production using the uranium carbide multi-foil SPES target prototype

In the framework of the R&D program for the SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) project of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), production yields of neutron-rich isotopes have been measured at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA). This experiment makes use of the multi-foil SPES target prototype composed of 7 uranium carbide discs, with excess of graphite (ratio C/U = 4 . 77 isotopes of medium mass (between 72 and 141amu), produced via proton-induced fission of uranium using a 40MeV proton beam, have been collected and analyzed for the target heated at 2000 ^° C target temperature.     

The SPES direct UCx target

A possible solution for a target system aimed at the production of exotic nuclei as a result of high energy fissions in ²³⁸U compounds has been analyzed. The proposed configuration is constituted by a primary proton beam (40 MeV, 0.2 mA) directly impinging on uranium carbide disks inserted within a cylindrical carbon box. This system has been conceived to obtain both a high number of neutron rich atoms (originated from about 10¹³ fissions/s) and a low power deposition in the target. In order to extract the fission fragments, the box has to be hold at 2000^○C. The thermal analysis shows the capability of the thermal radiation to cool the disks with a reasonable margin below the material melting point. Moreover, the analyses of the thermo-mechanical behaviour and of the effusion times confirm the promising features of this target configuration.     

Research and development for the SPES target

The target is one of the key issues of isotope separation on line (ISOL) facilities. SPES, now under development at LNL-INFN, is an innovative ISOL facility possessing a target chatacterized by seven separate uranium dicarbide thin disks. The research on the materials development and target prototyping is discussed in the following.     

Temperature dependence of fluorescence quantum yields of some side-substituted anthracene sulphonates

Of the four anthracene sulphonates (Na-salt), anthracene-1-sulphonate (1-AS), anthracene-2-sulphonate (2-AS) and anthracene-1, 5-disulphonate (1, 5-AS) show temperature dependence of φ_f, whereas for anthracene-1, 8-disulphonate (1, 8-AS) φ_f is independent of temperature. E_a for 1-AS, 2-AS and 1, 5-AS are 939 cm^?1, 1144 cm^?1 and 445 cm^?1, respectively. A low energy T_nπ¹ level supplied by ?SO^?₃ group could be responsible for efficient ISC in 1, 8-AS of symmetry C_2v. The possibility of tunnelling due to molecular distortion i.e. “geometry factor” cannot be ruled out also.     

Release time calculations for the SPES direct UCx target

A Direct Target for a mid-term RIB ISOL-type facility is being developed at LNL, in the framework of the R&D for the SPES project [1]. Using a 40 MeV proton beam impinging on a UCx thick target of 2.5 g/cm³ density, a production rate of 10¹³ in target fissions per second is expected [2]. The crucial point, when short-lived isotopes are produced in the target, is to build systems (target + ion source) with good release properties and high efficiency. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the GEANT4 toolkit [3] and the RIBO code [4] in order to optimize our target geometry and to estimate the average release time.     

Thermal treatments and characterizations of pellets for SPES direct target

In this work targets of graphite-rich lanthanum dicarbide have been produced through carburization and sintering of suitable precursor pellets obtained by mixing and pressing lanthanum oxide and graphite powders. The results about the control of the production process and the investigation of the physical properties of the pellets, performed respectively through thermal analyses (TG/DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), are reported and discussed.     

Multifoil UCx target for the SPES project --An update

The target system is one of the key issues for the facilities aimed at the production of neutron-rich radioactive ion beams. In the framework of the SPES project (Study for the Production of Exotic Species), the possibility of using a target configuration with a proton beam (40MeV, 0.2mA) directly impinging on multiple uranium carbide disks is investigated. The ²³⁸U fission fragments constitute the source for the exotic beams and for this purpose the disks are placed inside a graphite box at 2000 ^°C. The target is split into several thin disks in order to allow the cooling of the system by thermal radiation. In this way about ∼ 10¹³ fissions s ^-1 are obtained with a relative simple system and with relative low costs. Further steps have been performed compared to previous publications and now all the main parameters of the system have been analysed by means of calculation codes: the fission rates and the fission fragment distribution; the power deposition and the thermal analysis; the thermo-mechanical behaviours of the disks; the effusive and diffusive extraction release properties of the target.     

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence from mono-dispersed Si nanoparticles

The temperature dependence of photoluminescence (PL) from mono-dispersed Si nanoparticles was studied from 4 to 300 K. Si nanoparticles produced by pulsed laser ablation in He background gas were sorted into the 6 nm size range by a differential mobility analyzer (DMA). The spread of the size distribution was narrowed to a geometrical standard deviation _g = 1.05. On decreasing the temperature from 300 to 4 K, the intensity of the PL spectra increased gradually, peaked at about 60 K, and then decreased rapidly. The temperature dependences of the intensity and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) on the PL spectra are discussed in terms of radiative and nonradiative decay rates.     

Temperature dependence of luminescence time-resolved spectra from quartz

Pulsed optical stimulation of luminescence has been used to study the thermal dependence of luminescence lifetimes in quartz over the temperature range 20–200°C. Time-resolved spectra for lifetime analysis were recorded from samples of quartz over a dynamic range of 64 μs following stimulation of luminescence by pulsed 525 nm green light emitting diodes (LEDs) using an 11 μs pulse and 12% duty cycle. It has been demonstrated that an increase in measurement temperature generally leads to a decrease in lifetimes from about 30 μs at 20°C to about 7 μs at 200°C. The form of the decrease is influenced by the initial optical or thermal pre-treatment of samples.     

Temperature dependence of excitonic luminescence from nanocrystalline ZnO films

The properties of the excitonic luminescence for nanocrystalline ZnO thin films are investigated by using the dependence of excitonic photoluminescence (PL) spectra on temperature. The ZnO thin films are prepared by thermal oxidation of ZnS films prepared by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates that ZnO thin films have a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred (0 0 2) orientation. A strong ultraviolet (UV) emission peak at 3.26 eV is observed, while the deep-level emission band is barely observable at room temperature. The strength of the exciton-longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon coupling is deduced from the temperature dependence of the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the fundamental excitonic peak, decrease in exciton-longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon coupling strength is due to the quantum confinement effect.     

Temperature dependence of viscosity

A correction to the simple exponential temperature dependence of viscosity arises because of a difference between the real and ideal conditions for a viscous fluid flow. This correction is similar to those to pressure and volume in the real gas law. As a result, the expression for viscosity takes the form

Pressure dependence of stimulated brillouin scattering from a hydrogen gas target

Backscattering of CO₂ laser radiation from underdense hydrogen plasma was found to increase from ～0.2 to ～12% as gas target filling pressure was increased from 20 to 130 torr. No marked change in growth constant was observed for increased radiation intensity from 1 × 10¹¹ to 3 × 10 ¹¹ W/cm².     

Temperature dependence of the superconducting energy gap from conductance curves

Summary An analytic relationship between the values of the applied voltages which produce a maximum in the differential conductance and the energy gap is derived for BCS isotropic superconductors. The different methods of deduction of the temperature dependence of the gap in high-T _c superconductors are analysed.     

Temperature dependence of host-associated luminescence from YAG transparent ceramic material

We have prepared yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) in the form of a transparent optical ceramic and measured its spectroscopic properties as a function of temperature. The measurements reveal the presence of at least three distinct types of luminescent defects. These defects are both distinct in nature and more abundant in number than in the corresponding single crystal. While all three emit at low temperatures, only one persists all the way up to and above room temperature. We have demonstrated that energy transfer processes take place between some of the centers. And finally, from the temperature-dependent shapes of the emission and excitation spectra, we have derived an energy level schematic that accurately describes the transfer processes that occur upon stimulation of the various centers.     

Temperature dependence in sputtering

We have obtained the result on the temperature dependence in sputtering of silver which is contrary to the current believes by taking steps to eliminate spurious effects due to changes of residual gas pressure and target temperature, and by determining the relevant energy range for thermal sputtering. The result i3 thought to be due basically to the thermal spike effect, and agreement is shown with a postulated thermal spike model, in which the instantaneous variation of spike temperature against thermal diffusivity is treated on the basis of Carslaw's solution of the normal heat conduction equation. The thermal diffusivity is shown to be proportionate to the thermal conductivity subject to a constant metal density in the temperature range 300–500K and a heat capacity that obeys the Dulong-Petit law which holds good for most metals at high temperatures (> θ_D). The thermal conductivity versus preheat target temperature curve matches the Makinson electronic thermal conductivity curve for metals.     

Temperature dependence of coupling constants

We study the temperature-dependence of coupling constants at the one-loop level for massive ?⁴ theory and massive scalar electrodynamics (SED). It is found that the scalar coupling constant λ for m² > 0 decreases with temperature leading to a phase transition to a non-interacting phase. In a model with m² < 0, λ increases as 1n T. The gauge coupling constant of SED increases uniformly with temperature.     

Temperature dependence of short-range-order parameters

The short-range-order parameters are calculated as a function of the temperature, in a linear approximation. The calculation is made in two versions: taking into account the ordering energy in the first three and the first eight coordination spheres. The temperature T varies in the range 1.11T_C to 3.0T_C. It is shown that up to temperatures of order 3T_C the spectrum of short-range-order parameters is determined by the total set of nonzero ordering energies.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 48–52, April, 1978.     

Temperature dependence of infrared spectra

A simple form of cell for the study of infrared absorption spectra at low and high temperatures is described. Preliminary results of a study of the temperature-phase dependence of fluorobenzene and m-toluic acid spectra are reported.     

Temperature dependence of liquid volume

It is shown that the temperature dependence of the liquid volume is well described by the equation $ V = A + BT + CT^2 + V_e \exp ( - E/RT), $ V = A + BT + CT^2 + V_e \exp ( - E/RT), where A, B, C, V _e , and E are constants. This equation reflects two processes owing to which the liquid volume increases with temperature, namely, anharmonic oscillations of molecules and formation of “holes.”