Polarization of neutrons from the d-t reaction and in n-p scattering

The polarization of 32 MeV neutrons from the d-t reaction has been measured using n-He scattering at an angle of 130° (lab). A He gas scintillator was used as a scatterer, and the scattered neutrons were measured by counting the He recoils which were coincident with pulses from the side detector and which were synchronized with the deuteron beam bunch. Polarizations in n-p scattering have been measured using the polarized neutrons at angles of 30°, 40° and 50° (lab).     

DC conductivity and dielectric constant of cellulose nitrate detector

The temperature dependence of DC conductivity as well as the temperature and frequency dependence of dielectric constant of cellulose nitrate (CN) track detector was undertaken for better understanding of the track response of the detector. In the temperature range −100° to + 100°C, CN is found to be an insulating semiconductor with activation energies 0.04 eV, 0.78 eV and 1.24 eV. The transition of the activation processes takes place at (−10±1)°C and (60±1)°C. The high activation energy transition temperature coincides with the glass transition temperature of CN. The dielectric constant is found to increase with temperature and decrease with frequency. These results reveal the physical basis of the Ion Explosion Spike model of Fleischer et al. (1975). A possible explanation of the registration temperature effect is also given on the basis of these results.     

Photoproduction of positive pions from hydrogen with PHOENICS at ELSA

The differential cross section of the reaction γp→π⁺n has been measured with the PHOENICS detector at ELSA in Bonn. For the first time this cross section has been determined simultaneously over a large range of photon energies (E_γ = 220−900 MeV) and pion angles (Θ^c.m._pi = 35°−135°) with a tagged photon facility. The experimental set-up allowed a considerable kinematic overdetermination of the investigated reaction. Accordingly, the background contributions have been suppressed to below 1%. The measured differential cross section is in good agreement with existing data. The comparison with different model calculations is presented.     

Registration temperature effect on sensitivity of CR-39(DOP) and SR-90 polymer track detectors

The samples of CR-39(DOP) and SR-90 polymer track detectors have been exposed to -particles from ²⁴¹Am source in an exposure unit. The temperature of the detectors during irradiation has been varied from −30°C to 70°C. These exposed samples have been etched in 6.25 N NaOH solution at 60°C for various etching times. The variation of sensitivity of these detectors as a function of registration temperature has been studied. It has been observed that at the fixed registration temperature, the sensitivity of SR-90 is more than CR-39(DOP) polymer track detector. However, the enhancement in sensitivity with the decrease in registration temperature is more pronounced in case of CR-39(DOP) than SR-90.     

The temperature dependence of the short wavelength transmittance limit of vacuum ultraviolet window materials—I. Experiment

The short wavelength transmittance limit or cut-off wavelength, λ_co, of LiF, MgF₂, CaF₂, LaF₃, BaF₂, sapphire, synthetic crystal quartz and fused quartz has been measured from about 100°C to about 10°K. λ_co is not a well denned quantity, so for the purpose of this experiment it has been arbitrarily taken as the wavelength where transmittance could just be measured, usually 0.1-0.5 per cent. With one exception λ_co shifted to shorter wavelengths as the sample was cooled; the shift varied from about 40 to 80 Å over the temperature range from 100°C to 10°K, depending on the material, with the largest shift occurring in BaF₂;. The exception was LaF₃ which showed no measurable change in λ_co wth temperature. Over the temperature range from 20° to 100°C the slope of λ_co, with temperature for all materials was fairly constant, but below 20°C it decreased, approaching zero as the temperature approached 20°-10°K. In the case of synthetic crystal quartz, for example, the slope changed from about 0.28 Å/°K at room temperature to about 0.055 Å/°K at 80°K.     

An application of the electron mirror in the time-of-flight spectrometer

We suggest applying of the spherical electron mirror in the time-of-flight electron spectrometer with a position sensitive detector in order to increase the effective acceptance solid angle of the spectrometer. The spherical electron mirror is placed near the specimen and it focuses electrons on a position sensitive detector as a converging electron flux. The electron mirror increases the acceptance angle of the spectrometer by a factor of 20. The electron mirror of the spectrometer consists of an inner spherical electrode of the radius R and an outer spherical electrode of the radius 1.1R. The central segment of the inner electrode inside the linear angle of 80° is made of a grid. The detector plate radius is about 0.23R. The acceptance solid angle of the spectrometer with this electron mirror is about 1.1sr, the range of the polar angle of emission is 20°–90° relative to the surface normal, and the range of the azimuth angle of emission at its maximum is ±36° relative to the basic plane of the spectrometer. The design of the spectrometer allows to recover the electron trajectory for each detected electron and to calculate the energy and the emission angle of the electron. The energy resolution of the spectrometer is about 0.2 eV/ns for the electron energy of 10 eV. The energy range is from E_min0.1eU_r up to eU_r, where U_r is the retarding potential of the electron mirror. The perturbing influence of the grid of the electron mirror limits mainly the angular resolution of the spectrometer and affects relatively slightly the energy resolution. The electron spectrometer with two detectors and two electron mirrors symmetric about the spectrometer axis allows to measure electron pairs in coincidence in a wide range of emission angles and energies with k-resolutions.     

Triton and alpha-particle contribution from LiF converter for neutron dosimeter

A personnel neutron dosimeter prototype based on chemical and electrochemical etched CR-39 detector, combined with LiF converter, has been calibrated using an ICRP-like phantom, under a heavy-water moderated Californium source neutron spectra; A conversion factor of 1.052±126 spots cm⁻² mSv⁻¹ was obtained. The sealing properties of the detector holder showed a ten-fold reduction in radon background when it was tested in a high radon atmosphere. A convenient mechanical shock resistance was achieved in LiF converters by sintering to 11 tons pressure LiF powder at 650°C, during one hour.     

A new measurement of the half-life of the Ge 0 state

With a Ge(Li) detector as the target, the half-life of the 0⁺ first excited state of ⁷²Ge has been remeasured. A value of 422±13 ns has been obtained.     

Statistics of secondary electrons from W induced by He ions and atoms at 0° –90° incidence

Secondary electrons from a W target, induced by 2 KeV He⁰ and He⁺ projectiles at 0° -90° angles of incidence have been measured for the first time using the statistics of secondary electron emission. The statistics were determined from the analysis of measured pulse height distribution spectra for 8–32 KeV He⁺ ions. The pulse height response of the detector is found to be sensitive to the applied bias to the detector. Its consequences in the interpretation of data are investigated. It was established that the number of electrons emitted per incident ion satisfy a Poisson distribution. Some new suggestions are made on the possible use of these results, in particular, on the role of the zeroth and the first Poisson coefficients, for surface studies.     

Time-resolved luminescence from annealed synthetic quartz under 525 nm pulsed green light stimulation

The influence of annealing on lifetimes has been studied in synthetic quartz annealed at temperatures up to 800°C using time-resolved optical stimulation in the range 20–200°C. Luminescence was stimulated using pulsed 525 nm light-emitting-diodes. There is an increase with annealing temperature in the lifetime measured at 20°C for samples annealed beyond 500°C. Further, lifetimes decrease with measurement temperature in a manner consistent with the thermal quenching of luminescence.     

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.     

Studies of ionic conductivity and structural phase transitions of Na3H(SO4)2 crystal

The complex electrical impedance of Na₃H(SO₄)₂ along the b_m-axis has been measured from 25°C to 316°C in the frequency range 4 kHz–40 MHz. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity shows remarkable changes in the temperature range 160°C–260°C. The sample crystal becomes a fast ionic conductor above 260°C. The conduction mechanisms of proton and sodium ions in the different phases are analyzed in detail with respect to the structural features of the sample crystal.     

Range and energy-loss rate of 118 MeV Si in some polymers using PADC as detector

Heavy ion range and energy-loss data provide useful information for designing several nuclear physics experiments where the polymers employed find their use as absorber, in chamber windows and target backings. In the present work, the range and energy-loss rate of 118 MeV ²⁸Si in LR-115 (cellulose nitrate) and polypropylene (PP) have been calculated by track technique where polyallyldiglycol carbonate was used as a backing detector. The mean range of ²⁸Si in LR-115 has been calculated to be 59.4±2 μm and that in PP is calculated to be 74.9±2 μm. The experimentally evaluated range values are in agreement with the theoretical range values derived from some computer codes. The Bragg peak has also been obtained at 1.1 MeV/nucleon for ²⁸Si in both LR-115 and PP.     

Data processing technique applied to the calibration of a high performance FPA infrared camera

The present work deals with the calibration of a focal plane array infrared camera whose detector is a matrix of 320×244 PtSi sensors active in the range 3.6–5 μm. The calibration curve has been obtained by measuring the energy emitted by a blackbody, consisting in a copper cylindric cavity with isothermal walls. The results, obtained in the temperature range 10–70 °C, enable us to investigate the nature of the noise which affects the measurements. The aim is to suggest a data processing and a calibration technique in order to enhance the image quality and the instrument response as well. The effects of random uncertainties have been reduced by using Wiener filtration, which enables us to improve the signal to noise ratio. The problem caused by the nonuniform response of the detector array has been handled by using a different calibration curve for each sensor. The effectiveness of this procedure has been checked by comparing the frequency histograms of the raw and the processed signal. The investigation enables us to highlight some peculiar features of the new focal plane array technology employed in the new generation infrared cameras.     

Phase evolution during the melting and recrystallization of ceramic core in the (Bi,Pb)-2223 tape

The phase evolution during melting and recrystallization of (Bi,Pb)₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ ((Bi,Pb)-2223) core in a Ag-sheathed monofilamentary tape has been investigated. The tape was fabricated by PIT process with powders containing nearly pure (Bi,Pb)-2223 phase. Short samples were melted at 805 °C, 808 °C, 812 °C, 816 °C, 831 °C, slowly cooled at 1.5 °C/h under flowing 1.6% O₂ balanced with argon and quenched in air at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) were applied for the phase identification. The results show that (Bi,Pb)-2223 core is partially melted into a liquid and alkaline earth cuprates (AECs), mainly 2:1-AEC, at 805 °C, 808 °C, 812 °C, and well reforms directly from the melt during the slow cooling. More (Bi,Pb)-2223 phase is decomposed at temperatures higher than 816 °C, but cannot recrystallize, indicating that a partial melting at some temperatures around a given temperature range is essential to (Bi,Pb)-2223 phase reformation. The melt composition moves from that between “2223” and “2212” stoichiometries towards 2212-like stoichiometry with increasing temperature. This seems to lead to the conclusion that (Bi,Pb)-2223 phase decomposes incongruently into a 2212-like liquid and (Ca,Sr)-cuprates. 2:1-AEC plays the most important role in (Bi,Pb)-2223 melt-recrystallization process. Our results also reveal that plate-like shape (Bi,Pb)-2223 grains can be obtained via melting and recrystallization if the optimum processing conditions are used.     

Elastic pion-deuteron scattering near the 3-3 resonance

The elastic scattering of positive pions by deuterium has been studied at seven energies between 82 MeV and 292 MeV laboratory kinetic energy in the angular range between 30° and 130° (lab). The results are compared to recent relativistic three-body calculations.     

Measurement of the directional emittance of polycrystalline beryllium oxide

The spectral emittance of polycrystalline beryllium oxide has been measured at four different angles from 0° to 75°, at a temperature of 150°C. From the spectral measurements the average band emittance in the 8–13 μm window has been calculated. The results show that the band emittance decreases from 0.44 at the angle of 0°, down to 0.23 at an angle 75° off the normal. The low band emittance is caused by a strong reststrahlen band in the wavelength region 9.2–14 μm. This reststrahlen band has been modelled by a Lorentz one-oscillator model. Experiment and calculations show that this band of low emittance increases its width towards shorter wavelengths at inclined angles and covers almost the entire upper atmospheric window 8–13 μm at the angle of 75°.     

The effect of annealing under hydrostatic pressure on the visible photoluminescence from si-ion implanted SiO2 films

We have studied the influence of the hydrostatic pressure during annealing on the intensity of the visible photoluminescence (PL) from thermally grown SiO₂ films irradiated with Si⁺ ions. Post-implantation anneals have been carried out in an Ar ambient at temperatures T_a of 400°C and 450°C for 10 h and 1130°C for 5 h at hydrostatic pressures of 1 bar–15 kbar. It has been found that the intensity of the 360, 460 and 600 nm PL peaks increases with rising hydrostatic pressure during low-temperature annealing. The intensity of the short-wavelength PL under conditions of hydrostatic pressure continues to rise even at T_a=1130°C. Increasing T_a leads to a shift in the PL spectra towards the ultraviolet range. The results obtained have been interpreted in terms of enhanced, pressure-mediated formation of ≡Si–Si≡ centres and small Si clusters within metastable regions of the ion-implanted SiO₂.     

Hydrogen related effects in a-Si:H studied by photothermal deflection spectroscopy

A study of thermal annealing of a-Si:H samples between 300 and 600°C has been carried out. At increasing annealing temperatures, the sub-gap absorption measured by PDS increases showing two inflections, centered at 375 and 550°C. The hydrogen content measured by thermal desorption spectroscopy evolves in the same temperature range, whereas the evolution of the hydrogen content deduced from the IR transmission spectra differs, decreasing sooner and vanishing already at about 450°C.     

Range formulation for a staring electro-optical and imaging system incorporating the effects of atmospheric transmission, focal plane 1/f noise and fixed pattern noise

To increase the detection range in staring FPAs, commonly the integration time T_i is increased, as the range is assumed to increase as one-fourth power of T_i, (T_i^1/4). It is shown here that the range dependence on T_i is weaker than T_i^1/4, because of the effect of atmosphere. Since the atmospheric transmission coefficient decreases with increasing range, the effect of increasing T_i on the range is considerably reduced. It is also shown that when detector 1/f noise dominates over other noise sources, the dependence of range on T_i is much weaker than T_i^1/4, having a logarithmic dependence Calculations have been done by integrating equations involving spectral functions—photon flux, atmospheric transmission coefficient, optics transmission coefficient and responsivity—over wavelength, in the spectral range from 8 μm to 12 μm. LOWTRAN2 has been used for spectral atmospheric transmission coefficients, for different conditions of ambient temperature (−30°C to 55°C) and relative humidity (50–85%). The range formulation also distinguishes between distant targets (point sources) and nearby targets (extended sources). The analysis is applicable for terrestrial imaging, where the temperature difference of the target and the background is small. The effect of fixed pattern noise (FPN) in mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) FPAs has also been considered by modeling FPN in terms of a composition variation in the MCT. It is seen that range, both in the point source and the extended source cases, is not a sensitive function of FPN.