Observation of non-exponential orbital electron capture decays of hydrogen-like Pr and Pm ions

We report on time-modulated two-body weak decays observed in the orbital electron capture of hydrogen-like ¹⁴⁰Pr⁵⁹⁺ and ¹⁴²Pm⁶⁰⁺ ions coasting in an ion storage ring. Using non-destructive single ion, time-resolved Schottky mass spectrometry we found that the expected exponential decay is modulated in time with a modulation period of about 7 seconds for both systems. Tentatively this observation is attributed to the coherent superposition of finite mass eigenstates of the electron neutrinos from the weak decay into a two-body final state.     

Hyperfine Interactions of Pm in Nd and Gd Hosts

Time differential perturbed angular correlation measurements were carried out using short lived isomeric 5/2⁺ state in ¹⁴⁷Pm to investigate the magnetic and electric hyperfine interactions in Nd and Gd hosts at different temperatures. At 10 K the magnetic hyperfine fields at ¹⁴⁷Pm in Nd and Gd hosts are 361(42) kG and 256(30) kG, respectively, and are very low as compared to the free-ion value while the electric field gradients are of comparable order. The magnetic hyperfine field in Gd is constant with temperature. The results are interpreted in terms of singlet ground state of Pm ion. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Kernspektroskopische Untersuchungen zu den Termschemata einiger Nuklide im Bereich der abgeschlossenen NeutronenschaleN=82:141Pr,143Pm,139Pr und141Pm

The level schemes of the nuclei¹⁴¹Pr,¹⁴³Pm,¹³⁹Pr, and¹⁴¹Pm were investigated by measuring theγ-spectra following theΒ-(decay of the corresponding (Z+1)-isobars. The existing level schemes for these nuclides were thereby enlarged or revised. The results are discussed using the weak-coupling picture.     

Beta-decay of light rare-earth130, 132Pr and132, 134Pm nuclei

Gamma-ray spectra of neutron-deficient isotopes of^{130, 132}Ce and^{132, 134}Nd have been investigated from the β-decay of^130,132Pr and^132,134Pm new gamma-bands of states were identified and the systematic trends are presented.     

Transport,magnetic and thermodynamic properties of REPd2Ga3, RE = Pr,Nd, Sm

We present various investigations on the transport, magnetic and thermodynamic properties of the new ternary compounds REPd₂Ga₃ with RE = Pr, Nd, Sm. While PrPd₂Ga₃ does not show long-range magnetic order down to about 0.3 K, both NdPd₂Ga₃ and SmPd₂Ga₃ order magnetically. The latter exhibits a ferromagnetic ground state with weak ordered moments below T _c = 16.9 K and the former orders antiferromagnetically below T _N = 6.5 K with ordered Nd moments of 1.99(4) μ_B at saturation in the basal plane oriented perpendicular to the propagation vector k = [1/2, 0, 0]. The possibility of a Kondo type interaction in PrPd₂Ga₃ is discussed.     

Dynamics of dilute spin systems in random fluctuating magnetic fields

The problem of stochastic evolution of dilute spins in a randomly fluctuating environment is considered within the frameworks of the Schrödinger equation with Gaussian fluctuating magnetic fields. The evolution equations for the averaged correlators are derived and it is shown that the density matrix of a spin system coupled with the thermoequilibrium fluctuations of fields tends asymptotically with time to the thermodynamic density matrix. The general results are illustrated by examples of coupling with magnons, phonons, and relaxation in paramagnetics. The evolution of spins in artificial high-frequency stochastic fields (Simonius' effect) is also considered. The high-temperature limit and the limit of classical spins are considered separately and the applicability of the Bloch equations is discussed. Then the results are generalized to the single-ion anisotropy and movable spins. Finally, it is shown how the results can be generalized to multi-spin systems.     

Energy levels of136Pm and136Nd via beta decay of136Sm and136Pm

¹³⁶Pm and¹³⁶Nd were studied using theβ decay of¹³⁶Sm and¹³⁶Pm. The radioactive nuclei were produced by the⁹²Mo (⁴⁸Ti,xpyn) and¹¹²Sn (²⁸Si,xpyn) reactions. The UNISOR isotope separator enabled mass identification. The previously unknown level scheme of¹³⁶Pm was constructed and the half-life of¹³⁶Sm was determined to be 47±2 s. Six new levels and thirteen newγ-ray transitions have been added to the level scheme of¹³⁶Nd.     

Spin reorientations in R2Fe14-xCoxB systems (R = Pr,Nd and Er)

The effect of cobalt substitution on spin reorientation phenomena in R₂Fe_14-xCo_xB systems (R = Pr, Nd, Er) was studied by means of bulk magnetometry in the temperature range 4.2–1100 K. It was established that in the Nd-based system the introduction of cobalt resulted not only in a shift of the low temperature spin reorientation (cone to axis) but also triggered, for x ⩾ 10, an appearance of a second spin reorientation (axis to plane) at high temperature. In the Pr-based system, for x ⩾ 9.5, a high temperature spin reorientation (axis to plane) was also observed. Its dependence on Co content was determined. For the Er-based system, an increase of the spin reorientation temperature (plane to axis) was observed as more cobalt was introduced into that system. It was also established that the tetragonal single-phase materials in this system exist only up to x = 5. Temperature-composition diagrams are presented, indicating types of spin arrangements observed in the investigated systems.     

Electrical and thermal transport properties of dilute Pr in Pd

We have measured susceptibility, electrical resistivity thermopower, thermal conductivity, specific heat, thermal lattice expansion and Hall effect of dilute alloys of Pr (x = 0.014, 0.03) and of Lu (x = 0.014) in Pd. We find a rather strong valence instability at room temperature from L_III X-ray absorption (v = 3.1), which manifests itself by a concentration-independent characteristic temperature, by a resistivity minimum and by a strong anomally of the thermopower. The susceptibility also indicates strong magnetic polarisation of the surrounding Pd-atoms through the excited crystal field levels but not through the ground state of the impurity. The neutron scattering shows several sharp crystal field excitations between 0 and 1 meV and a very broad quasi-elastic scattering at higher temperatures with the 4f-form factor. We take this also as evidence for a weak coupling of valence instabilities to the low lying crystal field levels of the impurity and a strong coupling to the higher ones.     

Observation of centrifugally driven interchange instabilities in a plasma confined by a magnetic dipole

Centrifugally driven interchange instabilities are observed in a laboratory plasma confined by a dipole magnetic field. The instabilities appear when an equatorial mesh is biased to drive a radial current that causes rapid axisymmetric plasma rotation. The observed instabilities are quasicoherent in the laboratory frame of reference; they have global radial mode structures and low azimuthal mode numbers, and they are modified by the presence of energetic, magnetically confined electrons. Results from a self-consistent nonlinear simulation reproduce the measured mode structures.     

Luminescence of Pr,Nd and Yb ions implanted in GaAs and GaP

New experimental data on luminescence spectra of Pr and Nd ions implanted into GaAs and GaP crystals and the results on luminescence kinetics of Nd doped GaP are presented. The results show that RE ions form different complexes in measured samples.     

Two magnetic regimes in doped ZnO corresponding to a dilute magnetic semiconductor and a dilute magnetic insulator

Films of ZnO doped with magnetic ions Mn and Co and, in some cases, with Al have been fabricated with a very wide range of carrier densities. Ferromagnetic behavior is observed in both insulating and metallic films, but not when the carrier density is intermediate. Insulating films exhibit variable range hopping at low temperatures and are ferromagnetic at room temperature due to the interaction of the localized spins with static localized states. The magnetism is quenched when carriers in the localized states become mobile. In the metallic (degenerate semiconductor) range, robust ferromagnetism reappears together with very strong magneto-optic signals and room temperature anomalous Hall data. This demonstrates the polarization of the conduction bands and indicates that, when ZnO is doped into the metallic regime, it behaves as a genuine magnetic semiconductor.     

Giant magnetic moments in dilute magnetic semiconductors

The concentration dependence of the specific magnetic moment value at room temperature in dilute semiconductor titanium oxides doped with either Co or Fe has been investigated. This value was found to increase sharply at small concentrations of magnetic impurity. The magnetic moment of 22.9 μ_B per impurity atom has been revealed for TiO₂ doped with 0.15 at% Co, not yet reported in any semiconductor oxide systems. We conclude the observed giant magnetic moments are caused by the crystal lattice polarization at small impurity concentrations. The comparison with published data point to different types of the magnetization concentration dependence for various semiconductor matrixes that is probably related to the dielectric permittivity of the environment.     

Decay of oriented149Nd and levels in theN=88149Pm nucleus

Levels in the¹⁴⁹Pm nucleus populated via¹⁴⁹Nd decay were studied using the low temperature nuclear orientation technique. The parent¹⁴⁹Nd nuclei were oriented in a gadolinium host. The normalized gamma-ray intensities were determined for twenty five transitions in the daughter¹⁴⁹Pm nucleus. The spins of the¹⁴⁹Pm levels at 288.2 and 425.3 keV were determined as 9/2 and 7/2, respectively, and for several other¹⁴⁹Pm levels the previous spin-assignments could be unambiguously confirmed. Substantial new information on multipole mixing ratios of gamma-transitions in¹⁴⁹Pm is presented. Low-energy level spacing in the¹⁴⁹Pm nucleus is found to be in reasonable agreement with recent particle-rotor model calculations including the variable moment of inertia.     

States inN=80140Nd populated in the decay of140Pm

The level structure of theN=80,¹⁴⁰Nd has been investigated through the beta decay of^140m Pm and^140g Pm, whose decay half-lives were measured to be 5.95±0.05 min and 9.1±0.5 sec, respectively. Decay schemes for the two isomers have been constructed fromγ-ray measurements. With the help of the beta decayft values and internal conversion electron measurements, spins and parities were deduced for levels in¹⁴⁰Nd. Among the levels a 7^? state at 2222.0 keV and a 5^? state at 2273.3 keV are identified as two-neutron quasiparticle states. The (ie233-01) for^140m Pm and^140g Pm have been deduced as 7^? and 1⁺, respectively. From beta end-point measurements, the decay energies of the two isomers have been determined asQ _EC=6.48±0.07 MeV^140m (Pm) andQ _EC=6.08±0.10 MeV (^140gPm). The results are discussed in the light of nuclear systematics of theN=79 and 80 isotones.     

Structure of even-even138Nd from the decay of138Pm

The structure of¹³⁸Nd is investigated through theβ ⁺-decay of¹³⁸Pm, whose decay half-life is measured to be 3.24±0.05 min. A level structure comprising 27 excited states and 52 transitions is constructed. With the help of deducedft values and internal conversion coefficients, spin-parity assignments are made to many states in¹³⁸Nd and to the ground states of¹³⁸Pm. From the positron end-point energy measurement, the total decay energy is determined to be 5.4±0.2 MeV, which is compared with the predictions of several mass formulae and with the decay energy systematics of theN=77 isotones. The structure of¹³⁸Nd is discussed in the light of nuclear systematics of theN=78 isotones.