A Fe<Superscript>3+</Superscript>/Hg<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-Selective Anthracene-Based Fluorescent PET Sensor with Tridentate Ionophore of Amide/β-Amino Alcohol

A new anthracene-based fluorescent PET sensor 1 with a tridentate ionophore of amide/β-amino alcohol displays very good selectivity and sensitivity for Fe³⁺ (K _a = 1.6 × 10³ M⁻¹) and Hg²⁺ (K _a = 2.1 × 10³ M⁻¹) in CH₃CN–H₂O (3:7, v/v) with detection limit of 1 μM. More fluorescence enhancement was observed when 1 selectively detected Fe³⁺ or Hg²⁺ in CH₃CN and its detection limit was up to 0.03 μM.     

Two-neutrino double β decay of96Zr to excited 2+ state of96Mo

The two-neutrino double beta decay of⁹⁶Zr isotope for 0⁺ → 2⁺ transition has been studied in the PHFB model. In our earlier work, the reliability of the intrinsic wave functions of⁹⁶Zr and⁹⁶Mo isotopes has been established by obtaining an overall agreement between a number of theoretically calculated spectroscopic properties as well as half-lives of 2vββ decay for 0⁺ → 0⁺ transition and the available experimental data. In the present work, the half-life of 2vββ decay for 0⁺ ar 2⁺ transition T ₁ ^2/2v (0⁺ →²⁺) has been calculated using the same set of intrinsic wave functions.     

A New Highly Sensitive and Selective Fluorescent Cadmium Sensor

Condensation product (L) of salicylaldehyde and semicarbazide behaves as a fluorescent sensor for Cd²⁺ ion, in 1:1 DMSO:H₂O, over Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions. The emission peak of L at λ_max = 520 nm, on excitation with 420 nm wavelength photons, showed an enhancement in intensity of ca 60-fold when interacted with Cd²⁺ ion. The intensity was however found to remain unaltered when interacted with metal ions—Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺. The intensity increases by approximately 20 fold on interaction with Zn²⁺ ion. The increase in the fluorescent peak can be explained on the basis of photo induced electron transfer (PET) mechanism. A 1:1 complexation between Cd²⁺ and L with log β = 4.25 has been proved.     

Spin-spin interaction of Ni2+ ions in ZnSiF6·6H2O

The angular dependences of the electron spin resonance spectrum of 1% Ni²⁺ ions in a ZnSiF₆·6H₂O matrix are investigated experimentally at 36 GHz and 4.2 K. Besides the main spectrum of the isolated ion, we observed a spectrum due to interacting pairs of Ni²⁺ ions, located in the first (nn) and second (2n) coordination spheres and coupled by, besides the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction, isotropic exchange: J _nn = (−197±1)×10⁻⁴, J _2nα = (−5±1)×10⁻⁴, and J _2nβ = (3±2)×10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹. Lines due to other isolated Ni²⁺ ions, which have a different initial splitting D, are also present in the spectrum with intensity comparable to the pair spectrum. Low-symmetry distortions of the crystal field are observed, caused by a pair of impurity ions located close to one another. It is shown that the previously proposed interpretation is incorrect. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1602–1608 (September 1999)     

On bound state computations in three- and four-electron atomic systems

A variational approach is developed for bound state calculations in three- and four-electron atomic systems. This approach can be applied to determine, in principle, an arbitrary bound state in three- and four-electron ions and atoms. Our variational wave functions are constructed from four- and five-body Gaussoids that respectively depend on six (r ₁₂, r ₁₃, r ₁₄, r ₂₃, r ₂₄, r ₃₄) and ten (r ₁₂, r ₁₃, r ₁₄, r ₁₅, r ₂₃, r ₂₄, r ₂₅, r ₃₄, r ₃₅ and r ₄₅) relative coordinates. The approach allows operating with the more than one electron spin functions. In particular, the trial wave functions for the ¹ S states in four-electron atomic systems include the two independent spin functions χ₁ = αβαβ + βαβα − βααβ − αββα and χ₂ = 2ααββ + 2ββαα − βααβ − αββα − βαβα − αβαβ. We also discuss the construction of variational wave functions for the excited 2³ S states in four- electron atomic systems.     

Quantum Gravitational Corrections to the Real Klein-Gordon Field in the Presence of a Minimal Length

The (D+1)-dimensional (β,β′)-two-parameter Lorentz-covariant deformed algebra introduced by Quesne and Tkachuk (J. Phys., A Math. Gen. 39, 10909, 2006), leads to a nonzero minimal uncertainty in position (minimal length). The Klein-Gordon equation in a (3+1)-dimensional space-time described by Quesne-Tkachuk Lorentz-covariant deformed algebra is studied in the case where β′=2β up to first order over deformation parameter β. It is shown that the modified Klein-Gordon equation which contains fourth-order derivative of the wave function describes two massive particles with different masses. We have shown that physically acceptable mass states can only exist for b < \frac18m²c²\beta<\frac{1}{8m^{2}c^{2}} which leads to an isotropic minimal length in the interval 10⁻¹⁷ m<(ΔX ⁱ )₀<10⁻¹⁵ m. Finally, we have shown that the above estimation of minimal length is in good agreement with the results obtained in previous investigations.     

Symmetries and causes of the coincidence of the emission spectra of mirrors and charges in 1+1 and 3+1 spaces

This paper discusses the symmetry of the wave field that lies to the right and left of a two-sided accelerated mirror in 1+1 space and satisfies a single condition on it. The symmetry is embodied in the Bogolyubov matrix coefficients α and β that connect the two complete sets of solutions of the wave equations. The amplitudes of the quantum processes in the right and left half-spaces are expressed in terms of α and β and are related to each other by the transformation (12). The coefficient β _ω′ω ^* plays the role of the source amplitude of a pair of oppositely directed particles with frequencies ω and ω′ of which one is in the left half-space and the other is in the right half-space because one of them has undergone reflection. Such an interpretation makes β _ω′ω ^* observable and explains why, as shown by Eq. (1) and found earlier by Nikishov and Ritus [Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 108, 1121 (1995); transl. JETP 81, 615 (1995)] and by Ritus [Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 110, 526 (1996); transl. JETP 83, 282 (1996)], the emission spectra of a mirror in 1+1 space coincide with those of charges in 3+1 space. The reason is that the angular momentum of the pair emitted by the mirror coincides with the angular momentum of the single particle emitted by the charge. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 46–62 (July 1998)     

PreCon: A Fully Automated Interface for the Pre-Gc Concentration of Trace Gases on Air for Isotopic Analysis

Abstract

For the high precision isotope analysis of atmospheric trace gases a computer controlled concentration interface has been developed. From small air samples it collects either N₂O or CO₂ derived from CH₄ at their respective concentrations (0.3 ppm for N₂O, 1.7 ppm for CH₄) into a small diameter cold trap (?196°C) and interfaces via GC and open split to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Finnigan MAT 252) for on-line isotope evaluation. External reproducibilities for repeated measurements of 100 ml air samples from the same source of < 0.2° (δ-notation) have been achieved for ¹³C/¹²C from CH₄ and for ¹⁵N/¹⁴N and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O from N₂O. The precision is adequate to monitor the isotopic changes in these gases during a day's course.     

Structure and phase stability of nanocrystalline Ce1−x Ln x O2−x/2−δ (Ln = Yb, Lu) in oxidizing and reducing atmosphere

The structure and phase evolution of nanocrystalline Ce_{1− x} Ln _x O_{2− x/2−δ} (Ln = Yb, Lu, x = 0 − 1) oxides upon heating in H₂ was studied for the first time. Up to 950 °C the samples were single-phase, with structure changing smoothly with x from fluorite type (F) to bixbyite type (C). For the Lu-doped samples heated at 1100 °C in the air and H₂, phase separation into coexisting F- and C-type structures was observed for ~0.40 < x < ~0.70 and ~0.25 < x < ~0.70, respectively. It was found also that addition of Lu³⁺ and Yb³⁺ strongly hinders the crystallite growth of ceria during heat treatment at 800 and 950 °C in both atmospheres. Valency of Ce and Yb in Ce_0.1Lu_0.9O_1.55−δ and Ce_0.95Yb_0.05O_1.975−δ samples heated at 1100 °C was studied by XANES and magnetic measurements. In the former Ce was dominated by Ce⁴⁺, with small contribution of Ce³⁺ after heating in H₂. In the latter, Yb existed exclusively as 3+ in both O₂ and H₂.     

Ion-molecular interactions in the methylsulfonic acid—methanol system according to the IR spectral data

The methylsulfonic acid (MSA)—methanol (MeOH) liquid binary system was studied over the whole concentration range by the MBTIR IR spectroscopy method at 30°C. Quasi-ion pairs with the 1: 1 composition formed by a strong symmetrical H-bond were only present in solutions with an equimolar acid: base ratio. The addition of methanol caused the solvation of quasi-ion pairs by MeOH molecules, and, in the presence of the base in a substantial excess (C _MeOH⁰: C _MSA⁰ > 2), proton disolvates (Me(H)O⋯H⋯O(H)Me)⁺ with strong symmetrical H-bonds were formed; that is, there was B⋯H⋯A + B ↔ (B⋯H⋯B)⁺ + A⁻ equilibrium, where B is the base molecule and HA is the acid. In the presence of excess acid, methanol was protonated, and negatively charged proton disolvates were formed, B⋯H⋯A + HA ↔ BH⁺ + (AHA)⁻. This equilibrium was fully shifted to the right.     

Measurement of the 45Ca β spectrum in search of deviations from the theoretical shape

The ⁴⁵Ca β spectrum has been measured with a Si(Li) detector. New limits on the mixing parameter (|U _eH |²≤0.005) for a neutrino with mass in the interval 75–100 keV are obtained. The possibility of a monochromatic peak appearing at the end of the β spectrum is analyzed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 66, No. 2, 81–84 (25 July 1997)     

Hyperfine interactions of 19O in TiO2 and quadrupole moments of 13,19O

The electric quadrupole interaction of ¹⁹O(I^π=(5/2)⁺, T_1/2=27.0 s) in TiO₂ single crystal was studied in detail by means of the β-NQR to determine the electric quadrupole moments Q of short-lived β-emitting nuclei ¹⁹O and ¹³O(I^π=(3/2)^-, T_1/2=8.6 ms). Two implantation sites were found for the implanted O nucleus and the quadrupole coupling constants of ¹⁹O at these sites were determined. We observed FT-NMR of the enriched stable isotope ¹⁷O in TiO₂ and obtained the electric field gradient (EFG) at the oxygen substitutional site. With this knowledge, we have determined Q(¹³O)=11.0 ± 1.3 mb and Q(¹⁹O)=3.7 ± 0.4 mb. The present results are compared with the theoretical values calculated by the shell model code, OXBASH and by the Hartree–Fock calculation with the realistic potential. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An exactly solvable linear model giving indication of stochastic resonance

The linear stochastic equation dx _β /dt+[1+f _β (t)]x _β (t)=A sin (Ωt) is discussed. The functionƒ _β (t) is defined as a Poissonian noise dependent on a parameterβ>0,ƒ _β (t)=β Σ _j [δ(t − t _j ⁺ ) −δ (t − t _j ⁻ )]. The mean frequency of the delta-pulses is chosen asβ-dependent in the formλ(β)=2γ(β ⁻² + 1) exp(−β) whereγ is a constant from the interval (0, 0.974). With the stochastic functionƒ _β (t) defined in this way, attention is paid on the oscillational term of the averaged function 〈x(t)〉, 〈x(t)〉_osc=Āsin(Ωt − α). It is found that the dependenceĀ=Ā(β) exhibits one maximum and one minimum. The occurrence of these extrema seems to affirm the presence of stochastic resonance. This work has been supported by the Slovak Grant Agency VEGA under contract No. 1/4319/97.     

Synthesis of Eu x Si6? z Al z O z N8? z green phosphor and?its?luminescent properties

Rare-earth-doped oxynitride or nitride compounds have been reported to be photoluminescent and may then serve as new phosphors because of their good thermal and chemical stabilities. In this work, Eu²⁺-doped β-SiAlON phosphor with a composition of Eu _x Si_6−z Al _z O _z N_8−z (x=0.018, z=0.23) was prepared by gas-pressured solid state reaction. The crystallinity and particle morphology of the prepared phosphor were characterized. The Stokes shift and zero-phonon line were calculated mathematically and estimated from the spectral data. The temperature dependence of photoluminescence was measured from 25 to 250°C. The prepared Eu²⁺-doped β-SiAlON green phosphor showed superior thermal quenching property compared to silicate (SrBaSiO₄:Eu²⁺) green phosphor. The white light-emitting diode (LED) back-lighting unit (BLU) using the prepared β-SiAlON:Eu²⁺ green phosphor exhibited higher color gamut than a commercial silicate phosphor.     

β-delayed proton decays and spin assignments for 133Sm and 149Yb

The proton-rich isotope ¹³³Sm was produced via the fusion evaporation reaction ⁴⁰Ca + ⁹⁶Ru. Its β-delayed proton decay was studied by p-γ coincidence in combination with a He-jet tape transport system, and half-lives, proton energy spectra, γ-transitions following the proton emission, as well as β-delayed proton branching ratios to the low-lying states in the grand-daughter nucleus were determined. Comparing the observed β-delayed proton branching ratios with statistical model calculations, the best agreement is found assuming that only one level with the spin of 3/2 in ¹³³Sm decays or two levels with the spins of 1/2 and 5/2 decay with similar half-lives. The configuration-constrained nuclear potential energy surfaces of ¹³³Sm were calculated using the Woods-Saxon-Strutinsky method, which suggests a 1/2^- ground state and a 5/2⁺ isomer with an excitation energy of 120keV. Therefore, the simple (EC+β⁺) decay scheme of ¹³³Sm in Eur. Phys. J. A 11, 277 (2001) has been revised. In addition, our previous experimental data on the β-delayed proton decay of ¹⁴⁹Yb reported in Eur. Phys. J. A 12, 1 (2001) was also analyzed using the same method. The spin-parity of ¹⁴⁹Yb is suggested to be 1/2^-.     

Investigations of EPR parameters and impurity structure for Co<Superscript>2+</Superscript> in Ca(OH)<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystal

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) parameters (g _‖ andg _⊥ factors and hyperfine structure constantsA _‖,A _⊥) for Co²⁺ in Ca(OH)₂ are studied from the second-order perturbation formulas on the basis of the cluster approach. In these formulas, the contributions to EPR parameters from the state interactions and covalency effects are considered and the parameters related to both effects are obtained from the optical spectra and impurity structure of the studied system. From the study, it is found that the β angle between the metal-ligand bond and the C₃ axis changes from 61° in a pure crystal to 53.68(26)° in the impurity center of a Co²⁺-doped Ca(OH)₂ crystal because of the impurity-induced local lattice relaxation. The reduction of the angle β in the impurity center is also supported by the result obtained by analyzing the EPR zero-field splitting for Mn²⁺ in the same Ca(OH)₂ crystal. The EPR parameters of Ca(OH)₂:Co²⁺ are also reasonably explained by considering the suitable local lattice relaxation.     

Charge radii and shape transitions in short-lived Hg,Au and Pt isotopes

The hyperfine structure and the isotope shift of very neutron-deficient Au and Pt isotopes have been determined at the on-line isotope separator ISOLDE/CERN by resonance ionization mass spectroscopy combined with pulsed-laser induced desorption of the implanted radioactive sample. The changes of the mean-square charge radii were determined for the isotopes¹⁸⁴Au (T_1/2=53 s) and¹⁸³Au (T_1/2=42 s) as well as for 15 isotopes of platinum in the range between¹⁹⁸Pt (stable) and¹⁸³Pt (T_1/2=6.5 min). The strong deformation of¹⁸⁵Au (|β₂|≃0.25) persits down to¹⁸³Au. In¹⁸³Pt nearly the same value of |β₂| is reached but the deformation is build up rather smoothly in contrast to the neighbouring isotopes of gold and mercury. The magnetic moment of¹⁸³Pt was found to be μ₁=+0.51(3)μ _N .     

Spectroscopy of the <Superscript>9</Superscript>Li isotope in stopped-pion absorption reactions

The origin of the ⁹Li isotope is sought in missing-mass spectra measured in ¹¹B(π⁻, d)X, ¹²C(π⁻, pd)X, and ¹⁴C(π⁻, dt)X stopped-pion absorption reactions. The parameters of the three observed low-lying excited states coincide with the literature data. A state with excitation energy E _x = 9.1 ± 0.1 MeV, lying above the threshold of ⁹Li decay into ⁶He + t, is observed for the first time.     

New CUORICINO results and status of CUORE

CUORICINO is an array of 62 TeO₂ bolometers with a total mass of 40.7 kg (11.2 kg of ¹³⁰Te), operated at about 10 mK to search for ββ(0ν) of ¹³⁰Te. The detectors are organized as a 14-story tower and intended as a slightly modified version of one of the 19 towers of the CUORE project, a proposed tightly packed array of 988 TeO₂ bolometers (741 kg of total mass of TeO₂) for ultralow-background searches on neutrinoless double-beta decay, cold dark matter, solar axions, and rare nuclear decays. Started in April 2003 at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), CUORICINO data taking was stopped in November 2003 to repair the readout wiring system of the 62 bolometers. Restarted in spring 2004, CUORICINO is presently the most sensitive running experiment on neutrinoless double-beta decay. No evidence for ββ(0ν) decay has been found so far and a new lower limit, T ₁ ^2/0ν ≥ 1.8 × 10²⁴ yr (90% C.L.), is set, corresponding to 〈m _ν〉 ≤ 0.2–1.1 eV, depending on the theoretical nuclear matrix elements used in the analysis. Detector performance, operational procedures, and background analysis results are reviewed. The expected performance and sensitivity of CUORE is also discussed. CUORE Collaboration The text was submitted by the authors in English.