In-source spectroscopy on astatine and radium for resonant laser ionization

At on-line isotope separator facilities, rare isotopes of radioactive elements such as astatine, radium or polonium are demanded for fundamental research on nuclear structure. These elements are generally suitable for a resonance ionization laser ion source, but more data on the atomic structure is necessary to develop efficient laser ionization schemes. Due to the missing stable reference isotopes spectroscopic investigation of the atomic structure can only be performed during on-line operation. At the Isotope Separator and ACcelerator (ISAC) facility at TRIUMF, the elements astatine and radium were investigated by in-source laser spectroscopy to optimize the laser ionization efficiency. For astatine, laser spectroscopy was performed to search for high lying bound states as well as for auto-ionizing resonances. This led to the identification of four new high lying bound states of odd parity, while no auto-ionizing resonances were observed in the investigated region. Furthermore, the feasibility and the impact of laser ionization on the yield of radium isotopes was investigated using an activated target after proton irradiation.     

The Discovery of Artificial Radioactivity

We reconstruct Frédéric Joliot and Irène Curie’s discovery of artificial radioactivity in January 1934 based in part on documents preserved in the Joliot–Curie Archives in Paris, France. We argue that their discovery followed from the convergence of two parallel lines of research, on the neutron and on the positron, that were focused on a well-defined experimental problem, the nuclear transmutation of aluminum and other light elements. We suggest that a key role was played by a suggestion that Francis Perrin made at the seventh Solvay Conference at the end of October 1933, that the alpha-particle bombardment of aluminum produces an intermediate unstable isotope of phosphorus, which then decays by positron emission. We also suggest that a further idea that Perrin published in December 1933, and the pioneering theory of beta decay that Enrico Fermi also first published in December 1933, established a new theoretical framework that stimulated Joliot to resume the researches that he and Curie had interrupted after the Solvay Conference, now for the first time using a Geiger-Müller counter to detect the positrons emitted when he bombarded aluminum with polonium alpha particles.     

Early onset of ground state deformation in neutron deficient polonium isotopes

In-source resonant ionization laser spectroscopy of the even-A polonium isotopes (192-210,216,218)Po has been performed using the 6p(3)7s (5)S(2) to 6p(3)7p (5)P(2) (λ=843.38 nm) transition in the polonium atom (Po-I) at the CERN ISOLDE facility. The comparison of the measured isotope shifts in (200-210)Po with a previous data set allows us to test for the first time recent large-scale atomic calculations that are essential to extract the changes in the mean-square charge radius of the atomic nucleus. When going to lighter masses, a surprisingly large and early departure from sphericity is observed, which is only partly reproduced by beyond mean field calculations.     

A study of the mechanical and structural properties of polonium

We have performed an ab initio study of the structure of polonium. By calculating total energies in a number of tetragonal lattice configurations, we have shown that the simple cubic structure is preferred by the system. The other two zero-stress structures, bcc and fcc, correspond to inflection points along this path. These calculations agree with experimental evidence that polonium is the only known element to assume the simple cubic structure at room temperature. We have found an LDA lattice constant of 3.28 Å, and we have obtained two of the elastic constants: and      

Über spektroskopische Untersuchungen mit Hilfe von α-Teilchen

Excitation of the molecules of various gaseous substances byα-particles from a polonium 210 source has been investigated, expecially with respect to the branching between dissociation andγ-de-exitation. The use of an alternative irradiation source is briefly discussed.     

Theories of alpha-decay

The derivation of the width for α-decay is examined with particular emphasis on methods which do not involve arbitrary channel radii. A new method of treating the initial decaying states is introduced and the use of ambiguous phenomenological potentials is avoided. This method yields consistent and acceptable quantitative results for the g.s. to g.s. (ground state) transitions in even polonium isotopes and for the branching ratio for the decay of the isomeric state ^212mPo.     

重金属钋化物团簇M2Po (M=Cu, Ag, Au)中电子相关效应的定量估算

在HF和CCSD水平上研究了重金属钋化物团簇M2Po(M=Cu,Ag,Au)中电子相关效应.结果显示,电子相关效应改变键角大约16°,但几乎不改变键长,说明电子相关效应是作用在重金属原子上的一种切向吸引力.理论分析确定,这个吸引力来自于重金属闭壳层d10～d10之间的van der Wals吸引力.采用一个较简单的经典模型拟合了电子相关势能函数,并估算了它的大小和作用模式.     

Ion Mobility Measurements of Carbon Tetrachloride

Abstract

The ion mobility and drift velocity of carbon tetrachloride have been measured at various ratios of E/P_o, ranging from 1.0 to 9 volts/ (cm-Torr). The technique employed for these measurements utilizes a polonium alpha particle source which serves both as the source for ionization as well as the means for producing a reference pulse from a solid state silicon barrier detector. The thermal electrons which are produced are readily captured by carbon tetrachloride and the resulting negative ion, assumed to be CC1₄ ^?, is detected by means of a proportional counter located at the end of the drift path. The zero field reduced mobility obtained for CC1₄ ^?was 0.42 cm²/(volt-sec). The nature of the ionic species is explained in terms of the quantum mechanical theory of ionic mobility as put forth by Dalgarno.     

High pressure structural phase transitions of PbPo

First-principles calculations have been performed to investigate the high pressure phase transitions and dynamical properties of the less known lead polonium compound. The calculated ground state parameters for the NaCl phase show good agreement with the experimental data. The obtained results show that the intermediate phase transition for this compound is the orthorhombic Pnma phase. The PbPo undergoes from the rocksalt to Pnma phase at 4.20 GPa. Further structural phase transition from intermediate to CsCl phase has been found at 8.5 GPa. In addition, phonon dispersion spectra were derived from linear-response to density functional theory. In particular, we show that the dynamical properties of PbPo exhibit some peculiar features compared to other III–V compounds. Finally, thermodynamics properties have been also addressed from quasiharmonic approximation.     

Interplay between lattice dynamics and the low-pressure phase of simple cubic polonium

Low-pressure structural properties of simple cubic polonium are explored through first-principles density-functional theory based relativistic total energy calculations using pseudopotentials and plane-wave basis set, as well as linear-response theory. We have found that Po undergoes structural phase transition at low pressure near 2 GPa, where the element transforms from simple cubic to a mixture of two trigonal phases namely, hR1 (α=86°) and hR2 (α=97.9°) structures. The lattice dynamics calculations provide strong support for the observed phase transition, and show the dynamical stability (instability) of the hR2 (hR1) phase.     

Effect of long-range intermolecular forces on the drag of an oscillating disk and on the viscosity of gases

An experimental investigation has been made to determine the changes produced by ionization in the apparent viscosity of gases. The method used is that of the oscillating disk. In one series the gas was ionized by the gamma rays from an externally placed cesium-137 source. In the other two series of measurements the ionization was achieved with the aid of the alpha particles emitted from the surface of the oscillating disk coated with polonium 210.The measurements were made on nine gases at room temperature and in the pressure range of 1 mm Hg to 1.7 atm. The gases were: dry air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, helium, neon, argon, krypton and xenon. The experimental results showed that there is a very small change in the skin friction experienced by the disk.     

Emission of Ionic Molecules (KrXe)<Superscript>+</Superscript> on Excitation by a Hard Ionizer

The molecular luminescence band appearing in the 445–510-nm region on excitation of a Kr-Xe mixture by the α particles of polonium 210 as well as by the products of nuclear reaction ³He(n,p)T has been investigated. Radiation at the transition of the heteronuclear ionic molecule (KrXe)⁺ has a high excitation efficiency and is observed in a temperature range from −100 to +600°C. The kinetics of the processes in the Kr-Xe mixture and the possibility of using radiation with λ ∼ 490 nm in radioactive light sources are considered. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 301–304, May–June, 2005.     

210Po in popular medicinal herbs from Poland

Herbs are an important part of traditional medicine in Poland. Therefore, the aim of this study was the determination of polonium ²¹⁰Po in 48 selected medicinal herb samples from the Polish market. The activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Po were measured using alpha spectrometry. The activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po was in the range from 0.3?±?0.1 to 28.2?±?0.4 Bq kg^–1. The obtained results were compared with corresponding studies conducted worldwide. A higher ²¹⁰Po activity concentration was observed in the above-ground part of plants. The obtained results show that the highest ²¹⁰Po activity concentration was observed in evergreen plants and winter-hardy plants. Yet even infusions with 2 g of the most contaminated herbs examined were considered to be radiologically safe.     

Radionuclides in produced water from Norwegian oil and gas installations — Concentrations and bioavailability

Substantial amounts of produced water, containing elevated levels of radionuclides (mainly ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra) are discharged to the sea as a result of oil and gas production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. So far no study has assessed the potential radiological effects on marine biota in connection with radionuclide discharges to the North Sea. The main objective of the project is to establish radiological safe discharge limits for radium, lead and polonium associated with other components in produced water from oil and gas installations on the Norwegian continental shelf. This study reports results indicating that the presence of added chemicals such as scale inhibitors in produced water has a marked influence on the formation of radium and barium sulphates when produced water is mixed with sea water. Thus, the mobility and bioavailability of radium (and barium) will be larger than anticipated. Also, the bioavailability of food-borne radium is shown to increase due to presence of such chemicals.     

Radionuclides in produced water from Norwegian oil and gas installations — concentrations and bioavailability

Substantial amounts of produced water, containing elevated levels of radionuclides (mainly ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra) are discharged to the sea as a result of oil and gas production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. So far no study has assessed the potential radiological effects on marine biota in connection with radionuclide discharges to the North Sea. The main objective of the project is to establish radiological safe discharge limits for radium, lead and polonium associated with other components in produced water from oil and gas installations on the Norwegian continental shelf.This study reports results indicating that the presence of added chemicals such as scale inhibitors in produced water has a marked influence on the formation of radium and barium sulphates when produced water is mixed with sea water. Thus, the mobility and bioavailability of radium (and barium) will be larger than anticipated. Also, the bioavailability of food-borne radium is shown to increase due to presence of such chemicals.     

Sequential extraction procedure for determination of uranium, thorium, radium, lead and polonium radionuclides by alpha spectrometry in environmental samples

A sequential extraction technique was developed and tested for common naturally-occurring radionuclides. This technique allows the extraction and purification of uranium, thorium, radium, lead, and polonium radionuclides from the same sample. Environmental materials such as water, soil, and biological samples can be analyzed for those radionuclides without matrix interferences in the quality of radioelement purification and in the radiochemical yield. The use of isotopic tracers (²³²U, ²²⁹Th, ²²⁴Ra, ²⁰⁹Po, and stable lead carrier) added to the sample in the beginning of the chemical procedure, enables an accurate control of the radiochemical yield for each radioelement. The ion extraction procedure, applied after either complete dissolution of the solid sample with mineral acids or co-precipitation of dissolved radionuclide with MnO₂ for aqueous samples, includes the use of commercially available pre-packed columns from Eichrom® and ion exchange columns packed with Bio-Rad resins, in altogether three chromatography columns. All radioactive elements but one are purified and electroplated on stainless steel discs. Polonium is spontaneously plated on a silver disc. The discs are measured using high resolution silicon surface barrier detectors. ²¹⁰Pb, a beta emitter, can be measured either through the beta emission of ²¹⁰Bi, or stored for a few months and determined by alpha spectrometry through the in-growth of ²¹⁰Po. This sequential extraction chromatography technique was tested and validated with the analysis of certified reference materials from the IAEA. Reproducibility was tested through repeated analysis of the same homogeneous material (water sample).     

High-spin states in 208Rn

The yrast decay scheme of ²⁰⁸Rn has been investigated up to spin $\text{≈ 20}\text{h}\text{?}$ and an excitation energy of ≈ 6 MeV. Several different γ-ray spectroscopic techniques were used to determine the properties of excited states and transitions in the nucleus. Significant changes to the previously established level scheme are proposed, based on the existence of an unobserved 3.1 keV transition. Simple empirical shell-model calculations of level energies aided in the assignment of shell-model configurations to excited states and the decay scheme is discussed in terms of these configurations. The energy level systematics for the even radon isotopes, from A = 206 to 212 are discussed, as are core polarization effects in the even radon isotopes (A = 204 to 210) and polonium isotopes (A = 202–208).     

Study of the response of silicon detectors for alpha particles

Numerous radon measurements are carried out using silicon detectors directly in the environment. This new kind of alpha radiation measurement has been developed because the reduced cost makes it possible to replace the usual plastic track detectors. At our laboratory, an alpha particle detector has been designed from a commercial silicon photodiode. This type of detector can determine the device response perfectly in any kind of environment. Different spectrum analyses have been conducted in the laboratory and field to define the exact origin of counted alpha particles. We studied the response for different radon and thoron concentration levels and observed the energy of the detected alpha particles. We carried out some of these experiments with gas flux, and some without, to show the effects of interactions with surfaces to obtain thermodynamic equilibrium in the detection chamber. Finally, the silicon diodes that we tested measure the alpha particles of the decay products (polonium) from the radon and the thoron, but very weakly from the gases themselves. Thus, it is possible to make mistakes when measuring the radon if the count of alpha particles is performed without spectrum analysis. One reason for this is that the decay progenies of the radon are solid radio-elements with thermodynamic proprieties different from gases.     

Growth kinetics and morphological transformation of Bi-2223 crystals

Avrami’s equation was found to be the best kinetics theory to describe the high-T_c Bi-2223 crystal formation so far. There are three parameters (exponential index n, activation energy E and parameter k) in the equation. A series of research works have been done on the determination of parameters n and E, but few on another parameter k are to be found. The purpose of the approach was to determine and study the role of k in the formation of Bi-2223 crystals. The analysis in the research showed that the parameter k could describe the exhausting speed of reactants, and determine reaction probability and mean lifetime of reactants. The growth mechanism of the 2223 polycrystals was found to show some differences from the prediction of the Avrami’s theory model. At the initial duration, the 2223 crystal growth was much lower than the theoretical prediction; especially there was a mature duration to be found at the last growth duration, at which the 2223 crystal almost did not increase, but its crystal grains obviously became larger. This was a typical morphological transformation. The morphological transformation was the first time to be reported for the growth of the 2223 phase.