Experimental transition probabilities in N III,N IV and N V spectra

We have obtained transition probabilities (Einstein's A values) of thirteen transitions in doubly (N III), six in triply (N IV) and two in four times (N V) ionized nitrogen spectra belonging to the 3s-3p and 3p-3d transitions using a relative line intensity ratio (RLIR) technique. The linear low-pressure pulsed arc was used as an optically thin plasma source operated at 51 400 K electron temperature and 2.2×10²³ m^-3 electron density in nitrogen plasma. Our A values are compared to recent theoretical and experimental data. Received 18 December 2001 / Received in final form 29 January 2002 Published online 28 June 2002     

Calibration of the isomer shift of83Kr

Radioactive⁸³Rb was implanted in 6 different cubic metals (Al, W, Au, Ir, Pt, Pb) and both internal conversion electron spectra and Mössbauer spectra of the daughter nucleus⁸³Kr were measured. A value (r ²)=+5.1(9)×10^–3 fm² (corresponding to R/R=+1.6(3)×10^–4) was derived for the change of the mean square charge radius during the 9.40 keV transition in⁸³Kr. The systematics of the isomer shifts of krypton and other sp-elements substitutionally dissolved in metals are discussed.     

Absolute Transition Probabilities and Oscillator Strengths for Kr II Transitions

Absolute transition probabilities and oscillator strengths for 28 lines belonging to Kr II spectrum were measured. The lines were obtained in a highly repetitive pulsed source where a capillar tube (3 mm internal diameter, 80 cm long) is crossed by a high current pulse (700 to 1600 A). Relative transitions probabilities are obtained after measurement of peak intensities and Stark line widths, using a simple relation. Absolute A_ij values were determined by using experimental values of the lifetime of the level 5p ⁴D_7/2 >.     

Hyperpolarized 83Kr MRI of lungs

Hyperpolarized (hp) ⁸³Kr (spin I = 9/2) is a promising gas-phase contrast agent that displays sensitivity to the surface chemistry, surface-to-volume ratio, and surface temperature of the surrounding environment. This proof-of-principle study demonstrates the feasibility of ex vivo hp ⁸³Kr magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of lungs using natural abundance krypton gas (11.5% ⁸³Kr) and excised, but otherwise intact, rat lungs located within a custom designed ventilation chamber. Experiments comparing the ⁸³Kr MR signal intensity from lungs to that arising from a balloon with no internal structure inflated to the same volume with krypton gas mixture suggest that most of the observed signal originated from the alveoli and not merely the conducting airways. The ⁸³Kr longitudinal relaxation times in the rat lungs ranged from 0.7 to 3.7 s but were reproducible for a given lung. Although the source of these variations was not explored in this work, hp ⁸³Kr T₁ differences may ultimately lead to a novel form of MRI contrast in lungs. The currently obtained 1200-fold signal enhancement for hp ⁸³Kr at 9.4 T field strength is found to be 180 times below the theoretical upper limit.     

Independent yields of Kr and Xe isotopes in the photofission of heavy nuclei

The yields of Kr (A = 87–93) and Xe (A = 138–143) primary fission fragments produced in ²³²Th, ²³⁸U, and ²⁴⁴Pu photofission upon the scission of a target nucleus and neutron emission were measured in an experiment with bremsstrahlung from electrons accelerated to 25 MeV by a microtron, and the results of these measurements are presented. The experimental procedure used involved the transportation of fragments that escaped from the target by a gas flow through a capillary and the condensation of Kr and Xe inert gases in a cryostat at liquid-nitrogen temperature. The fragments of all other elements were retained with a filter at the capillary inlet. The isotopes of Kr and Xe were identified by the γ spectra of their daughter products. The mass-number distributions of the independent yields of Kr and Xe isotopes are obtained and compared with similar data on fission induced by thermal and fast neutrons; the shifts of the fragment charges with respect to the undistorted charge distribution are determined. Prospects for using photofission fragments in studying the structure of highly neutron-rich nuclei are discussed.     

Line strengths and lifetimes for Kr II

Relative line strengths have been calculated for transitions between states of the 4p ⁴ 5p and 4p ⁴ 5s configurations in Kr II. The wavefunctions are obtained in intermediate coupling, including an effective correction for configuration interaction. Absolute values for the line strengths are determined using the coulomb approximation. Lifetimes for the upper 4p ⁴ 5p levels are given together with available experimental results for comparison.     

从环境样品中分离氩气和氪气用于放射性惰性气体探测

放射性惰性气体同位素⁸⁵Kr(半衰期为10.8年)、³⁹Ar(半衰期为269年)和⁸¹Kr(半衰期为22.9万年)是理想的环境示踪剂,基于激光技术的原子阱痕量分析方法(Atom trap trace analysis, ATTA)可以实现对空气、地下水等环境样品中这几种同位素的有效探测. 在进行ATTA测量之前,需要将样品中的氪气和氩气有效分离出来. 利用低温蒸馏、海绵钛化学吸附和气相色谱分离等技术,可以从1~10 L气体样品中分别提取出90%以上的氪气和98%以上的氩气,从而满足ATTA测量的样品要求. 通过对包括两个野外地下水样品等一系列样品进行分离实验,验证了气体分离装置的可靠性能.     

Transitions and level lifetimes in Ne II, III, Ar II, III, Kr II, III and Xe II

Beam-foil spectra of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon have been recorded photographically with a fast spectrograph. The particle energies ranged from 150 to 750 keV. Transitions in Ne II, III; Ar II, III; Kr II, III; and Xe II have been identified. In addition, new multiples were identified in Ne II and Xe II and a number of unidentified lines were observed in neon, argon, and krypton. Characteristic intensity decays of over 170 lines were measured, giving the mean lives of ≈ 80 levels, with an estimated error of 30 per cent. Tabulation of energy levels with similar electron configurations in neon, argon, krypton, and xenon shows a definite progression to larger mean lives as the nuclear change increases.     

Microscopic study of yrast bands and backbending anomaly in 78-82Kr isotopes

The yrast spectra of ^78-82Kr are studied by using the projected shell model (PSM) approach. The energy states are obtained by taking oblate as well as prolate quadrupole deformations for ^78-82Kr. The structure of yrast states and backbending phenomena are investigated. The theoretical results predict low-lying states in ^{78, 82}Kr to be oblate and coexistence of oblate-prolate shapes for ⁸⁰Kr. The B(E2) transition probabilities and g-factors are obtained and compared with the available experimental data.     

A new sequence of high-spin states built on the 17/2+ isomer in85Kr

High-spin states in⁸⁵Kr have been studied via in-beam spectroscopy by bombarding a⁸²Se target with 32 MeV⁷Li ions. Since⁸⁵Kr is only formed with a small relative cross section proton-— coincidence techniques have been applied to enhance the rays of⁸⁵Kr, even with respect to those of⁸⁶Kr, in the measurements. A new sequence of high-spin states with excitation energies up to 4.8 MeV and tentative spins up to (23/2) has been established on top of the 17/2⁺ s isomer. A tentative assignment of the configurationvg ₉ ^2/–1 (g _9/2 p ₃ ^2/–1 orf ₅ ^2/–1 ) to the new levels is proposed.Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Extended analysis of the Kr V spectrum

The spectrum of four-times-ionized krypton (Kr V) has been observed in the 230–4900 Å wavelength range, resulting in 91 new classified lines. We were able to identify 21 new energy levels belonging to the 4s²4p5d, 4s²4p5s, 4s²4p6s, 4s²4p5p and 4s4p²4d configurations. Relativistic Hartree–Fock calculations were used to predict energy levels and transitions.     

Beam-foil mean lifetimes in Kr II obtained from ANDC analysis

Detailed measurements on the 5p ⁴ S ₃ ^2/0 and 5p～' ² D ₅ ^2/0 levels in Kr II are reported. Cascade effects were taken into account with the aid of the arbitrarily normalized decay curve (ANDC) technique. Experimental values are compared to values obtained by other investigators as well as to theoretical values.     

Spins and parities of low-lying states in 79Kr from the 78Kr(d,p)79Kr reaction

The structure of Kr has been investigated via the ⁷⁸Kr($\text{d}$, p)⁷⁹ Kr reaction using an isotopically enriched gas target and an 11.0 MeV vector-polarized deuteron beam. Differential cross sections, σ, and vector analyzing powers, A_y, have been measured from 25° to 95° for 10 proton groups below 2.5 MeV excitation energy. Comparisons of these distributions to DWBA calculations and empirical shapes were made to extract spectroscopic factors and values of spin and parity for these states.     

Independent yields of Kr and Xe fragments in the photofission of <Superscript>237</Superscript>Np and <Superscript>243</Superscript>Am odd nuclei

Results are presented that were obtained by measuring the independent yields of Kr (A = 89–93) and Xe (A = 135–142) appearing as fragments in the photofission of ²³⁷Np and ²⁴³Am odd nuclei. The respective experiments were performed in a beam of bremsstrahlung photons from electrons accelerated to an energy of 25 MeV at the microtron of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, Dubna). Use was made of the procedure involving the transportation of fragments emitted from the target by a gas flow along a capillary and the condensation of inert gases in a cryostat at liquid-nitrogen temperature. The identification of Kr and Xe appearing as fragments was performed by the gamma spectra of their daughter products. The mass-number distributions of the independent yields of Kr and Xe isotopes were obtained, along with those for the complementary fragments (Y and La in the fission of ²³⁷Np and Nb and Pr in the fission of ²⁴³Am).     

Deformed shell model for T = 0, 1 and 2 bands in <Superscript>52</Superscript>Fe and <Superscript>72</Superscript>Kr

Deformed configuration mixing shell model based on Hartree-Fock states with extension to include isospin projection (DSMT) for two- and four-particle configurations (generated by particle-hole excitations) is applied to study the structure of the low-lying T = 0, 1 and 2 bands (or levels) in the even-even N = Z nuclei ⁵²Fe and ⁷²Kr. The pf-shell KB3 interaction for ⁵²Fe and a modified Kuos interaction for ⁷²Kr are employed in the calculations. In this first application of DSMT with four-particle T projection, low-spin (J 10) members of the T = 0, 1 and 2 bands in ⁵²Fe are compared with experiment including the known E2 transition strengths. The agreement between DSMT and experiment is reasonably good. Similarly, the low-spin members of the observed (prolate) yrast band in ⁷²Kr are also well described by DSMT.     

High-resolution diode-laser spectroscopy on a fast beam of metastable atoms for detecting very rare krypton isotopes

A fast krypton ion beam with an energy of 10 keV is transferred through a mass filter and neutralized in a Rb- (or Cs-) vapour charge exchange cell. The emerging beam of metastable Kr atoms of a selected Kr isotope is collinearly irradiated with a tunable cw GaAlAs diode laser at 811 nm. The spectrum of the 1s ₅–2p ₉ transition covers 10 GHz and consists of one line each for the five stable isotopes of Kr with even mass number and 15 hyperfine structure lines of⁸³Kr. The individual lines are recorded by detecting the fluorescence signal perpendicular to the beams. Photons are guided to the PM tube by diffuse reflection from a high reflectance thermoplastics light collector. Up to 20 photons per atom are emitted by cycling between the two states during the flight time of 1.2 µs through the detector. The observed absorption linewidth of 100 MHz is a combination of laser linewidth and energy uncertainty in the fast atomic beam. In order to achieve maximum isotope selectivity the beam energy has to be adjusted in such a way that the Doppler shifted lines of all isotopes form an optimum pattern for detecting the very rare isotopes⁸¹Kr and⁸⁵Kr in natural environmental samples.     

Lifetime measurement in 74Kr and 76Kr

Lifetimes of excited states in the ground-state bands of ⁷⁴Kr and ⁷⁶Kr were measured using the recoil-distance Doppler-shift and the differential decay curve methods. The states were populated in the ⁴⁰Ca(⁴⁰Ca, α2p) and ⁴⁰Ca(⁴⁰Ca, 4p) reactions. Gamma rays were detected with the GASP array which was coupled to the Cologne Plunger device. The results resolve discrepancies between earlier lifetime measurements and a recent Coulomb excitation experiment. Experimental transition rates are compared to theoretical calculations. The results support a strong mixing between prolate and oblate configurations for the low-spin states, and represent an important basis for the interpretation and understanding of the shape coexistence phenomenon in this mass region.     

New stage of search for 2K(2ν) capture of 78Kr

A technique to search for 2K capture of ⁷⁸Kr with a large low-background proportional counter filled with a sample of krypton enriched in ⁷⁸Kr up to 99.8% at a pressure of 4.51 atm is described in this paper. The results of first measurements are presented. An analysis of data collected for 159 h yielded a new limit to the half-life of ⁷⁸Kr with regard to 2K capture (T _1/2 ≥ 1.5 × 10²¹ yr (90% C.L.)). The sensitivity of the facility to the process for one year of measurement was evaluated to be S = 1.0 × 10²² yr (90% C.L.). The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Pulmonary MRI contrast using Surface Quadrupolar Relaxation (SQUARE) of hyperpolarized Kr

Hyperpolarized ⁸³Kr has previously been demonstrated to enable MRI contrast that is sensitive to the chemical composition of the surface in a porous model system. Methodological advances have lead to a substantial increase in the ⁸³Kr hyperpolarization and the resulting signal intensity. Using the improved methodology for spin exchange optical pumping of isotopically enriched ⁸³Kr, internal anatomical details of ex vivo rodent lung were resolved with hyperpolarized ⁸³Kr MRI after krypton inhalation. Different ⁸³Kr relaxation times were found between the main bronchi and the parenchymal regions in ex vivo rat lungs. The T₁ weighted hyperpolarized ⁸³Kr MRI provided a first demonstration of surface quadrupolar relaxation (SQUARE) pulmonary MRI contrast.