Investigation of the excitation of metastable states of 197Pt and 197Hg in (γ, n) and (d, 2n) reactions

The isomeric ratios of the ^197m,g Pt and ^197m,g Hg yields in the respective (γ, n) reactions are measured for the first time in the energy range 8–17 MeV. The isomeric ratios σ _m/σ_g for ^197m,g Hg in the (d, 2n) reaction are measured in the energy range 8–50 MeV. The experimental data are compared with the results of theoretical calculations. The effect of the structure of low-lying states and of the yrast line on the behavior of σ _m/σ_g is revealed. __________ Translated from Yadernaya Fizika, Vol. 67, No. 5, 2004, pp. 899–905. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2004 by Zheltonozhsky, Mazur, Bigan.     

Analysis of the excitation functions and isomeric cross-section ratios within the statistical model

The excitation functions and isomeric cross-section ratios obtained at irradiation of ¹⁹⁷Au by a ⁶He-ion beams with energies from 15 to 60 MeV has been analyzed. The EMPIRE-2.18 code was used in the calculations. The cross sections of the isomeric and ground nuclear state production were calculated taking into account the probabilities of occupation of the final nucleus discrete levels in cascades of γ transitions.     

Exploring new mass regions with the ISOLTRAP spectrometer

First direct mass measurements on rare earth isotopes around ¹⁴⁶Gd have been performed with the Penning trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP at ISOLDE/CERN. More than 40 isotopes of the elements Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Dy and Ho have been measured with an accuracy of typically 1 × 10^-7. In the case of ¹⁴¹Sm isomeric and ground state (ΔE = 175 keV) were resolved. Since isobaric contaminations are present in the ISOLDE beam, these measurements on rare earth isotopes became only possible after the installation of a new cooler trap which acts an isobar separator. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

EPR spin labeling study of conformational transitions of β-glycosidase from the hyperthermophilic archaeonSulfolobus solfataricus expressed inEscherichia coli

The conformational transitions of thermophilic β-glycosidase fromSulfolobus solfataricus and the mechanism of its thermal and chemical activation were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of nitroxide spin labels immobilized on the protein matrix. For this purpose, β-glycosidase was covalently modified by maleimide nitroxide spin label (MAR^⋅) and iodoacetamide nitroxide spin label (IAR^⋅), both specific for -SH groups. The degree of modification was found to be independent of the temperature as well as of the presence of two enzyme activators, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and butanol. In addition, a dansyl-piperidine nitroxide radical probe (DR^⋅), which has an affinity to the hydrophobic surfaces of proteins, was used in this study. The noncovalent binding of DR^⋅ results in immediate formation of a probe-enzyme complex. At room temperature, the rotation frequency of the immobilized labels decreases in order of IAR^⋅ > MAR^⋅ ≥ DR^⋅. The temperature measurements of rotation correlation frequencies (v _c ) display values ranging from 6·10⁷ to 2·10⁸ s⁻¹ and indicate a discontinuity with the inflection point at temperatureT _in in a range from 312 to 313 K. The observed enthalpies (ΔH ^≠) and entropies (ΔS ^≠) of the activation of spin label rotation were derived from the Arrhenius plots. The activation parameters were found to be typical for rigid model systems. The addition of SDS and butanol produced a slight shift of the inflection point and changes of spin-label mobility. A correlation between conformational transitions and enzyme thermal activation was discussed.     

Prompt (n,γ) Mass Measurements for the AVOGADRO Project

The aim of the AVOGADRO project is to replace the kilogram artefact by a high-purity, perfect single crystal of natural or isotope-enriched silicon. The isotopic composition and the impurities of the silicon crystal must, therefore, be known with highest possible accuracy and precision. The only method to obtain all this information without destruction of the massive samples is prompt (n,γ)-spectrometry. The measurements are performed at a thermal neutron guide of the ILL (Institut Max von Laue Paul Langevin) in Grenoble, France. The spectrometry of γ-radiation emitted by a nucleus promptly after thermal neutron capture allows a highly precise determination of atomic mass differences, as well as the determination of isotope abundances leading to the molar mass. The uncertainties assigned to the results for the respective atomic masses determined by the mass differences amount to up to 10⁻¹⁰, while the molar mass of an isotope-enriched Si single crystal has so far been determined with an uncertainty of 1 ⋅ 10⁻⁴. A direct comparison (for example, relative value of isotope abundances determined by (n,γ)-spectrometry omitting the thermal neutron cross section) furnishes a value of 7 ⋅ 10⁻⁵. The final aim of the AVOGADRO project is to provide a well specified crystal, which allows a more accurate value of the Avogadro constant to be determined. This constant is the key input parameter for tabulated values of fundamental constants and for a new definition of the unit of mass - the kilogram itself. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Formation of SERS-active silver structures on the surface of mesoporous silicon

We have optimized the procedure for preparation of nanostructured silver films on the surface of mesoporous silicon (PSi) to use them as active substrates in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The greatest enhancement of the SERS signal was observed for samples obtained when the silver was deposited on PSi from an aqueous AgNO₃ solution with concentration 1⋅10^–2 M over a 10–15 minute period. The detection limit for rhodamine 6G on SERS-active substrates prepared by the optimized procedure was 1⋅10^–10 M. The enhancement factor for the SERS signal on these surfaces was estimated as ≈2⋅10⁸. We have shown that SERS-active substrates based on mesoporous silicon are promising for detection and study of complex organic compounds, in particular tetrapyrrole molecules. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 298–306, March–April, 2009.     

Search for the invisible axion emitted in the M1 transition in 125m Te

A method of searching for the invisible axion emitted in M transitions of isomeric nuclei is proposed. It is determined experimentally that the probability of emission of an axion in the M1 transition in ^125m Te is ⩽1.3⋅10⁻⁵ (90% confidence level). Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 8, 576–580 (25 April 1997)     

Mass measurements in the endpoint region of the rp-process at SHIPTRAP

The Penning-trap mass spectrometer SHIPTRAP was designed for precision mass measurements of radionuclides produced in fusion–evaporation reactions. The latest measurement campaign covered heavy nuclei (A>90) related to the astrophysical rapid proton capture process. The masses of 34 neutron-deficient radionuclides have been measured since February 2006 with relative uncertainties between 5×10⁻⁸ and 1×10⁻⁷. Furthermore, the use of an octupolar RF excitation for the time-of-flight ion-cyclotron-resonance technique was investigated and an increase of the resolving power by a factor of ten was observed in agreement with simulations. This will allow to resolve isomeric states with excitation energies of a few 10 keV only.      

Low-spin states of doubly odd 182Au

Low-lying states in the odd-odd light gold isotope ¹⁸²Au have been populated by the β⁺/EC decay of the ¹⁸²Hg nuclei. Level energies, spin and parity values were determined using on-line γ-ray and e^- spectroscopy measurements. No isomeric state with a long half-life was found in the ¹⁸²Au nucleus. Spin and parity I ^π = 2⁺ can be very likely assigned to the ¹⁸²Au ground state. Received: 19 December 2000 / Accepted: 28 February 2001     

Excitation of nuclei in a hot, dense plasma: Feasibility of experiments with 201Hg

It is shown that in a plasma produced on the surface of a sample consisting of a natural mixture of mercury isotopes, ∼10⁴−10^{5 201}Hg nuclei can be excited into the low-lying isomeric level 1/2⁻ (1.561 keV) by an ultrashort laser pulse with energy ≈1 J, duration ≈200 fs, and intensity ≈10¹⁶ W/cm² and the lifetime of the level can be determined. Possible mechanisms leading to the excitation of ²⁰¹Hg nuclei by photons and electrons in a dense, hot plasma are examined and the cross sections of the processes are estimated. Schemes for detecting the effect are proposed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, No. 5, 312–316 (10 September 1997)     

Application of benzophenones to elucidate the photochemical reaction pathways of hydrogen peroxide with dimethylsulfoxide

Benzophenone ((C₆H₅)₂CO) and decafluorobenzophenone ((C₆F₅)₂CO) were applied to elucidate the photochemical reaction pathway of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). When a solution of benzophenone in DMSO was excited with the 355 nm laser light, three transient species were observed in the time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectra: benzophenone ketyl (C₆H₅)₂COH^⋅, methyl^⋅CH₃, and methylsulfinic methyl^⋅CH₂SOCH₃ radicals. However, when decafluoro-benzophenone was used with DMSO, only ketyl and methylsulfinic methyl radicals were observed under the same experimental conditions. When the reaction of benzophenone and DMSO was carried out in the presence of H₂O₂, different time profiles of^⋅CH₃ radicals were observed. In the reaction of decafluorobenzophenone-DMSO-H₂O₂, the time profiles of the radicals were not affected by the presence of H₂O₂. Thus, these results verify that^⋅CH₃ radicals are regenerated in a cyclic pathway, in which^⋅CH₃ radicals attack H₂O₂. The regeneration pathway allows us to observe f-pair polarization throughout the lifetime of^⋅CH₃ radicals, which last several microseconds, an order of magnitude longer than theT ₁ relaxation time of^⋅CH₃ radicals.     

Nonlinear transformation of a spectrum of femtosecond laser pulses in a gas-filled microcapillary

Features of light pulse propagation and nonlinear optical transformation of the spectrum generated by titanium-sapphire laser pulses (τ_0.5 = 27 fs, λ₀ = 790 nm) have been studied experimentally in a 50-cm cylindrical hollow waveguide (microcapillary with 280-μm diameter core) filled with gaseous molecular nitrogen and helium. Stable guided propagation of light pulses with an intensity of ~1.5⋅10¹⁴ W/cm² in the fundamental EH₁₁ mode of the gas-filled capillary has been demonstrated. Exact focusing of the laser light made it possible to obtain rather high relative (≥95%) and absolute (~60%) energy transmission efficiencies for the pulses at gas pressures equal to or lower than 760 Torr. A method to determine the nonlinear phase shift of the pulses has been proposed. Values of the nonlinear refractive index n₂ ≈ 4.5⋅10^–23 cm²/(W⋅Torr) (N₂) and n₂ ≈ 2.8⋅10^–23 cm²/(W⋅Torr) (He) have been found. A short-wavelength shift in addition to the Kerr nonlinearity has been shown to be contributed by the generated electron plasma at high pulse intensities (≥10¹⁴ W/cm²).     

Magnetic hyperfine field of Hg in nickel and the sign of magnetic moment of 197mAu by NMR-ON

Nuclear magnetic resonance on oriented nuclei (NMR-ON) measurements were performed on the successive decay of ^197mHg–^197mAu in Ni. The NMR-ON resonance spectra of ^197mHgNi were obtained by detecting the 134 keV γ-ray from the decay of ^197mHg and the 279 keV γ-ray from the decay of ^197mAu. The magnetic hyperfine splitting frequency of ^197mHgNi in an external magnetic field of 0.2 T has been determined as 16.55(6) MHz. With the known g-factor of ^197mHg the hyperfine field of B₈₂(^197mHgNi)= -13.53(6) T was deduced. The anisotropy of the 279 keV γ-ray (^197mAu to ¹⁹⁷Au) increased at the resonance. This phenomenon was explained using the spin inversion process including the lifetime of the isomer and the spin–lattice relaxation time. The sign of the g-factor of ^197mAu was determined to be positive. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Long Wavelength Excitable Fluorophore; Chloro Phenyl Imino Propenyl Aniline (CPIPA) for Selective Sensing of Hg (II)

In this study, a very sensitive and highly selective irreversible optical chemical sensor (optode) for mercury ions was described. The sensing scheme was based on the interaction of Hg (II) with a newly synthesized fluoroionophore; chloro phenyl imino propenyl aniline (CPIPA) in plasticized PVC membrane. The sensor membranes were tested for the determination of mercury ion in aqueous solutions by batch and flow-through methods. The optodes allow determination of Hg (II) in the working range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁹–1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M with a detection limit of 4.3 ppb. The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity for Hg (II) with respect to several common alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions. The association constant of the 1:1 complex formation for Hg (II) was found to be K_a = 1.86 × 10⁵ M⁻¹. The CPIPA exhibited high fluorescence quantum yield, long excitation and emission wavelength and high Stokes’ shift values in the solid matrix which makes it compatible with solid state optics.     

Isomeric state of 80Y and its role in the astrophysical rp-process

A careful investigation of the isomeric transition of the long-lived state at 228.5 keV excitation energy in ⁸⁰Y has been done. The HIGISOL facility at the Jyv?skyl? isochronous cyclotron has been used. We used the electron magnetic transporter to prepare an appropriate source and to measure the electron spectra in clean background conditions. The measured internal conversion coefficient α_K = 0.50±0.07 allows unambiguous 1^- identification for the 228.5 keV first excited isomeric state in ⁸⁰Y. With a “bare" half-life of 6.8±0.5 s found in this work, this state is strongly populated in the rp-process during X-ray bursts and has therefore to be taken into account in X-ray burst model calculations. However, because of the similarity of the β-decay half-lives of isomeric and ground states, we find a maximum reduction in the effective β-decay lifetime of ⁸⁰Y of only 17±2%. Our results pave the way for a future investigation of the impact of the isomeric state on the “effective" ⁸⁰Y proton capture rate. Received: 14 March 2001 / Accepted: 10 July 2001     

Dynamics of the interaction between plasma flows generated by a miniature magnetoplasma compressor and a target

Spectroscopic studies of compression plasma flows generated by a miniature magnetoplasma compressor and of the shock compressed plasma layer formed near a target surface exposed to these flows are reported. The peak electron temperature and density are found to be 3 eV and 1.2⋅10¹⁶ cm⁻³, respectively, in the compressor flow and 4.5 eV and 6.7⋅10¹⁶ cm⁻³ in the shock compressed layer.     

A validity test of E = m ? c2

The comparison of mass and energy variation in a nuclear reaction allows an experimental verification of Einstein’s energy - mass equivalence principle. Mass measurements are performed in a high precision Penning trap and yield values in unified atomic mass units. The energies of emitted gamma radiation are determined via Laue-diffraction with perfect crystals. The according values of the gamma ray wave lengths are expressed in units of the crystal lattice constant. The comparison of masses and wave lengths requires a conversion factor, which represents the unified atomic mass unit within the SI unit system. The latter is given by the molar Planck constant N _A h, which itself is known via its relation to the fine structure constant. In the present paper we report on measurements carried out until 2003 with an uncertainty level of 4 ⋅ 10^-7. We discuss the main limitations of these experiments and outline the possibilities for future measurements at the 10^-8 level. Such measurements would allow a direct representation of the unified atomic mass unit in terms of a Compton frequency and are of utmost importance for a future re-definition of the kilogram mass unit.     

The electric fieldgradient of the transition element impurities57Fe,99Ru,197Au in scandium and193Ir in beryllium

The electric fieldgradient of the transition element impurities⁵⁷Fe,⁹⁹Ru,¹⁹⁷Au in Sc and¹⁹³Ir in Be has been determined by Mössbauer measurements. The following values were obtained: (+)4.06(9)10¹⁷ V/cm² for⁵⁷Fe in Sc, ±19.2(4.1)10¹⁷ V/cm² for⁹⁹Ru in Sc, ±11.6(4)10¹⁷ V/cm² for¹⁹⁷Au in Sc, and ±6.4(1.5)10¹⁷ V/cm² for¹⁹³Ir in Be. The results for⁵⁷Fe,⁹⁹Ru and¹⁹⁷Au in Sc are incompatible with the universal correlation between the electronic and the ionic fieldgradient observed in numerous other metals. The data suggest, that a strong contribution to the electric fieldgradient arises from electrons localized at the impurity, if the host is a transition metal and the impurity belongs to the second half of a transition series.     

Laser Ionization and Penning Trap Mass Spectrometry – A Fruitful Combination for Isomer Separation and High-precision Mass Measurements

We have demonstrated for the first time that element-selective laser ionization in combination with ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry can be used to prepare isomerically pure ion ensembles. Together with β–γ coincidence studies this method allowed a determination of the low-energy structure and the unambiguous identification of triple β-decaying isomerism in ⁷⁰Cu. By selective resonant ionization and measurement of the masses of these three states using ISOLTRAP at ISOLDE/CERN with a relative uncertainty of δm/m ≈ 5 ⋅ 10⁻⁸ a clear state-to-mass assignment was possible which resolved the assignment puzzle in ⁷⁰Cu.     

In-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy of 190, 197Po

γ -ray transitions in the neutron-deficient nuclei ^{190, 197}Po have been identified using the JUROGAM Ge detector array coupled to the RITU gas-filled separator and the GREAT spectrometer. The yrast band of ¹⁹⁰Po has been firmly established through γ -γ coincidences and extended up to a spin and parity of 14⁺. It displays similar behaviour to its isotones ¹⁸⁶Hg and ¹⁸⁸Pb above the 4⁺ level, thus confirming its prolate nature. In ¹⁹⁷Po the band built upon the 13/2⁺ isomer has been extended up to a spin and parity of 33/2⁺, while the non-yrast band has been observed for the first time. The behaviour of ¹⁹⁷Po is found to be similar to that of the nearby even-mass isotopes, which is consistent with the model in which the i _13/2 neutron is weakly coupled to the states in the even-even core.