Quantum statistical effects in nuclear reactions,fission, and open quantum systems

Quantum diffusion equations with time-dependent transport coefficients are derived from generalized non-Markovian Langevin equations. Generalized fluctuation-dissipation relations and analytical formulas for calculating friction and diffusion coefficients in nuclear processes are obtained. The asymptotics of the transport coefficients and of the correlation functions are investigated. The problem of correlation decay in quantum dissipative systems is studied. A comparative analysis of diffusion coefficients for the harmonic and inverted oscillators is performed. The role of quantum statistical effects during passage through a parabolic potential barrier is investigated. Sets of diffusion coefficient assuring the purity of states at any time instant are found in cases of non-Markovian dynamics. The influence of different sets of transport coefficients on the rate of decay from a metastable state is studied in the framework of the master equation for reduced density matrices describing open quantum systems. The approach developed is applied to investigation of fission processes and the processes of projectile-nuclei capture by target nuclei for bombarding energies in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. The influence of dissipation and fluctuation on these processes is taken into account in a self-consistent way. The evaporation residue cross sections for asymmetric fusion reactions are calculated from the derived capture probabilities averaged over all orientations of the deformed projectile and target nuclei.     

Electromagnetic and hadronic interactions of ultrarelativistic nuclei

Beam nuclei accelerated at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN are lost due to interactions with the counter-rotating beam, residual gas, and accelerator elements. Proper modelling of the beam transport and radiation load on accelerator components requires reliable prediction of the yields of nuclear fragments produced in electromagnetic dissociation and hadronic fragmentation of beam nuclei. We investigate electromagnetic and hadronic fragmentation of lead nuclei in collisions with various nuclei and single electrons at the injection and collision energies of the LHC. The consideration is based on the RELDIS and abrasion-ablation models. Since this approach well describes Pb fragmentation data at 30 and 158 A GeV, its validity for Pb nuclei at the LHC collision energy is also expected.     

Solving the inverse transport problem in intergalactic space and determining the energy spectrum and composition of extragalactic sources of ultrahigh-energy particles

The propagation of ultrahigh-energy nuclei in an expanding Universe filled with background electromagnetic radiation is considered. A numerical method for solving the inverse problem for the equation of cosmic-ray transport is developed that allows the spectrum of sources to be determined from the cosmic-ray spectrum observed near the Earth. The spectra of injected protons and nuclei in extragalactic sources are found by assuming that they are functions of the magnetic rigidity of particles. The data from observations obtained in the Auger experiment are used.     

Finite nuclei in the reggeon “toy model”

Hadron–nucleus amplitudes at high energies are studied in the “toy” Regge model in zero transverse dimension for finite nuclei, when the standard series of fan diagrams is converted into a finite sum and loses physical sense at quite low energies. Taking into account all the loop contributions by numerical methods we find a physically meaningful amplitudes at all energies. They practically coincide with the amplitudes for infinite nuclei. A surprising result is that for finite nuclei and small enough triple pomeron coupling the infinite series of fan diagrams describes the amplitude quite well in spite of the fact that in reality the series should be cut and as such deprived of any physical sense at high energies.     

Neutron and proton transverse emission ratio measurements and the density dependence of the asymmetry term of the nuclear equation of state

Recent measurements of preequilibrium neutron and proton transverse emission from (112,124)Sn+(112,124)Sn reactions at 50 MeV/A have been completed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. Free nucleon transverse emission ratios are compared to those of A=3 mirror nuclei. Comparisons are made to Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) transport calculations and conclusions concerning the density dependence of the asymmetry term of the nuclear equation of state at subnuclear densities are made. Comparison to BUU model predictions indicate a density dependence of the asymmetry energy that is closer to a form in which the asymmetry energy increases as the square root of the density for the density region studied. A coalescent-invariant analysis is introduced as a means of reducing suggested difficulties with cluster emission in total nucleon emission.     

Non-equilibrium processes in heavy-ion collisions at relativistic energies

We use transport theory to describe the inclusive cross sections for protons and pions produced in collisions between two identical heavy ions at an energy of 800 MeV per particle. In addition to the nucleonic we take the Δ-degree of freedom into account. Thus we consider a two-component system whose distributions in transverse momentum and rapidity we describe by two coupled Fokker-Planck equations. These transport equations contain the one-nucleon knock-out process as initial condition. In the limit of large interaction times they lead to thermal equilibrium (fireball) distributions. For light nuclei the interaction time is not large enough for equilibrium to be reached. A recent experiment for two colliding carbon nuclei at 800 MeV per nucleon shows evidence of nonequilibrium effects. We compare our calculations with experimental data for ¹²C on ¹²C and Ne on NaF at 800 MeV/N.     

Spin control of drifting electrons using local nuclear polarization in ferromagnet-semiconductor heterostructures

We demonstrate methods to locally control the spin rotation of moving electrons in a GaAs channel. The Larmor frequency of optically injected spins is modulated when the spins are dragged through a region of spin-polarized nuclei created at a MnAs/GaAs interface. The effective field created by the nuclei is controlled either optically or electrically using the ferromagnetic proximity polarization effect. Spin rotation is also tuned by controlling the carrier traverse time through the polarized region. We demonstrate coherent spin rotations of 5π rad during transport.     

Development of the Monte Carlo model CASCADE-2004 of high-energy nuclear interactions

The Monte Carlo code CASCADE for the calculation of inelastic hadron- and nucleus-nucleus interactions at energies from several tens of MeV up to several tens of GeV and for modelling of nuclear-physical processes accompanying the transport of particles and nuclei in matter is improved by considering a more detailed model of decay of highly excited residual (after-intranuclear-cascade) nuclei. Results of calculations are in good agreement with experiment. However, there are some deviations for light-isotope production, which prompt the necessity of developing more correct models of evaporation and strong asymmetric high-energy fission.     

From quantal multiple scattering theory to a classical transport equation—A soluble model for nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at high energy

Several ad hoc models describe inelastic nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at high energy. Why do they work and how are they related? We investigate this question by studying an exactly soluble model. It is based on Glauber's multiple scattering approach. The following results are derived and discussed: (1) The inclusive cross section for the observation of one nucleon is the space integral of a Wigner transform. (2) The Wigner transform obeys a classical transport equation. (3) The equation is equivalent to the Boltzmann equation at high energy. (4) The interpenetration of two nuclei is viewed as a diffusion phenomenon governed by a Fokker-Planck equation. (5) Hydrodynamic equations are shown to yield approximate solutions to the transport equation. (6) A kind of thermal equilibrium is quickly reached in a nuclear collision process. (7) The equilibrium equation of state corresponds to an ideal gas with two degrees of freedom.     

High-resolution measurements of low-energy conversion electrons

High-resolution measurements of low-energy conversion electrons have been performed in odd and odd–odd nuclei with masses around A=182. The experimental setup, a magnetic spectrograph coupled to a specific tape transport system, is described. Three experiments have been performed and the main results are presented. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ranges of 0.2-1.0 GeV/nucleon heavy ions in nuclear photoemulsion

Heavy nuclei transport in matter are studied experimentally and theoretically. Our experimental range and straggling values of 0.2 – 1.0 GeV/nucleon ²⁰Ne, ⁴⁰Ar, ⁵⁶Fe, ¹⁹⁷Au and ²³⁸U nuclei in BR-2 nuclear photoemulsion are presented and compared with model calculations carried out according to our RANGE-program and the PRAL-model (version of 1987) developed by Ziegler et al. The presented data analysis points at the necessity to take into account Z³-correction in Bete-Bloch formula when ionization losses of very heavy multicharge ions (for example ¹⁹⁷Au and ²³⁸U) are calculated. The comparison of experimental and calculated results showed that RANGE program can correctly calculate the ranges and straggling of heavy ions. The difference between experimental and theoretical data do not exceed 5% in all of the cases examined. PRAL model describes the heavy ion ranges quite adequately, but overestimates the particle range straggling.     

Inverse problem for the equation of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray transport

The propagation of ultrahigh energy nuclei in an expanding universe filled with background electromagnetic radiation is considered. A numerical method for solving the inverse problem for the equation of cosmic ray transport is developed. The method allows us to determine a source spectrum from the cosmic ray spectrum observed near Earth. The spectra of injected protons and nuclei of iron were found in extragalactic sources under the assumption that these types of particles predominate in the composition of the sources. The method of calculation is illustrated using observational data obtained in the Auger and Telescope Array experiments.     

Breakup reactions of two-neutron halo nuclei

Investigation of reactions initiated in collisions of beams of unstable nuclei with nuclear targets has resulted in the discovery of a new type of nuclear structure, the halo, in some light nuclei at the boundary of nucleon stability. A survey of different reactions with two-neutron halo nuclei and their use for gaining information on the structure of exotic nuclei is presented. Kinematically complete breakup reactions, which provide the possibility of obtaining quite reliable information on the structure of the ground state and the continuum of nuclei, are considered in detail. The microscopic four-body model of breakup reactions for two-neutron halo nuclei with account of characteristic specific features of their structure is formulated. The model is based on the distorted wave approximation and is applicable for analysis of low excitations of the continuum near the breakup threshold, the region most sensitive to manifestation of specific features of the halo structure. The described approach enables the calculation of all observables of kinematically complete experiments in nucleus-nucleus collisions at intermediate energies for which one-step processes dominate, and creates the basis for the spectroscopy of continua via successive analysis of various correlation cross sections available in kinematically complete experiments.     

Weak neutral currents and neutrino transport

Transport coefficients are evaluated for a mixture of neutrinos and complex nuclei with neutral current weak interaction as proposed by Freedman. The transport properties of this system are particularly relevant to the neutrino transport supernova model.     

Isospin tracing: A probe of nonequilibrium in central heavy-Ion collisions

Four different combinations of 9644Ru and 9640Zr nuclei, both as projectile and target, were investigated at the same bombarding energy of 400A MeV using a 4pi detector. The degree of isospin mixing between projectile and target nucleons is mapped across a large portion of the phase space using two different isospin-tracer observables, the number of measured protons and the tritium to 3He yield ratio. The experimental results show that the global equilibrium is not reached even in the most central collisions. Quantitative measures of stopping and mixing are extracted from the data. They are found to exhibit a quite strong sensitivity to the in-medium ( n,n) cross section used in microscopic transport calculations.     

Electrically Detected HYSCORE on Conduction Band Tail States in ^{29}Si-Enriched Microcrystalline Silicon

Electrically detected hyperfine sublevel correlation (ED-HYSCORE) measurements are presented and employed to study spin-dependent transport in thin-film microcrystalline silicon solar cells. We explore the hyperfine coupling between paramagnetic conduction band tail states involved in hopping transport and neighboring ²⁹Si nuclei at low temperature ( \(T = 5\)  K). ED-HYSCORE measurements performed on solar cells with ²⁹Si-enriched absorber layers reveal that the hyperfine interaction between these current-influencing centers and ²⁹Si nuclei in the surroundings is dominated by isotropic couplings up to \(\sim\) 4 MHz, whereas the anisotropic contributions are small. This indicates that the wave function of the conduction band tail states is distributed over several nuclei. Our results demonstrate that the ED-HYSCORE technique can provide helpful insight into the microscopic structure of transport-relevant paramagnetic states and thus usefully complement the toolbox of electrically detected magnetic resonance spectroscopy.     

Mössbauer effect study of antiferromagnetic Fe–Mn–Si alloys

Antiferromagnetic Fe–30Mn–Si alloys containing 2.0–8.7 at.% Si are known to exhibit several attractive physical properties at Néel temperatures which render them candidate materials for functional alloys applications. The Néel transitions and anomalous transport phenomena have been studied extensively in a wide temperature range. In the present work, the hyperfine interactions are studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy measured at temperatures 95–623 K. It is found that the Mössbauer spectra are singlets at temperatures above the Néel temperature and doublets below the Néel temperature. The alloys have a small hyperfine field around the Fe nuclei below the Néel temperature and the hyperfine field increases linearly with increasing silicon concentration. This can be explained by the presence of a localised net magnetic moment on the Fe nuclei which is induced by the silicon atoms. A decrease in isomer shift with increasing silicon concentration is observed and this can be accounted for by the change in the occupation of the Fe 3d shell. There is a small quadrupole splitting, it increases with increasing silicon concentration, and is consistent with the lattice shrinking and magnetostriction.     

气体喷嘴反冲传输技术及在核科学中的应用

气体喷嘴反冲传输技术是继“跑兔”装置之后发展和完善起来的适合于短寿命核素研究的一种快速而有效的在线脱束方法。 它能够将短寿命核反应产物传输至远离高辐射区的低本底场所进行收集和测量。 该技术已在加速器和反应堆上得到了广泛的应用, 是一种研究核反应、 核谱学和合成与鉴别新元素、 新核素的一种不可缺少的基本实验技术和工具。 描述了气嘴系统的结构、 基本原理、 设计要求以及它的主要特性, 特别是对系统的气体动力学机制以及各种参数对系统特性的影响等进行了讨论。 最后, 综述了它在核物理、 核化学以及质谱学等领域的应用情况, 并且给出了几个应用的典型例子。 The gas jet recoil transport technique is developed and improved as a new rapid and effective on line and off beam method following “rabbit” apparatus in the study of short lives nuclei. It can transport the short half life nuclear reaction products far from high radioactive area for collection and measurement at low background area. This technique has been widely used in the researches with accelerator and reactor. It is indispensable basic experimental technology and tool applied to nuclear reaction, spectroscopy, as well as synthesis and identification of new elements and nuclei. The basic principle, structure, design requirement and main characteristics of gas jet system are described in this paper, especially the mechanism of gas dynamics and the effect of several parameters on the system properties are discussed. Finally, the applications of this technique in several fields such as nuclear physics, nuclear chemistry and mass spectroscopy etc. are comprehensively represented. Several typical applications are also illustrated.