Soliton Raman fibre-ring oscillators

Results are presented on the operation and optimization of soliton Raman fibre-ring lasers using a c.w. mode-locked Nd-YAG laser at 1.32m as the source of 100 ps pump pulses. Various lengths of standard single-mode silica fibre were used, and tunable pulses as short as 100 fs generated.On leave from Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceio, 57000-AL, Brazil     

Proton-proton correlations at small relative momentum in neon-nucleus collisions at E/A=400 and 800 MeV

Proton-proton small angle correlations have been measured in neon-nucleus collisions, using the 4 pi detector Diogene, at 400 and 800 MeV per nucleon incident energies. Values of the size of the emitting region are obtained by comparison with the Koonin formula, taking into account the biases of the apparatus. The dependence of the density on target mass and incident energy is also analysed.     

Further examples of 19e− sandwiches of Fe(I) studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy: Per-ethylated benzene complexes

The organometallic complexes C₅H₅ Fe(I) C₆(C₂H₅)₆ and C₅(CH₃)₅ Fe(I)C₆ H(C₂H₅)₅ have been studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Hyperfine data are typical for 19e^? systems with one electron on the e ₁ ^* orbital. The thermal variation of the quadrupole splittings indicates vibronic reduction of the spin-orbit constant, in agreement with previous analyses of similar 19e^? systems. The quadrupole splitting and recoil-free fraction data give evidence for phase transitions, which are discussed with respect to cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion and hindered rotations of the ethyl groups.     

The search for top quarks at hadron colliders: a realistic appraisal

We study means of identifying top quarks of mass in the range 70–120 GeV at the CERN and FNAL \(\bar pp\) colliders. We show that “W+dijet” production presents a serious background to the conventional “isolated electron+dijet” signature of top. We study an improved signature, calculate the expected event rates, and discuss the determination of the mass of the top quark.     

On the origin of additional peaks in the photoelectron spectra of yttrium

Ultraviolet Photoemission analysis of yttrium metal reveals well defined features far below the conduction band. In order to elucidate their origin, we have used X-ray/Ultra violet photoelectron spectroscopy together with inverse photoemission. The comparison of the spectra of clean yttrium and of H exposed yttrium suggests that these structures are most probably due to hydrogen bands, hydrogen being either in a stable surface hydride form or as subsurface H.     

Macroscopic persistent currents in YBa2Cu3O7

Persistent currents in polycrystalline YBa₂Cu₃O₇ rings have been investigated by measuring the spatial distribution of the magnetic flux trapped in field-cooled samples. The results unambiguously show that macroscopic persistent ring currents exist. The critical current density depends very sensitively on the sample quality, reachingj _c 250 A/cm² at 77 K for our best samples.     

Frequency and efficiency measurements on FIR laser lines close to the N+ 3 P 2−3 P 1 transition

FIR laser lines close to the N^{+ 3} P ₂–³ P ₁ transition at 122 m can be used as a local oscillator for heterodyne detectors. The frequencies of some candidate laser lines from CH₂F₂,¹³CH₃OH, CD₃OD, and CD₃OH have been measured and the output power of the most interesting lines has been optimized.     

Two-dimensional visualization of the flame front in an internal combustion engine by laser-induced fluorescence of OH radicals

Two-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence (2D-LIF) imaging of OH radicals, excited at 308 nm, has been employed to visualize the flame front in an internal combustion engine burning air/propane mixtures. Light sheet thicknesses down to 70 m have been attained for excitation. Hydroxyl radicals were detected up to pressures of 7.5 bar at engine speeds of 500 rpm. An upper limit of 300 m for the flame front thickness was obtained from line intensity profiles.     

Phase transformation in a glass-ceramic observed by laser spectroscopy

The influence of thermal treatment on a (Li₂OAl₂O₃ SiO₂) glass ceramic is studied by laser spectroscopy. At temperatures above 800 °C a fluorescence of Cr³⁺ ions around 693 nm appears which indicates the growth of crystallites where the Cr³⁺ ions occupy sites similar to those in Al₂O₃.     

On the occurrence and role of SnO2, SnS and FeSn2 in coal hydroliquefaction experiments using tin-based catalysts

Mössbauer Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction and Electron Microscopy were applied to the study of solid residues of coal hydroliquefaction, for which tin-based catalysts were used. In the general case hydroliquefaction runs were performed in the presence of added sulphur and of finely dispersed SnO₂ as a catalyst precursor. The only observed tin species were SnO₂ and SnS, the former with percentages higher than expected from XRD, due to its large f factor, the latter as a symmetric doublet, which suggests that any asymmetry should be ascribed to small particle sizes rather than to structure. When the S content was only that of coal and the catalyst precursor β-Sn, FeSn₂ occurred together with Sn sulfides and oxides, while no β-Sn was detected. The main catalytic role is ascribed to SnS.