Mössbauer study of Brazilian soapstone

Steatite mineral rocks, soapstone, have been studied by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopic analysis (modal analysis), electron probe micro analysis and Mössbauer spectroscopy for characterization, mineral percentages and chemical composition. Mössbauer spectra show both, magnetic interactions corresponding to magnetite and doublets corresponding to talc. chlorite, dolomite and tremolite. The temperature dependence of the quadrupole splitting in dolomite has been explained in terms of crystal field interaction.     

Preequilibrium versus thermalized light-charged particle emissions in the40Ar (1100MeV)+24Mg reaction. Dynamical calculations

In an attempt to separate preequilibrium and thermalised emissions of light particles in low impact parameter heavy-ion collisions, the⁴⁰Ar+²⁴Mg reaction has been studied at 27.5 MeV/nucleon. Exclusive measurements have permitted us to examine, in some detail, heavy fragments and charged particles (p, d, t,-particle). The fragments recognized as evaporation residues have been selected and, due to inverse kinematic conditions, the related preequilibrium and statistical emissions of light particles resulting from incomplete fusion reaction appear to be distinguishable to a fair extent. This separation is fully supported by Monte Carlo calculations. Some experimental characteristics of the light particles have been examined and compared to the predictions of dynamical calculations. These calculations, associating a preequilibrium (interpreted as prompt emitted particles) model with a statistical-decay model, follow the evolution of the collision from the point of contact between the projectile and the target to the final evaporation-residue formation on an event by event basis. The predictions of these calculations have been compared to experimental data and satisfactory agreement is achieved for fragment-mass distribution, proton-energy spectra, and proton-angular distribution.     

Concentrations and velocity distributions of positive ions in laser ablation of copper

It is shown that the generation of secondary electrons by excited neutrals hitting a surface makes the so-called probe method unsuited for measuring the positive ion fraction in laser ablation plumes. Experiments have been performed in a modified set-up, in which the disturbance by secondary electrons is avoided. For a typical case of Cu irradiated in ultra-high vacuum by nanosecond excimer laser pulses of 3 J cm^–2 the ionized fraction is about 10^–8 at a distance of 60 cm. This number is in fair agreement with Saha-Langmuir predictions based on the assumption of local thermal equilibrium at an estimated temperature of about 3000K. Angular-resolved time-of-flight measurements show that there are three different ion velocity distributions. A slow contribution (kinetic energy 2eV) with an angular distribution peaked along the normal, and two fast, isotropic contributions (kinetic energy 20–50 eV). The fast contributions are attributed to ions involved in a Coulomb explosion.