Q values of the superallowed beta emitters 26Alm, 42Sc, and 46V and their impact on Vud and the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix

The beta-decay Q(EC) values of the superallowed beta emitters 26Alm, 42Sc, and 46V have been measured with a Penning trap to a relative precision of better than 8 x 10(-9). Our result for 46V, 7052.72(31) keV, confirms a recent measurement that differed from the previously accepted reaction-based Q(EC) value. However, our results for 26Alm and 42Sc, 4232.83(13) keV and 6426.13(21) keV, are consistent with previous reaction-based values. By eliminating the possibility of a systematic difference between the two techniques, this result demonstrates that no significant shift in the deduced value of Vud should be anticipated.     

Mass measurements and implications for the energy of the high-spin isomer in 94Ag

Nuclides in the vicinity of 94Ag have been studied with the Penning trap mass spectrometer JYFLTRAP at the Ion-Guide Isotope Separator On-Line. The masses of the two-proton-decay daughter 92Rh and the beta-decay daughter 94Pd of the high-spin isomer in 94Ag have been measured, and the masses of 93Pd and 94Ag have been deduced. When combined with the data from the one-proton- or two-proton-decay experiments, the results lead to contradictory mass excess values for the high-spin isomer in 94Ag, -46 370(170) or -44 970(100) keV, corresponding to excitation energies of 6960(400) or 8360(370) keV, respectively.     

Conversion electron spectroscopy of isobarically purified trapped radioactive ions

The feasibility of the JYFLTRAP for in-trap spectroscopy has been studied. Several internally converted transitions have been measured for isomers of fission products with good accuracy. High-resolution spectroscopic data free of source effects have been obtained proving that trapped radioactive ions can provide excellent conversion electron sources. The shortest-lived isomer studied in this work was ^117m Pd with a half-life of 19.1ms, for which a superior peak-to-total ratio and an excellent line shape at the 9.9keV conversion electron line have been observed. Detection efficiencies and related phenomena of the present setup are analyzed.     

Independent fission yields with JYFLTRAP

A novel method to determine independent yields in proton induced fission employing ion counting after a Penning trap has been developed. A satisfactory agreement with previous measurements was found for independent yields of Cs isotopes in 50 MeV proton induced fission.     

Gold as intermolecular glue: a theoretical study of nanostrips based on quinoline-type monomers

A family of infinite nanostrips is computationally predicted. In it monomers of single, double or triple aromatic rings are linked to each other by strong C-Au-C, C-Au <-- N or N --> Au <-- N bonds. Depending on the geometry of the system and saturation of the bonds, these 1-D nanostrips are found to be insulators, narrow- or zero-gap semiconductors, or metals. The calculated dimerization and polymerization energies suggest clear exothermicity of formation. Varying the nitrogen content in the aromatic ring is found to little affect the geometry, and the 1-D band structure of the strips can be interpreted in a rigid-band picture. The orbital character of the states at the Fermi level has been analyzed. One of the new structures is found to be closely similar to graphene with respect to its band structure properties.     

Interaction between explosive and analyte layers in explosive matrix-assisted plasma desorption mass spectrometry

An HMX/insulin two-layer system was chosen as a model for further investigation of the matrix properties of explosive materials for protein analytes in plasma desorption mass spectrometry. The dependencies of the molecular ion yield and average charge state as a function of the analyte thickness were studied. An increase in the charge state of multiply protonated molecular species was confirmed as the major matrix effect, with the average charge state z at the smallest thickness studied being higher than in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and closer to the value obtained in electrospray ionization under standard acidic conditions. Observed charge state distributions are significantly narrower than the corresponding Poisson distributions, which suggests that the protonation of insulin is limited in plasma desorption by the number of basic sites in the molecule, similar to electrospray ionization. Both the curve displaying total molecular ion yield and the one showing the total charge (proton) yield as a function of the insulin thickness have maxima at a thickness different from an insulin monolayer. These observations diminish the significance of a matrix/analyte interface mechanism for the explosive matrix assistance. Instead, a mechanism related to the chemical energy release during conversion of the explosive after the ion impact is proposed. As additional mechanisms, enhanced protonation of the analyte through collisions with products of the explosive decay is considered, as well as electron scavenging by other products, which leads to a higher survival probability of positively charged protein molecular ions. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wave scattering effects in elastic percolation models

The study of the propagation of waves in randomly diluted models is presented. Porosity (crack-like) models are simulated by constructing typical elastic percolation networks with random microscopic heterogeneities in order to resemble rock media. Central and bond-bending forces (Born Hamiltonian) models are considered. For each experimental case, the elastic energy of the system is relaxed in equilibrium and then the model is excited by a pulse source in order to produce wave propagation. First, a review is presented of the well established velocity-porosity relationship from rock physics, which shows a linear trend from small porosities up to the critical porosity (percolation threshold) where the rocks fall apart. From the wave propagation analysis a general trend is observed for the attenuation of waves, from the small to the large porosity models, suggesting multiple scattering effects similar to those reported from effective-medium approximations of wave scattering due to random heterogeneities. Finally, the results are compared with those obtained from laboratory experiments on dry rocks with different porosities and different applied stress regimes.     

Tetradecyl(trihexyl)phosphonium chloride ionic liquid single-drop microextraction for electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of lead in water samples

A highly efficient single-drop microextraction (SDME) procedure using a low-cost room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), i.e., tetradecyl(trihexyl)phosphonium chloride (CYPHOS^® IL 101), for Pb determination at trace levels in real water samples was developed. Lead was chelated with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) reagent and extracted into a 4 μL microdrop of CYPHOS^® IL 101. The RTIL drop was directly injected into the graphite furnace of the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer (ETAAS). Under optimal microextraction conditions, a preconcentration factor of 32 was achieved with only 1.5 mL of sample resulting in a phase-volume ratio of 375. The limit of detection (LOD) obtained was 3.2 ng L⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation (RSD) for 10 replicates at 0.5 μg L⁻¹ Pb²⁺ concentration level was 4.9%, calculated at peak heights. The calibration graph was linear from concentration levels near the detection limits up to at least 4.5 μg L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996. The accuracy of the methodology was evaluated by analysis of a certified reference material (CRM). The method was successfully applied to the determination of Pb in tap, mineral, well and river water samples.