Freeze-out conditions in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

We present recent results on single particle transverse momentum distributions of pions, kaons and protons, measured in CERN Experiment NA44, of 200 AGeV/c S+S and 158 AGeV/c Pb+Pb central collisions. By comparing these data with thermal and transport models, freeze-out parameters like the temperatureT _fo and the chemical potentials (μ _q ,μ _s ) are extracted and discussed.     

Robustness of fat quantification using chemical shift imaging

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of parameter changes that can potentially lead to unreliable measurements in fat quantification. Chemical shift imaging was performed using spoiled gradient echo sequences with systematic variations in the following: two-dimensional/three-dimensional sequence, number of echoes, delta echo time, fractional echo factor, slice thickness, repetition time, flip angle, bandwidth, matrix size, flow compensation and field strength. Results indicated no significant (or significant but small) changes in fat fraction with parameter. The significant changes can be attributed to the known effects of T1 bias and two forms of noise bias.     

Determination of the K-shell internal conversion coefficient for the 37.2 keV transition in the decay of121mSn

TheK-shell internal conversion coefficientα _K for the 37.2 keV transition (7/2⁺→5/2⁺) occuring in¹²¹Sb afterβ ^? decay of¹²¹ mSn has been redetermined applying theX- toγ-peak method (XPG). Measurements of photon spectra from thin sources have been performed at various source-detector distances with a high resolution, efficiency calibrated Si(Li) detector. Values ofα _K have been deduced from the number of emittedKX rays compared to that of the emittedγ rays. TheK-shell fluorescence yield for antimony has been taken from the literature. From in total 14 experimental runs a mean result ofα _K =9.52±0.27 has been obtained. The quoted uncertainty comprising statistical and systematic parts is discussed in detail. The present result is compared with the few existing earlier experimental values and with the theoretical value interpolated from the most recent tabulations.     

Statistical mechanics of warm and cold unfolding in proteins

We present a statistical mechanics treatment of the stability of globular proteins which takes explicitly into account the coupling between the protein and water degrees of freedom. This allows us to describe both the cold and the warm unfolding, thus qualitatively reproducing the known thermodynamics of proteins. Received: 19 March 1998 / Revised and Accepted: 25 May 1998     

Single spin asymmetries in charged pion production from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering on a transversely polarized 3He Target at Q2 = 1.4-2.7 GeV2

We report the first measurement of target single spin asymmetries in the semi-inclusive (3)He(e,e'π(±))X reaction on a transversely polarized target. The experiment, conducted at Jefferson Lab using a 5.9 GeV electron beam, covers a range of 0.16 < x < 0.35 with 1.4 < Q(2) < 2.7 GeV(2). The Collins and Sivers moments were extracted from the azimuthal angular dependence of the measured asymmetries. The π(±) Collins moments for (3)He are consistent with zero, except for the π(+) moment at x = 0.35, which deviates from zero by 2.3σ. While the π(-) Sivers moments are consistent with zero, the π(+) Sivers moments favor negative values. The neutron results were extracted using the nucleon effective polarization and measured cross section ratios of proton to (3)He, and are largely consistent with the predictions of phenomenological fits and quark model calculations.     

High pressure neutron diffraction to beyond 20 GPa and below 1.8 K using Paris-Edinburgh load frames

We describe a method for collecting neutron diffraction patterns simultaneously at high pressure (>22?GPa) and low temperature (<1.8?K). The system uses ～5–10?mm³ samples compressed by double-toroidal sintered diamond anvils, with the required forces generated by a Paris-Edinburgh press of 30?kg mass. Technical details are given and diffraction data of ε-iron at 22.6?GPa and 1.79?K are presented.     

Dissociative and molecular oxygen chemisorption channels on reduced rutile TiO2(110): An STM and TPD study

High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to study the interaction of O₂ with reduced TiO₂(110)–(1 × 1) crystals. STM is the technique of choice to unravel the relation between vacancy and non-vacancy assisted O₂ dissociation channels as a function of temperature. It is revealed that the vacancy-assisted, first O₂ dissociation channel is preferred at low temperature (~ 120 K), whereas the non-vacancy assisted, second O₂ dissociation channel operates at temperatures higher than 150 K–180 K. Based on the STM results on the two dissociative O₂ interaction channels and the TPD data, a new comprehensive model of the O₂ chemisorption on reduced TiO₂(110) is proposed. The model explains the relations between the two dissociative and the molecular O₂ interaction channels. The experimental data are interpreted by considering the available charge in the near-surface region of reduced TiO₂(110) crystals, the kinetics of the two O₂ dissociation channels as well as the kinetics of the diffusion and reaction of Ti interstitials.     

Reduced occupancy of the deeply bound 0d(5/2) neutron state in 32Ar

The 9Be(32Ar, 31Ar)X reaction, leading to the 5/2+ ground state of a nucleus at the proton drip line, has a cross section of 10.4(13) mb at a beam energy of 65.1 MeV/nucleon. This translates into a spectroscopic factor that is only 24(3)% of that predicted by the many-body shell-model theory. We introduce refinements to the eikonal reaction theory used to extract the spectroscopic factor to clarify that this very strong reduction represents an effect of nuclear structure. We suggest that it reflects correlation effects linked to the high neutron separation energy (22.0 MeV) for this state.     

Rapidity dependence of charged antihadron to hadron ratios in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV

We present ratios of the numbers of charged antihadrons to hadrons (pions, kaons, and protons) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV as a function of rapidity in the range y=0-3. While the ratios at midrapidity are approaching unity, the K(-)/K(+) and p;/p ratios decrease significantly at forward rapidities. An interpretation of the results within the statistical model indicates a reduction of the baryon chemical potential from mu(B) approximately 130 MeV at y=3 to mu(B) approximately 25 MeV at y=0.