Mass spectrometric methods prove the use of beeswax and ruminant fat in late Roman cooking pots

Lipid extracts of sherds of archaeological late Roman cooking pots were analysed using high temperature-gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer and liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometer detection (LC-APCI-MS). With these advanced techniques the use of beeswax was shown through identification of the constituting alkanes, mono and diesters. The detection of high amounts of saturated triacylglycerols (TAGs) further indicated that animal fat was processed in these pots. Part of the animal fat was characterised as originating from ruminants due to the presence of trans-fatty acids. The distribution of saturated TAGs and the higher concentration of stearic acid compared to palmitic acid in the transesterified lipid extract indicated that this was sheep fat. The results illustrate how complex mixtures can be unravelled and original contents of ancient ceramic vessels can be determined using specialised analytical equipment.     

Rho(0) meson production in the pp-->pppi(+)pi(-) reaction at 3.67 GeV/c

Total and differential cross sections for the exclusive reaction pp-->pp rho observed via the pi(+)pi(-) decay channel have been measured at p(beam)=3.67 GeV/c. The observed total meson production cross section is determined to be (23.4+/-0.8+/-8) mu b and is significantly lower than typical cross sections used in model calculations for heavy-ion collisions. The differential cross sections measured indicate a strong anisotropy (approximately cos(theta(CM)(rho)) in the rho(0) meson production.     

Calculation of the hyperfine spectrum for H2Ne,H2Ar,H2Kr dimers.

The weakly bound dimers H₂Ne, Ar, Kr are treated such that the H₂, rotation (quantum number j) remains unperturbed except for orientational effects. The orientation of the ortho H₂(j = 1) is mainly influenced by the anisotropic forces between the dimer constituents. We develop a method which allows to extract from a measured hyperfine dimer transition the value of a simple molecular parameter containing mainly the strength of the anisotropic interaction sandwiched between the dimer-stretch vibrational eigenfunctions. An analytic expression is derived permitting an easy comparison between measurements and results from simple model potentials. In addition, where necessary due to the existence of quasi-bound states, the influence of continuum states can be properly taken into account, by our method.     

The decay of140Pr to levels in140Ce

The decay of¹⁴⁰Pr was investigated by means of a Ge(Li) spectrometer. Excited states of¹⁴⁰Ce at 1,596.2, 1,903.1, 2,348.9, 2,522.5, 3,016.8 and 3,119.6 keV are fed in the beta decay of¹⁴⁰Pr. Spin and parity assignments for all observed levels have been made from electron capture and positon disintegration considerations and gamma branches. The experimental level scheme of¹⁴⁰Ce is compared with the results of shell model calculations forN=82 nuclei.     

On the method of Eilenberger for inhomogeneous superconductors

The theory of Eilenberger, modified to take into account the effect of the surface, is applied to the problem of the penetration of a weak magnetic field into a semiinfinite superconductor, and the standard result for the vector potential is derived by linearizing the Eilenberger equations. The dominant term in the asymptotic behaviour is argued to be monotonic for both large and small values of the Ginzburg-Landau parameterk _gl . ForT≠ 0, there is a small intermediate range of values ofk _gl for which the dominant term is oscillatory, but these oscillations are not related to those found by Eilenberger and Büttner in the isolated vortex problem for smallK _gl . From an analysis of these results, we conclude that the absence of the Eilenberger-Büttner oscillations in the field penetration problem cannot be used as an argument against their existence in other problems; in particular, a separate investigation is required for the isolated vortex problem.     

Annealing dependent far field of GaAs-(Ga,Al)As LEDs

The far field intensity distribution of spontaneously light-emitting diodes with FABRY-PEROT structure and its dependence on different annealing processes during the diode preparation is studied. The electromagnetic field distribution in the far field is considered for a four-layer-stepdiscontinuity of the dielectric constant in a GaAs-(Ga,Al)As heterostructure diode. Even for a symmetrical dielectric constant profile the maximum luminescence intensity is not emitted necessarily in a plane normal to the light emitting surface of the diode. This cross-eyedness can be influenced by annealing. The changed far-field pattern can be evaluated if one knows the doping profile in the vicinity of the p-n junction and its changes during the annealing. Theoretical statements are in qualitative agreement with experimental results.The authors are grateful to Dr. K.Unger for valuable discussions and to Miss B.Russ for assistance with the measurements. The radioanalytical Zn determination by Mrs. G.Hänold from the VEB Halbleiterkombinat Frankfurt/Oder, Werk Stahnsdorf is gratefully acknowledged. This paper incorporates work carried out in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft AIII-BV-Halbleiter.     

Ionization equilibrium and radiative energy loss rates for C,N, and O ions in low-density plasmas

The results of calculations of the ionization equilibrium and radiative energy loss rates for C, N and O ions in low-density plasmas are presented for electron temperatures in the range 10⁴–10⁷ °K (～1–10³ eV). The ionization structure is determined using the steady-state corona model, in which electron impact ionization from the ground states is balanced by direct radiative and dielectronic recombination. Using an improved theory, detailed calculations are carried out for the dielectronic recombination rates in which account is taken of all radiative and autoionization processes involving a single-electron electricdipole transition of the recombining ion. The radiative energy loss processes considered are electron-impact excitation of resonance line emission, direct radiative recombination, dielectronic recombination, and electron-ion bremsstrahlung. For all three elements, resonance line emission resulting from 2s?2p transitions produces a broad maximum in the energy loss rate near 10⁵°K(～ 10 eV).     

Demonstration of high efficiency third harmonic conversion of high power Nd-glass laser radiation

We report on efficient conversion from 1.054 μm to 0.35 μm by third harmonic generation in two Type II KDP crystals. Energy conversion efficiencies of up to 80% have been measured under conditions applicable to large glass laser systems. A new tripling scheme used for these experiments requires a minimum of optical components and is insensitive to exact crystal alignment and laser beam divergence. A convenient scaling law allows tripling optimization for many different laser conditions.     

An AFM Study of the Correlation of Lead Dioxide Electrocatalytic Activity with Observed Morphology

PbO2 is widely employed as an electrocatalyst for anodic oxidation processes including the generation of oxygen and the degradation of various organic species in aqueous solution. However, despite extensive investigation, the precise mechanism of action remains obscure. In this paper we establish a previously unrecognized strong correlation between the morphology of the PbO2 deposits and their electrocatalytic activity. Cyclic voltammetric results are described for the electrodeposition of PbO2 on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes from 2.5 mM solutions of lead(II) nitrate in nitric acid at pH values between approximately 0 and 7. A likely change in mechanism is observed around pH 4, consistent with the Pourbaix diagram of lead. The morphology of the PbO2 films is observed as a function of time and potential, using in situ AFM in each of the lead solutions. Information on the growth rates of the films is extracted, and the limitations of using AFM in such an application are discussed. It is shown that the deposit morphology depends strongly on the specific conditions used. The oxidation of a 100 mM glucose solution on electrodes modified by PbO2 deposition at a range of potentials and pH values is used as an indicator of the catalytic activity of the corresponding films, leading to the observation of the correlation between deposit morphology and catalytic activity mentioned above.