Applications of He neutron spin filters at the NCNR

At the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), we have applied ³He neutron spin filters (NSFs) to the instruments where ³He NSFs are advantageous, such as thermal triple-axis spectrometry, small-angle neutron scattering, and diffuse reflectometry. We present the status of our development and application of this method, including polarized gas production by spin-exchange optical pumping, magnetostatic cavities for storage of the polarized gas on the beam line, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based, on-line monitoring and reversal of the ³He polarization. We present the status of developing user-friendly interfaces incorporated into the instrument software to handle these ³He neutron spin filters while taking data and performing data analysis. Finally we discuss the status of development of a polarization capability on the multi-axis crystal spectrometer, which requires polarization analysis over a 220° angular range.     

Signals in chaos: A method for the cancellation of deterministic noise from discrete signals

In this paper we describe a method for separating a combination of a chaotic time series and a discrete-valued signal. The method uses a feedback technique stabilised using knowledge of the chaotic system and the discrete nature of the signal. It is not based on a linearization of the dynamics, and therefore, unlike previously proposed separation methods, does not require that the signal be small. Nor does it make any assumptions about the relative timescales of the signal and the chaotic time series.     

A measurement of the proton structure functions from neutrino-hydrogen and antineutrino-hydrogen charged-current interactions

Within the framework of the quark-parton model, the quark and anti-quark structure functions of the proton have been measured by fitting them to the distributions of the events in the Bjorkeny variable. The data used form the largest sample of neutrino and antineutrino interactions on a pure hydrogen target available, and come from exposures of BEBC to the CERN wide band neutrino and antineutrino beams. It is found that the ratiod _v /u _v of valence quark distributions falls with increasing Bjorkenx. In the context of the quark-parton model the results constrain the isospin composition of the accompanying diquark system. Models involving scattering from diquarks are in disagreement with the data.     

Fusion research and international scientific collaboration

Many of the oxides and chalcogenides formed by the 3d transition metals and 4f rare-earth metals are antiferro-, ferri-and ferromagnetic semiconductors. In this review, several theoretical aspects of these materials are discussed, including electron correlation in narrow bands and the formation of electrostatic and magnetic polarons. The problems of crystal growth and physical measurement are briefly considered, together with recent studies on the conduction mechanism in typical compounds like NiO, MnO, ferrites, garnets, CdCr₂Se₄ and EuS. Finally, we comment on possible applications.     

Combined prostate diffusion tensor imaging and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI at 3T — quantitative correlation with biopsy

The purpose of this work was to compare diagnostic accuracy of Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE MRI) and their combination in diagnosing prostate cancer. Twenty-five patients with clinical suspicion of prostate cancer underwent MRI, prior to transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsies. MRI data were correlated to biopsy results. Logistic regression models were constructed for the DTI parameters, DCE MRI parameters, and their combination. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUC) were compared between the models. The nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for statistical analysis. The sensitivity and specificity values were respectively 81% (74–87%) and 85% (79–90%) for DTI and 63% (55–70%) and 90% (85–94%) for DCE. The combination “DTI or DCE MRI” had 100% (97–100%) sensitivity and 77% (69–83%) specificity, while “DTI and DCE MRI” had 44% (37–52%) sensitivity and 98% (94–100%) specificity. The AUC for DTI+DCE parameters was significantly higher than that for either DTI (0.96 vs. 0.92, P=.0143) or DCE MRI parameters (0.96 vs. 0.87, P=.00187) alone. In conclusion, the combination of DTI and DCE MRI has significantly better accuracy in prostate cancer diagnosis than either technique alone.     

A tuned damping device for reducing noise from railway track

A promising means to reduce the component of railway rolling noise radiated by the track is to increase the damping of the rail. This increases the attenuation with distance of vibrations transmitted along the rail and thereby reduces the noise radiated. To achieve this, a tuned, damped mass-spring absorber system has been designed. To cover a wide range of frequencies, multiple tuning frequencies are used along with a material with a high damping loss factor. Suitable materials have been found from extensive tests on samples and prototypes of the damper have been built and tested, both in the laboratory and in the field. Results are very promising with reductions of the track component of noise of around 6 dB being measured.     

Proton spin-lattice relaxation in aqueous ionic solutions

The proton spin-lattice relaxation time, T ₁, has been measured for aqueous solutions of sodium, potassium, rubidium and magnesium chlorides up to a concentration of about 4N at 25°c. The sodium and the magnesium chloride solutions were also measured at 60°c and 100°c. The variation of 1/T ₁ is not linear with concentration, at least above about ¼N, in contrast with previous reports [1, 2]. The behaviour depends markedly on the nature of the salt and on the temperature. It is shown that almost the whole of the variation of T ₁ as compared with that of water can be directly and simply related to the corresponding changes in the shear viscosity of the solutions. It is noted that the viscosity correction is better the higher the temperature of the solution.     

Intracavity ionization and pulse formation in femtosecond enhancement cavities

We experimentally and numerically investigate the intracavity ionization of a dilute gas target by an ultrashort pulse inside a femtosecond enhancement cavity. Numerical simulations detail how the dynamic ionization of the gas target limits the achievable peak intensity of the evolving intracavity pulse beyond that of linear cavity losses, setting a constraint on the strength of the nonlinear interaction that can be sustained in such optical cavities. Experimental measurements combined with numerical simulations predict ionization levels in a femtosecond enhancement cavity for the first time. We demonstrate how the resonant response of the femtosecond enhancement cavity can itself be used as a sensitive probe of optical nonlinearities at high intensities.