Laser spectroscopy of trapped 7Be and 10Be at a prototype slow RI-beam facility of RIKEN

A next-generation slow radioactive nuclear ion beam facility (SLOWRI) which provides slow, high-purity and small emittance ion beams of all elements is being build as one of the principal facilities at the RIKEN RI-beam factory (RIBF). High energy radioactive ion beams from the projectile fragment separator BigRIPS are thermalized in a large gas catcher cell. The thermalized ions in the gas cell are guided and extracted to a vacuum environment by a combination of dc electric fields and inhomogeneous rf fields (rf carpet ion guide). From there the slow ion beam is delivered via a mass separator and a switchyard to various devices: such as an ion trap, a collinear fast beam apparatus, and a multi-reflection time of flight mass spectrometer. In the R&D works at the present RIKEN facility, an overall efficiency of 5% for a 100A MeV ⁸Li ion beam from the present projectile fragment separator RIPS was achieved and the dependence of the efficiency on the ion beam intensity was investigated. Recently our first spectroscopy experiment at the prototype SLOWI was performed on Be isotopes. Energetic ions of ¹⁰Be and ⁷Be from the RIPS were trapped and laser cooled in a linear rf trap and the specific mass shifts of these isotopes were measured for the first time.     

40 Gb/s, secure optical communication based upon fast reconfigurable time domain spectral phase en/decoding with 40 Gchip/s optical code and symbol overlapping

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a 40 Gb/s secure optical communication system with on-off-keying (OOK) modulation format by using a time domain spectral phase en/decoding scheme, which employs a highly dispersive element and high-speed phase modulator for introducing significant symbol overlapping for both the encoded and incorrectly decoded noiselike signals to enhance the information security against eavesdropping using a power detector. The influence of dispersion and chip modulation rate on the symbol overlapping of the incorrectly decoded signal has been analytically investigated and experimentally verified. Security enhancement for 40 Gb/s OOK data using fast reconfigurable 40 Gchip/s optical codes with code lengths of up to 1024 has been demonstrated and compared with a 10 Gb/s system.     

The effect of various calcination treatments on the photocatalytic activity of a rod-type TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> electrode for oxidation of ethanethiol

It was found that the photoelectrochemical performance and photocatalytic activity of rod-type TiO₂ electrodes were affected by various post-calcination treatments, for example, calcination in NH₃ or under vacuum. Post-calcination treatment in NH₃ at 773 K was particularly effective in increasing the photoelectrochemical performance and photocatalytic activity of rod-type TiO₂ electrodes. A unique photoelectrochemical circuit was constructed by connecting a rod-type TiO₂ electrode to a Pt electrode through a silicon solar cell in which the negative bias was applied on the rod-type TiO₂ electrode. It was found that the photoelectrochemical circuit can effectively oxidize ethanethiol in water into CO₂.     

New microporous coordination polymer affording guest-coordination sites at channel walls

Utilization of a metalloligand, ([Cu(2,4-pydca)2(H2O)].2Et3NH) (1) (2,4-pydca = pyridine-2,4-dicarboxylate), as a building unit provides a novel porous coordination polymer, ([ZnCu(2,4-pydca)2(H2O)3(DMF)].DMF)n (2), in which the Zn(II) ion at the node of the network acts as a linker and the Cu(II) ion in the channel wall is available for guest-coordination.     

Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells using room temperature molten salts and a low molecular weight gelator

A dye-sensitized solar cell fabricated using the room temperature molten salt, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide, iodine and a low molecular weight gelator as a quasisolid-state electrolyte showed a 5.0% light-to-electricity conversion efficiency under AM 1.5 irradiation, and high-temperature stability.     

Discontinuous pressure effect upon enantiodifferentiating photosensitized isomerization of cyclooctene

A hydrostatic pressure of up to 750 MPa induced discontinuous changes in the enantiomeric excess of the (E)-isomer obtained in the enantio-differentiating photoisomerization of (Z)-cyclooctene and (Z,Z)-cycloocta-1,5-diene, sensitized by chiral benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylates; indicating a switching of the enantio-differentiation mechanism, which is attributable to dramatic conformational changes of chiral alkoxycarbonyl auxiliaries at a specific pressure.     

A highly stereoselective synthesis of 11Z-retinal using tricarbonyliron complex

A stereoselective synthesis of 11Z-retinal 2, which is the chromophore of visual pigment (rhodopsin), was accomplished from the beta-ionylideneacetaldehyde-tricarbonyliron complex 3. The Peterson reaction of 3 using ethyl trimethylsilylacetate smoothly proceeded to afford predominantly the Z-ester 6. Transformation of the Z-ester 6 to the methyl ketone 19, followed by the Emmons-Horner reaction of 19 with C2-cyanophosphonate, produced ethyl 11Z, 13E-retinonitrile-tricarbonyliron complex 21 as the only product. Decomplexation of 21 with CuCl2 and subsequent DIBAL reduction gave 11Z-retinal 2 in excellent yield. Mechanistic consideration of Z-selectivity in the Peterson reaction of the aldehyde-tricarbonyliron complex is also discussed.