Plutonium process control using an on-line gamma monitor for uranium,plutonium, and Americium

An On-Line Gamma Monitor profiles the concentration of uranium, plutonium, and americium in waste and product streams of the anion exchange process used to purify plutonium at Los Alamos. The Monitor employs passive gamma Spectrometry to measure the 59.5-KeV and 129-KeV gamma rays of²⁴¹Am and²³⁹Pu, respectively. Because the uranium impurity in typical process streams has no gamma ray suitable for passive measurement, a novel radiotracer technique is used. Uranium-237, always present in plutonium processed at Los Alamos as a minor alpha-decay daughter of²⁴¹Pu, has a 6.8-day half-life and 208-KeV gamma energy, which make it an ideal radiotracer for macro amounts of uranium in the process. The On-Line Gamma Monitor is used routinely to provide Los Alamos operators with continuous, real-time process control information.     

Polyoxometalate Derivatives with Multiple Organic Groups. 2. Synthesis and Structures of Tris(organotin) alpha, beta-Keggin Tungstosilicates

Eight tris(organotin)-substituted Keggin tungstosilicate heteropolyanions have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and M?ssbauer spectroscopy, multinuclear NMR, and X-ray crystallography. The new anions contain alpha- or beta-SiW(9)O(34)(10)(-) moieties and are of two structural types, [(RSn)(3)(SiW(9)O(37))](7)(-) (R, isomer: Ph, alpha-, 1; n-Bu, alpha-, 2; Ph, beta-, 3; n-Bu, beta-, 4) and [(RSnOH)(3)(SiW(9)O(34))(2)](14)(-) (Ph, alpha-, 5; n-Bu, alpha-, 6; Ph, beta-, 7; n-Bu, beta-, 8). Crystals of Cs(4)H(3)[(PhSn)(3)(SiW(9)O(37))].8H(2)O (anion 3) are monoclinic, space group C2/c, with lattice constants a = 48.91(2) ?, b = 12.111(3) ?, c = 20.334(9) ?, beta = 102.30 degrees, and Z = 8. The anion has nominal C(3)(v)() symmetry and has a structure with three corner-shared WO(6) octahedra of the beta-Keggin anion replaced by three PhSnO(5) groups. Crystals of Cs(9)H(5)[(BuSnOH)(3)(SiW(9)O(34))(2)].36H(2)O (anion 6) are tetragonal, space group P&fourmacr;2(1)m, with lattice constants a = b = 29.005(4) ?, c = 13.412(4) ?, and Z = 4. The anion has the anticipated D(3)(h)() symmetry and contains three BuSnOH groups sandwiched between A,alpha-SiW(9)O(34)(10)(-) anions.     

Anomalies and curvature ofW manifolds

We study the holomorphic structure of certain complex manifolds associated withW algebras, namely, the flag manifoldsW /T andW ₁₊/T ₁₊, and the spacesW /SL(),R) andW ₁₊/GL(,R), whereT andT ₁₊ are the maximal tori inW andW ₁₊. We compute their Ricci curvature and show how the results are related to the anomaly-freedom conditions forW andW ₁₊. We discuss the relation of these manifolds with extensions of universal Teichmüller space.Supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, under grant DE-AS05-81ER40039Supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, under grant DE-FG03-84ER40168     

Chiral polyoxotungstates. 1. Stereoselective interaction of amino acids with enantiomers of [Ce(III)(alpha1-P2W17O61)(H2O)x]7-. The structure of DL-[Ce2(H2O)8(P2W17O61)2]14-

The ammonium salt of the 1:1complex (1) of Ce(III) with alpha(1)-[P(2)W(17)O(61)](10)(-) was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, vibrational and NMR spectroscopy ((31)P, (183)W), cyclic voltammetry, and single-crystal X-ray analysis (P1; a = 15.8523(9) A, b = 17.4382(10) A, c = 29.3322(16) A, alpha = 99.617(1) degrees, beta = 105.450 (1) degrees, gamma = 101.132(1) degrees, V = 7460.9(7) A(3), Z = 2). The anion consists of a centrosymmetric head-to-head dimer, [[Ce(H(2)O)(4)(P(2)W(17)O(61))](2)],(14-) with each 9-coordinate Ce cation linked to four oxygens of one tungstophosphate anion and to one oxygen of the other anion. On the basis of P NMR spectroscopy, a monomer-dimer equilibrium exists in solution with K = 20 +/- 4 M(-1) at 22 degrees C. Addition of chiral amino acids to aqueous solutions of 1 results in splitting of the (31)P NMR signals as a result of diastereomer formation. No such splitting is observed with glycine or DL-proline, or when chiral amino acids are added to the corresponding complex of the achiral alpha(2)-isomer of [P(2)W(17)O(61)](10)(-). From analysis of the (31)P NMR spectra, formation constants of the two diastereomeric adducts of 1 with L-proline are 7.3 +/- 1.3 and 9.8 +/- 1.4 M(-1).     

Polyoxometalate Derivatives with Multiple Organic Groups. 3. Synthesis and Structure of Bis(phenyltin) Bis(decatungstosilicate), [(PhSnOH(2))(2)(gamma-SiW(10)O(36))(2)](10)(-)

A new phenyltin tungstosilicate derivative, [(PhSnOH(2))(2)(gamma-SiW(10)O(36))(2)](10)(-) (1), has been prepared by reaction of phenyltin trichloride with K(8)[gamma-SiW(10)O(36)].xH(2)O. The new heteropolyanion was characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, multinuclear NMR, and X-ray crystallography. The crystals of Cs(9)H[(PhSnOH(2))(2)(gamma-SiW(10)O(36))(2)].16H(2)O (Cs salt of 1) are triclinic, space group P&onemacr;, with lattice constants a = 12.401(3) ?, b = 13.832(3) ?, c = 16.313(3) ?, alpha = 96.17(2) degrees, beta = 109.73(2) degrees, gamma = 97.13(2) degrees, V = 2579.9(10) ?, and Z = 1. Anion 1 has a structure of virtual C(2)(h)() symmetry with two phenyltin groups sandwiched between two gamma-SiW(10) groups. Such a structure is different from all previously reported polytungstates derived from [gamma-SiW(10)O(36)](8)(-) lacunary anions.     

Critical gravity in four dimensions

We study four-dimensional gravity theories that are rendered renormalizable by the inclusion of curvature-squared terms to the usual Einstein action with a cosmological constant. By choosing the parameters appropriately, the massive scalar mode can be eliminated and the massive spin-2 mode can become massless. This "critical" theory may be viewed as a four-dimensional analogue of chiral topologically massive gravity, or of critical "new massive gravity" with a cosmological constant, in three dimensions. We find that the on-shell energy for the remaining massless gravitons vanishes. There are also logarithmic spin-2 modes, which have positive energy. The mass and entropy of standard Schwarzschild-type black holes vanish. The critical theory might provide a consistent toy model for quantum gravity in four dimensions.     

Is there a unique consistent theory of quantum gravity?

Superstrings have been proposed as a quantum-theoretical framework for unifying all the fundamental forces, including gravity. We consider the question of whether there might be more general supersymmetric possibilities, based on higher extended objects such as membranes, jellies, etc. We argue that all the possible extended objects in all possible spacetime dimensions are quantummechanically inconsistent except for the 10-dimensional superstring and the 11-dimensional supermembrane. These are also the only two such theories that contain massless gravitons and, thus, that can describe gravity at low energies. It is remarkable that the range of possibilities can be narrowed down to this extent. Whether these can be further narrowed down to just one consistent theory remains open to further research.This essay received the first award from the Gravity Research Foundation for the year 1988.-Ed.