Producing Slow Antihydrogen for a Test of CPT Symmetry with ATHENA

The ATHENA experiment at the Antiproton Decelerator facility at CERN aims at testing CPT symmetry with antihydrogen. An overview of the experiment, together with preliminary results of development towards the production of slow antihydrogen are reported. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Room‐Temperature Insulating Ferromagnetic (Ni,Co)1+2xTi1−xO3 Thin Films

Insulating uniaxial room‐temperature ferromagnets are a prerequisite for commonplace spin wave‐based devices, the obstacle in contemporary ferromagnets being the coupling of ferromagnetism with large conductivity. It is shown that the uniaxial A_{1 + 2x}Ti⁴⁺_{1 ? x}O₃ (ATO), A = Ni²⁺,Co²⁺, and 0.6 < x ≤ 1, thin films are electrically insulating ferromagnets already at room temperature. The octahedra network of the ATO and the corundum and ilmenite structures are the same yet different octahedra‐filling proved to be a route to switch from the antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic regime. Octahedra can continuously be filled up to x = 1, or vacated (?0.24 < x < 0) in the ATO structure. TiO‐layers, which separate the ferromagnetic (Ni,Co)O‐layers and intermediate the antiferromagnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic layers in the NiTiO₃ and CoTiO₃ ilmenites, can continuously be replaced by (Ni,Co)O‐layers to convert the ATO‐films to ferromagnetic insulator with abundant direct cation interactions.     

Reaction mechanism and thermoelectric properties of In0·22Co4Sb12 prepared by magnesiothermy

The magnesioreduction synthesis of In_0·22Co₄Sb₁₂ with high In rattler concentration from Sb₂O₄ and In-doped Co₃O₄ precursors is reported. This process directly yields a submicronic powder in a single step of 96 h at 810 K. The reaction mechanism has been investigated by stopping the reaction every 12 h and quantifying the existing phases by X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinements. The precursors are first reduced in CoO and Sb₂O₃ lower oxides, then form CoSb₂O₆ and CoSb₂O₄ intermediates which are finally reduced in In_xCo₄Sb₁₂. A powder with 350 nm average size and mostly composed of In-filled skutterudite phase with composition close to In_0·17Co₄Sb₁₂ is obtained. Upon spark plasma sintering, small residual amount of InSb reacts with the skutterudite matrix to form a single-phase densified pellet with composition close to In_0·22Co₄Sb₁₂. The resulting densified material with 1.8 μm average grain size shows a figure of merit ZT_max of 0.95 at 750 K.     

PREPARATION OF LARGE-PARTICLE-SIZE MONODISPERSE LATEXES IN SPACE: POLYMERIZATION KINETICS AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT

Monodisperse polystyrene latexes are prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization; however, sizes larger than 2μm are difficult to prepare because of the creaming and settling of the particles, and their sensitivity to mechanical shear. Preparation in space would obviate the creaming and settling, and allow agitation just sufficient for good heat transfer and mixing. Three polymerizations yielding 3-5μm size particles were carried out successfully on the third flight of the “Columbia” launched March 22, 1982; however, four polymerizations yielding sizes up to 10μm on the fourth flight launched June 27, 1982, were incomplete owing to apparatus malfunction. The results of these polymerizations and the prospects of developing a preparative space process are reviewed     

Short-term bioconcentration and distribution of methylmercury,tributyltin and corresponding inorganic species in the starfish leptasterias polaris

Starfish, Leptasterias polaris, were exposed between 30 min and 48 h to seawater containing 0.25 nmol dm^?3 of radiolabelled methylmercury (Me²⁰³HgCI), tributyltin [(C₄H₉)₃¹¹³SnCI], and inorganic ²⁰³HgCI₂ and ¹¹³SnCI⁴, with the objectives of comparing the uptake and distribution kinetics of these metal species in organs and tissues of treated organisms. Some starfish exposed to metals for 48 h were allowed to depurate for 24 h in clean seawater. Whole-body autoradiography was used to locate radiotracers very precisely within starfish tissues. The total amount of methylmercury (MeHg) accumulated in the whole animal after 48 h reached 0.53 nmol compared with 0.09 nmol for inorganic mercury, while tributyltin (TBT) reached 0.72 nmol compared with 0.017 nmol for inorganic tin. No significant reduction of body burdens occurred during the depuration period. The first-order rate constant characterizing the uptake of metals by whole animals, k₁, ranged from 0.102 h^?1 for MeHg to 3.6 × 10^?3h^?1 for inorganic mercury(II) and to 8.4 × 10^?4 h^?1 for inorganic tin(IV). The first-order rate constant characterizing the translocation of metals from seawater-exposed tissues toward internal organs, k₃, was available for inorganic Hg and Sn and had values similar to k₁. Concentration ratios between external tissues and internal organs after a 48 h exposure were 11.5 and 25.4 for MeHg and TBT, respectively, and 2.1 and 6.1 for inorganic mercury and tin. Furthermore, autoradiograms showed that MeHg and TBT were accumulated only on the external surface of the body wall and podia. This finding indicates a much slower translocation process for organometallic species than inorganic species, a process which seems to be related to the binding mode of MeHg and TBT to the organic matrix of external tissues of starfish.     

Plant delta(15)N associated with arbuscular mycorrhization, drought and nitrogen deficiency

It has long been evident that plant (15)N chiefly reflects the processes which fractionate (15)N/(14)N rather than the (15)N of plant N source(s). It has emerged recently that one of the most important fractionating processes contributing to the whole plant (15)N is the presence/absence, type or species of mycorrhiza, especially when interacting with nutrient deficiency. Ecto- and ericoid mycorrhizas are frequently associated with (15)N-depleted foliar (15)N, commonly as low as -12 per thousand. As shown by the present study, plants having no mycorrhiza, or those infected with various species of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM)-forming fungi, interact with varying concentrations of soil nitrogen [N] and moisture to enrich plant (15)N by as much as 3.5 per thousand. Hence the lack of a mycorrhiza, or variation in the species of AM-forming fungal associations, can account for about 25% of the usually reported variations of foliar (15)N found in field situations and do so by (15)N enrichment rather than depletion. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.