Properties of unbound high-spin states in27Al

Selectively excited high-spin states in²⁷Al have been located by the reaction¹²C(¹⁶O,p)²⁷Al. The excitation functions of these states have been measured at incident energiesE _cm=18.7 to 30.1 MeV at intervals of 150 keV. They exhibit maxima of presumably non-statistical origin. At four different energies the subsequent decay of the²⁷Al states has been studied by detecting the final heavy recoils with the Munich recoil spectrometer in coincidence with the proton emitted in the first stage of the reaction. Using this new method branching ratios of theγ-, α-, andn-decay have been measured. Based on angular correlation arguments spins up to 27/2? have been determined within the experimental accuracy of 1–2?. The observations suggest a superdeformed shape of²⁷Al at least in some of the states.     

Towards tender X‐rays with Zernike phase‐contrast imaging of biological samples at 50 nm resolution

X‐ray microscopy is a commonly used method especially in material science application, where the large penetration depth of X‐rays is necessary for three‐dimensional structural studies of thick specimens with high‐Z elements. In this paper it is shown that full‐field X‐ray microscopy at 6.2 keV can be utilized for imaging of biological specimens with high resolution. A full‐field Zernike phase‐contrast microscope based on diffractive optics is used to study lipid droplet formation in hepatoma cells. It is shown that the contrast of the images is comparable with that of electron microscopy, and even better contrast at tender X‐ray energies between 2.5 keV and 4 keV is expected.     

Full-field characterization of femtosecond pulses by spectrum and cross-correlation measurements

We present a practical and accurate technique for retrieving the amplitude and the phase of ultrashort pulses from a nonlinear (second-order) intensity cross correlation and the spectrum that overcomes shortcomings of previous attempts. We apply the algorithm to theoretical and experimental data and compare it with frequency-resolved optical gating.     

Quantum protocol for cheat-sensitive weak coin flipping

We present a quantum protocol for the task of weak coin flipping. We find that, for one choice of parameters in the protocol, the maximum probability of a dishonest party winning the coin flip if the other party is honest is 1/sqrt[2]. We also show that if parties restrict themselves to strategies wherein they cannot be caught cheating, their maximum probability of winning can be even smaller. As such, the protocol offers additional security in the form of cheat sensitivity.     

Final-state interaction as the origin of the Cronin effect

The Cronin effect that refers to the enhancement of hadron spectra at intermediate p(T) with increasing A in pA collisions is traditionally explained in terms of the broadening of the parton transverse momentum in the initial state. We show that recent data on the nuclear modification factor at eta=0 for d+Au collisions can be understood in terms of the recombination of soft and shower partons in the final state. It is the centrality dependence of the soft parton density that leads to the Cronin effect.     

Experimental details of the Stopped Beam RISING campaign

The RISING (Rare ISotope INvestigations at GSI) project constitutes a major pan-european initiative to study nuclear structure in exotic nuclei. A brief outline of the technical details specific to studies of isomeric decays following relativistic projectile fragmentation reactions is presented.     

Precision infrared spectroscopy in CF379Br by means of infrared-microwave double resonance

From the observation of double resonance effects on the microwave spectrum two coincidences between 9.4 μm CO₂ laser lines and infrared transitions of the ν₆ → (ν₆ + ν₁) band of CF₃⁷⁹Br have been determined: R(30) laser line coincident with ^qR₂(7), F = 17/2→17/2 transition, R(28) laser line coincident with all four ΔF = 0 hyperfine components of the ^qQ₈(13) transition. In both cases other infrared transitions lay within the tuning range of the laser. The frequencies of these two laser lines allowed calculations of the band center frequency ν₀ = 1083.530 ± 0.001cm^?1 and α_A = 11.93 ± 0.3MHz, for the ν₆ → (ν₆ + ν₁) band.α_B constants were determined for the vibrational states v₆, (v₆ + v₁), v₁, and v₃.     

Partial-filling affinity capillary electrophoresis

Partial-filling affinity capillary electrophoresis (PFACE) is used to examine the binding interactions between two model biological systems: D-Ala-D-Ala terminus peptides to the glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin (Van) from Streptomyces orientalis, and arylsulfonamides to carbonic anhydrase B (CAB, EC 4.2.1.1, bovine erythrocytes). Using these two systems, modifications in the PFACE technique are demonstrated including flow-through PFACE (FTPFACE), competitive flow-through PFACE (CFTPFACE), on-column ligand synthesis PFACE (OCLSPFACE), and multiple-step ligand injection PFACE (MSLIPFACE). In PFACE small plugs of sample are injected into the capillary column and an equilibrium is established between receptor and ligand during electrophoresis. Binding constants are then obtained by Scatchard analysis using changes in the migration time of the receptor/ligand on changing the concentration of the ligand/receptor. Data demonstrating the quantitative potential of these methods are presented. This review focuses on the unique capabilities of the different PFACE techniques as applied to two model biological systems.     

Poly(2‐vinyl pyridine)‐block‐Poly(ethylene oxide) Featuring a Furan Group at the Block Junction—Synthesis and Functionalization

Furfuryl glycidyl ether (FGE) represents a highly versatile monomer for the preparation of reversibly cross‐linkable nanostructured materials via Diels–Alder reactions. Here, the use of FGE for the mid‐chain functionalization of a P2VP‐b‐PEO diblock copolymer is reported. The material features one furan moiety at the block junction, P2VP₆₈‐FGE‐b‐PEO₃₉₀, which can be subsequently addressed in Diels–Alder reactions using maleimide‐functionalized counterparts. The presence of the FGE moiety enables the introduction of dyes as model labels or the formation of hetero‐grafted brushes as shell on hybrid Au@Polymer nanoparticles. This renders P2VP₆₈‐FGE‐b‐PEO₃₉₀, a powerful tool for selective functionalization reactions, including the modification of surfaces.