A high spin isomer in 153Eu

A search for new isomers of nanosecond lifetimes were carried out in ¹⁵³Eu via the ¹⁵⁰Nd(⁷Li,xnγ) reaction. The single particle angular momentum alignment and dynamical moment of inertia estimated from the experimental data indicate a configuration change at rotational energy ħω∼ 0.30 MeV. A decrease of B(E2) values is also observed at the same frequency. An isomeric level is identified at an excitation energy of 3100 keV (J^π=35/2⁻) which corresponds to this frequency. The lifetime of the level is found to be 8.6 ± 1.3 nanosecond. Received: 22 April 1997 / Revised version: 26 September 1997     

Electronic structure of Fe-based superconductors

The electronic structure of the Fe-based superconductors is discussed, mainly from the point of view of first principles calculations in relation to experimental data. Comparisons and contrasts with cuprates are made. The problem of reconciling experiments indicating an s symmetry gap with experiments indicating line nodes is discussed and a possible resolution is given.     

Effects of electronic state modulation on the high-frequency response characteristics of GaAs quantum wells

The effect of electronic-state modulation on the high frequency response of GaAs quantum well with thin inserted barrier layer is studied. The carrier scattering by polar optic phonons, acoustic deformation potential and background ionized impurities are incorporated in the present calculations considering the carrier distribution to be heated drifted Fermi-Dirac distribution. Modified phonon spectra and modulated electron wave function give different values of form factor compared to bulk mode phonon. Mobility is found to be enhanced on insertion of thin layer inside the quantum well. The ac mobility and the phase lag increases with the increase in both the channel width and the 2D carrier concentration. Cutoff frequency, where ac mobility drops down to 0.707 of its low frequency value, is observed to be enhanced reflecting better high frequency response.     

The role of different linear and non-linear channels of relaxation in scintillator non-proportionality

The non-proportional dependence of a scintillator's light yield on primary particle energy is believed to be influenced crucially by the interplay of non-linear kinetic terms in the radiative and non-radiative decay of excitations versus locally deposited excitation density. A calculation of energy deposition, −dE/dx, along the electron track for NaI is presented for an energy range from several electron-volt to 1 MeV. Such results can be used to specify an initial excitation distribution, if diffusion is neglected. An exactly solvable two-channel (exciton and hole(electron)) model containing 1st and 2nd order kinetic terms is constructed and used to illustrate important features seen in non-proportional light-yield curves, including a dependence on pulse shaping (detection gate width).     

Etching and annealing studies of nuclear tracks in glasses

A series of etching and annealing experiments are designed to evaluate the characteristics of fission tracks in a number of glasses of varying silica content. A comparative study has been made by comparing the calculated value of bulk etch rate, optimum etch time and annealing rate for each glass. The present investigation suggests that both bulk etch rate (V_G) and annealing rate (V_a) increases with the decrease in silica content of glasses. A minimum value of these parameters is observed for pure silica glass.     

Hybrid systems through natural product leads: an approach towards new molecular entities

Hybrid systems are constructs of different molecular entities, natural or unnatural, to generate functional molecules in which the characteristics of various components are modulated, amplified or give rise to entirely new properties. These hybrids can be designed from carefully selected components either through domain integration of key structural/functional features or via straightforward covalent linkages. Some of the recently reported hybrid systems based on steroid, carbohydrate, C60-fullerene platforms, amongst others, mainly crafted with the object of enhancement of the therapeutical spectrum, will be discussed.     

Enhanced coherent emission aided by an incoherent process

Enhanced emission of a coherent signal generated by the nonlinear process omega(f)+omega(b)-omega(p) has been found in an incoherently pumped four-level system. It is shown that finite (large) atomic coherence can be generated by (incoherent) pumping of the intermediate states, which removes the destructive interference effects that otherwise inhibit coherent emission of signals.     

Simultaneous determination of bergenin and gallic acid in Bergenia ligulata wall by high-performance thin-layer chromatography

A simple and reproducible high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of bergenin and gallic acid in Bergenia ligulata. Water and methanol were used as the extracting solvents. The concentrations of bergenin and gallic acid in both of these solvents were found to be almost the same. The method involves separation of the components by thin-layer chromatography on a precoated Silica Gel 60 F254 plate with a solvent system of ethyl acetate-formic acid-acetic acid-water (100 + 11 + 11 + 27). The sensitivity of the method for bergenin was 0.30 microg, whereas for gallic acid it was 0.25 microg. The proposed method is precise and sensitive and can be used for the detection, monitoring, and simultaneous quantification of bergenin and gallic acid in B. ligulata.     

Electronic structure of non-magnetic impurities in dilute alloys of Al

The electronic structure of substitutional non-magnetic impurities Cu, Ag, Cd, Mg, Zn, Ga, In, Ge, Si and Sn in Al is studied using density functional theory. A simple physical model is proposed to calculate the effective charges on impurities in trivalent metal Al. A linear relation is found between the effective charges on impurities and impurity vacancy capture radii. The spherical solid model (SSM) is used to account for discrete nature of the host. The impurity-induced change in charge density, scattering phase shifts, host-impurity potential, residual resistivity and impurity self-energy are calculated. Higher order scattering phase shifts are found significant and the host-impurity potential is found proportional to effective charge on impurity in its vicinity. The self-consistently calculated potential is used to calculate the electric field gradients (EFGs) at the first and second nearest neighbours (1NNs, 2NNs) of impurity. The calculated values are in agreement with the experimental results.