Precise measurement of positronium hyperfine splitting using the Zeeman effect

Positronium is an ideal system for the research of the quantum electrodynamics (QED) in bound state. The hyperfine splitting (HFS) of positronium, Δ_HFS, gives a good test of the bound state calculations and probes new physics beyond the Standard Model. A new method of QED calculations has revealed the discrepancy by 15 ppm (3.9σ) of Δ_HFS between the QED prediction and the experimental average. There would be possibility of new physics or common systematic uncertainties in the previous all experiments. We describe a new experiment to reduce possible systematic uncertainties and will provide an independent check of the discrepancy. We are now taking data and the current result of Δ_HFS?=?203.395 1 ±0.002 4 (stat., 12 ppm) ±0.001 9 (sys., 9.5 ppm) GHz has been obtained so far. A measurement with a precision of O(ppm) is expected within a year.     

Determination of Intermolecular Acetyl Distribution of Cellulose Triacetate by Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography

The chromatographic method for the determination of the intermolecular acetyl distribution of cellulose triacetate (CTA) was established; the key point of the method is a gradient elution by gradually changing the solvent composition of the ternary mixture of chloroform, methanol, and water on a phenyl-bonded silica gel stationary phase. A positive correlation between the retention time and the degree of acetyl substitution was observed under the established chromatographic conditions. The validity of the elution peak width as the measure of intermolecular acetyl distribution was confirmed by the co-injection and fractionation experiments and the comparison of a peak width with a statistically estimated distribution.     

Europium-151 Mössbauer effect study of europium orthovanadite

¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy on Eu VO₃ in the temperature range of 9-293 K indicated that there is a large increase ofeV _zzQg when temperature goes from 293K down to 9K.     

Luminescence of doped lithium tetraborate single crystals and glass

Lithium tetraborate single crystal doped with Cu seems to be a promising new material for neutron detection. With the presence of Li and B, both having large cross section for neutron capture, efficient neutron detection is expected with high-energy deposits. In the present work, we chose 14 different dopants from Ia, Ib, IIIa, IVa and Va groups in the periodic table besides the rare earth Ce ion. The crystals were grown to a size of 20 mm in diameter and 70 mm in length by vertical Bridgman method. The grown crystals were characterized by optical transmittance and excitation–emission studies. Transmittance and emission characteristics of Ce-doped lithium borate glass are also reported.     

A single-electron circuit as a discrete dynamical system

A single-electron circuit can be operated as a discrete dynamical system because it changes its internal state discontinuously because of electron tunneling. To confirm this idea, we designed a sample circuit for discrete dynamical operation and confirmed by computer simulation that the circuit successfully generated a sequence of discrete-time outputs by following a return map. The concept of discrete dynamical systems will be useful in developing new functional systems that consist of quantum devices and nanostructures.     

NMR study of Li diffusion in β-LiAl

Diffusion of a Li atom in an anode material β-LiAl was studied over the composition range of 48.0–50.2 at % Li by the ⁷Li magnetic relaxation times. Dependence of T₁ upon temperature and the resonance frequency was successfully explained by a vacancy diffusion on the Li sublattice involving a distribution of the activation energy for migration, E_a. The central value of E_a was almost independent of the composition (? 13.8 kJ mol^-1), while the width of distribution increased with increase of the number of substituted Li on the Al sublattice. The obtained diffusion constants, extrapolated to 415°C, were larger by a factor of 1.8–3.4 than those obtained by the electrochemical method.     

A measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry of e+e?→bb by applying a jet charge algorithm to lifetime tagged events

The forward-backward asymmetry of has been measured using approximately 2.15 million hadronicZ ⁰ decays collected at the LEP e⁺e^– collider with the OPAL detector. A lifetime tag technique was used to select an enriched event sample. The measurement of the asymmetry was then performed using a jet charge algorithm to determine the direction of the primary quark. Values of:

Direct beta-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols catalyzed by a CpIr complex

A new catalytic system for beta-alkylation of secondary alcohols has been developed. In the presence of [CpIrCl(2)](2) (Cp = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) catalyst and base, the reactions of various secondary alcohols with primary alcohols give beta-alkylated higher alcohols in good to excellent yields without any hydrogen acceptor or hydrogen donor. This reaction proceeds via successive hydrogen-transfer reactions and aldol condensation. [reaction: see text]