Study on the isomeric ratios of (γ,p) photonuclear reactions with isotopes 40 92 Zr and 74 183 W in the giant dipole resonance region

We have carried out the study on the isomeric ratios in (γ,p) photonuclear reactions with isotopes ₄₀ ⁹² Zr and ₇₄ ¹⁸³ W in the giant dipole resonance (GDR) region. The targets were irradiated with bremsstrahlungs produced by electron accelerator Microtron MT-25 of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia. Spectra of the irradiated samples were measured with a spectroscopic system consisting of 8192-channel analyzer CANBERRA and high-energy resolution semiconductor detector CANBERRA. The results were discussed and compared with those of other authors. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Direct observation of the temperature field during ablation of materials by multiple femtosecond laser pulses

We report a direct observation of the temperature field on a steel specimen during ablation by multiple femtosecond laser pulses using an infrared thermography technique. From the experimental results and simulation study of the temperature field, we quantified the deposited thermal power into the specimen during the ablation process. We found that more than two thirds of the incident laser power was deposited in the steel specimen when ablated by multiple femtosecond laser pulses. This result provides further understanding of the heating effect in materials processing by ultrashort laser pulses.     

Line intensities in the 1.5-μm spectral region of acetylene

Line intensities are measured for 546 transitions belonging to 13 bands of the main isotopologue ¹²C₂H₂ of the acetylene molecule, in the 1.5-μm spectral domain. A multispectrum fitting procedure is used to retrieve line parameters from Fourier transform spectra. Prior to this work, line intensities were known for only 4 bands in this spectral region, from the work of El Hachtouki and Vander Auwera [Absolute line intensities in acetylene: the 1.5 μm region. J Mol Spectrosc 2002;216:355-62]. An excellent agreement is found with the results of these authors, showing that the accuracy of both results is likely better than 1% for the strong bands. However, the spectrum becomes very crowded when one wants to study weaker bands, so that the average accuracy of the intensities reported in the present work is 5%. From these data, vibrational transition dipole moments squared and Herman-Wallis coefficients have been determined for all the bands.     

Comparison of thermal ionization mass spectrometry and Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry for cesium isotope ratio measurements

In the nuclear domain, precise and accurate isotopic composition determination of elements in spent nuclear fuels is mandatory to validate neutron calculation codes and for nuclear waste disposal. The present study presents the results obtained on Cs isotope ratio by mass spectrometric measurements. Natural cesium is monoisotopic (¹³³Cs) whereas cesium in spent fuels has 4 isotopes (¹³³Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁵Cs, and ¹³⁷Cs). As no standard reference material is available to evaluate the accuracy of Cs isotopic measurements, a comparison of cesium isotopic composition in spent nuclear fuels has been performed between Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) and a new method involving Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) measurements. For TIMS measurements, isotopic fractionation has been evaluated by studying the behavior of cesium isotope ratios (¹³³Cs/¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs) during the analyses. For MC-ICPMS measurements, the mass bias effects have been corrected with an external mass bias correction using elements (Eu and Sb) close to cesium masses. The results obtained by the two techniques show good agreement: relative difference on ¹³³Cs/¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratios for two nuclear samples, analyzed after chemical separation, ranges from 0.2% to 0.5% depending on the choice of reference value for mass bias correction by MC-ICPMS. Finally the quantification of the ¹³⁵Cs/²³⁸U ratio by the isotope dilution technique is presented in the case of a MOx (mixed oxide) spent fuel sample. Evaluation of the global uncertainties shows that this ratio could be defined at an uncertainty of 0.5% (k = 2). The intercomparison between two independent mass spectrometric techniques is fundamental for the evaluation of uncertainty when no isotopic standard is available.     

A multidomain integrated‐radial‐basis‐function collocation method for elliptic problems

This article is concerned with the use of integrated radial‐basis‐function networks (IRBFNs) and nonoverlapping domain decompositions (DDs) for numerically solving one‐ and two‐dimensional elliptic problems. A substructuring technique is adopted, where subproblems are discretized by means of one‐dimensional IRBFNs. A distinguishing feature of the present DD technique is that the continuity of the RBF solution across the interfaces is enforced with one order higher than with conventional DD techniques. Several test problems governed by second‐ and fourth‐order differential equations are considered to investigate the accuracy of the proposed technique. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2008     

Evidence of Substrate Melting of NiCr Particles on Stainless Steel Substrate by Experimental Observation and Simulations

Single NiCr splats were plasma-sprayed onto a polished stainless steel substrate held at room temperature. The splat-substrate interface was characterized by focused ion beam and transmission electron microscopy. The frequent observation of NiO particles, particularly in pores within the splat, and at the periphery of splat, suggests that the principal oxidation process occurs at the substrate surface, where the splats are exposed to a water vapor-rich environment. It was also observed that the splat adhered well in some locations where elemental-diffusion and jetting of the substrate occurred, suggestive of substrate melting. A three-dimensional numerical model was developed to simulate the impact of a splat onto a substrate. The simulation shows that the observation of the central pore in the splat and the phenomenon of substrate melting may occur. Based on these results, the effect of water release on oxide formation and splat morphology can be explained.