The possibility to use ‘energy plus transmutation’ set-up for neutron production and transport benchmark studies

The set-up ‘energy plus transmutation’, consisting of a thick lead target and a natural uranium blanket, was irradiated by relativistic proton beams with the energy from 0.7 GeV up to 2 GeV. Neutron field was measured in different places of this set-up using different activation detectors. The possibilities of using the obtained data for benchmark studies are analyzed in this paper. Uncertainties of experimental data are shown and discussed. The experimental data are compared with results of simulation with MCNPX code.      

Effective mass anisotropy of hot electrons in nonparabolic conduction bands of n-doped InGaAs films using ultrafast terahertz pump-probe techniques

The anisotropic effective mass of energetic electrons in an isotropic, nonparabolic conduction band is revealed using ultrafast THz-pump-THz-probe techniques in a n-doped InGaAs semiconductor thin film. A microscopic theory is applied to identify the origin of the observed anisotropy and to show that the self-consistent light-matter coupling contributes significantly to the THz response.     

Integrated chemical process for exothermic wave synthesis of high luminance YAG:Ce phosphors

In this paper, high-luminance yellow-emitting Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ phosphor (YAG:Ce) microparticles were prepared in a solid flame using a 1.425Y₂O₃+2.5Al₂O₃+0.15CeO₂+k(KClO₃+urea)+mNH₄F precursor mixture (here k is the number of moles of the KClO₃+urea red-ox mixture, and m is the number of moles of NH₄F). The self-sustaining combustion process for the entire reaction sample was provided by the heat generated from the KClO₃+urea mixture. Parametric studies demonstrated that the maximum temperature in the combustion wave varied from 885 to 1200 °C for k=2.0-3.0 mole and m=0-1.5 mole. X-ray analysis results showed that the product obtained in the solid flame consisted of Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ and KCl phases. Therefore, after dissolving potassium chloride in distillated water, pure-phase YAG:Ce phosphor powder was obtained. The as-prepared YAG:Ce phosphor particles had diameters of 10-25 μm and good dispersity and exhibited luminescence properties comparable to those of YAG:Ce phosphor powders prepared by conventional high-temperature processing.     

Saturation field of frustrated chain cuprates: broad regions of predominant interchain coupling

A thermodynamic method to extract the interchain coupling (IC) of spatially anisotropic 2D or 3D spin-1/2 systems from their empirical saturation field H(s) (T=0) is proposed. Using modern theoretical methods we study how H(s) is affected by an antiferromagnetic (AFM) IC between frustrated chains described in the J(1)-J(2)-spin model with ferromagnetic 1st and AFM 2nd neighbor in-chain exchange. A complex 3D-phase diagram has been found. For Li(2)CuO(2) and Ca(2)Y(2)Cu(5)O(10), we show that H(s) is solely determined by the IC and predict H(s)≈61 T for the latter. With H(s)≈55 T from magnetization data one reads out a weak IC for Li(2)CuO(2) close to that obtained from inelastic neutron scattering.     

Observing build up of geometric phase in an adiabatic RF flipper with the amplitude of its rotating field

To demonstrate that adiabatic RF flippers impose an inherent geometric phase on the neutron polarization vector, we built a NSE setup consisting of two pairs of such flippers in a pulsed neutron beam. As is well known, the combined gradient and RF fields in each flipper—in the rotating frame—behave as a rotating field. The amplitude of this field in the first three flippers was kept maximum. For various amplitudes of the rotating field in the remaining flipper we measured the NSE pattern. Besides the shift of the NSE-point due to the variation of the dynamic phase, the NSE patterns show the development of the geometric phase.     

A radiofrequency coil configuration for imaging the human vertebral column at 7 T

We describe the design and testing of a quadrature transmit, eight-channel receive array RF coil configuration for the acquisition of images of the entire human spinal column at 7 T. Imaging parameters were selected to enable data acquisition in a clinically relevant scan time. Large field-of-view (FOV) scanning enabled sagittal imaging of the spine in two or three-stations, depending upon the height of the volunteer, with a total scan time of between 10 and 15 min. A total of 10 volunteers have been scanned, with results presented for the three subjects spanning the range of heights and weights, namely one female (1.6 m, 50 kg), one average male (1.8 m, 70 kg), and one large male (1.9 m, 100 kg).     

Neutron-rich isotope production using the uranium carbide multi-foil SPES target prototype

In the framework of the R&D program for the SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) project of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), production yields of neutron-rich isotopes have been measured at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA). This experiment makes use of the multi-foil SPES target prototype composed of 7 uranium carbide discs, with excess of graphite (ratio C/U = 4 . 77 isotopes of medium mass (between 72 and 141amu), produced via proton-induced fission of uranium using a 40MeV proton beam, have been collected and analyzed for the target heated at 2000 ^° C target temperature.     

Cooling of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Λ</Emphasis>-type three-level atom in a high-finesse optical cavity

A theoretical study is carried out for the cavity cooling of a Λ-type three-level atom in a high-finesse optical cavity driven by a weakly field. Analytical expressions for the friction, diffusion coefficients and the equilibrium temperature are obtained by using the Heisenberg equations, then they are calculated numerically and shown graphically as functions of the controlling parameters. For a suitable choice of these parameters, the dynamics of the cavity field interaction with the Λ-type three-level atom introduces a sisyphus cooling mechanism yielding lower temperature than the one of the two-level atom, avoiding the problems induced by spontaneous emission.     

Exploring the origins of the power-law properties of energy landscapes: An egg-box model

Multidimensional potential energy landscapes (PELs) have a Gaussian distribution for the energies of the minima, but at the same time the distribution of the hyperareas for the basins of attraction surrounding the minima follows a power-law. To explore how both these features can simultaneously be true, we introduce an “egg-box” model. In these model landscapes, the Gaussian energy distribution is used as a starting point and we examine whether a power-law basin area distribution can arise as a natural consequence through the swallowing up of higher-energy minima by larger low-energy basins when the variance of this Gaussian is increased sufficiently. Although the basin area distribution is substantially broadened by this process, it is insufficient to generate power-laws, highlighting the role played by the inhomogeneous distribution of basins in configuration space for actual PELs.