Precise half-life measurements for 38Ca and 39Ca

The half-lives of ³⁸Ca and ³⁹Ca have been measured at ISOLDE of CERN. The REXTRAP facility was used to prepare ultra-clean samples of radioactive nuclei for precision decay spectroscopy. ³⁸Ca is one of the T _z = - 1 , 0⁺ $ \rightarrow$ 0⁺ $ \beta$ -emitting nuclides used to determine the vector coupling constant of the weak interaction and the V_ud quark-mixing matrix element. The result obtained, T _1/2 = 443.8(19) ms, is four times more precise than the average of previous measurements. For ³⁹Ca , a half-life of T _1/2 = 860.7(10) ms is obtained, a result in agreement with the average value from the literature.     

Implications in the use of sputtering for layer removal: the system Au on Si

Au films deposited on Si substrates have been sputtered by 20 and 100 keV Ar bombardment, respectively. Bombardment-induced intermixing of Au and Si was observed at film thicknesses considerably larger than the projectile range. Due to radiation-enhanced diffusion, the partial sputtering yield of Au from Si-Au alloys decreases with increasing fluence. Complete removal of Au from Si is impossible if Ar ions are used for sputtering.     

The influence of implanted xenon on the sputtering yield of silicon

Following implantation labeling with either 200 or 270 keV Xe⁺ the sputtering yield of silicon bombarded with 20 keV Xe⁺ has been determined in situ by means of the backscattering technique (Y = 3.0 ± 0.3 (atoms/ion)). Yield enhancement by up to 60% was observed in cases where the implantation-induced xenon concentrations exceeded the saturation concentration during sputtering. The effect is attributed to (i) an increase in energy deposition at the surface introduced by pronounced xenon loading of the target and (ii) lowering of the surface binding energy. As a consequence the energy dependence of the xenon sputtering yield of silicon is expected to be strongly affected by the energy dependence of the xenon saturation concentration in silicon. Available experimental data support this idea.     

Distribution of hydraulic conductivity in single scale anisotropy

The cluster statistics of percolation theory are used to find the distributions of hydraulic conductivity, K, of anisotropic (truncated) random fractal media. Rescaling of variables to transform anisotropic to isotropic media also produces deformations of, for example experimental volumes, and the resulting non-equidimensional shapes may generate interesting size effects on K. Previously, the most likely value of K was obtained by comparing the correlation length from percolation theory with system dimensions, a procedure analogous to those developed for hopping conduction in disordered systems to calculate the longitudinal conductivity of thin films. The result probably explains the frequent tendencies of measurements of K in anisotropic fracture networks and agricultural soils to increase with the scale of measurement, similarly to how the longitudinal conductivity of a thick film would be larger than the corresponding conductivity of a thin film (three- rather than two-dimensional conduction). However, the same procedure applied to the conductivity in the perpendicular direction (analogous to the transverse electrical conductivity of a thin film) shows a diminishing function of spatial scale. Collectively, these ‘scale effects’ disappear if the shape of the experimental volume is selected to maintain the relationships of conduction in the various directions as the scale of the experiment is increased analogously to equidimensional volumes in isotropic media. The increase in K is, thus, merely due to an increase in the dimensionality of conduction from one to three with increasing system size. The paper, thus, provides a solid argument against a common assumption in the porous media communities that the connectivity of highly conducting regions of a medium should increase with increasing scale of measurement.     

The Caffarelli Alternative in Measure for the Nondivergence Form Elliptic Obstacle Problem with Principal Coefficients in VMO

We study the obstacle problem with an elliptic operator in nondivergence form with principal coefficients in VMO. We develop all of the basic theory of existence, uniqueness, optimal regularity, and nondegeneracy of the solutions. These results, in turn, allow us to begin the study of the regularity of the free boundary, and we show existence of blowup limits, a basic measure stability result, and a measure-theoretic version of the Caffarelli alternative proven in [3 Caffarelli , L.A. ( 1977 ). The regularity of free boundaries in higher dimensions . Acta Math. 139 : 155 – 184 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]].     

Nuclear structure at the proton drip line: Advances with nuclear decay studies

The study of nuclear decay modes reveals a large panel of nuclear structure phenomena and allows us to investigate the behaviour of the atomic nucleus with an extreme imbalance of the number of neutrons and protons with respect to stable nuclei. In the present paper, we review certain aspects of β-delayed decay modes, of one- and two-proton radioactivity, and of the experimental techniques which allowed us to get deep insights into the organisation of the atomic nucleus. In most cases, the study of these decay modes is the only means to obtain the information searched for. The investigation of nuclear decay modes is shown to be a powerful tool to study the most proton-rich nuclei and their nuclear structure.     

Correlated exciton relaxation in Poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Two-color 3 pulse photon echo peak shift (2C-3PEPS) measurements on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (3PHT) demonstrate that spectral regions in the photoluminescence remain correlated with the excitation, despite large differences in energy (>0.5 eV). The observations are explained in terms of exciton-phonon coupling that is dominated by only two motions: one high frequency bond stretch and a low frequency torsional motion. Numerical simulations of the 2C-3PEPS are shown to be consistent with the experimental observations. The results demonstrate that initial intramolecular exciton relaxation in P3HT is not primarily a stochastic process, but is driven by strong, selective exciton-phonon coupling to torsional motions.     

Die Molekül- und Kristallstrukturen von (CO)4 W(μ-S-t-C4H9)2W(CO)4, η7-C7H7W(μ-SC6H4CH3)3W(CO)3 und η7-C7H7W(μ-S-n-C4H9)3W(CO)(μ-S-n-C4H9)2W(CO)4

Molecular and Crystal Structures of (CO)₄W(μ-S-t-C₄H₉)₂W(CO)₄, η⁷-C₇H₇W(μ-SC₆H₄CH₃)₃W(CO)₃ and η⁷-C₇H₇W(μ-S-n-C₄H₉)₃W(CO)(μ-S-n-C₄H₉)₂W(CO)₄ The molecular structures of the two binuclear complexes (CO)₄W(μ-S-t-C₄H₉)₂W(CO)₄ and η⁷-C₇H₇W(μ-SC₆H₄CH₃)₃W(CO)₃ and of the tungsten cluster η⁷-C₇H₇W(μ-S-n-C₄H₉)₃W(CO)-(μ-S-n-C₄H₉)₂W(CO)₄ respectively are described. In the nonlinear trinuclear cluster the central tungsten atom is connected to the two tungsten atoms by two and three μ-S-n-C₄H₉ bridges respectively and additionally by one W? W bond each. The coordination sphere of the W atoms is completed by a η⁷-C₇H₇ ring and four CO groups respectively; the central tungsten carries an additional CO group.     

Microphotoluminescence of C<Subscript>60</Subscript> Fullerites Synthesized under a Pressure of 13 GPa and Temperatures of 770–2100 K

C₆₀ fullerite samples synthesized under a pressure of P = 13 GPa and temperatures of T_s = 770 ? 2100 K were studied by scanning microphotoluminescence (MPL) at room temperature. The MPL of cleaved chip surfaces indicates the presence of emitting areas with linear dimensions from 35 to 350 μ. A band at 700 nm, which is characteristic for linear and planar C₆₀ polymers, was revealed in all 3D-polymerized fullerites too. New bands at 1100?2300 nm are observed in PL spectra of substances synthesized at 870 ≤ T_s ≤ 1270 K. Separated areas of several optically active moieties responsible for luminescence in the range 1100?2300 nm were detected by MPL cartography. The origin of this band is tentatively attributed to traps located on C₆₀-oxygen and nitrogen inclusions associated with defects of the crystal lattice.