Particle-vibration coupling: Recent advances in microscopic calculations with the Skyrme Hamiltonian

In this contribution, we report some recent progress in our understanding of particle-vibration coupling (PVC) in nuclei. In particular, we first review the formal development that has allowed some of us to deduce the PVC equations within the Green’s functionmethod. Applications are then discussed, both in the case of single-particle states and giant resonances in magic nuclei. We also present a new model that extends the PVC ansatz and is meant to account for the complete low-lying spectra of odd nuclei.     

Experimental evaluation of epithermal neutron self-shielding for 96Zr and 98Mo

In a previous work we experimentally tested some neutron self-shielding calculations methods for thermal absorbers, from which the semi-empirical “sigmoid method” gave the most accurate results. In this work we aim at evaluating the accuracy of this method on the epithermal self-shielding phenomena as compared to the analytical “MatSSF method”. Metallic foils of Zr and Mo were compactly stacked together into small cylinders (or disks) of different thickness, allowing for up to 20 % epithermal self-shielding when irradiated on two channels of the BR1 reactor. A 2 % relative difference between calculated and experimental self-shielding factors was obtained from the MatSSF method when a perpendicular source-sample axial configuration was assumed, while the isotropic or the co-axial configuration alternatives gave up to 10 % relative differences. On the other hand, the sigmoid method gave relative differences of up to 6 % that can be reduced to just 2 % by applying the “effective” epithermal absorption cross-sections for ⁹⁸Mo and ⁹⁶Zr proposed in this work.     

Comparison of Eu(NO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> and Eu(acac)<Subscript>3</Subscript> precursors for doping luminescent silica nanoparticles

In this study, we report the comparison between Eu³⁺-doped silica nanoparticles synthesized by Stöber method using Eu(NO₃)₃ or Eu(acac)₃ as precursors. The impact of different europium species on the properties of the final silica nanospheres is investigated in details in terms of size, morphology, reachable doping amount, and luminescence efficiency. Moreover, the results obtained for different thermal treatments are presented and discussed. It is shown that the organic complex modify the silica growing process, leading to bigger and irregular nanoparticles (500–800 nm) with respect to the perfectly spherical ones (400 nm) obtained by the nitrate salt, but their luminescence intensity and lifetime is significantly higher when 800–900 °C annealing is performed.     

Synthesis and thermal properties of NiSbS–As doped phase

The substitution of Sb with As in the NiSbS intermetallic compound was studied in the framework of evaluating a possible increase of the thermoelectric properties. Different NiSb_1?xAs_xS samples were synthesized with increasing amounts of As (0 < x < 0.66) employing a simple synthetic route using a muffle furnace. Scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to investigate the microstructure. X-ray powder diffraction techniques were employed in order to study the possible existence of a solid solution between NiSbS and NiAsS compounds, as well as to identify the crystal structure and determine the lattice parameters. All compounds were found to crystallise with the NiSbS prototype (cP12-P2₁3), with lattice parameters varying from a = 0.59341(7) nm (x = 0) to a = 0.56849(6) nm (x = 1). Good agreement with Vegard’s law was evidenced. Thermal measurements on NiSb_1?xAs_xS samples were carried out using DTA instruments to evaluate the thermal stability and the melting temperatures.     

On the determination of the point of fracture initiation by the load separation criterion in J-testing of ductile polymers

The application of an experimental approach based on the load separation criterion for the determination of the point of fracture initiation in a fracture test on a ductile polymer was critically examined. To this aim, the fracture process outlined by the application of this method was related to that described by the visual analysis of the fracture surfaces obtained in fracture tests on nominally identical specimens, in which different levels of crack extension were produced. The material examined was an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin, and the fracture tests were performed at low loading rate on single-edge notched in bending specimens.The results demonstrated that this load separation criterion based methodology is a promising approach for the determination of the point of fracture initiation, and for material fracture resistance, J_Ic, evaluation. The method also has experimental simplicity and a high degree of repeatability.