Zeeman transitions in deuterium atoms induced by ultra-relativistic electrons

We present data showing hyperfine transitions in an atomic deuterium beam induced by the (476 MHz) radio-frequency field of a 704 MeV electron beam in a storage ring. A polarized deuterium beam, produced in an atomic beam source, was crossed with a stored electron beam and analyzed with a Breit--Rabi polarimeter. Electron-beam induced transitions were singled out by injecting different combinations of hyperfine states. Transition probabilities as high as 70% were measured at large currents (~ 100 mA). All possible deuterium transitions for a radio-frequency of 476 MHz were observed. In addition, a 1--6 transition resulting from the first harmonic (952 MHz) was observed. The effects of these transitions are of general importance for the polarized internal target technique applied in nuclear and particle physics experiments. The data are reasonably described by numerical estimates. The observed mechanism can be exploited to create nuclear polarized atoms when injecting electron polarized atoms with no net nuclear polarization into a storage cell. However, when nuclear polarized atoms are injected, care should be taken to avoid this mechanism, since it would result in depolarization of the atoms. The studies enabled us to choose the magnetic guide field during our spin-dependent electron--deuteron scattering experiments, such that electron-beam induced depolarizing effects were avoided. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The four-loop β-function in quantum chromodynamics

We present the analytical calculation of the four-loop QCD β-function within the minimal subtraction scheme.     

Lifetime study of high-spin states in 104,105In

In the neutron deficient isotopes _104,105In lifetimes of high spin states in the range from 0.5 ps to 600 ps have been measured in a coincidence recoil distance Doppler shift (RDDS) experiment. By combining the Doppler shift attenuation (DSA) and RDDS methods at few μm flight distances, the problem of delayed feeding has been avoided and very short lifetimes in the range 0.5–0.8 ps have been determined. Shell model calculations with strong restrictions for the neutron orbitals reveal good agreement with experimental level energies and still fair agreement for most measured B(M1) and B(E2) values. Received: 30 June 1998     

Magnetism in electron-doped copper oxides

We report muon spin relaxation/rotation measurements on sintered powder samples of Nd_2−x Ce _x CuO_4−y and a large single crystal of Nd₂CuO_4−y . We find an electronic phase diagram which is quite similar to that of hole-doped superconductors such as La_2−x Sr _x CuO_4−y , although the doping of electrons into the system is less efficient in destroying the static moments on the copper spins. Static magnetic order in Nd₂CuO_4−y appears below about 250 K, and two spin reorientations are seen atT=75 K andT=35 K. Measurements of the magnetic field penetration depth have been unsuccessful due to the rare-earth paramagnetism of these materials.     

Ordering of substitutional ternary alloys with an fcc lattice

The possible types of ordering diagrams of ternary substutional alloys with an fcc lattice are analyzed, taking account of interactions in two coordination spheres.Ural Polytechnic Institute. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 38–41, December, 1992.     

Collision Avoidance in Bi-Directional AGV Systems

The use of a bi-directional, as opposed to a one-way, transportation system, can increase the operational efficiency of automated guided vehicles in both manufacturing and warehousing environments. However, the full potential will only be realized if the routeing algorithms pay particular attention to the problem of collision avoidance. This paper is concerned with the development of such an algorithm. The method is based on the use of delays and deviations to avoid collisions that could arise when using the shortest routes for each vehicle, and is applicable to any transportation system which can be represented as a network with known travel times.     

Novel optical techniques for the analysis of polymer surfaces and thin films

Summary We report on novel optical techniques, based on evanescent waves, for the characterization of polymer surfaces and thin films. We first describe photo-ablation studies with polysilane films investigated by surface plasmon microscopy, a technique which is particularly well-suited for ultrathin samples. Thicker films that are homogeneous enough to carry optical waveguide modes can be characterized with high lateral resolution by the recently developed waveguide microscopy. We demonstrate this for a thin film of a solid polyelectrolyte. Finally, we report on surface plasmon field-enhanced Raman-spectroscopic and -imaging investigations of ultrathin Langmuir-Blodgett-Kuhn-layers of cadmium arachidate.W. Hickel is now with HOECHST AG, Angewandte Physik, W-6230 Frankfurt 80     

The liquid-crystalline behaviour of amphiphilic ethane-1,2-diol derivatives incorporating a six membered ring in their principal structure

Novel 3-phenyloxy substituted propane-1,2-diol derivatives, 4-(4-n-hexyloxyphenyl)-butane-1,2-diol and 4-(trans-4-n-pyropylcyclohexyl)-butane-1,2-diol have been synthesized and their thermal behaviour has been studied. These compounds exhibit thermotropic and, after addition of water, also lyotropic liquid-crystalline behaviour. The clearing temperatures of the smectic mesophases were found to be strongly dependent on the alkyl chain length and on the structural units that link the aromatic ring to the alkyl chain and to the diol unit. The behaviour of the aromatic compounds is compared with that of the cyclohexane derivative. Thereby it has been realized that the mesophase stability of the amphiphilic diols incorporating a rigid unit is largely determined by both, the molecular geometry (molecular shape and intramolecular flexibility) and the amphiphilic structural pattern.     

Salt effects in the aqueous alkaline hydrolysis of N-hydroxyphthalimide. Kinetic evidence for the ion-pair formation

The effects of the concentrations of LiCl, NaCl, KCl, CsCl, Na₂CO₃, BaCl₂, and Me₄NCl on the rates of reactions of hydroxide ion with ionized N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHP) at 30°C and in a H₂O–MeCN solvent containing 98%, v/v, H₂O reveal a nonlinear increase in observed rate constants with increase in salt concentrations. The observed rate constants are highly sensitive to the valence state of cations and almost insensitive to the valence state of anions of the salts. These observations are explained in terms of ion-pair formation between cations and NHP^?.