Hermitian operator method calculation in thepf-shell

Excitations inpf-shell nuclei that may be described by a one-body Hermitian operator are calculated. For the ground states highly correlated wave functions are used, which were obtained by means of the Generator Coordinate Method (GCM). It is found that the results of the Hermitian Operator Method (HOM) for the excited states are sometimes superior to those of the GCM, especially for the two-quasiparticle states in the N=28 nuclei⁵⁰Ti,⁵²Cr,⁵⁴Fe. Typically vibrational or quasi-rotational 4⁺ and 6⁺ states in^{46, 48}Ti,⁵⁰Cr are not well reproduced by the HOM, as expected. A good account for theB(E2) values of transitions to the ground state can be given for all nuclei. It is concluded that the HOM is quite useful as a supplementary calculation and as a check for complicated calculations like the GCM.     

Covering dimension and finite-to-one maps

Hurewicz characterized the dimension of separable metrizable spaces by means of finite-to-one maps. We investigate whether this characterization also holds in the class of compact F-spaces of weight c. Our main result is that, assuming the Continuum Hypothesis, an n-dimensional compact F-space of weight c is the continuous image of a zero-dimensional compact Hausdorff space by an at most n²-to-1 map.     

Moments of the Mean of Dubins–Freedman Random Probability Distributions

Explicit formulas are given to recursively generate the moments of the mean M for Dubins–Freedman random distribution functions with arbitrary base measure . Using a standard inversion formula for moments of a distribution on the unit interval, the distribution of M is approximated for several natural choices of . The support of the mean is also considered. It is shown that the support of M is connected whenever is concentrated on the vertical bisector of the unit square S, but may have arbitrarily many gaps otherwise.     

Hyperfine structure and \user1{g} factor measurements on Ba+ and Eu+ isotopes

Paul and Penning ion traps have been used to determine hyperfine structure coupling constants as well as nuclear $\user1{g} $ factors of Ba⁺ ions with great precision. Attempts are under way to measure both quantities for a long chain of Eu isotopes in order to determine differential hyperfine anomalies for a better understanding of the Bohr–Weisskopf effect.     

Proton transfer events in GFP

Proton transfer is one of the most important elementary processes in biology. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) serves as an important model system to elucidate the mechanistic details of this reaction, because in GFP proton transfer can be induced by light absorption. Illumination initiates proton transfer through a 'proton-wire', formed by the chromophore (the proton donor), water molecule W22, Ser205 and Glu222 (the acceptor), on a picosecond time scale. To obtain a more refined view of this process, we have used a combined approach of time resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy and visible pump-dump-probe spectroscopy to resolve with atomic resolution how and how fast protons move through this wire. Our results indicate that absorption of light by GFP induces in 3 ps (10 ps in D(2)O) a shift of the equilibrium positions of all protons in the H-bonded network, leading to a partial protonation of Glu222 and to a so-called low barrier hydrogen bond (LBHB) for the chromophore's proton, giving rise to dual emission at 475 and 508 nm. This state is followed by a repositioning of the protons on the wire in 10 ps (80 ps in D(2)O), ultimately forming the fully deprotonated chromophore and protonated Glu222.     

Effect of Confinement on Proton‐Transfer Reactions in Water Nanopools

Proton transfer from the photoacid 8‐hydroxy‐1,3,6‐pyrenetrisulfonic acid (HPTS) to water is studied in reverse micelles with ionic (AOT=sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate) and non‐ionic (BRIJ‐30=polyoxyethylene(4)lauryl ether) surfactants. The dynamics are studied by probing the transient electronic absorption and transient vibrational absorption, both with sub‐picosecond resolution. The reverse micelle sizes range from approximately 1.6 to 5.5 nm in diameter. For both surfactants it is found that the rate of proton transfer decreases with decreasing reverse micelle size, regardless of surfactant. In addition, for AOT reverse micelles, a fraction of the photoacid molecules exhibit non‐radiative decay, preventing proton transfer.     

Validation and application of an LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of 13 pharmaceuticals in seawater

Knowledge of the presence of micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, in coastal areas, is very limited; therefore, the main objective of this study was to optimize and validate a new analytical method for the quantitative analysis of 13 multiclass pharmaceuticals in seawater. Target compounds included antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, β-blockers, lipid regulators and one psychiatric drug. A combination of solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography coupled with multiple mass spectrometry enabled their detection at the low nanogram per litre level. The limits of quantification varied between 1 and 50 ng L^-1, for most components the linearities were more than 0.99 and the recoveries obtained in seawater (95–108%) were satisfactory. This method was applied to seawater and estuarine water samples collected in the Belgian coastal zone, to assess the prevalence of common pharmaceuticals in this marine environment. Seven pharmaceuticals, including compounds of which the presence in marine environments had not been reported earlier, were detected, with salicylic acid and carbamazepine being the most abundant, in concentrations up to 855 ng L^-1.     

Microscopic approach to magnetic excitations in IBM-2

Starting from the collective SD subspace of the shell model, we construct boson images of the hamiltonian and the M1 and M3 operators by using the OAI method. In the magnetic operators one-boson as well as two-boson terms are considered. Energy spectra and g-factors of ^130,134Ba are well reproduced by this method. Relatively strong magnetic dipole and octupole transitions at E_x ～ 2 MeV are predicted. The M1 and M3 electron scattering form factors are calculated. It turns out that the magnetic dipole operator is mainly a one-body operator in boson space, whereas the magnetic octupole operator contains important two-boson terms, which give sizeable contributions to the excitation strengths. These two-boson terms tend to diminish the F-spin selectivity of M3 excitations.