Hyperfine magnetic fields at sp-sites in Co2YZ Heusler alloys

The systematics of hyperfine magnetic fields at sp impurities on the Z-sites in Co based Heusler alloys are investigated. New TDPAC measurements of Cd hyperfine fields are reported.     

Quantitation of homoharringtonine in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with amperometric detection

A high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure was developed for the quantitation of homoharringtonine in plasma. Harringtonine was used as an internal standard, and 1 ml of sample was required. The single-step extraction with dichloromethane resulted in almost 100% recovery for homoharringtonine and harringtonine. Analysis was performed on a reversed-phase CN column with amperometric detection. Chromatography was completed in 12 min. At an oxidation potential of +1.0 V, the detection limit was 1 ng/ml at a signal-to-noise ratio of 2. The mean analytical recovery for homoharringtonine was 99.5%. The within-run precision and between-run precision were both less than 11%. The method is equally applicable for plasma or serum, and it has been demonstrated to be applicable for study of the pharmacokinetics of homoharringtonine in patients suffering from acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia.     

200 femtosecond impulse response of a Fabry–Pérot etalon with the spectral ballistic imaging technique

We use the spectral ballistic imaging technique to measure the impulse response of a Fabry–Pérot etalon with less than 0.2 ps temporal resolution. The results show excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions and negligible noise. Comparison to the Kramers–Kronig method along with its limitations is also presented. PACS 42.65.Re; 07.60.Ly; 42.30.Kq     

Speedup estimates for some variants of the parallel implementations of the branch-and-bound method

The efficiency of parallel implementations of the branch-and-bound method in discrete optimization problems is considered. A theoretical analysis and comparison of two parallel implementations of this method is performed. A mathematical model of the computation process is constructed and used to obtain estimates of the maximum possible speedup. Examples of problems in which none of these two parallel implementations can speed up the computations are considered.     

Preliminary studies on a variable energy positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy system

There are many advantages in being able to perform positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) using a variable energy positron beam, the most obvious being the easy identification of different defect types at different depths. The difficulty in conducting variable energy (VE) PALS studies lies in the fact that a “start” signal is required to signal the entry of the positron into the target. Two methods have been used to overcome this problem, namely the bunching technique, which employs radio frequency (RF) cavities and choppers, and secondly the use of secondary electrons emitted from the target. The latter technique is in terms of experimental complexity much simpler, but has in the past suffered from poor time resolution (typically ∼500 ps). In this work, we present a series of computer simulations of a design based on the secondary electron emission from thin C-foils in transmission mode which shows that significant improvements in time resolution can be made with resolutions ∼200 ps being in principle possible.     

Probing the neutrino mass matrix in next-generation neutrino oscillation experiments

We review the current status of the neutrino mass and mixing parameters needed to reconstruct the neutrino mass matrix. A comparative study of the precision in the measurement of oscillation parameters expected from the next-generation solar, atmospheric, reactor-and accelerator-based neutrino experiments is presented. We discuss the potential of 0νββ experiments in determining the neutrino mass hierarchy and the importance of a better ϑ ₁₂ measurement for it. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

Acoustic properties of the disordered relaxor ferroelectric PbSc1/2Ta1/2O3

The behavior of acoustic phonons in crystals of a relaxor ferroelectric, namely, the lead scandium tantalate PbSc_1/2Ta_1/2O₃ (PST), is studied in the vicinity of the diffuse phase transition. The behavior of longitudinal and transverse acoustic phonons in a PST single crystal is examined using Brillouin scattering. The phonon subsystem is found to behave anomalously in the vicinity of T = 297 K, which can probably be assigned to the existence of a phase transition. Analysis of the results obtained yields the values of the elastic moduli C₁₁, C₁₂, and C₄₄ for the cubic phase of the crystal over a wide temperature range.