Time resolved spectroscopic NMR imaging using hyperpolarized Xe

We have visualized the melting and dissolution processes of xenon (Xe) ice into different solvents using the methods of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, imaging, and time resolved spectroscopic imaging by means of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe. Starting from the initial condition of a hyperpolarized solid Xe layer frozen on top of an ethanol (ethanol/water) ice block we measured the Xe phase transitions as a function of time and temperature. In the pure ethanol sample, pieces of Xe ice first fall through the viscous ethanol to the bottom of the sample tube and then form a thin layer of liquid Xe/ethanol. The xenon atoms are trapped in this liquid layer up to room temperature and keep their magnetization over a time period of 11 min. In the ethanol/water mixture (80 vol%/20%), most of the polarized Xe liquid first stays on top of the ethanol/water ice block and then starts to penetrate into the pores and cracks of the ethanol/water ice block. In the final stage, nearly all the Xe polarization is in the gas phase above the liquid and trapped inside the pores. NMR spectra of homogeneous samples of pure ethanol containing thermally polarized Xe and the spectroscopic images of the melting process show that very high concentrations of hyperpolarized Xe (about half of the density of liquid Xe) can be stored or delivered in pure ethanol.     

一种高温超导磁悬浮装置

本文介绍一个基于倒挂吸引式(EMS)原理的高温超导磁悬浮试验装置．这个装置由高温超导磁体、单臂梁金属导轨、位置传感器、控制电路等组成．绕制超导磁体线圈所用的是Bi-2223／Ag高温超导线材．超导磁体工作在激磁电流为3．2A时，在5mm的空气间隙中产生0．21T的磁通密度，与单臂梁金属导轨可产生72N的垂直悬浮力．通过引入压控电流源，利用常规的超前一滞后校正实现了该磁悬浮装置的稳定悬浮和鲁棒控制，在负载变化87．5%的情况下仍能实现超导磁悬浮装置的稳定悬浮．该试验装置首次验证了高温超导线圈的可控性问题，为进一步探索高温超导线圈用于磁悬浮轨道交通系统的可行性打下了基础．     

Possible triggering of solar activity to big earthquakes (Ms ≥ 8) in faults with near west-east strike in China

A big earthquake (Ms = 8.1) occurred at western Kunlun Mts gap on November 14, 2001. It is the biggest earthquake in China in the past 50 years and the only one with a magnitude bigger than 8 in China after Dangxiong Earthquake (M = 8) in Tibet in 1951. The big earthquake has drawn wide attention of scientists in seismological, geophysical, geological and astro-geodynamic circles. Scientists are interested in the occurrence regularity of the very big earthquakes and try to find out the fac…