Nuclear tracks created by 90 MeV carbon ions in ZnO crystal

The distribution of the lengths of the tracks, created by 90 Mev Carbon ions in Zno crystal consists of three groups with an average value about 52, 67 and 102 micrometers. The first group of the tracks may be treated as unchannelling particles. The second group corresponds to channeling particles and the third one represents superchannelling particles.     

On search and identification of tracks due to short-lived SHE nuclei in extraterrestrial crystals

The unique approach for search and unambiguous identification of short-lived (T_1/2=10³–10⁷ years) superheavy nuclei in cosmic-ray products of the recent nucleosynthesis in our Galaxy are discussed.It is based on: (a) the ability of non-conducting crystals to register and to store for many million years the tracks due to fast nuclei with atomic number Z20 (“fossil” tracks);(b) calibrations of the said crystals with accelerated heavy ions (20Z92) and on revealing the volume etchable track length (VETL) of the fast nuclei coming to rest inside crystals—both of fossil and “fresh” tracks—to determine the charge distribution of cosmic-ray nuclei tracks and(c) the so-called “four-zone” model of tracks in crystals (and also glasses) which provides not only the VETL track length dependence for 20Z92 nuclei but also demonstrates the regular annealing behavior of VETL of 20Z92 nuclei in a broad temperature interval.This approach was first applied in the early 1980s to investigate the “fossil” tracks due to 22Z92 cosmic-ray nuclei in olivine crystals from meteorites-pallasite Marjalahti and Eagle Station.The discovery of Th–U cosmic-ray nuclei tracks in 1980 was unambiguously confirmed by calibrations of the same crystals with ²³⁸U, ¹⁹⁷Au and ²⁰⁸Pb accelerated ions in the late 1980s. More than 1600 tracks due to cosmic-ray actinide nuclei were measured during the last two decades of the 20th century.Also, 11 anomalously long tracks (track length exceeds by a factor (1.6±0.1) the track length due to Th–U nuclei were measured. The detailed analysis shows that at least 5 of these tracks could not be attributed to the Th–U nuclei. It means that now we have a preliminary proof on the existence Z110 nuclei in cosmic-rays. The abundance is Z110/Th–U=(1–3)×10⁻³ in Z110 freshly formed cosmic-rays (time interval 10³–10⁷ years).The method proposed can provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for the discovery of Z110 nuclei in nature.     

Observation of nuclear track in organic material by Atomic Force microscopy in real time during etching

The developments of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allow to investigated solid surfaces with a nanometer scale. These techniques are useful methods allowing direct observation of surface morphologies. Particularly in the nuclear track fields, they offer a new tool to give many new informations on track formation. In this paper we present the preliminary results of a new use of this technique to characterize continuously the formation of the revealed track in a cellulose nitrate detector (LR115) after an alpha particle irradiation. For that, a specific cell has been used to observe, by nano-observations, the evolution of track shapes simultaneously with chemical treatment. Thus, the track shape evolution has been studied; visualizing the evolution of the tracks in real time, in situ during the chemical etching process.     

MeV-ion-induced defects in organic crystals

We present scanning force microscope images of crater-like defects induced by MeV atomic ions incident on single-crystal L-valine surfaces. For grazing incidence ions, the craters are elongated alongthe ion azimuth of incidence and are followed by raised tails in the surface above the ion track. Craters formed by off-normal ions are wider than craters formed by nrmally incident ions. The crater volume is highly nonlinear in (dE/dx)_e. We discuss our observations qualitatively in terms of thermal-spike and pressure-pulse/shock-wave models for the sputtering of organic solids.     

Coupled chemical reactions in dynamic nanometric confinement: V. The influence of Li+ and F− ions on etching of nuclear tracks in polymers

Etching of continuous nuclear tracks in thin polymer foils from both sides is known to lead to the formation of double-conical nanopores. In this work and related ones we try to find out how this etching kinetics is modified when materials are added which react with each other upon their contact towards some new product that influences the etching. For that purpose we have chosen here Li⁺ and F^? ions as the additions, which react with each other to form LiF precipitations. The coupled etching and precipitation kinetics is recorded by measuring the electrical current that is transmitted through the foils upon application of a low-frequency alternating sinusoidal voltage. Depending on the etchant concentrations, the etching temperature and the time of Li⁺ and F^? addition, different effects are found that range from (a) no alteration of the transmitted current at all, via (b) the emergence of an alternating current with a temperature-dependent amplitude, and (c) the complete vanishing of any transmitted current at all, towards (d) chaotic transmitted current histories with phases with strong current spike emission and (e) rather quiet phases, alternating with each other in a rather unsystematic way. The observed effects are ascribed to (a) the enhanced penetration efficiency of both the Li⁺ and F^? ions through the polymeric bulk and/or latent ion tracks after the removal of the polymer's protective surface layer by the etchant, (b) the high mobility of preferentially the F^? ions within the polymer, (c) the LiF precipitation within the polymer or on its surface upon encounter of Li⁺ and F^? ions, (d) the nanofluidic properties of narrow etched tracks covered with Li⁺ ions on the wall surfaces and F^? ions beyond, and/or (e) the formation of LiF membranes within the etched tracks.     

Impact of vacuum degree on the aerodynamics of a high-speed train capsule running in a tube

Motivated by the growing scientific and engineering interest in evacuated tube railway transportation systems, in this paper we numerically study the influence of the vacuum degree on the flow field around a train capsule running in an evacuated tube with circular section. The vacuum degree is increased by lowering the nominal pressure inside the tube. The numerical simulations are fully verified by wind-tunnel experimental data of supersonic flows around a blunt body and in a scramjet combustion chamber, as well as by several numerical results in other related studies. The flow around the train capsule is characterized by a compression region in front of the train, a chocked flow near the train, and a complex highly unsteady region behind the train, where expansions waves and reflecting oblique shock waves exist. The total aerodynamic drag and the vacuum degree are found to be linearly related, revealing that lowering the nominal pressure can have a significantly beneficial effect on the aerodynamic performance of the train capsule. The aerodynamic heating due to compressibility effects and the increased pressure are more prominent along the centreline of the tube than on the tube wall. As the vacuum degree increases, the temperature and pressure differences between the front and the tail of the train and the intensity of the reflected shock waves become less significant, so that the extension of the expansion region in the train wake shortens.     

Analysis of particle methods for structured population models with nonlocal boundary term in the framework of bounded Lipschitz distance

Recently developed theoretical framework for analysis of structured population dynamics in the spaces of nonnegative Radon measures with a suitable metric provides a rigorous tool to study numerical schemes based on particle methods. The approach is based on the idea of tracing growth and transport of measures which approximate the solution of original partial differential equation. In this article, we present analytical and numerical study of two versions of Escalator Boxcar Train algorithm which has been widely applied in theoretical biology, and compare it to the recently developed split‐up algorithm. The novelty of this article is in showing well‐posedness and convergence rates of the schemes using the concept of semiflows on metric spaces. Theoretical results are validated by numerical simulations of test cases, in which distances between simulated and exact solutions are computed using flat metric. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 30: 1797–1820, 2014     

Track structure in dielectric and semiconductor single crystals irradiated by heavy ions with high level of inelastic energy losses

The phenomenological model of the track formation processes during a heavy ion passing through materials is discussed. This model is based on the scanning tunneling and electronic microscopy investigations of diamond single crystals and stainless steel subjected to ⁴⁰Ar, ⁸⁴Kr and ¹²⁹Xe ion irradiation with energies in the MeV region. The energy and temperature criteria when crater formation on the surface during the heavy ion irradiation takes place are introduced.     

Factors affecting the registration and counting of alpha tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors

In view of the fact that the radon progeny contribute the highest to the natural radiation dose to general populations, large scale and long-term measurements of radon and its progeny in the houses have been receiving considerable attention. Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD) based systems, being the best suited for large scale passive monitoring, have been widely used for the radon gas (using a cup closed with a semi-permeable membrane) and to a limited extent, for the measurement of radon progeny (using bare mode in conjunction with the cup). These have been employed for radon mapping and indoor radon epidemiological studies with good results. In this technique, alpha tracks recorded on SSNTD films are converted to radon/thoron concentrations using corresponding conversion factors obtained from calibration experiments carried out in controlled environments. The detector response to alpha particles depends mainly on the registration efficiency of the alpha tracks on the detector films and the subsequent counting efficiency. While the former depends on the exposure design, the latter depends on the protocols followed for developing and counting of the tracks. The paper discusses on parameters like etchant temperature, stirring of the etchant and duration of etching and their influence on the etching rates on LR-115 films. Concept of break down thickness of the SSNTD film in spark counting technique is discussed with experimental results. Error estimates on measurement results as a function of background tracks of the films are also discussed in the paper.      

Track structure in polyethylene terephthalate irradiated by heavy ions: Let dependence of track diameter

The structure of latent tracks in polyethylene terephthalate is studied using chemical etching combined with a conductometric technique. Geometrical parameters of the latent tracks for the range of the electronic energy loss (dE/dx) between 3 to 24 keV/nm are estimated. The dependence of the track core and track halo size on the energy loss is analyzed.