Performance of a four‐element Si drift detector for X‐ray absorption fine‐structure spectroscopy: resolution, maximum count rate,and dead‐time correction with incorporation into the ATHENA data analysis software

The performance of a four‐element Si drift detector for energy‐dispersive fluorescence‐yield X‐ray absorption fine‐structure measurements is reported, operating at the National Institute of Standards and Technology beamline X23A2 at the National Synchrotron Light Source. The detector can acquire X‐ray absorption fine‐structure spectra with a throughput exceeding 4 × 10⁵ counts per second per detector element (>1.6 × 10⁶ total counts per second summed over all four channels). At this count rate the resolution at 6 keV is approximately 220 eV, which adequately resolves the Mn Kα and Kβ fluorescence lines. Accurate dead‐time correction is demonstrated, and it has been incorporated into the ATHENA data analysis program. To maintain counting efficiency and high signal to background, it is suggested that the incoming count rate should not exceed ～70% of the maximum throughput.     

Ion-trap quantum information processing:experimental status

Atomic ions trapped in ultra-high vacuum form an especially well-understood and useful physical system for quantum information processing. They provide excellent shielding of quantum information from environmental noise, while strong, well-controlled laser interactions readily provide quantum logic gates. A number of basic quantum information protocols have been demonstrated with trapped ions. Much current work aims at the construction of large-scale ion-trap quantum computers using complex microfabricated trap arrays. Several groups are also actively pursuing quantum interfacing of trapped ions with photons.      

Level density and shape changes in excited sd shell nuclei

In the present calculation we have used the Monte Carlo method of generating collective spin and total energy of the nucleus for various configurations of the system with N ₀ single particle states available for n number of particles. The different configurations (arrangements of occupied single particle states) leading to a particular energy E and spin J are then collected to get the density of states for the given energy E and spin J. We find that if we use the cranked Nilsson model single particle states for the rotational frequency Ω = 0.0ħω, 0.05ħω and 0.1ħω there is a shift in the maximum density of states W _max with a tendency for the system to become more oblate or prolate depending on the shift in the maximum density of states as the angular momentum decreases or increases. The change in nuclear level density with collectivity, i.e. with the use of cranked Nilsson model single particle levels has been noticed.      

Analysis of film strain and stress in a film-substrate cantilever system

The bending problem of a magnetic film-nonmagnetic substrate cantilever system is studied by using the principle of energy minimization. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of geometrical and physical parameter dependence of the neutral plane, internal film stress and strain of the cantilever system, and then the influence of such a parameter on the bending characteristic is presented. The results indicate, owing to the anisotropic expanding feature of the magnetostriction, that the neutral plane is generally anisotropic, and moves downwards rapidly with the increasing thickness ratio. Meanwhile, the bounding rigidity of substrate on the film will decrease with the increasing thickness ratio, and thus release the film stress, i.e., it decreases, but the film strain increases. The effect of Poisson’s ratio of the materials on the film strain, the stress and the neutral plane in the direction transverse to the magnetization is prominent. For the strain and the stress in the magnetization, however, the role of Poisson’s ratio is inconspicuous. This property is due to the initiative elongating (or contracting) feature of the magnetic film along its magnetization. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10762001), the Key Project of the Chinese Ministry of Education (Grant No. 206024), and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (Grant No. NCET-2005-0272)     

α-甘氨酸晶体中NH_3~+扭曲振动的变温拉曼光谱研究

1999年,Chilcott研究了α-甘氨酸单晶电阻抗随温度的变化,发现晶体在304 K开始导电。为了了解其导电机理,本文研究90 K到340 K的拉曼光谱,发现在α-甘氨酸单晶中NH3+扭曲振动模式分裂,表现为N-H(6)…O(1)(491 cm-1)和N-H(7)…O(2)(483 cm-1)模式,以及CO2-摇摆模式(503cm-1),在304 K均有不连续性变化,并与变温中子衍射晶体结构层内的氢键N-H(6)…O(1)键角和N-H(7)…O(2)长度出现转折点一致。由于α-甘氨酸晶胞中NH3+和CO2-基团构成的电偶极子在变温下重新定向,出现两性离子电荷重心变化致使晶体极化,引起晶体在304 K左右发生了铁电相变。     

Monitoring membrane rafts in colorectal cancer cells by means of correlative fluorescence electron microscopy (CFEM)

Detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) rafts have been shown to play a pivotal role in regulating key cell biological processes, such as signal transduction, cellular transport and cell survival. The fine structure of membrane rafts are studied using various different imaging approaches and the outcomes are largely dependent on the detection methodology applied. All these microscopy techniques which employ light-, laser- and photon-optics, electrons as well as atomic force probing are characterized on their turn by their strengths and limitations for membrane raft identification. This explains in part the diversity of definitions available to describe these peculiar membrane structures. We present herewith an alternative and uncomplicated microscopy tool to study fluorescently labelled DRMs with information at the transmission electron microscopical level of the same cell, enabling us to obtain a snapshot of the morpho-functional relationships between the cell's interior and DRMs. The proposed approach of correlative fluorescence electron microscopy (CFEM) can therefore be considered as an additional alternative imaging approach to unravel DRM structure–function relationships from micro- to nanometre length scales, from the cell to the molecule.     

Fabrication of nanopatterned germanium surface by laser-induced etching: AFM, Raman and PL studies

Fabrication of the nanopatterned germanium (Ge) surface is done by laser-induced etching. Atomic force microscopy is utilized here to study the surface and sizes of Ge nanoparticles. Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy have been used to characterize their vibrational and light emission properties. Wavelength-dependent Raman investigations of these nanopatterned Ge surface reveal spatial distribution of sizes of nanoparticles. Nanopatterned Ge structures (etched for 60 min) emit a broad PL band having two maxima at 2.1 and 2.35 eV.     

Development and testing of a CW-EPR apparatus for imaging of short-lifetime nitroxyl radicals in mouse head

This article describes a method for reducing the acquisition time in three-dimensional (3D) continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW-EPR) imaging. To visualize nitroxyl spin probes, which have a short lifetime in living organisms, the acquisition time for a data set of spectral projections should be shorter than the lifetime of the spin probes. To decrease the total time required for data acquisition, the duration of magnetic field scanning was reduced to 0.5 s. Moreover, the number of projections was decreased by using the concept of a uniform distribution. To demonstrate this faster data acquisition, two kinds of nitroxyl radicals with different decay rates were measured in mice. 3D EPR imaging of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-d₁₇-1-¹⁵N-1-oxyl in mouse head was successfully carried out. 3D EPR imaging of nitroxyl spin probes with a half-life of a few minutes was achieved for the first time in live animals.     

X射线衍射增强成像中的定量测量

提出了一种基于X射线衍射增强成像(DEI)断层计算机X射线层析术(CT)图像的物体尺寸精确测量方法.X射线衍射增强成像是一种基于相位衬度的成像技术.通过建立DEI的简化模型,研究衍射成像过程中品体转角、投影图像谷点位置、成像系统等效模糊等因素之间关系,由此具体探讨了系统模糊效应对圆物体边界成像带来的位置偏移,并以圆形被测样品为例.提出可精确测定直径的简单有效算法.通过理论仿真模型数据和北京同步辐射装置上的实测数据验证了该算法的精度.该方法实现了利用DEI图像对被测物体几何尺寸的精确测量,可用于对牛物组织样品等物体内部微小结构的尺寸的精确测量.