Photoproduction of mesons on the nucleon

Experimental studies of the photomeson production on the nucleon provide an abundant amount of data to address key issues of its structure. Depending on the selected channels and kinematics, different aspects can be investigated. The measurements of charged channels at low t constitute a large part of the cross section and exhibit a special sensitivity of the meson cloud. These contributions can be strongly suppressed by using a polarized beam and target. Instead, the excitation of resonances are emphasized in this case. The choice of neutral channels in the final state shows also dominant sensitivities for resonance excitation. The sequential decay of resonances can be studied systematically for the first time.     

Fundamental Characterization,Photophysics and Photocatalysis of a Base Metal Iron(II)-Cobalt(III) Dyad

A new base metal iron-cobalt dyad has been obtained by connection between a heteroleptic tetra-NHC iron(II) photosensitizer combining a 2,6-bis[3-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]pyridine with 2,6-bis(3-methyl-imidazol-2-ylidene)-4,4′-bipyridine ligand, and a cobaloxime catalyst. This novel iron(II)-cobalt(III) assembly has been extensively characterized by ground- and excited-state methods like X-ray crystallography, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, (spectro-)electrochemistry, and steady-state and time-resolved optical absorption spectroscopy, with a particular focus on the stability of the molecular assembly in solution and determination of the excited-state landscape. NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy reveal dissociation of the dyad in acetonitrile at concentrations below 1 mM and high photostability. Transient absorption spectroscopy after excitation into the metal-to-ligand charge transfer absorption band suggests a relaxation cascade originating from hot singlet and triplet MLCT states, leading to the population of the ³MLCT state that exhibits the longest lifetime. Finally, decay into the ground state involves a ³MC state. Attachment of cobaloxime to the iron photosensitizer increases the ³MLCT lifetime at the iron centre. Together with the directing effect of the linker, this potentially makes the dyad more active in photocatalytic proton reduction experiments than the analogous two-component system, consisting of the iron photosensitizer and Co(dmgH)₂(py)Cl. This work thus sheds new light on the functionality of base metal dyads, which are important for more efficient and sustainable future proton reduction systems.     

Neutral-pion photoproduction off protons in the energy range 0.3 GeV<E(gamma)<3 GeV

Single pi(0) photoproduction has been studied with the CB-ELSA experiment at Bonn using tagged photon energies between 0.3 and 3.0 GeV. The experimental setup covers a very large solid angle of approximately 98% of 4pi. Differential cross sections dsigma/dOmega have been measured. Complicated structures in the angular distributions indicate a variety of different resonances being produced in the s channel intermediate state gammap-->N(*)(Delta(*))-->ppi(0). A combined analysis including the data presented in this letter along with other data sets reveals contributions from known resonances and evidence for a new resonance N(2070)D15.     

Hydrogen control of ferromagnetism in a dilute magnetic semiconductor

We show that upon exposure to a remote dc hydrogen plasma, the magnetic and electronic properties of the dilute magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs change qualitatively. While the as-grown Ga1-xMnxAs thin films are ferromagnetic at temperatures T less, similar 70 K, the samples are found to be paramagnetic after the hydrogenation, with a Brillouin-type magnetization curve even at T=2 K. Comparing magnetization and electronic transport measurements, we conclude that the density of free holes p is significantly reduced by the plasma process, while the density of Mn magnetic moments does not change.     

First Measurement of the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Sum Rule for 1H from 0.7 to 1.8 GeV at ELSA

To verify the fundamental Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule for the first time experimentally, we measured the helicity dependent total photoabsorption cross section with circularly polarized real photons and longitudinally polarized nucleons in the photon energy range 0.68-1.82 GeV with the tagged photon facility at ELSA. The experiment was carried out with a 4pi detection system, a circularly polarized tagged photon beam, and a frozen spin polarized proton target. The contribution to the GDH sum rule in this photon energy range is [49.9+/-2.4(stat)+/-2.2(syst)] microb.     

Initial Measurements of Plasma Potential in the Core of the MST Reversed Field Pinch with a Heavy Ion Beam Probe

Measurement of the plasma potential in the core of MST marks both the first interior potential measurements in an RFP, as well as the first measurements by a Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP) in an RFP. The HIBP has operated with (20-110) keV sodium beams in plasmas with toroidal currents of (200-480) kA over a wide range of densities and magnetic equilibrium conditions. A positive plasma potential is measured in the core, consistent with the expectation of rapid electron transport by magnetic fluctuations and the formation of an outwardly directed ambipolar radial electric field. Comparison between the radial electric field and plasma flow is underway to determine the extent to which equilibrium flow is governed by E×B. Measurements of potential and density fluctuations are also in progress.Unlike HIBP applications in tokamak plasmas, the beam trajectories in MST (RFP) are both three-dimensional and temporally dynamic with magnetic equilibrium changes associated with sawteeth. This complication offers new opportunity for magnetic measurements via the Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP). The ion orbit trajectories are included in a Grad-Shafranov toroidal equilibrium reconstruction, helping to measure the internal magnetic field and current profiles. Such reconstructions are essential to identifying the beam sample volume locations, and they are vital in MST's mission to suppress MHD tearing modes using current profile control techniques. Measurement of the electric field may be accomplished by combining single point measurements from multiple discharges, or by varying the injection angle of the beam during single discharges.The application of an HIBP on MST has posed challenges resulting in additional diagnostic advances. The requirement to keep ports small to avoid introducing magnetic field perturbations has led to the design and successful implementation of cross-over sweep systems. High levels of ultraviolet radiation are driving alternative methods of sweep plate operation. While, substantial levels of plasma flux into the HIBP diagnostic chambers has led to the use of magnetic plasma suppression.     

Scaling behavior of the spin pumping effect in ferromagnet-platinum bilayers

We systematically measured the dc voltage V(ISH) induced by spin pumping together with the inverse spin Hall effect in ferromagnet-platinum bilayer films. In all our samples, comprising ferromagnetic 3d transition metals, Heusler compounds, ferrite spinel oxides, and magnetic semiconductors, V(ISH) invariably has the same polarity, and scales with the magnetization precession cone angle. These findings, together with the spin mixing conductance derived from the experimental data, quantitatively corroborate the present theoretical understanding of spin pumping in combination with the inverse spin Hall effect.