NATA: 50 years experience with accreditation

 Laboratory accreditation is becoming increasingly accepted around the world as a means of identifying technically competent laboratories. It is also being used as a mechanism for the acceptance of test data both nationally and internationally. The concept and mechanisms of accreditation have been developed over the past 50 years. The first national laboratory accreditation system appeared in Australia in 1947. This organisation, known as the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), has since taken a leading role in developing accreditation practices that are now used world-wide in evaluating testing, measurement and calibration laboratories. This paper examines the development of the world's first and largest laboratory accreditation system, and looks at the difficulties and triumphs in gaining acceptance and recognition by government and industry of the benefits of laboratory accreditation. Received: 24 June 1996 Accepted: 25 June 1996     

4-carboxy-1,2-cyclohexanedionedioxime complexes of nickel(ii) in alkaline media

The reactions of 4-carboxy-1,2-cyclohexanedionedioxime and nickel(II) were studied in alkaline media. Spectrophotometric studies indicate the presence of a 1:1 complex ion, NiD^-. Magnetic susceptibility measurements on a series of solutions of varying ratios of vic-dioxime and nickel(II) showed that the 1:1 complex ion was diamagnetic and that two paramagnetic complexes, probably NiD₂^4- and NiD₃^7-, are present in solution. The stability constants for the three complexes were calculated from spectrophotometric and magnetic susceptibility data. The log K values were found to be log K₁ = 28.74 ± 0.60, log K₂ = 0.76 ± 0.15, and log K₃ = 3.67 ± 0.73, respectively.     

A comparison of phototautomerism in different sites of free-base porphin (H2P) in n-alkane crystals

Selective laser-induced phototautomerism of free-base porphin in different n-alkanes (n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, nnonane, n-decane, n-undecane and n-dodecane) has been used to identify tautomer splittings in a number of sites in polycrystalline samples at 2 K. Pairs or lines arising from the two molecular orientations in each site can be reversibly transformed into each other. In the odd n-alkanes the occupation of different sites was not dependent on the rate at which the samples were frozen, but in the even n-alkanes metastable sites were only occupied following rapid quenching.     

Radiation background due to radioactive sources in a luminescence dating laboratory

For practical reasons, usually, luminescence dating laboratories contain in the same room (or in adjacent rooms) the equipment and the radioactive sources, as well as the storage cabinet for the samples. It is generally assumed that the absorbed dose due to ambient radioactivity is null or at least negligible in terms of human health (below the dose limit).To test the actual dose rate inside our laboratory room, an investigation combining portable dose rate meter, portable NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometry, and blue-OSL dosimetry using Al₂O₃:C pellets was made. Although our measurements show the presence of X-rays as far as 3 m from the sources, the dose rates are below the safety regulation and does not affect the dating of the sample stored in the same room as the radioactive sources.     

A numerical model for multigroup radiation hydrodynamics

We present in this paper a multigroup model for radiation hydrodynamics to account for variations of the gas opacity as a function of frequency. The entropy closure model (M₁) is applied to multigroup radiation transfer in a radiation hydrodynamics code. In difference from the previous grey model, we are able to reproduce the crucial effects of frequency-variable gas opacities, a situation omnipresent in physics and astrophysics. We also account for the energy exchange between neighbouring groups which is important in flows with strong velocity divergence. These terms were computed using a finite volume method in the frequency domain. The radiative transfer aspect of the method was first tested separately for global consistency (reversion to grey model) and against a well-established kinetic model through Marshak wave tests with frequency-dependent opacities. Very good agreement between the multigroup M₁ and kinetic models was observed in all tests. The successful coupling of the multigroup radiative transfer to the hydrodynamics was then confirmed through a second series of tests. Finally, the model was linked to a database of opacities for a Xe gas in order to simulate realistic multigroup radiative shocks in Xe. The differences with the previous grey models are discussed.     

Hyperfine structure in Iodine at the 612-nm and 640-nm helium-neon laser wavelengths

The hyperfine structure of iodine-127 at 612 nm and 640 nm is observed by saturated absorption in a gas cell placed within a He-Ne laser cavity modified to operate at these wavelengths. At 612 nm, all the 21 components of the strong R 47 9-2 line lie within the laser gain profile, and the resulting saturated absorption peaks have a contrast of 10% at a gas pressure of 3 Pa.     

Introduction to the CDEX experiment

It is believed that weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are candidates for dark matter (DM) in our universe which come from outer space and might interact with the standard model (SM) matter of our detectors on the earth. Many collaborations in the world are carrying out various experiments to directly detect DM particles. China Jinping underground Laboratory (CJPL) is the deepest underground laboratory in the world and provides a very promising environment for DM search. China Dark matter EXperiment (CDEX) is going to directly detect the WIMP flux with high sensitivity in the low WIMP-mass region. Both CJPL and CDEX have achieved a remarkable progress in recent three years. CDEX employs a point-contact germanium (PCGe) semi-conductor detector whose energy threshold is less than 300 eV. In this report we present the measurement results of muon flux, monitoring of radioactivity and radon concentration carried out in CJPL, as well describing the structure and performance of the 1 kg-PCGe detector in CDEX-1 and 10 kgPCGe detector array in CDEX-10 including the detectors, electronics, shielding and cooling systems. Finally we discuss the physics goals of CDEX-1, CDEX-10 and the future CDEX-1T experiments.     

采用多元化的教学手段,提高物理人才的综合素质——南开大学物理学基础科学人才培养基地建设经验介绍

介绍了南开大学国家物理学基础科学研究人才培养基地在十多年的建设中,通过多元化的教学手段提高学生的学习自主性,通过加强科研训练提高物理人才综合素质的经验和取得的成果.     

国际地下实验室发展综述

地下实验室是开展粒子物理学、天体物理学及宇宙学等领域一些重大基础性前沿课题的重要研究场所和良好的低本底环境,建设和发展地下实验室对于一个国家的基础科学研究具有重要科学意义.目前,国际上许多国家都已经建立起地下实验室,而中国一直没有很好的地下实验室,特别是极深地下实验室.2009年,清华大学与二滩水电开发有限责任公司开展战略合作,利用锦屏山隧道建立中国首个世界最深的地下实验室--中国锦屏地下实验室(China Jinping Underground Laboratory,CJPL),并于2010年12月12日正式启用.中国锦屏地下实验室的建成,标志着中国已经具备开展物理学重大基础前沿科学研究的自主地下实验平台,对于推动我国相关领域的重大基础前沿课题的自主研究意义重大.文章对国际上一些重要地下实验室的情况进行了介绍,并对中国锦屏地下实验室的基本情况进行了介绍.     

影响高功率脉冲氙灯寿命的因素

以美国NOVA和国家点火装置用的高功率脉冲氙灯为例,结合对神光Ⅲ装置用脉冲氙灯的分析,发现了影响脉冲氙灯失效的几个因素,包括石英灯管应力、氙灯尺寸、灯管微缺陷、电极溅射、灯头绝缘、氙气纯度、封接可靠性及周围氙灯放电。结果发现:在进灯能量相同的情况下,氙灯电极弧长越长,内径越大,寿命越高;石英灯管表面的静态拉应力、内表面的微缺陷以及周围氙灯的电离辐射使得氙灯的额外负载能量大大增加,这些是导致氙灯爆炸概率变大的直接因素。