2,966 research outputs found
Low-Background In-Trap Decay Spectroscopy with TITAN at TRIUMF
An in-trap decay spectroscopy setup has been developed and constructed for
use with the TITAN facility at TRIUMF. The goal of this device is to observe
weak electron-capture (EC) branching ratios for the odd-odd intermediate nuclei
in the decay process. This apparatus consists of an up-to 6 Tesla,
open-access spectroscopy ion-trap, surrounded radially by up to 7 planar Si(Li)
detectors which are separated from the trap by thin Be windows. This
configuration provides a significant increase in sensitivity for the detection
of low-energy photons by providing backing-free ion storage and eliminating
charged-particle-induced backgrounds. An intense electron beam is also employed
to increase the charge-states of the trapped ions, thus providing storage times
on the order of minutes, allowing for decay-spectroscopy measurements. The
technique of multiple ion-bunch stacking was also recently demonstrated, which
further extends the measurement possibilities of this apparatus. The current
status of the facility and initial results from a In measurement are
presented.Comment: Proceedings for the 2nd International Conference on Advances in
Radioactive Isotope Science (ARIS2014
Particle acceleration at ultrarelativistic shocks: an eigenfunction method
We extend the eigenfunction method of computing the power-law spectrum of
particles accelerated at a relativistic shock fronts to apply to shocks of
arbitrarily high Lorentz factor. In agreement with the findings of Monte-Carlo
simulations, we find the index of the power-law distribution of accelerated
particles which undergo isotropic diffusion in angle at an ultrarelativistic,
unmagnetized shock is s=4.23 (where s=-d(ln f)/dp with f the Lorentz invariant
phase-space density and p the momentum). This corresponds to a synchrotron
index for uncooled electrons of a=0.62 (taking cooling into account a=1.12),
where a=-d(ln F)/dn, F is the radiation flux and n the frequency. We also
present an approximate analytic expression for the angular distribution of
accelerated particles, which displays the effect of particle trapping by the
shock: compared with the non-relativistic case the angular distribution is
weighted more towards the plane of the shock and away from its normal. We
investigate the sensitivity of our results to the transport properties of the
particles and the presence of a magnetic field. Shocks in which the ratio of
Poynting to kinetic energy flux upstream is not small are less compressive and
lead to larger values of .Comment: Minor additions on publicatio
Effect of ovariectomy on the progression of chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) in female Cy/+ rats
Male Cy/+ rats have shown a relatively consistent pattern of progressive kidney disease development that displays multiple key features of late stage chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD), specifically the development of cortical bone porosity. However, progression of disease in female Cy/+ rats, assessed in limited studies, is more heterogeneous and to date has failed to show development of the CKD-MBD phenotype, thus limiting their use as a practical model of progressive CKD-MBD. Animal and human studies suggest that estrogen may be protective against kidney disease in addition to its established protective effect on bone. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine the effect of ovariectomy (OVX) on the biochemical and skeletal manifestations of CKD-MBD in Cy/+ female rats. We hypothesized that OVX would accelerate development of the biochemical and skeletal features of CKD-MBD in female Cy/+ rats, similar to those seen in male Cy/+ rats. Female Cy/+ rats underwent OVX (n = 8) or Sham (n = 8) surgery at 15 weeks of age. Blood was collected every 5 weeks post-surgery until 35 weeks of age, when the rats underwent a 4-day metabolic balance, and the tibia and final blood were collected at the time of sacrifice. OVX produced the expected changes in trabecular and cortical parameters consistent with post-menopausal disease, and negative phosphorus balance compared with Sham. However, indicators of CKD-MBD were similar between OVX and Sham (similar kidney weight, plasma blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, creatinine clearance, phosphorus, calcium, parathyroid hormone, and no cortical porosity). Contrary to our hypothesis, OVX did not produce evidence of development of the CKD-MBD phenotype in female Cy/+ rats
Trapped-ion decay spectroscopy towards the determination of ground-state components of double-beta decay matrix elements
A new technique has been developed at TRIUMF's TITAN facility to perform
in-trap decay spectroscopy. The aim of this technique is to eventually measure
weak electron capture branching ratios (ECBRs) and by this to consequently
determine GT matrix elements of decaying nuclei. These branching
ratios provide important input to the theoretical description of these decays.
The feasibility and power of the technique is demonstrated by measuring the
ECBR of Cs.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure
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