Infrared scintillation yield in gaseous and liquid argon

The study of primary and secondary scintillations in noble gases and liquids is of paramount importance to rare-event experiments using noble gas media. In the present work, the scintillation yield in gaseous and liquid Ar has for the first time been measured in the near infrared (NIR) and visible region, both for primary and secondary (proportional) scintillations, using Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (G-APDs) and pulsed X-ray irradiation. The primary scintillation yield of the fast component was measured to be 17000 photon/MeV in gaseous Ar in the NIR, in the range of 690-1000 nm, and 510 photon/MeV in liquid Ar, in the range of 400-1000 nm. Proportional NIR scintillations (electroluminescence) in gaseous Ar have been also observed; their amplification parameter at 163 K was measured to be 13 photons per drifting electron per kV. Possible applications of NIR scintillations in high energy physics experiments are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Europhysics Letter. Revised Figs. 3 and

Orientation dependence of ferroelectric properties of pulsed-laser-ablated Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 films

Epitaxial (001)-, (118)-, and (104)-oriented Nd-doped Bi4Ti3O12 films have been grown by pulsed-laser deposition from a Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 (x=0.85) target on SrRuO3 coated single-crystal (100)-, (110)-, and (111)-oriented SrTiO3 substrates, respectively. X-ray diffraction illustrated a unique epitaxial relationship between film and substrate for all orientations. We observed a strong dependence of ferroelectric properties on the film orientation, with no ferroelectric activity in an (001)-oriented film; a remanent polarization 2P(r) of 12 muC/cm(2) and coercive field E-c of 120 kV/cm in a (118)-oriented film; and 2P(r)=40 muC/cm(2), E-c=50 kV/cm in a (104)-oriented film. The lack of ferroelectric activity along the c-axis is consistent with the orthorhombic nature of the crystal structure of the bulk material, as determined by powder neutron diffraction. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics

The Submillimeter Properties of the 1 Ms Chandra Deep Field North X-ray Sample

We present submillimeter observations for 136 of the 370 X-ray sources detected in the 1 Ms exposure of the Chandra Deep Field North. Ten of the X-ray sources are significantly detected in the submillimeter. The average X-ray source in the sample has a significant 850 micron flux of 1.69+/-0.27 mJy. This value shows little dependence on the 2-8 keV flux from 5e-16 erg/cm^2/s to 1e-14 erg/cm^2/s. The ensemble of X-ray sources contribute about 10% of the extragalactic background light at 850 microns. The submillimeter excess is found to be strongest in the optically faint X-ray sources that are also seen at 20 cm, which is consistent with these X-ray sources being obscured and at high redshift (z>1).Comment: 5 pages, submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Diet, sex, and social status in the Late Avar period: stable isotope investigations at Nuštar cemetery, Croatia

Diet often plays a vital role in defining social divisions within and between social groups and thus can be used to understand the social paradigms of archaeological cultures. During the Early Avar period (568 – 630 A.D.), burial evidence indicates that there were strong demarcations of social stratification, and divisions between sexes and age groups; however, the symbols of intra-population heterogeneity become increasingly rare during the Late Avar period (680 – 822 A.D.). In this study, we investigate social differences expressed through diet in the cemetery population from Nuštar, eastern Croatia (8th to early 9th century), to determine whether dietary social disparities existed during the Late Avar period in this region. Stable isotope analysis of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) from bone and dentine collagen show no dietary differences, neither between high, middle and low status individuals, nor between males, females and juveniles. These results likely reflect the outcome of the social homogenization process that began after the failed Avar attack on Constantinople in 626 A.D. Geographical patterning is visible when the data from Nuštar is compared to data from other Middle and Late Avar sites. While Avar sites in the southern and south-eastern frontiers of the Avar qaganate do not display dietary differences between sexes, previous isotopic work on populations in Lower Austria show that males consumed a higher proportion of animal protein than females. This is likely the result of Frankish influence and reflects diversity in social practices within the Avar qaganate itself during the Middle and Late Avar periods

On the low-temperature performances of THGEM and THGEM/G-APD multipliers in gaseous and two-phase Xe

The performances of THGEM multipliers in two-phase Xe avalanche mode are presented for the first time. Additional results on THGEM operation in gaseous Xe at cryogenic temperatures are provided. Stable operation of a double-THGEM multiplier was demonstrated in two-phase Xe with gains reaching 600. These are compared to existing data, summarized here for two-phase Ar, Kr and Xe avalanche detectors incorporating GEM and THGEM multipliers. The optical readout of THGEMs with Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiodes (G-APDs) has been investigated in gaseous Xe at cryogenic temperature; avalanche scintillations were recorded in the Near Infrared (NIR) at wavelengths of up to 950 nm. At avalanche charge gain of 350, the double-THGEM/G-APD multiplier yielded 0.07 photoelectrons per initial ionization electron, corresponding to an avalanche scintillation yield of 0.7 NIR photons per avalanche electron over 4pi. The results are compared with those of two-phase Ar avalanche detectors. The advantages, limitations and possible applications are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures. Revised Figs. 10,11 and Table 1. To be published in JINS

Structural phase transitions in the kagome lattice based materials Cs2-xRbxSnCu3F12 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5)

The solid solution Cs2-xRbxSnCu3F12 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5) has been investigated crystallographically between 100 and 300 K using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and, in the case of x = 0, neutron powder diffraction.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

State-of-the-art in product service-systems

A Product Service-System (PSS) is an integrated combination of products and services. This western concept embraces a service-led competitive strategy, environmental sustainability, and the basis to differentiate from competitors who simply offer lower priced products. This paper aims to report the state-of-the-art of PSS research by presenting a clinical review of literature currently available on this topic. The literature is classified and the major outcomes of each study are addressed and analysed. On this basis, this paper defines the PSS concept, reports on its origin and features, gives examples of applications along with potential benefits and barriers to adoption, summarises available tools and methodologies, and identifies future research challenges

Coupling to optical phonons in the one-dimensional t-J model: Effects on superconducting fluctuations and phase separation

The one-dimensional (1D) $t$-$J$ Holstein model is studied by exact diagonalization of finite rings using a variational approximation for the phonon states. Due to renormalization effects induced by the phonons, for intermediate electron-phonon coupling, the phase separation (PS) boundary, and with it the region of dominating superconducting fluctuations is shifted substantially to smaller values of $J/t$ as compared to the pure $t$-$J$ model. Superconducting correlations are weakened through charge density wave interactions mediated by the phonons. Possible consequences for the high $T_c$ oxides are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, Latex2

Faint Submillimeter Counts from Deep 850 Micron Observations of the Lensing Clusters A370, A851, and A2390

We present deep 850 micron maps of three massive lensing clusters, A370, A851, and A2390, with well-constrained mass models. Our cluster exposure times are more than 2 to 5 times longer than any other published cluster field observations. We catalog the sources and determine the submillimeter number counts. The counts are best determined in the 0.3 to 2 mJy range where the areas are large enough to provide a significant sample. At 0.3 mJy the cumulative counts are 3.3 (1.3,6.3) 10^4 per square degree, where the upper and lower bounds in the brackets are the 90% confidence range. The surface density at these faint count limits enters the realm of significant overlap with other galaxy populations.The corresponding percentage of the extragalactic background light (EBL) residing in this flux range is about 45-65%, depending on the EBL measurement used. Given that 20-30% of the EBL is resolved at flux densities between 2 and 10 mJy, most of the submillimeter EBL is arising in sources above 0.3 mJy. We also performed a noise analysis to obtain an independent estimate of the counts. The upper bounds on the counts determined from the noise analysis closely match the upper limits obtained from the direct counts. The differential counts from this and other surveys can reasonably be described by the parameterization n(S)=3 10^4/(0.7 + S^3) per square degree per mJy with S in mJy, which also integrates to match the EBL

The ArDM experiment

The aim of the ArDM project is the development and operation of a one ton double-phase liquid argon detector for direct Dark Matter searches. The detector measures both the scintillation light and the ionization charge from ionizing radiation using two independent readout systems. This paper briefly describes the detector concept and presents preliminary results from the ArDM R&D program, including a 3 l prototype developed to test the charge readout system.Comment: Proceedings of the Epiphany 2010 Conference, to be published in Acta Physica Polonica