113 research outputs found
Measurement of the neutron capture cross section of the s-only isotope 204Pb from 1 eV to 440 keV
The neutron capture cross section of 204Pb has been measured at the CERN
n_TOF installation with high resolution in the energy range from 1 eV to 440
keV. An R-matrix analysis of the resolved resonance region, between 1 eV and
100 keV, was carried out using the SAMMY code. In the interval between 100 keV
and 440 keV we report the average capture cross section. The background in the
entire neutron energy range could be reliably determined from the measurement
of a 208Pb sample. Other systematic effects in this measurement could be
investigated and precisely corrected by means of detailed Monte Carlo
simulations. We obtain a Maxwellian average capture cross section for 204Pb at
kT=30 keV of 79(3) mb, in agreement with previous experiments. However our
cross section at kT=5 keV is about 35% larger than the values reported so far.
The implications of the new cross section for the s-process abundance
contributions in the Pb/Bi region are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, article submitted to Phys. Rev.
New measurement of neutron capture resonances of 209Bi
The neutron capture cross section of Bi209 has been measured at the CERN n
TOF facility by employing the pulse-height-weighting technique. Improvements
over previous measurements are mainly because of an optimized detection system,
which led to a practically negligible neutron sensitivity. Additional
experimental sources of systematic error, such as the electronic threshold in
the detectors, summing of gamma-rays, internal electron conversion, and the
isomeric state in bismuth, have been taken into account. Gamma-ray absorption
effects inside the sample have been corrected by employing a nonpolynomial
weighting function. Because Bi209 is the last stable isotope in the reaction
path of the stellar s-process, the Maxwellian averaged capture cross section is
important for the recycling of the reaction flow by alpha-decays. In the
relevant stellar range of thermal energies between kT=5 and 8 keV our new
capture rate is about 16% higher than the presently accepted value used for
nucleosynthesis calculations. At this low temperature an important part of the
heavy Pb-Bi isotopes are supposed to be synthesized by the s-process in the He
shells of low mass, thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars. With the
improved set of cross sections we obtain an s-process fraction of 19(3)% of the
solar bismuth abundance, resulting in an r-process residual of 81(3)%. The
present (n,gamma) cross-section measurement is also of relevance for the design
of accelerator driven systems based on a liquid metal Pb/Bi spallation target.Comment: 10 pages, 5figures, recently published in Phys. Rev.
Measurement of the radiative neutron capture cross section of 206Pb and its astrophysical implications
The (n, gamma) cross section of 206Pb has been measured at the CERN n_TOF
facility with high resolution in the energy range from 1 eV to 600 keV by using
two optimized C6D6 detectors. In the investigated energy interval about 130
resonances could be observed, from which 61 had enough statistics to be
reliably analyzed via the R-matrix analysis code SAMMY. Experimental
uncertainties were minimized, in particular with respect to (i) angular
distribution effects of the prompt capture gamma-rays, and to (ii) the
TOF-dependent background due to sample-scattered neutrons. Other background
components were addressed by background measurements with an enriched 208Pb
sample. The effect of the lower energy cutoff in the pulse height spectra of
the C6D6 detectors was carefully corrected via Monte Carlo simulations.
Compared to previous 206Pb values, the Maxwellian averaged capture cross
sections derived from these data are about 20% and 9% lower at thermal energies
of 5 keV and 30 keV, respectively. These new results have a direct impact on
the s-process abundance of 206Pb, which represents an important test for the
interpretation of the cosmic clock based on the decay of 238U.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, paper to be submitted to Phys. Rev.
Resonance capture cross section of 207Pb
The radiative neutron capture cross section of 207Pb has been measured at the
CERN neutron time of flight installation n_TOF using the pulse height weighting
technique in the resolved energy region. The measurement has been performed
with an optimized setup of two C6D6 scintillation detectors, which allowed us
to reduce scattered neutron backgrounds down to a negligible level. Resonance
parameters and radiative kernels have been determined for 16 resonances by
means of an R-matrix analysis in the neutron energy range from 3 keV to 320
keV. Good agreement with previous measurements was found at low neutron
energies, whereas substantial discrepancies appear beyond 45 keV. With the
present results, we obtain an s-process contribution of 77(8)% to the solar
abundance of 207Pb. This corresponds to an r-process component of 23(8)%, which
is important for deriving the U/Th ages of metal poor halo stars.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Application of Photon Strength Functions to (n,g ) Measurements with the n_TOF TAC
The neutron capture cross section measurements at the CERN n_TOF facility are performed using a new detection system, the segmented Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC). All measurements are performed in reference to the well known 197Au s (n,g ). The accuracy of the measurements depends on the accuracy of the TAC detection efficiency, which is calculated by means of Monte Carlo simulations. In this MC simulation photon strength functions and level densities play a major role as ingredients used for the generation of primary events, that is the electromagnetic cascades following the (n,g ) process. We have calculated the TAC detection efficiency for the case of 197Au(n,g ) by adjusting the photon strength functions of 198Au so that the simulation reproduces the experimental data. Both the MC method and the uncertainty of the results are discussed.JRC.D.5-Neutron physic
Neutron Capture Cross Sections of Zr and La: Probing Neutron Exposure and Neutron Flux in Red Giant Stars
Parameterization of a coarse-grained model of cholesterol with point-dipole electrostatics
© 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. We present a new coarse-grained (CG) model of cholesterol (CHOL) for the electrostatic-based ELBA force field. A distinguishing feature of our CHOL model is that the electrostatics is modeled by an explicit point dipole which interacts through an ideal vacuum permittivity. The CHOL model parameters were optimized in a systematic fashion, reproducing the electrostatic and nonpolar partitioning free energies of CHOL in lipid/water mixtures predicted by full-detailed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The CHOL model has been validated by comparison to structural, dynamic and thermodynamic properties with experimental and atomistic simulation reference data. The simulation of binary DPPC/cholesterol mixtures covering the relevant biological content of CHOL in mammalian membranes is shown to correctly predict the main lipid behavior as observed experimentally
Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger
On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta
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