Portable, high intensity isotopic neutron source provides increased experimental accuracy

Small portable, high intensity isotopic neutron source combines twelve curium-americium beryllium sources. This high intensity of neutrons, with a flux which slowly decreases at a known rate, provides for increased experimental accuracy

Service Delivery in Rural Municipalities: Privatize, Cooperate, or Go It Alone?

Choices in production and contracting arrangements for a wide range of services were studied using data from approximately 1,000 small, mostly rural municipalities from Illinois, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. Results suggest the use of both for-profit contractors and cooperative agreements with other governments correlate negatively with population. Small municipalities are less likely to use competitive bidding processes, compare costs between production options, or report that privatization produces savings. Median income, rural geography, and ideology show statistically-significant associations with contracting choices. Respondents generally consider themselves ―satisfied‖ with services provided by contract, although satisfaction levels are lower than those associated with self-provision. Satisfaction associated with services provided by other governments is lower than satisfaction with services provided by private contractors, suggesting no tradeoff in service quality directly attributable to ―for-profit‖ contractors.privatization, municipal services, cooperation, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Public Economics,

The X-ray Size-Temperature Relation for Intermediate Redshift Galaxy Clusters

We present the first measurements of the X-ray size-temperature (ST) relation in intermediate redshift (z~0.30) galaxy clusters. We interpret the local ST relation (z~0.06) in terms of underlying scaling relations in the cluster dark matter properties, and then we use standard models for the redshift evolution of those dark matter properties to show that the ST relation does not evolve with redshift. We then use ROSAT HRI observations of 11 clusters to examine the intermediate redshift ST relation; for currently favored cosmological parameters, the intermediate redshift ST relation is consistent with that of local clusters. Finally, we use the ST relation and our evolution model to measure angular diameter distances; with these 11 distances we evaluate constraints on Omega_M and Omega_L which are consistent with those derived from studies of Type Ia supernovae. The data rule out a model with Omega_M=1 and Omega_L=0 with 2.5 sigma confidence. When limited to models where Omega_M+Omega_L=1, these data are inconsistent with Omega_M=1 with 3 sigma confidence.Comment: ApJ: submitted April 7, accepted June 28, to appear Dec 1 (vol 544

Lamb Shift of 3P and 4P states and the determination of α\alpha

The fine structure interval of P states in hydrogenlike systems can be determined theoretically with high precision, because the energy levels of P states are only slightly influenced by the structure of the nucleus. Therefore a measurement of the fine structure may serve as an excellent test of QED in bound systems or alternatively as a means of determining the fine structure constant $\alpha$ with very high precision. In this paper an improved analytic calculation of higher-order binding corrections to the one-loop self energy of 3P and 4P states in hydrogen-like systems with low nuclear charge number $Z$ is presented. A comparison of the analytic results to the extrapolated numerical data for high $Z$ ions serves as an independent test of the analytic evaluation. New theoretical values for the Lamb shift of the P states and for the fine structure splittings are given.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, 4 tables, 4 figure

Electron Self Energy for Higher Excited S Levels

A nonperturbative numerical evaluation of the one-photon electron self energy for the 3S and 4S states with charge numbers Z=1 to 5 is described. The numerical results are in agreement with known terms in the expansion of the self energy in powers of Zalpha.Comment: 3 pages, RevTeX, to appear in Phys. Rev.

QED self-energy contribution to highly-excited atomic states

We present numerical values for the self-energy shifts predicted by QED (Quantum Electrodynamics) for hydrogenlike ions (nuclear charge $60 \le Z \le 110$) with an electron in an $n=3$, 4 or 5 level with high angular momentum ($5/2\le j \le 9/2$). Applications include predictions of precision transition energies and studies of the outer-shell structure of atoms and ions.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

Visual analytics of contact tracing policy simulations during an emergency response

Epidemiologists use individual-based models to (a) simulate disease spread over dynamic contact networks and (b) to investigate strategies to control the outbreak. These model simulations generate complex ‘infection maps’ of time-varying transmission trees and patterns of spread. Conventional statistical analysis of outputs offers only limited interpretation. This paper presents a novel visual analytics approach for the inspection of infection maps along with their associated metadata, developed collaboratively over 16 months in an evolving emergency response situation. We introduce the concept of representative trees that summarize the many components of a time-varying infection map while preserving the epidemiological characteristics of each individual transmission tree. We also present interactive visualization techniques for the quick assessment of different control policies. Through a series of case studies and a qualitative evaluation by epidemiologists, we demonstrate how our visualizations can help improve the development of epidemiological models and help interpret complex transmission patterns

Dust absorption and scattering in the silicon K-edge

The composition and properties of interstellar silicate dust are not well understood. In X-rays, interstellar dust can be studied in detail by making use of the fine structure features in the Si K-edge. The features in the Si K-edge offer a range of possibilities to study silicon-bearing dust, such as investigating the crystallinity, abundance, and the chemical composition along a given line of sight. We present newly acquired laboratory measurements of the silicon K-edge of several silicate-compounds that complement our measurements from our earlier pilot study. The resulting dust extinction profiles serve as templates for the interstellar extinction that we observe. The extinction profiles were used to model the interstellar dust in the dense environments of the Galaxy. The laboratory measurements, taken at the Soleil synchrotron facility in Paris, were adapted for astrophysical data analysis and implemented in the SPEX spectral fitting program. The models were used to fit the spectra of nine low-mass X-ray binaries located in the Galactic center neighborhood in order to determine the dust properties along those lines of sight. Most lines of sight can be fit well by amorphous olivine. We also established upper limits on the amount of crystalline material that the modeling allows. We obtained values of the total silicon abundance, silicon dust abundance, and depletion along each of the sightlines. We find a possible gradient of $0.06\pm0.02$ dex/kpc for the total silicon abundance versus the Galactocentric distance. We do not find a relation between the depletion and the extinction along the line of sight.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Relativistic and Radiative Energy Shifts for Rydberg States

We investigate relativistic and quantum electrodynamic effects for highly-excited bound states in hydrogenlike systems (Rydberg states). In particular, hydrogenic one-loop Bethe logarithms are calculated for all circular states (l = n-1) in the range 20 <= n <= 60 and successfully compared to an existing asymptotic expansion for large principal quantum number n. We provide accurate expansions of the Bethe logarithm for large values of n, for S, P and circular Rydberg states. These three expansions are expected to give any Bethe logarithms for principal quantum number n > 20 to an accuracy of five to seven decimal digits, within the specified manifolds of atomic states. Within the numerical accuracy, the results constitute unified, general formulas for quantum electrodynamic corrections whose validity is not restricted to a single atomic state. The results are relevant for accurate predictions of radiative shifts of Rydberg states and for the description of the recently investigated laser-dressed Lamb shift, which is observable in a strong coherent-wave light field.Comment: 8 pages; RevTeX

Comparison of 120Sn(6He,6He)120Sn and 120Sn(alpha,alpha)120Sn elastic scattering and signatures of the 6He neutron halo in the optical potential

Cross sections of $^{120}$Sn($\alpha$,$\alpha$)$^{120}$Sn elastic scattering have been extracted from the $\alpha$ particle beam contamination of a recent $^{120}$Sn($^6$He,$^6$He)$^{120}$Sn experiment. Both reactions are analyzed using systematic double folding potentials in the real part and smoothly varying Woods-Saxon potentials in the imaginary part. The potential extracted from the $^{120}$Sn($^6$He,$^6$He)$^{120}$Sn data may be used as the basis for the construction of a simple global $^6$He optical potential. The comparison of the $^6$He and $\alpha$ data shows that the halo nature of the $^6$He nucleus leads to a clear signature in the reflexion coefficients $\eta_L$: the relevant angular momenta $L$ with $\eta_L \gg 0$ and $\eta_L \ll 1$ are shifted to larger $L$ with a broader distribution. This signature is not present in the $\alpha$ scattering data and can thus be used as a new criterion for the definition of a halo nucleus.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.