A study of the porosity of nuclear graphite using small-angle neutron scattering

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measures porosity in nuclear graphites, including both open pores, caused by escaping decomposition gases, and internal cracks (in coke particles) generated by anisotropic thermal contraction along the c-direction (Mrozowski Cracks). Porosity changes on the length scale observable by SANS must control the development of internal stresses and hence of cracking in AGR graphite due to irradiation (both fast neutron displacements of carbon atoms and radiolytic corrosion by CO2). Such cracking may cause premature reactor shutdown. SANS measurements show that porosity is fractal on a length scale between ~0.2-300 nm, presumably due to Mrozowski cracks – because the fractal index of the SANS signal depends only on the porosity of the graphitic filler. We report here two novel uses of the SANS technique as applied to reactor graphite – contrast matching with D-toluene (to measure the fraction of the porosity open to the surface) and the temperature dependence of the scattering (to measure pore width changes up to 2000 °C). These results provide important new information on AGR graphite porosity and its evolution during irradiation

The use of small angle neutron scattering with contrast matching and variable adsorbate partial pressures in the study of porosity in activated carbons

The porosity of a typical activated carbon is investigated with small angle neutron scattering (SANS), using the contrast matching technique, by changing the hydrogen/deuterium content of the absorbed liquid (toluene) to extract the carbon density at different scattering vector (Q) values and by measuring the p/p0 dependence of the SANS, using fully deuterated toluene. The contrast matching data shows that the apparent density is Q-dependent, either because of pores opening near the carbon surface during the activation processor or changes in D-toluene density in nanoscale pores. For each p/p0 value, evaluation of the Porod Invariant yields the fraction of empty pores. Hence, comparison with the adsorption isotherm shows that the fully dry powder undergoes densification when liquid is added. An algebraic function is developed to fit the SANS signal at each p/p0 value hence yielding the effective Kelvin radii of the liquid surfaces as a function of p/p0. These values, when compared with the Kelvin Equation, show that the resultant surface tension value is accurate for the larger pores but tends to increase for small (nanoscale) pores. The resultant pore size distribution is less model-dependent than for the traditional methods of analyzing the adsorption isotherms

Snow Cover and Ground Temperatures, Garry Island, N.W.T.

Field measurements of the influence of snow on ground temperatures, at a depth of 90 cm., were carried out during 1968-73 at Garry Island, N.W.T. The results show that the ameliorating effect of snow can be expressed by a regression equation. The side slopes tend to have the highest mean annual temperatures; the flats the lowest; and the ridges intermediate. At Garry Island, where permafrost is thick, variations in snow cover are probably not reflected in the position of the bottom of permafrost. By contract, in the nearby alluvial islands of the Mackenzie Delta, where permafrost is thin, the effects of snow on the position of the lower permafrost surface are probably considerable

R-parity violation effect on the top-quark pair production at linear colliders

We investigate in detail the effects of the R-parity lepton number violation in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) on the top-quark pair production via both $e^--e^+$ and $\gamma-\gamma$ collision modes at the linear colliders. We find that with the present experimental constrained $\rlap/{R}$ parameters, the effect from $\rlap/{R}$ interactions on the processes $e^+e^-\to t\bar{t}$ and $e^+e^- \to \gamma\gamma \to t\bar{t}$ could be significant and may reach -30% and several percent, respectively. Our results show that the $\rlap/{R}$ effects are sensitive to the c.m.s. energy and the relevant $\rlap/{R}$ parameters. However, they are not sensitive to squark and slepton masses when $m_{\tilde{q}} \geq 400 GeV$ (or $m_{\tilde{l}} \geq 300 GeV$) and are almost independent on the $\tan\beta$Comment: Accepted by Phys.Rev.

Petrologic and oxygen-isotopic investigations of eucritic and anomalous mafic achondrites

The most common asteroidal igneous meteorites are eucrite-type basalts and gabbros rocks composed of ferroan pigeonite and augite, calcic plagioclase, silica, ilmenite, troilite, Ca-phosphate, chromite and Fe-metal. These rocks are thought to have formed on a single asteroid along with howardites and diogenites (HEDs). However, Northwest Africa (NWA) 011 is mineralogically identical to eucrites, but has an O-isotopic composition distinct from them and was derived from a different asteroid. Modern analyses with higher precision have shown that some eucrites have smaller O-isotopic differences that are nevertheless well-resolved from the group mean

Measurement of spin correlation in ttbar production using dilepton final states

We measure the correlation between the spin of the top quark and the spin of the anti-top quark in (ttbar -> W+ W- b bbar -> l+ nu b l- nubar bbar) final states produced in ppbar collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV, where l is an electron or muon. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1 and were collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The correlation is extracted from the angles of the two leptons in the t and tbar rest frames, yielding a correlation strength C= 0.10^{+0.45}_{-0.45}, in agreement with the NLO QCD prediction within two standard deviations, but also in agreement with the no correlation hypothesis.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PL

Measurement of the photon+b+b-jet production differential cross section in ppˉp\bar{p} collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.96~\TeV

We present measurements of the differential cross section dsigma/dpT_gamma for the inclusive production of a photon in association with a b-quark jet for photons with rapidities |y_gamma|< 1.0 and 30<pT_gamma <300 GeV, as well as for photons with 1.5<|y_gamma|< 2.5 and 30< pT_gamma <200 GeV, where pT_gamma is the photon transverse momentum. The b-quark jets are required to have pT>15 GeV and rapidity |y_jet| < 1.5. The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb^-1, recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron $p\bar{p}$ Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. The measured cross sections are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations using different sets of parton distribution functions as well as to predictions based on the kT-factorization QCD approach, and those from the Sherpa and Pythia Monte Carlo event generators.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Search for pair production of the scalar top quark in muon+tau final states

We present a search for the pair production of scalar top quarks ($\tilde{t}_{1}$), the lightest supersymmetric partners of the top quarks, in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of {7.3 $fb^{-1}$} collected with the \dzero experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. Each scalar top quark is assumed to decay into a $b$ quark, a charged lepton, and a scalar neutrino ($\tilde{\nu}$). We investigate final states arising from $\tilde{t}_{1} \bar{\tilde{t}_{1}} \rightarrow b\bar{b}\mu\tau \tilde{\nu} \tilde{\nu}$ and $\tilde{t}_{1} \bar{\tilde{t}_{1}} \rightarrow b\bar{b}\tau\tau \tilde{\nu} \tilde{\nu}$. With no significant excess of events observed above the background expected from the standard model, we set exclusion limits on this production process in the ($m_{\tilde{t}_{1}}$,$m_{\tilde{\nu}}$) plane.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Lett.