203 research outputs found
Dewetting of thin polymer films near the glass transition
Dewetting of ultra-thin polymer films near the glass transition exhibits
unexpected front morphologies [G. Reiter, Phys. Rev. Lett., 87, 186101 (2001)].
We present here the first theoretical attempt to understand these features,
focusing on the shear-thinning behaviour of these films. We analyse the profile
of the dewetting film, and characterize the time evolution of the dry region
radius, , and of the rim height, . After a transient time
depending on the initial thickness, grows like while
increases like . Different regimes of growth are
expected, depending on the initial film thickness and experimental time range.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures Revised version, published in Physical Review
Letters: F. Saulnier, E. Raphael and P.-G. de Gennes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88,
196101 (2002
Slow dynamics near glass transitions in thin polymer films
The -process (segmental motion) of thin polystyrene films supported
on glass substrate has been investigated in a wider frequency range from
10 Hz to 10 Hz using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy and thermal
expansion spectroscopy. The relaxation rate of the -process increases
with decreasing film thickness at a given temperature above the glass
transition. This increase in the relaxation rate with decreasing film thickness
is much more enhanced near the glass transition temperature. The glass
transition temperature determined as the temperature at which the relaxation
time of the -process becomes a macroscopic time scale shows a distinct
molecular weight dependence. It is also found that the Vogel temperature has
the thickness dependence, i.e., the Vogel temperature decreases with decreasing
film thickness. The expansion coefficient of the free volume is
extracted from the temperature dependence of the relaxation time within the
free volume theory. The fragility index is also evaluated as a function of
thickness. Both and are found to decrease with decreasing film
thickness.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, and 2 table
Measurement of 222Rn dissolved in water at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
The technique used at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) to measure the
concentration of 222Rn in water is described. Water from the SNO detector is
passed through a vacuum degasser (in the light water system) or a membrane
contact degasser (in the heavy water system) where dissolved gases, including
radon, are liberated. The degasser is connected to a vacuum system which
collects the radon on a cold trap and removes most other gases, such as water
vapor and nitrogen. After roughly 0.5 tonnes of H2O or 6 tonnes of D2O have
been sampled, the accumulated radon is transferred to a Lucas cell. The cell is
mounted on a photomultiplier tube which detects the alpha particles from the
decay of 222Rn and its daughters. The overall degassing and concentration
efficiency is about 38% and the single-alpha counting efficiency is
approximately 75%. The sensitivity of the radon assay system for D2O is
equivalent to ~3 E(-15) g U/g water. The radon concentration in both the H2O
and D2O is sufficiently low that the rate of background events from U-chain
elements is a small fraction of the interaction rate of solar neutrinos by the
neutral current reaction.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures; v2 has very minor change
A radium assay technique using hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
As photodisintegration of deuterons mimics the disintegration of deuterons by
neutrinos, the accurate measurement of the radioactivity from thorium and
uranium decay chains in the heavy water in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
(SNO) is essential for the determination of the total solar neutrino flux. A
radium assay technique of the required sensitivity is described that uses
hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent on a filtration membrane together with a
beta-alpha delayed coincidence counting system. For a 200 tonne assay the
detection limit for 232Th is a concentration of 3 x 10^(-16) g Th/g water and
for 238U of 3 x 10^(-16) g U/g water. Results of assays of both the heavy and
light water carried out during the first two years of data collection of SNO
are presented.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Measurement of the solar 8B neutrino rate with a liquid scintillator target and 3 MeV energy threshold in the Borexino detector
We report the measurement of electron neutrino elastic scattering from 8B
solar neutrinos with 3 MeV energy threshold by the Borexino detector in Gran
Sasso (Italy). The rate of solar neutrino-induced electron scattering events
above this energy in Borexino is 0.217 +- 0.038 (stat) +- 0.008 (syst) cpd/100
t, which corresponds to the equivalent unoscillated flux of (2.4 +- 0.4 (stat)
+- 0.1 (syst))x10^6 cm^-2 s^-1, in good agreement with measurements from SNO
and SuperKamiokaNDE. Assuming the 8B neutrino flux predicted by the high
metallicity Standard Solar Model, the average 8B neutrino survival probability
above 3 MeV is measured to be 0.29+-0.10. The survival probabilities for 7Be
and 8B neutrinos as measured by Borexino differ by 1.9 sigma. These results are
consistent with the prediction of the MSW-LMA solution of a transition in the
solar electron neutrino survival probability between the low energy
vacuum-driven and the high-energy matter-enhanced solar neutrino oscillation
regimes.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 6 table
Pulse-Shape discrimination with the Counting Test Facility
Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) is one of the most distinctive features of
liquid scintillators. Since the introduction of the scintillation techniques in
the field of particle detection, many studies have been carried out to
characterize intrinsic properties of the most common liquid scintillator
mixtures in this respect. Several application methods and algorithms able to
achieve optimum discrimination performances have been developed. However, the
vast majority of these studies have been performed on samples of small
dimensions. The Counting Test Facility, prototype of the solar neutrino
experiment Borexino, as a 4 ton spherical scintillation detector immersed in
1000 tons of shielding water, represents a unique opportunity to extend the
small-sample PSD studies to a large-volume setup. Specifically, in this work we
consider two different liquid scintillation mixtures employed in CTF,
illustrating for both the PSD characterization results obtained either with the
processing of the scintillation waveform through the optimum Gatti's method, or
via a more conventional approach based on the charge content of the
scintillation tail. The outcomes of this study, while interesting per se, are
also of paramount importance in view of the expected Borexino detector
performances, where PSD will be an essential tool in the framework of the
background rejection strategy needed to achieve the required sensitivity to the
solar neutrino signals.Comment: 39 pages, 17 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. Meth.
Recommended from our members
New experimental limits on the Pauli forbidden transitions in C nuclei obtained with 485 days Borexino data
The Pauli exclusion principle (PEP) has been tested for nucleons () in
with the Borexino detector.The approach consists of a search for
, , and emitted in a non-Paulian transition of
1- shell nucleons to the filled 1 shell in nuclei. Due to the
extremely low background and the large mass (278 t) of the Borexino detector,
the following most stringent up-to-date experimental bounds on PEP violating
transitions of nucleons have been established:
y, y,
y,
y and y, all at 90% C.L. The corresponding upper
limits on the relative strengths for the searched non-Paulian electromagnetic,
strong and weak transitions have been estimated: , and .Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Recommended from our members
Observation of Geo-Neutrinos
Geo-neutrinos, electron anti-neutrinos produced in beta decays of naturally
occurring radioactive isotopes in the Earth, are a unique direct probe of our
planet's interior. We report the first observation at more than 3 C.L.
of geo-neutrinos, performed with the Borexino detector at Laboratori Nazionali
del Gran Sasso. Anti-neutrinos are detected through the neutron inverse beta
decay reaction. With a 252.6 ton-yr fiducial exposure after all selection cuts,
we detected 9.9^{+4.1}_{-3.4}(^{+14.6}_{-8.2}) geo-neutrino events, with errors
corresponding to a 68.3%(99.73%) C.L. From the profile, the
statistical significance of the Borexino geo-neutrino observation corresponds
to a 99.997% C.L. Our measurement of the geo-neutrinos rate is
3.9^{+1.6}_{-1.3}(^{+5.8}_{-3.2}) events/(100ton-yr). This measurement rejects
the hypothesis of an active geo-reactor in the Earth's core with a power above
3 TW at 95% C.L. The observed prompt positron spectrum above 2.6 MeV is
compatible with that expected from european nuclear reactors (mean base line of
approximately 1000 km). Our measurement of reactor anti-neutrinos excludes the
non-oscillation hypothesis at 99.60% C.L.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 3 table
New results on solar neutrino fluxes from 192 days of Borexino data
We report the direct measurement of the ^7Be solar neutrino signal rate
performed with the Borexino detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran
Sasso. The interaction rate of the 0.862 MeV ^7Be neutrinos is
49+-3(stat)+-4(syst) counts/(day * 100ton). The hypothesis of no oscillation
for ^7Be solar neutrinos is inconsistent with our measurement at the 4sigma
level. Our result is the first direct measurement of the survival probability
for solar nu_e in the transition region between matter-enhanced and
vacuum-driven oscillations. The measurement improves the experimental
determination of the flux of ^7Be, pp, and CNO solar nu_e, and the limit on the
magnetic moment of neutrinos
Measurement of the Total Active 8B Solar Neutrino Flux at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with Enhanced Neutral Current Sensitivity
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) has precisely determined the total
active (nu_x) 8B solar neutrino flux without assumptions about the energy
dependence of the nu_e survival probability. The measurements were made with
dissolved NaCl in the heavy water to enhance the sensitivity and signature for
neutral-current interactions. The flux is found to be 5.21 +/- 0.27 (stat) +/-
0.38 (syst) x10^6 cm^{-2}s^{-1}, in agreement with previous measurements and
standard solar models. A global analysis of these and other solar and reactor
neutrino results yields Delta m^{2} = 7.1^{+1.2}_{-0.6}x10^{-5} ev^2 and theta
= 32.5^{+2.4}_{-2.3} degrees. Maximal mixing is rejected at the equivalent of
5.4 standard deviations.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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