Strict Forest Reserve Research in the Margin of the Carpathians, the Vár-hegy Case-Study

Sixteen forest reserves are situated in the northern part of Hungary which belongs to the Carpathian region according to EURAC delimitation (Ruffini et al. 2006). These Hungarian forest reserves expand the natural forest remnant/forest reserve net of the Carpathians towards the lower hilly region, representing the deciduous beech and oak forest belts near their lower (xeric) distribution limits. This paper outlines the Hungarian forest reserves belonging to the Carpathian region and the preliminary results of current projects in the Vár-hegy Forest Reserve (Bükk Mts., Hungary) as a case study. The alteration of tree species composition was investigated here based on the reconstruction of forest history in the previous 130 years (management period) and analyses of forest stand inventory. In another project CO2 sequestration changes of these forest stands were modeled since the clear-cutting in the 1880th and carbon stored in the forest ecosystem compartments was estimated. Our results show that the forest reserve stands are presently in a transition state from the managed forest towards a more natural mixed forest with several age-classes

Biomolecular imaging and electronic damage using X-ray free-electron lasers

Proposals to determine biomolecular structures from diffraction experiments using femtosecond X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses involve a conflict between the incident brightness required to achieve diffraction-limited atomic resolution and the electronic and structural damage induced by the illumination. Here we show that previous estimates of the conditions under which biomolecular structures may be obtained in this manner are unduly restrictive, because they are based on a coherent diffraction model that is not appropriate to the proposed interaction conditions. A more detailed imaging model derived from optical coherence theory and quantum electrodynamics is shown to be far more tolerant of electronic damage. The nuclear density is employed as the principal descriptor of molecular structure. The foundations of the approach may also be used to characterize electrodynamical processes by performing scattering experiments on complex molecules of known structure.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

Detection by NMR of a "local spin-gap" in quenched CsC60

We present a 13C and 133Cs NMR investigation of the CsC60 cubic quenched phase. Previous ESR measurements suggest that this phase is metallic, but NMR reveals contrasting electronic behavior on the local scale. The 13C spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) exhibits a typical metallic behavior down to 50 K, but indicates that a partial spin-gap opens for T<50 K. Unexpectedly, 133Cs NMR shows that there are two inequivalent Cs sites. For one of these sites, the NMR shift and (T1T)^{-1} follow an activated law, confirming the existence of a spin-gap. We ascribe this spin-gap to the occurrence of localized spin-singlets on a small fraction of the C60 molecules.Comment: 4 figure

Gaps and excitations in fullerides with partially filled bands : NMR study of Na2C60 and K4C60

We present an NMR study of Na2C60 and K4C60, two compounds that are related by electron-hole symmetry in the C60 triply degenerate conduction band. In both systems, it is known that NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T1) measurements detect a gap in the electronic structure, most likely related to singlet-triplet excitations of the Jahn-Teller distorted (JTD) C60^{2-} or C60^{4-}. However, the extended temperature range of the measurements presented here (10 K to 700 K) allows to reveal deviations with respect to this general trend, both at high and low temperatures. Above room temperature, 1/T1 deviates from the activated law that one would expect from the presence of the gap and saturates. In the same temperature range, a lowering of symmetry is detected in Na2C60 by the appearance of quadrupole effects on the 23Na spectra. In K4C60, modifications of the 13C spectra lineshapes also indicate a structural modification. We discuss this high temperature deviation in terms of a coupling between JTD and local symmetry. At low temperatures, 1/T$_1$T tends to a constant value for Na2C60, both for 13C and 23Na NMR. This indicates a residual metallic character, which emphasizes the proximity of metallic and insulting behaviors in alkali fullerides.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figure