Seasonal and intra-diurnal variability of small-scale gravity waves in OH airglow at two Alpine stations

Between December 2013 and August 2017 the instrument FAIM (Fast Airglow IMager) observed the OH airglow emission at two Alpine stations. A year of measurements was performed at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany (48.09∘&thinsp;N, 11.28∘&thinsp;E) and 2 years at Sonnblick, Austria (47.05∘&thinsp;N, 12.96∘&thinsp;E). Both stations are part of the network for the detection of mesospheric change (NDMC). The temporal resolution is two frames per second and the field-of-view is 55&thinsp;km&thinsp;×&thinsp;60&thinsp;km and 75&thinsp;km&thinsp;×&thinsp;90&thinsp;km at the OH layer altitude of 87&thinsp;km with a spatial resolution of 200 and 280&thinsp;m per pixel, respectively. This resulted in two dense data sets allowing precise derivation of horizontal gravity wave parameters. The analysis is based on a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform with fully automatic peak extraction. By combining the information of consecutive images, time-dependent parameters such as the horizontal phase speed are extracted. The instrument is mainly sensitive to high-frequency small- and medium-scale gravity waves. A clear seasonal dependency concerning the meridional propagation direction is found for these waves in summer in the direction to the summer pole. The zonal direction of propagation is eastwards in summer and westwards in winter. Investigations of the data set revealed an intra-diurnal variability, which may be related to tides. The observed horizontal phase speed and the number of wave events per observation hour are higher in summer than in winter.</p

Discovery of the Cadmium Isotopes

Thirty-seven cadmium isotopes have so far been observed; the discovery of these isotopes is discussed. For each isotope a brief summary of the first refereed publication, including the production and identification method, is presented.Comment: to be published in Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Table

Selective laser ionization of N ≥\geq 82 indium isotopes: the new r-process nuclide 135^{135}In

Production yields and beta-decay half-lives of very neutron-rich indium isotopes were determined at CERN/ISOLDE using isobaric selectivity of a resonance-ionization laser ion-source. Beta-delayed neutron multiscaling measurements have yielded improved half-lives for 206(6)~ms $^{132}$In, 165(3)~ms $^{133}$In and 141(5)~ms $^{134}$In. With 92(10)~ms $^{135}$In, a new r-process nuclide has been identified which acts as an important `waiting-point' in the In isotopic chain for neutron densities in the range n$_n \simeq 10^{24}$--10$^{26}$ n/cm$^3$, where the r-matter flow has already passed the ${\rm A} \simeq 130$ abundance-peak region

Observations of OH airglow from ground, aircraft, and satellite: investigation of wave-like structures before a minor stratospheric warming

In January and February 2016, the OH airglow camera system FAIM (Fast Airglow Imager) measured during six flights on board the research aircraft FALCON in northern Scandinavia. Flight 1 (14 January 2016) covering the same ground track in several flight legs and flight 5 (28 January 2016) along the shoreline of Norway are discussed in detail in this study. The images of the OH airglow intensity are analysed with a two-dimensional FFT regarding horizontal periodic structures between 3 and 26&thinsp;km horizontal wavelength and their direction of propagation. Two ground-based spectrometers (GRIPS, Ground-based Infrared P-branch Spectrometer) provided OH airglow temperatures. One was placed at ALOMAR, Northern Norway (Arctic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research; 69.28∘&thinsp;N, 16.01∘&thinsp;E) and the other one at Kiruna, northern Sweden (67.86∘&thinsp;N, 20.24∘&thinsp;E). Especially during the last third of January 2016, the weather conditions at Kiruna were good enough for the computation of nightly means of gravity wave potential energy density. Coincident TIMED-SABER (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics Dynamics–Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry) measurements complete the data set. They allow for the derivation of information about the Brunt–Väisälä frequency and about the height of the OH airglow layer as well as its thickness. The data are analysed with respect to the temporal and spatial evolution of mesopause gravity wave activity just before a minor stratospheric warming at the end of January 2016. Wave events with periods longer (shorter) than 60&thinsp;min might mainly be generated in the troposphere (at or above the height of the stratospheric jet). Special emphasis is placed on small-scale signatures, i.e. on ripples, which may be signatures of local instability and which may be related to a step in a wave-breaking process. The most mountainous regions are characterized by the highest occurrence rate of wave-like structures in both flights.</p

Decay of neutron-rich Mn nuclides and deformation of heavy Fe isotopes

The use of chemically selective laser ionization combined with beta-delayed neutron counting at CERN/ISOLDE has permitted identification and half-life measurements for 623-ms Mn-61 up through 14-ms Mn-69. The measured half-lives are found to be significantly longer near N=40 than the values calculated with a QRPA shell model using ground-state deformations from the FRDM and ETFSI models. Gamma-ray singles and coincidence spectroscopy has been performed for Mn-64 and Mn-66 decays to levels of Fe-64 and Fe-66, revealing a significant drop in the energy of the first 2+ state in these nuclides that suggests an unanticipated increase in collectivity near N=40