Localized Excitons and Breaking of Chemical Bonds at III-V (110) Surfaces

Electron-hole excitations in the surface bands of GaAs(110) are analyzed using constrained density-functional theory calculations. The results show that Frenkel-type autolocalized excitons are formed. The excitons induce a local surface unrelaxation which results in a strong exciton-exciton attraction and makes complexes of two or three electron-hole pairs more favorable than separate excitons. In such microscopic exciton "droplets" the electron density is mainly concentrated in the dangling orbital of a surface Ga atom whereas the holes are distributed over the bonds of this atom to its As neighbors thus weakening the bonding to the substrate. This finding suggests the microscopic mechanism of a laser-induced emission of neutral Ga atoms from GaAs and GaP (110) surfaces.Comment: submitted to PRL, 10 pages, 4 figures available upon request from: [email protected]

A New Parameterization for the Lagrangian Density of Relativistic Mean Field Theory

A new parameterization for an effective non-linear Lagrangian density of relativistic mean field (RMF) theory is proposed, which is able to provide an excellent description not only for the properties of stable nuclei but also for those far from the valley of beta-stability. In addition recently measured superdeformed mimima in the Hg-region are reproduced with high accuracy.Comment: 8 pages, Latex, 1 ps figur

Spreading Width for Decay out of a Superdeformed Band

The attenuation factor F responsible for the decay out of a superdeformed (SD) band is calculated with the help of a statistical model. This factor is given by 1/F = (1 + Gamma(down) / Gamma(S)). Here, Gamma(S) is the width for the collective E2 transition within the superdeformed band, and Gamma(down) is the spreading width which describes the mixing between a state in the SD band and the normally deformed (ND) states of equal spin. The attenuation factor F is independent of the statistical E1 decay widths Gamma(N) of the ND states provided that the Gamma(N) are much larger than both Gamma(down) and Gamma(S). This condition is generically met. Previously measured values of F are used to determine Gamma(down).Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter

The PULSE@Parkes project: A new observing technique for long-term pulsar monitoring

The PULSE@Parkes project has been designed to monitor the rotation of radio pulsars over time spans of days to years. The observations are obtained using the Parkes 64-m and 12-m radio telescopes by Australian and international high school students. These students learn the basis of radio astronomy and undertake small projects with their observations. The data are fully calibrated and obtained with the state-of-the-art pulsar hardware available at Parkes. The final data sets are archived and are currently being used to carry out studies of 1) pulsar glitches, 2) timing noise, 3) pulse profile stability over long time scales and 4) the extreme nulling phenomenon. The data are also included in other projects such as gamma-ray observatory support and for the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array project. In this paper we describe the current status of the project and present the first scientific results from the Parkes 12-m radio telescope. We emphasise that this project offers a straightforward means to enthuse high school students and the general public about radio astronomy while obtaining scientifically valuable data sets.Comment: accepted for publication by PAS

Spectroscopy of 194^{194}Po

Prompt, in-beam $\gamma$ rays following the reaction $^{170}$Yb + 142 MeV $^{28}$Si were measured at the ATLAS facility using 10 Compton-suppressed Ge detectors and the Fragment Mass Analyzer. Transitions in $^{194}$Po were identified and placed using $\gamma$-ray singles and coincidence data gated on the mass of the evaporation residues. A level spectrum up to J$\approx$10$\hbar$ was established. The structure of $^{194}$Po is more collective than that observed in the heavier polonium isotopes and indicates that the structure has started to evolve towards the more collective nature expected for deformed nuclei.Comment: 8 pages, revtex 3.0, 4 figs. available upon reques

Lifetime Measurements in 182,186^{182,186}Pt}

Lifetimes in the yrast bands of the nuclei $^{182,186}$Pt have been measured using the Doppler-shift Recoil Distance technique. The results in both cases {\em viz.} a sharp increase in B(E2) values at very low spins, may be interpreted as resulting from a mixing between two bands of different quadrupole deformations.Comment: 12 pages; 4 figures; submitted to PR

Co-existing structures in 105Ru

New positive-parity states, having a band-like structure, were observed in 105Ru. The nucleus was produced in induced fission reaction and the prompt gamma-rays, emitted from the fragments, were detected by the EUROBALL III multi-detector array. The partial scheme of excited 105Ru levels is analyzed within the Triaxial-Rotor-plus-Particle approach

Decay modes of 250No

The Fragment Mass Analyzer at the ATLAS facility has been used to unambiguously identify the mass number associated with different decay modes of the nobelium isotopes produced via 204Pb(48Ca,xn)(252-x)No reactions. Isotopically pure (>99.7%) 204Pb targets were used to reduce background from more favored reactions on heavier lead isotopes. Two spontaneous fission half-lives (t_1/2 = 3.7+1.1-0.8 us and 43+22-15 us) were deduced from a total of 158 fission events. Both decays originate from 250No rather than from neighboring isotopes as previously suggested. The longer activity most likely corresponds to a K-isomer in this nucleus. No conclusive evidence for an alpha branch was observed, resulting in upper limits of 2.1% for the shorter lifetime and 3.4% for the longer activity.Comment: RevTex4, 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR

High-K isomers in 176^{176}W and mechanisms of K-violation

An isomer, with t1/2 = 35 +- 10 ns and J, Kpi = 14, 14+, has been observed in the nucleus 176W using the reaction 150Nd(30Si,4n) at a beam energy of 133 MeV. The isomer exhibits an unusual pattern of decay in which the _majority_ of the flux proceeds directly to states with =0, bypassing available levels of intermediate K. This severe breakdown of normal K-selection rules in 176W is compared with recent observations of K-violation in neighboring nuclei, within the framework of proposed theoretical approaches. The available data on these K-violating decays seem to have a consistent explanation in models of K-mixing which include large-amplitude fluctuations of the nuclear shape

The Parkes Observatory Pulsar Data Archive

The Parkes pulsar data archive currently provides access to 144044 data files obtained from observations carried out at the Parkes observatory since the year 1991. Around 10^5 files are from surveys of the sky, the remainder are observations of 775 individual pulsars and their corresponding calibration signals. Survey observations are included from the Parkes 70cm and the Swinburne Intermediate Latitude surveys. Individual pulsar observations are included from young pulsar timing projects, the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array and from the PULSE@Parkes outreach program. The data files and access methods are compatible with Virtual Observatory protocols. This paper describes the data currently stored in the archive and presents ways in which these data can be searched and downloaded.Comment: Accepted by PAS