11,643 research outputs found
New Results on e+e- Line Emission in U+Ta Collisions
We present new results obtained from a series of follow-up e+e- coincidence
measurements in heavy-ion collisions, utilizing an improved experimental set-up
at the double-Orange beta-spectrometer of GSI. The collision system U+Ta was
reinvestigated in three independent runs at beam energies in the range
(6.0-6.4)xA MeV and different target thicknesses, with the objective to
reproduce a narrow sum-energy e+e- line at ~635 keV observed previously in this
collision system. At improved statistical accuracy, the line could not be found
in these new data. For the ''fission'' scenario, an upper limit (1 sigma) on
its production probability per collision of 1.3x10^{-8} can be set which has to
be compared to the previously reported value of [4.9 +- 0.8 (stat.) +- 1.0
(syst)]x10^{-7}. In the light of the new results, a reanalysis of the old data
shows that the continuous part of the spectrum at the line position is
significantly higher than previously assumed, thus reducing the production
probability of the line by a factor of two and its statistical significance to
< 3.4sigma.Comment: 15 pages, standard LaTeX with 3 included PS figures; Submitted to
Physics Letters
Laser and microwave spectroscopy of even-parity Rydberg states of neutral ytterbium and Multichannel Quantum Defect Theory analysis
New measurements of high-lying even parity and
levels of neutral Yb are presented in this paper.
Spectroscopy is performed by a two-step laser excitation from the ground state
, and the Rydberg levels are detected by using the
field ionization method. Additional two-photon microwave spectroscopy is used
to improve the relative energy accuracy where possible. The spectroscopic
measurements are complemented by a multichannel quantum defect theory (MQDT)
analysis for the J=0 and the two-coupled J=2 even parity series. We compare our
results with the previous analysis of Aymar {\it{et al}} \cite{Aymar_1980} and
analyze the observed differences. From the new MQDT models, a revised value for
the first ionization limit cm is proposed.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure
The Language Archiving Technology domain
The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (MPI) manages an archive of linguistic research data with a current size of almost 20 Terabytes. Apart from in-house researchers other projects also store their data in the archive, most notably the Documentation of Endangered Languages (DoBeS) projects. The archive is available online and can be accessed by anybody with Internet access. To be able to manage this large amount of data the MPI's technical group has developed a software suite called Language Archiving Technology (LAT) that on the one hand helps researchers and archive managers to manage the data and on the other hand helps users in enriching their primary data with additional layers. All the MPI software is Java-based and developed according to open source principles (GNU, 2007). All three major operating systems (Windows, Linux, MacOS) are supported and the software works similarly on all of them. As the archive is online, many of the tools, especially the ones for accessing the data, are browser based. Some of these browser-based tools make use of Adobe Flex to create nice-looking GUIs. The LAT suite is a complete set of management and enrichment tools, and given the interaction between the tools the result is a complete LAT software domain. Over the last 10 years, this domain has proven its functionality and use, and is being deployed to servers in other institutions. This deployment is an important step in getting the archived resources back to the members of the speech communities whose languages are documented. In the paper we give an overview of the tools of the LAT suite and we describe their functionality and role in the integrated process of archiving, management and enrichment of linguistic data
First Energy and Angle differential Measurements of e^+e^- -pairs emitted by Internal Pair Conversion of excited Heavy Nuclei
We present the first energy and angle resolved measurements of e+e- pairs
emitted from heavy nuclei (Z>=40) at rest by internal pair conversion (IPC) of
transitions with energies of less than 2MeV as well as recent theoretical
results using the DWBA method, which takes full account of relativistic
effects, magnetic substates and finite size of the nucleus. The 1.76MeV E0
transition in Zr90 (Sr source) and the 1.77MeV M1 transition in Pb207 (Bi
source) have been investigated experimentally using the essentially improved
set-up at the double-ORANGE beta-spectrometer of GSI. The measurements prove
the capability of the setup to cleanly identify the IPC pairs in the presence
of five orders of magnitude higher beta- and gamma background from the same
source and to yield essentially background-free sum spectra despite the large
background. Using the ability of the ORANGE setup to directly determine the
opening angle of the e+e- pairs, the angular correlation of the emitted pairs
was measured. In the Zr90 case the correlation could be deduced for a wide
range of energy differences of the pairs. The Zr90 results are in good
agreement with recent theory. The angular correlation deduced for the M1
transition in Pb207 is in strong disagreement with theoretical predictions
derived within the Born approximation and shows almost isotropic character.
This is again in agreement with the new theoretical results.Comment: LaTeX, 28 pages incl. 10 PS figures; Accepted by Z.Phys.
Positron spectra from internal pair conversion observed in {238}U + {181}Ta collisions
We present new results from measurements and simulations of positron spectra,
originating from 238U + 181Ta collisions at beam energies close to the Coulomb
barrier. The measurements were performed using an improved experimental setup
at the double-Orange spectrometer of GSI. Particular emphasis is put on the
signature of positrons from Internal-Pair-Conversion (IPC) processes in the
measured e+ energy spectra, following the de-excitation of electromagnetic
transitions in the moving Ta-like nucleus. It is shown by Monte Carlo
simulations that, for the chosen current sweeping procedure used in the present
experiments, positron emission from discrete IPC transitions can lead to rather
narrow line structures in the measured energy spectra. The measured positron
spectra do not show evidence for line structures within the statistical
accuracy achieved, although expected from the intensities of the observed
transitions (E keV) and theoretical conversion
coefficients. This is due to the reduced detection efficiency for IPC
positrons, caused by the limited spatial and momentum acceptance of the
spectrometer. A comparison with previous results, in which lines have been
observed, is presented and the implications are discussed.Comment: LaTeX, 20 pages including 5 EPS figures; Accepted by Eur. Phys.Jour.
Helpers and egg investment in the cooperatively breeding acorn woodpecker: testing the concealed helper effects hypothesis
In cooperatively breeding acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), helper males have a large positive effect on fledging success in good acorn crop years but only a small positive effect in poor acorn crop years, while helper females exhibit the opposite pattern. Based on these findings, we tested the âconcealed helper effectsâ hypothesis, which proposes that laying females reduce investment in eggs (with respect to their size, number, or quality) in a way that confounds helper effects and results in an absence of a relationship between helpers and breeding success. Results generally failed to support the hypothesis. Mean egg size was positively related to temperatures during the 10Â days prior to egg-laying and negatively related to the food supply as indexed by the prior fallâs acorn crop, but there were no significant differences vis-Ă -vis helpers except for interactions with the acorn crop that only partly corresponded to those predicted. With respect to clutch size, females laid larger clutches when assisted by female helpers, opposite the pattern predicted. Although our results suggest that egg size is adjusted to particular ecological circumstances, we conclude that neither egg nor clutch size is adjusted in a way that confounds the apparent effects of helpers, as proposed by the concealed helper effects hypothesis
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