Guide and Instrument Upgrade at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin

In this article we present the results of the major upgrade program at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin HZB which was successfully conducted from October 2010 to March 2012

An improved prism energy analyzer for neutrons

The effects of two improvements of an existing neutron energy analyzer consisting of stacked silicon prism rows are presented. First we tested the effect of coating the back of the prism rows with an absorbing layer to suppress neutron scattering by total reflection and by refraction at small angles. Experiments at HZB showed that this works perfectly. Second the prism rows were bent to shift the transmitted wavelength band to larger wavelengths. At HZB we showed that bending increased the transmission of neutrons with a wavelength of 4.9 . Experiments with a white beam at the EROS reflectometer at LLB showed that bending of the energy analyzing device to a radius of 7.9 m allows to shift the transmitted wavelength band from 0 to 9 to 2 to 1

Neutron energy analysis by silicon prisms

Neutron energy analysing allows to measure at di fferent wavelengths at the same time thus avoiding losses due to monochromatization. We built and tested a refractive energy analysing device made from small prisms, where losses only occur due to the attenuation in the material. We measured the refraction and the transmission of MgF2 and Si prisms at the V14 reflectometer in Berlin at 4.9 Angstroem to check their applicability. The experimentally determined linear attenuation coe cients are 0.055 cm 1 for the MgF2 and 0.03 cm 1 for the Si prisms. An energy analyser consisting of silicon prism layers was measured at the EROS reflectometer at the LLB in a white neutron beam. The useful wavelength band was 2.4 to 7.6 Angstroem . At 6.7 Angstroem a wavelength resolution of 5 and a transmission of 53 were achieved. The surface roughness of the prisms could be determined to be 0.011 0.006 de

Measuring Dust Production in the Small Magellanic Cloud Core-Collapse Supernova Remnant 1E 0102.2-7219

We present mid-infrared spectral mapping observations of the core-collapse supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219 in the Small Magellanic Cloud using the InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The remnant shows emission from fine structure transitions of neon and oxygen as well as continuum emission from dust. Comparison of the mid-IR dust emission with observations at x-ray, radio and optical wavelengths shows that the dust is associated with the supernova ejecta and is thus newly formed in the remnant. The spectrum of the newly formed dust is well reproduced by a model that includes 3x10^-3 solar masses of amorphous carbon dust at 70 K and 2x10^-5 solar masses of Mg2SiO4 (forsterite) at 145 K. Our observations place a lower limit on the amount of dust in the remnant since we are not sensitive to the cold dust in the unshocked ejecta. We compare our results to observations of other core-collapse supernovae and remnants, particularly Cas A where very similar spectral mapping observations have been carried out. We observe a a factor of ~10 less dust in E 0102 than seen in Cas A, although the amounts of amorphous carbon and forsterite are comparable.Comment: submitted to Ap

Cubic boron nitride: a new prospective material for ultracold neutron application

For the first time, the neutron optical wall-potential of natural cubic boron nitride (cBN) was measured at the ultracold neutron (UCN) source of the research reactor TRIGA Mainz using the time-of-flight method (TOF). The samples investigated had a wall-potential of (305 +/- 15) neV. This value is in good agreement with the result extracted from neutron reflectometry data and theoretical expectations. Because of its high critical velocity for UCN and its good dielectric characteristics, cubic boron nitride coatings (isotopically enriched) will be useful for a number of applications in UCN experiments

NACO Polarimetric Differential Imaging of TW Hya: A Sharp Look at the Closest T Tauri Disk

We present high-contrast imaging data on the disk of the classical T Tauri star TW Hya. The images were obtained through the polarimetric differential imaging technique with the adaptive optics system NACO. Our commissioning data show the presence of polarized disk emission between 0.1" and 1.4" from the star. We derive the first Ks-band radial polarized intensity distribution. We show that the polarized intensity compares well to shorter wavelengths surface brightness observations and confirm the previously reported gradual slope change around 0.8". These results show the potential of the new polarimetric differential imaging technique at 8m-class telescopes to map the inner regions of protoplanetary disks.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics; 7 pages, 7 figure

Ferromagnetic Domain Distribution in Thin Films During Magnetization Reversal

We have shown that polarized neutron reflectometry can determine in a model-free way not only the mean magnetization of a ferromagnetic thin film at any point of a hysteresis cycle, but also the mean square dispersion of the magnetization vectors of its lateral domains. This technique is applied to elucidate the mechanism of the magnetization reversal of an exchange-biased Co/CoO bilayer. The reversal process above the blocking temperature is governed by uniaxial domain switching, while below the blocking temperature the reversal of magnetization for the trained sample takes place with substantial domain rotation

Counseling patients about sexual health when considering post-prostatectomy radiation treatment

Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men in the United States. Many men with clinically localized prostate cancer survive for 15 years or more. Although early detection and successful definitive treatments are increasingly common, a debate regarding how aggressively to treat prostate cancer is ongoing because of the effect of aggressive treatment on the quality of life, including sexual functioning. We examined current research on the effect of post-prostatectomy radiation treatment on sexual functioning, and suggest a way in which patient desired outcomes might be taken into consideration while making decisions with regard to the timing of radiation therapy after prostatectomy

Solid state and conventional neutron optical elements

Neutron optical elements are needed to prepare neutron beams with the phase space volume required for an experiment. In the last years solid state neutron optical devices have been developed in Berlin, especially polarizers and collimators where the neutrons move in channels formed by thin silicon wafers. Such devices are smaller and lighter than their conventional counterparts, have well defined channels and their lengths are below 10 cm. Solid state straight and radial benders for the spin polarisation or analysis of neutrons and straight and radial collimators were built and tested at HMI. Their performance is compared to conventional benders and cavities. Finally, some general aspects of solid state elements are summarised