Coupling of (ultra-)relativistic atomic nuclei with photons

The coupling of photons with (ultra-) relativistic atomic nuclei is presented in two particular circumstances: very high electromagnetic fields and very short photon pulses. We consider a typical situation where the (bare) nuclei (fully stripped of electrons) are accelerated to energies ~1TeV per nucleon (according to the state of the art at LHC, for instance) and photon sources like petawatt lasers \simeq1eV -radiation (envisaged by ELI-NP project, for instance), or free-electron laser ~10keV -radiation, or synchrotron sources, etc. In these circumstances the nuclear scale energy can be attained, with very high field intensities. In particular, we analyse the nuclear transitions induced by the radiation, including both one- and two-photon processes, as well as the polarization-driven transitions which may lead to giant dipole resonances. The nuclear (electrical) polarization concept is introduced. It is shown that the perturbation theory for photo-nuclear reactions is applicable, although the field intensity is high, since the corresponding interaction energy is low and the interaction time (pulse duration) is short. It is also shown that the description of the giant nuclear dipole resonance requires the dynamics of the nuclear electrical polarization degrees of freedom.Comment: 15 page

RADIATION KINETICS AND CHEMICAL REACTIVITY OF BARRIER DISCHARGES IN HUMID ARGON

International audienceThe technique of spatially resolved cross-correlation spectroscopy was used to record two-dimensional luminosity distributions for the selected spectral bands of molecular nitrogen (λ=337.1 nm), OH-radical (λ=308 nm), and two spectral lines of excited Ar (λ=750.4 nm and λ=763.5 nm) emitted by the microdischarges of the barrier discharge in flowing humid argon at atmospheric pressure. Concentrations of two stable reaction products of H2O decomposition (H2 and O2) in argon plasma were determined experimentally as functions of humidity. Comparison of these results with the corresponding measurements of radiation kinetics permitted a detailed analysis of the influence of the discharge mechanism on its chemical reactivity in humid argon to be accomplished

Transport of ionized metal atoms in High Power Pulsed Magnetron Discharges assisted by an inductively coupled plasma

peer reviewe

Generation of Porous Alumina Layers in a Polydimethylsiloxane/Hydrogen Peroxide Medium on Aluminum Substrate in Corona Discharges

The porous alumina (Al2O3) layer obtained at the interface between polydimethylsiloxane/hydrogen peroxide medium and aluminum substrate under charged and neutral species injection produced in negative corona discharges in air at atmospheric pressure is analyzed by different methods in this paper. The scanning electron microscopy investigations showed the uniform distribution of the pores formed in the alumina layer and their columnar structures. Both energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements indicate that during the anodization process of the aluminum in the polydimethylsiloxane/hydrogen peroxide medium in corona discharge the incorporation of silicon in the structure of the alumina layer is possible

Influence of pulse duration on the plasma characteristics in High-Power Pulsed Magnetron Discharges

peer reviewe

Design requirements for the Wide-field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER)

The Wide-field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a 1x1 degree infrared survey telescope under devel- opment at MIT and Caltech, and slated for commissioning at Palomar Observatory in 2021. WINTER is a seeing-limited infrared time-domain survey and has two main science goals: (1) the discovery of IR kilonovae and r-process materials from binary neutron star mergers and (2) the study of general IR transients, including supernovae, tidal disruption events, and transiting exoplanets around low mass stars. We plan to meet these science goals with technologies that are relatively new to astrophysical research: hybridized InGaAs sensors as an alternative to traditional, but expensive, HgCdTe arrays and an IR-optimized 1-meter COTS telescope. To mitigate risk, optimize development efforts, and ensure that WINTER meets its science objectives, we use model-based systems engineering (MBSE) techniques commonly featured in aerospace engineering projects. Even as ground-based instrumentation projects grow in complexity, they do not often have the budget for a full-time systems engineer. We present one example of systems engineering for the ground-based WINTER project, featuring software tools that allow students or staff to learn the fundamentals of MBSE and capture the results in a formalized software interface. We focus on the top-level science requirements with a detailed example of how the goal of detecting kilonovae flows down to WINTER’s optical design. In particular, we discuss new methods for tolerance simulations, eliminating stray light, and maximizing image quality of a fly’s-eye design that slices the telescope’s focus onto 6 non-buttable, IR detectors. We also include a discussion of safety constraints for a robotic telescope

Antimicrobial Activity Evaluation on Silver Doped Hydroxyapatite/Polydimethylsiloxane Composite Layer

The goal of this study was the preparation, physicochemical characterization, and microbiological evaluation of novel hydroxyapatite doped with silver/polydimethylsiloxane (Ag:HAp-PDMS) composite layers. In the first stage, the deposition of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer layer on commercially pure Si disks has been produced in atmospheric pressure corona discharges. Finally, the new silver doped hydroxyapatite/polydimethylsiloxane composite layer has been obtained by the thermal evaporation technique. The Ag:HAp-PDMS composite layers were characterized by various techniques, such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The antimicrobial activity of the Ag:HAp-PDMS composite layer was assessed againstCandida albicansATCC 10231 (ATCC—American Type Culture Collection) by culture based and confirmed by SEM and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) methods. This is the first study reporting the antimicrobial effect of the Ag:HAp-PDMS composite layer, which proved to be active againstCandida albicansbiofilm embedded cells.</jats:p