Dynamic elastic properties and magnetic susceptibility across the austenite-martensite transformation in site-disordered ferromagnetic Ni-Fe-Al alloy

Besides permitting an accurate determination of the ferromagnetic-to-paramagnetic phase transition temperature and the characteristic temperatures for the beginning and end of the growth of martensite (austenite) phase at the expense of austenite (martensite) phase while cooling (heating), the results of an extensive ac susceptibility, sound velocity and internal friction investigation of the thermoelastic martensitic transformation in melt-quenched (site-disordered) Ni55Fe20Al25 alloy provide a clear experimental evidence for the following. Irreversible thermoelastic changes (thermal hysteresis) occur in the austenite phase in the premartensitic regime. In the heating cycle, the system retains the "memory" of the initiation and subsequent growth of the martensitic phase (at the expense of the parent austenite phase) that had taken place during the cooling cycle in the austenite-martensite phase coexistence region. We report and discuss these novel findings in this communication.Comment: 5 figure

Quadrupole Collective Dynamics from Energy Density Functionals: Collective Hamiltonian and the Interacting Boson Model

Microscopic energy density functionals (EDF) have become a standard tool for nuclear structure calculations, providing an accurate global description of nuclear ground states and collective excitations. For spectroscopic applications this framework has to be extended to account for collective correlations related to restoration of symmetries broken by the static mean field, and for fluctuations of collective variables. In this work we compare two approaches to five-dimensional quadrupole dynamics: the collective Hamiltonian for quadrupole vibrations and rotations, and the Interacting Boson Model. The two models are compared in a study of the evolution of non-axial shapes in Pt isotopes. Starting from the binding energy surfaces of $^{192,194,196}$Pt, calculated with a microscopic energy density functional, we analyze the resulting low-energy collective spectra obtained from the collective Hamiltonian, and the corresponding IBM-2 Hamiltonian. The calculated excitation spectra and transition probabilities for the ground-state bands and the $\gamma$-vibration bands are compared to the corresponding sequences of experimental states.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures; to be published in Phys. Rev.

Ingredients of nuclear matrix element for two-neutrino double-beta decay of 48Ca

Large-scale shell model calculations including two major shells are carried out, and the ingredients of nuclear matrix element for two-neutrino double beta decay are investigated. Based on the comparison between the shell model calculations accounting only for one major shell ($pf$-shell) and those for two major shells ($sdpf$-shell), the effect due to the excitation across the two major shells is quantitatively evaluated.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Conf. Proc. (ARIS2014); for ver.2, Fig.1 is revise

Benchmark calculation of no-core Monte Carlo shell model in light nuclei

The Monte Carlo shell model is firstly applied to the calculation of the no-core shell model in light nuclei. The results are compared with those of the full configuration interaction. The agreements between them are within a few % at most.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, Proceedings of the International Symposium on New Faces of Atomic Nuclei, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 15-17, 201

CO J = 2 - 1 Emission from Evolved Stars in the Galactic Bulge

We observe a sample of 8 evolved stars in the Galactic Bulge in the CO J = 2 - 1 line using the Submillimeter Array (SMA) with angular resolution of 1 - 4 arcseconds. These stars have been detected previously at infrared wavelengths, and several of them have OH maser emission. We detect CO J = 2 - 1 emission from three of the sources in the sample: OH 359.943 +0.260, [SLO2003] A12, and [SLO2003] A51. We do not detect the remaining 5 stars in the sample because of heavy contamination from the galactic foreground CO emission. Combining CO data with observations at infrared wavelengths constraining dust mass loss from these stars, we determine the gas-to-dust ratios of the Galactic Bulge stars for which CO emission is detected. For OH 359.943 +0.260, we determine a gas mass-loss rate of 7.9 (+/- 2.2) x 10^-5 M_Sun/year and a gas-to-dust ratio of 310 (+/- 89). For [SLO2003] A12, we find a gas mass-loss rate of 5.4 (+/- 2.8) x 10^-5 M_Sun/year and a gas-to-dust ratio of 220 (+/- 110). For [SLO2003] A51, we find a gas mass-loss rate of 3.4 (+/- 3.0) x 10^-5 M_Sun/year and a gas-to-dust ratio of 160 (+/- 140), reflecting the low quality of our tentative detection of the CO J = 2 - 1 emission from A51. We find the CO J = 2 - 1 detections of OH/IR stars in the Galactic Bulge require lower average CO J = 2 - 1 backgrounds.Comment: 40 pages, 16 figures, appeared in the 1 March 2013 issue of the Astrophysical Journa

Structural evolution in Pt isotopes with the Interacting Boson Model Hamiltonian derived from the Gogny Energy Density Functional

Spectroscopic calculations are carried out, for the description of the shape/phase transition in Pt nuclei in terms of the Interacting Boson Model (IBM) Hamiltonian derived from (constrained) Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) calculations with the finite range and density dependent Gogny-D1S Energy Density Functional. Assuming that the many-nucleon driven dynamics of nuclear surface deformation can be simulated by effective bosonic degrees of freedom, the Gogny-D1S potential energy surface (PES) with quadrupole degrees of freedom is mapped onto the corresponding PES of the IBM. Using this mapping procedure, the parameters of the IBM Hamiltonian, relevant to the low-lying quadrupole collective states, are derived as functions of the number of valence nucleons. Merits of both Gogny-HFB and IBM approaches are utilized so that the spectra and the wave functions in the laboratory system are calculated precisely. The experimental low-lying spectra of both ground-state and side-band levels are well reproduced. From the systematics of the calculated spectra and the reduced E2 transition probabilities $B$(E2), the prolate-to-oblate shape/phase transition is shown to take place quite smoothly as a function of neutron number $N$ in the considered Pt isotopic chain, for which the $\gamma$-softness plays an essential role. All these spectroscopic observables behave consistently with the relevant PESs and the derived parameters of the IBM Hamiltonian as functions of $N$. Spectroscopic predictions are also made for those nuclei which do not have enough experimental E2 data.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure