248 research outputs found
Ground-State Electromagnetic Moments of Calcium Isotopes
High-resolution bunched-beam collinear laser spectroscopy was used to measure
the optical hyperfine spectra of the Ca isotopes. The ground state
magnetic moments of Ca and quadrupole moments of Ca were
measured for the first time, and the Ca ground state spin was
determined in a model-independent way. Our results provide a critical test of
modern nuclear theories based on shell-model calculations using
phenomenological as well as microscopic interactions. The results for the
neutron-rich isotopes are in excellent agreement with predictions using
interactions derived from chiral effective field theory including three-nucleon
forces, while lighter isotopes illustrate the presence of particle-hole
excitations of the Ca core in their ground state.Comment: Accepted as a Rapid Communication in Physical Review
Monitoring Ion Channel Function In Real Time Through Quantum Decoherence
In drug discovery research there is a clear and urgent need for non-invasive
detection of cell membrane ion channel operation with wide-field capability.
Existing techniques are generally invasive, require specialized nano
structures, or are only applicable to certain ion channel species. We show that
quantum nanotechnology has enormous potential to provide a novel solution to
this problem. The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in nano-diamond is currently of
great interest as a novel single atom quantum probe for nanoscale processes.
However, until now, beyond the use of diamond nanocrystals as fluorescence
markers, nothing was known about the quantum behaviour of a NV probe in the
complex room temperature extra-cellular environment. For the first time we
explore in detail the quantum dynamics of a NV probe in proximity to the ion
channel, lipid bilayer and surrounding aqueous environment. Our theoretical
results indicate that real-time detection of ion channel operation at
millisecond resolution is possible by directly monitoring the quantum
decoherence of the NV probe. With the potential to scan and scale-up to an
array-based system this conclusion may have wide ranging implications for
nanoscale biology and drug discovery.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Isomer shift and magnetic moment of the long-lived 1/2 isomer in Zn: signature of shape coexistence near Ni
Collinear laser spectroscopy has been performed on the Zn
isotope at ISOLDE-CERN. The existence of a long-lived isomer with a few hundred
milliseconds half-life was confirmed, and the nuclear spins and moments of the
ground and isomeric states in Zn as well as the isomer shift were
measured. From the observed hyperfine structures, spins and
are firmly assigned to the ground and isomeric states. The magnetic moment
(Zn) = 1.1866(10) , confirms the spin-parity
with a shell-model configuration, in excellent
agreement with the prediction from large scale shell-model theories. The
magnetic moment (Zn) = 1.0180(12) supports a
positive parity for the isomer, with a wave function dominated by a 2h-1p
neutron excitation across the shell gap. The large isomer shift
reveals an increase of the intruder isomer mean square charge radius with
respect to that of the ground state:
= +0.204(6) fm, providing first evidence of shape coexistence.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, Accepeted by Phys. Rev. Lett. (2016
Calibration of the ISOLDE acceleration voltage using a high-precision voltage divider and applying collinear fast beam laser spectroscopy
A high-voltage divider with accuracy at the ppm level and collinear laser
spectroscopy were used to calibrate the highvoltage installation at the
radioactive ion beam facility ISOLDE at CERN. The accurate knowledge of this
voltage is particularly important for collinear laser spectroscopy
measurements. Beam velocity measurements using frequencycomb based collinear
laser spectroscopy agree with the new calibration. Applying this, one obtains
consistent results for isotope shifts of stable magnesium isotopes measured
using collinear spectroscopy and laser spectroscopy on laser-cooled ions in a
trap. The long-term stability and the transient behavior during recovery from a
voltage dropout were investigated for the different power supplies currently
applied at ISOLDE.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
TRIGA-SPEC: A setup for mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy at the research reactor TRIGA Mainz
The research reactor TRIGA Mainz is an ideal facility to provide neutron-rich
nuclides with production rates sufficiently large for mass spectrometric and
laser spectroscopic studies. Within the TRIGA-SPEC project, a Penning trap as
well as a beam line for collinear laser spectroscopy are being installed.
Several new developments will ensure high sensitivity of the trap setup
enabling mass measurements even on a single ion. Besides neutron-rich fission
products produced in the reactor, also heavy nuclides such as 235-U or 252-Cf
can be investigated for the first time with an off-line ion source. The data
provided by the mass measurements will be of interest for astrophysical
calculations on the rapid neutron-capture process as well as for tests of mass
models in the heavy-mass region. The laser spectroscopic measurements will
yield model-independent information on nuclear ground-state properties such as
nuclear moments and charge radii of neutron-rich nuclei of refractory elements
far from stability. This publication describes the experimental setup as well
as its present status.Comment: 20 pages, 17 figure
Photoluminescent diamond nanoparticles for cell labeling: study of the uptake mechanism in mammalian cells
Diamond nanoparticles (nanodiamonds) have been recently proposed as new
labels for cellular imaging. For small nanodiamonds (size <40 nm) resonant
laser scattering and Raman scattering cross-sections are too small to allow
single nanoparticle observation. Nanodiamonds can however be rendered
photoluminescent with a perfect photostability at room temperature. Such a
remarkable property allows easier single-particle tracking over long
time-scales. In this work we use photoluminescent nanodiamonds of size <50 nm
for intracellular labeling and investigate the mechanism of their uptake by
living cells . By blocking selectively different uptake processes we show that
nanodiamonds enter cells mainly by endocytosis and converging data indicate
that it is clathrin mediated. We also examine nanodiamonds intracellular
localization in endocytic vesicles using immunofluorescence and transmission
electron microscopy. We find a high degree of colocalization between vesicles
and the biggest nanoparticles or aggregates, while the smallest particles
appear free in the cytosol. Our results pave the way for the use of
photoluminescent nanodiamonds in targeted intracellular labeling or biomolecule
deliver
Nuclear Charge Radii of Be-7,9,10 and the one-neutron halo nucleus Be-11
Nuclear charge radii of Be have been determined by
high-precision laser spectroscopy. On-line measurements were performed with
collinear laser spectroscopy in the transition on a
beam of Be ions. Collinear and anticollinear laser beams were used
simultaneously and the absolute frequency determination using a frequency comb
yielded an accuracy in the isotope-shift measurements of about
1 MHz. Combination with accurate calculations of the mass-dependent isotope
shifts yield nuclear charge radii. The charge radius decreases from Be to
Be and then increases for the halo nucleus Be. When comparing our
results with predictions of {\it ab initio} nuclear structure calculations we
find good agreement. Additionally, the nuclear magnetic moment of Be was
determined to be and that of Be from a previous
-NMR measurement was confirmed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures calculated mass shift values have been
re-evaluated with the latest mass values for the beryllium isotopes and the
nuclear polarization contribution for Be-11, published by K. Pachucki et al.
ater submission of our manuscript, is also included no
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