Seed conservation in ex situ genebanks - genetic studies on longevity in barley

Recognizing the danger due to a permanent risk of loss of the genetic variability of cultivated plants and their wild relatives in response to changing environmental conditions and cultural practices, plant ex situ genebank collections were created since the beginning of the last century. World-wide more than 6 million accessions have been accumulated of which more than 90% are stored as seeds. Research on seed longevity was performed in barley maintained for up to 34 years in the seed store of the German ex situ genebank of the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben. A high intraspecific variation was detected in those natural aged accessions. In addition three doubled haploid barley mapping populations being artificial aged were investigated to study the inheritance of seed longevity. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was based on a transcript map. Major QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2H, 5H (two) and 7H explaining a phenotypic variation of up to 54%. A sequence homology search was performed to derive the putative function of the genes linked to the QTLs

Shell Model Study of the Neutron-Rich Nuclei around N=28

We describe the properties of the neutron rich nuclei around N=28 in the shell mode framework. The valence space comprises the $sd$ shell for protons an the $pf$ shell for neutrons without any restriction. Good agreement is found with the available experimental data. The N=28 shell closure, even if eroded due to the large neutron excess, persists. The calculations predict that $^{40}$S and $^{42}$S are deformed with $\beta=0.29$ and $\beta=0.32$ respectively.Comment: 17 pages and 19 figures, LateX, RevTe

QTLs for salt tolerance in three different barley mapping populations 2006

Soil salinity is one of the crucial factors limiting crop production. Progression of salinisation of agriculturally arable land is mainly connected with mismanagement of water in irrigation systems, in particular under arid and semiarid climate conditions and global changes of water flow in the landscape. Selection of salt tolerant genotypes is necessary to ensure yield and to reclaim salt affected soils. The development of molecular marker(s) could facilitate the selection process. Phenotyping of mapping populations under salt stress conditions and calculation of QTLs are suitable instruments to detect markers that are responsible for tolerance/sensitivity. However, a quantitative inherited trait like salt tolerance requires a range of adaptations, with a whole host of genes interacting with each other to produce the visible phenotype

Spectroscopy of 35^{35}P using the one-proton knockout reaction

The structure of $^{35}$P was studied with a one-proton knockout reaction at88~MeV/u from a $^{36}$S projectile beam at NSCL. The $\gamma$ rays from thedepopulation of excited states in $^{35}$P were detected with GRETINA, whilethe $^{35}$P nuclei were identified event-by-event in the focal plane of theS800 spectrograph. The level scheme of $^{35}$P was deduced up to 7.5 MeV using$\gamma-\gamma$ coincidences. The observed levels were attributed to protonremovals from the $sd$-shell and also from the deeply-bound $p\_{1/2}$ orbital.The orbital angular momentum of each state was derived from the comparisonbetween experimental and calculated shapes of individual ($\gamma$-gated)parallel momentum distributions. Despite the use of different reactions andtheir associate models, spectroscopic factors, $C^2S$, derived from the$^{36}$S $(-1p)$ knockout reaction agree with those obtained earlier from$^{36}$S($d$,\nuc{3}{He}) transfer, if a reduction factor $R\_s$, as deducedfrom inclusive one-nucleon removal cross sections, is applied to the knockout transitions.In addition to the expected proton-hole configurations, other states were observedwith individual cross sections of the order of 0.5~mb. Based on their shiftedparallel momentum distributions, their decay modes to negative parity states,their high excitation energy (around 4.7~MeV) and the fact that they were notobserved in the ($d$,\nuc{3}{He}) reaction, we propose that they may resultfrom a two-step mechanism or a nucleon-exchange reaction with subsequent neutronevaporation. Regardless of the mechanism, that could not yet be clarified, thesestates likely correspond to neutron core excitations in \nuc{35}{P}. Thisnewly-identified pathway, although weak, offers the possibility to selectivelypopulate certain intruder configurations that are otherwise hard to produceand identify.Comment: 5 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Physical Review

Tetrahedral Symmetry in Ground- and Low-Lying States of Exotic A ~ 110 Nuclei

Recent theoretical calculations predict a possible existence of nuclei with tetrahedral symmetry: more precisely, the mean-field hamiltonians of such nuclei are symmetric with respect to double point-group Td. In this paper, we focus on the neutron-rich Zirconium isotopes as an example and present realistic mean-field calculations which predict tetrahedral ground-state configurations in 108,110Zr and low-lying excited states of tetrahedral symmetry in a number of N > 66 isotopes. The motivations for focusing on these nuclei, as well as a discussion of the possible experimental signatures of tetrahedral symmetry are also presented.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev. C - Rapid Communication

Nuclear break-up of 11Be

The break-up of 11Be was studied at 41AMeV using a secondary beam of 11Be from the GANIL facility on a 48Ti target by measuring correlations between the 10Be core, the emitted neutrons and gamma rays. The nuclear break-up leading to the emission of a neutron at large angle in the laboratory frame is identified with the towing mode through its characteristic n-fragment correlation. The experimental spectra are compared with a model where the time dependent Schrodinger equation (TDSE) is solved for the neutron initially in the 11 Be. A good agreement is found between experiment and theory for the shapes of neutron experimental energies and angular distributions. The spectroscopic factor of the 2s orbital is tentatively extracted to be 0.46+-0.15. The neutron emission from the 1p and 1d orbitals is also studied

Unveiling the intruder deformed 02+^+_2 state in 34^{34}Si

The 0$^+_2$ state in $^{34}$Si has been populated at the {\sc Ganil/Lise3} facility through the $\beta$-decay of a newly discovered 1$^+$ isomer in $^{34}$Al of 26(1) ms half-life. The simultaneous detection of $e^+e^-$ pairs allowed the determination of the excitation energy E(0$^+_2$)=2719(3) keV and the half-life T$_{1/2}$=19.4(7) ns, from which an electric monopole strength of $\rho^2$(E0)=13.0(0.9)$\times10^{-3}$ was deduced. The 2$^+_1$ state is observed to decay both to the 0$^+_1$ ground state and to the newly observed 0$^+_2$ state (via a 607(2) keV transition) with a ratio R(2$^+_1$$\rightarrow0^+_1/2^+_1$$\rightarrow0^+_2$)=1380(717). Gathering all information, a weak mixing with the 0$^+_1$ and a large deformation parameter of $\beta$=0.29(4) are found for the 0$^+_2$ state, in good agreement with shell model calculations using a new {\sc sdpf-u-mix} interaction allowing \textit{np-nh} excitations across the N=20 shell gap.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Low Energy States of 3181Ga50^{81}_{31} Ga_{50} : Elements on the Doubly-Magic Nature of 78^{78}Ni

Excited levels were attributed to $^{81}_{31}$Ga$_{50}$ for the first time which were fed in the $\beta$-decay of its mother nucleus $^{81}$Zn produced in the fission of $^{nat}$U using the ISOL technique. We show that the structure of this nucleus is consistent with that of the less exotic proton-deficient N=50 isotones within the assumption of strong proton Z=28 and neutron N=50 effective shell effects.Comment: 4 pages, REVTeX 4, 5 figures (eps format

Large scale shell model calculations for odd-odd 58−62^{58-62}Mn isotopes

Large scale shell model calculations have been carried out for odd-odd $^{58-62}$Mn isotopes in two different model spaces. First set of calculations have been carried out in full $\it{fp}$ shell valence space with two recently derived $\it{fp}$ shell interactions namely GXPF1A and KB3G treating $^{40}$Ca as core. The second set of calculations have been performed in ${fpg_{9/2}}$ valence space with the $fpg$ interaction treating $^{48}$Ca as core and imposing a truncation by allowing up to a total of six particle excitations from the 0f$_{7/2}$ orbital to the upper $\it{fp}$ orbitals for protons and from the upper $\it{fp}$ orbitals to the 0g$_{9/2}$ orbital for neutron. For low-lying states in $^{58}$Mn, the KB3G and GXPF1A both predicts good results and for $^{60}$Mn, KB3G is much better than GXPF1A. For negative parity and high-spin positive parity states in both isotopes $fpg$ interaction is required. Experimental data on $^{62}$Mn is sparse and therefore it is not possible to make any definite conclusions. More experimental data on negative parity states is needed to ascertain the importance of 0g$_{9/2}$ and higher orbitals in neutron rich Mn isotopes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Eur. Phys. J.