Pygmy Quadrupole Resonance in Skin Nuclei

The electric quadrupole response is investigated theoretically by HFB and QPM calculations along the Sn isotopic chain with special emphasis on excitations above the first collective state and below the particle threshold. Depending on the asymmetry, additional strength clustering as a group of states similar to the known PDR mode is found. The spectral distributions and electric response functions are discussed. The transition densities of these Pygmy Quadrupole Resonances (PQR) states are closely related to the neutron excess and showing special features being compatible with an oscillation of the neutron skin against the nuclear core. These features may indicate a new nuclear quadrupole mode connected to the skin configuration.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, updated figure

Pygmy dipole resonance in exotic nuclei

The evolution of the PDR strength with the neutron excess is investigated in Sn isotopic and N=82 isotonic chains with regard to its possible connection with the neutron skin thickness. For this purpose a recently proposed method incorporating both HFB and multi-phonon QPM theory is applied. Analysis of the corresponding neutron and proton dipole transition densities is presented.Comment: International Workshop on Nuclear Physics 28th Course - Radioactive Beams, Nuclear Dynamics and Astrophysics, Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Cultur

Spectroscopic features of low-energy excitations in skin nuclei

Systematic studies of dipole and other multipole excitations in stable and exotic nuclei are discussed theoretically. Exploring the relation of the strengths of low-energy dipole and quadrupole pygmy resonances to the thickness of the neutron (proton) skin a close connection between static and dynamic properties of the nucleus is observed. The fine structure of low-energy dipole strength in 138Ba nucleus is revealed from E1 and spin-flip M1 strengths distributions.Comment: A Talk given at the Int. Symposium 'Forefronts of Researches in Exotic Nuclear Structures - Niigata2010 -', 1-4 March, 2010, Tokamachi, Niigata, Japan; to be published in a volume of Modern Physics Letters A (MPLA)

Low-energy Dipole Excitations in Nuclei at the N=50,82 and Z=50 Shell Closures as Signatures for a Neutron Skin

Low-energy dipole excitations have been investigated theoretically in N=50, several N=82 isotones and the Z=50 Sn isotopes. For this purpose a method incorporating both HFB and multi-phonon QPM theory is applied. A concentration of one-phonon dipole strength located below the neutron emission threshold has been calculated in these nuclei. The analysis of the corresponding neutron and proton dipole transition densities allows to assign a genuine pattern to the low-energy excitations and making them distinct from the conventional GDR modes. Analyzing also the QRPA wave functions of the states we can identify these excitations as Pygmy Dipole Resonance (PDR) modes, recently studied also in Sn and N=82 nuclei. The results for N=50 are exploratory for an experimental project designed for the bremsstrahlung facility at the ELBE accelerator.Comment: Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics III Conference, 26 - 31 March 2007, Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, German

Investigation of Pygmy Dipole Resonances in the Tin Region

The evolution of the low-energy electromagnetic dipole response with the neutron excess is investigated along the Sn isotopic chain within an approach incorporating Hartree-Fock-Bogoljubov (HFB) and multi-phonon Quasiparticle-Phonon-Model (QPM) theory. General aspects of the relationship of nuclear skins and dipole sum rules are discussed. Neutron and proton transition densities serve to identify the Pygmy Dipole Resonance (PDR) as a generic mode of excitation. The PDR is distinct from the GDR by its own characteristic pattern given by a mixture of isoscalar and isovector components. Results for the $^{100}$Sn-$^{132}$Sn isotopes and the several N=82 isotones are presented. In the heavy Sn-isotopes the PDR excitations are closely related to the thickness of the neutron skin. Approaching $^{100}$Sn a gradual change from a neutron to a proton skin is found and the character of the PDR is changed correspondingly. A delicate balance between Coulomb and strong interaction effects is found. The fragmentation of the PDR strength in $^{124}$Sn is investigated by multi-phonon calculations. Recent measurements of the dipole response in $^{130,132}$Sn are well reproduced.Comment: 41 pages, 10 figures, PR

Multiple effects of electroporation on the adhesive behaviour of breast cancer cells and fibroblasts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently electroporation using biphasic pulses was successfully applied in clinical developments for treating tumours in humans and animals. We evaluated the effects of electrical treatment on cell adhesion behaviour of breast cancer cells and fibroblasts. By applying bipolar electrical pulses we studied short- and long-lived effects on cell adhesion and survival, actin cytoskeleton and cell adhesion contacts in adherent cancer cells and fibroblasts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and one fibroblast cell line 3T3 were used. Cells were exposed to high field intensity (200 - 1000 V/cm). Cell adhesion and survival after electrical exposure were studied by crystal violet assay and MTS assay. Cytoskeleton rearrangement and cell adhesion contacts were visualized by actin staining and fluorescent microscope.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The degree of electropermeabilization of the adherent cells elevated steadily with the increasing of the field intensity. Adhesion behaviour of fibroblasts and MCF-7 was not significantly affected by electrotreatment. Interestingly, treating the loosely adhesive cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with 200 V/cm and 500 V/cm resulted in increased cell adhesion. Cell replication of both studied cancer cell lines was disturbed after electropermeabilization. Electroporation influenced the actin cytoskeleton in cancer cells and fibroblasts in different ways. Since it disturbed temporarily the actin cytoskeleton in 3T3 cells, in cancer cells treated with lower and middle field intensity actin cytoskeleton was well presented in stress fibers, filopodia and lamellipodia. The electrotreatment for cancer cells provoked preferentially cell-cell adhesion contacts for MCF-7 and cell-ECM contacts for MDA-MB- 231.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cell adhesion and survival as well as the type of cell adhesion (cell-ECM or cell-cell adhesion) induced by the electroporation process is cell specific. The application of suitable electric pulses can provoke changes in the cytoskeleton organization and cell adhesiveness, which could contribute to the restriction of tumour invasion and thus leads to the amplification of anti-tumour effect of electroporation-based tumour therapy.</p

The decay of quadrupole-octupole 1−1^- states in 40^{40}Ca and 140^{140}Ce

Background: Two-phonon excitations originating from the coupling of two collective one-phonon states are of great interest in nuclear structure physics. One possibility to generate low-lying $E1$ excitations is the coupling of quadrupole and octupole phonons. Purpose: In this work, the $\gamma$-decay behavior of candidates for the $(2_1^+\otimes 3_1^-)_{1^-}$ state in the doubly-magic nucleus $^{40}$Ca and in the heavier and semi-magic nucleus $^{140}$Ce is investigated. Methods: $(\vec{\gamma},\gamma')$ experiments have been carried out at the High Intensity $\gamma$-ray Source (HI${\gamma}$S) facility in combination with the high-efficiency $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy setup $\gamma^3$ consisting of HPGe and LaBr$_3$ detectors. The setup enables the acquisition of $\gamma$-$\gamma$ coincidence data and, hence, the detection of direct decay paths. Results: In addition to the known ground-state decays, for $^{40}$Ca the decay into the $3^-_1$ state was observed, while for $^{140}$Ce the direct decays into the $2^+_1$ and the $0^+_2$ state were detected. The experimentally deduced transition strengths and excitation energies are compared to theoretical calculations in the framework of EDF theory plus QPM approach and systematically analyzed for $N=82$ isotones. In addition, negative parities for two $J=1$ states in $^{44}$Ca were deduced simultaneously. Conclusions: The experimental findings together with the theoretical calculations support the two-phonon character of the $1^-_1$ excitation in the light-to-medium-mass nucleus $^{40}$Ca as well as in the stable even-even $N=82$ nuclei.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, as accepted in Phys. Rev.