2,796 research outputs found
Evaluating the performance of ionic liquid coatings for mitigation of spacecraft surface charges
To reduce the impact of charging effects on satellites, cheap and lightweight
conductive coatings are desirable. We mimic space-like charging environments in
ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chambers during deposition of charges via the electron
beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). We use the charge induced
signatures in SEM images of a thin ionic liquid (IL) film on insulating
surfaces such as glass, to assess the general performance of such coatings. In
order to get a reference structure in SEM, the samples were structured by
nanosphere lithography and coated with IL. The IL film (we choose BMP DCA, due
to its beneficial physical properties) was applied ex situ and a thickness of
10 to 30 nm was determined by reflectometry. Such an IL film is stable under
vacuum conditions. It would also only lead to additional mass of below 20
mg/m. At about 5 A/m e/(sm), a typical
sample charging rate in SEM, imaging is possible with no noticeable contrast
changes over many hours; this electron current density is already 6 orders of
magnitudes higher than "worst case geosynchronous environments" of
A/m. Measurements of the surface potential are used for
further insights in the reaction of IL films to the electron beam of a SEM.
Participating mechanisms such as polarization or reorientation will are
discussed.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of the 14th IAA Symposium on Small
Satellites for Earth System Observatio
Resonance ionization spectroscopy of thorium isotopes - towards a laser spectroscopic identification of the low-lying 7.6 eV isomer of Th-229
In-source resonance ionization spectroscopy was used to identify an efficient
and selective three step excitation/ionization scheme of thorium, suitable for
titanium:sapphire (Ti:sa) lasers. The measurements were carried out in
preparation of laser spectroscopic investigations for an identification of the
low-lying Th-229m isomer predicted at 7.6 +- 0.5 eV above the nuclear ground
state. Using a sample of Th-232, a multitude of optical transitions leading to
over 20 previously unknown intermediate states of even parity as well as
numerous high-lying odd parity auto-ionizing states were identified. Level
energies were determined with an accuracy of 0.06 cm-1 for intermediate and
0.15 cm-1 for auto-ionizing states. Using different excitation pathways an
assignment of total angular momenta for several energy levels was possible. One
particularly efficient ionization scheme of thorium, exhibiting saturation in
all three optical transitions, was studied in detail. For all three levels in
this scheme, the isotope shifts of the isotopes Th-228, Th-229, and Th-230
relative to Th-232 were measured. An overall efficiency including ionization,
transport and detection of 0.6 was determined, which was predominantly limited
by the transmission of the mass spectrometer ion optics
Rapid prototyped porous nickel-titanium scaffolds as bone substitutes
While calcium phosphateâbased ceramics are currently the most widely used materials in bone repair, they generally lack tensile strength for initial load bearing. Bulk titanium is the gold standard of metallic implant materials, but does not match the mechanical properties of the surrounding bone, potentially leading to problems of fixation and bone resorption. As an alternative, nickelâtitanium alloys possess a unique combination of mechanical properties including a relatively low elastic modulus, pseudoelasticity, and high damping capacity, matching the properties of bone better than any other metallic material. With the ultimate goal of fabricating porous implants for spinal, orthopedic and dental applications, nickelâtitanium substrates were fabricated by means of selective laser melting. The response of human mesenchymal stromal cells to the nickelâtitanium substrates was compared to mesenchymal stromal cells cultured on clinically used titanium. Selective laser melted titanium as well as surface-treated nickelâtitanium and titanium served as controls. Mesenchymal stromal cells had similar proliferation rates when cultured on selective laser melted nickelâtitanium, clinically used titanium, or controls. Osteogenic differentiation was similar for mesenchymal stromal cells cultured on the selected materials, as indicated by similar gene expression levels of bone sialoprotein and osteocalcin. Mesenchymal stromal cells seeded and cultured on porous three-dimensional selective laser melted nickelâtitanium scaffolds homogeneously colonized the scaffold, and following osteogenic induction, filled the scaffoldâs pore volume with extracellular matrix. The combination of bone-related mechanical properties of selective laser melted nickelâtitanium with its cytocompatibility and support of osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells highlights its potential as a superior bone substitute as compared to clinically used titanium
Effects by Paramagnetic and Diamagnetic Materials in a 1.5-Tesla Highfield Magnetic Resonance Imaging System (MRI)
Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugĂ€nglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.Dieser Artikel zeigt die Ergebnisse einer experimentellen Untersuchung des Störeinflusses von paramagnetischen und diamagnetischen Materialien auf die Bildgebung in einem geschlossenen 1,5-Tesla-Hochfeld-Magnetresonanztomographen(MRT). Mit drei verschiedenen Sequenztypen (SE, GE, EPI) wurden unterschiedlich groĂe metallische und nichtmetallische WerkstĂŒckprofile hinsichtlich der entstehenden Artefakte untersucht. Zur Darstellung der Artefakte wurde ein mit Gd-Mn-Lösung gefĂŒllter KunststoffbehĂ€lter (Phantom) verwendet, zu dem die zu untersuchenden Materialien wĂ€hrend der VersuchsdurchfĂŒhrung in definierten AbstĂ€nden parallel verschoben wurden. Die Auswertung der Schnittbilder erfolgte in transversaler und sagittaler Untersuchungsebene und ergab, daĂ Aluminium- und Kunststoffprofile auch bei sehr geringem Abstand zum Phantom die kleinsten Bildstörungen verursachten. Besonders starke Artefakte wurden bei den untersuchten Stahl- und Kupferprofilen festgestellt. Bei einem Vergleich der angewendeten Sequenztypen konnte nachgewiesen werden, daĂ besonders die SE-Sequenz, trotz der teilweise stark variierenden Materialprofile, eine geringere ArtefaktanfĂ€lligkeit und somit eine höhere StabilitĂ€t in der Bildgebung im Gegensatz zur GE- und EPI-Sequenz aufwies. Diese Untersuchungen wurden im AnschluĂ an eine intensive Literaturstudie (Internet, Medline, Meditec) durchgefĂŒhrt. Relevante Publikationsquellen gibt es bisher nur sehr wenige.This article shows the results of an experimental investigation of the interference by paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials on imaging in a closed 1.5 Tesla high field magnetic resonance imaging System(MRI). For different types of sequences (SE, GE, EPI) the effects of metal and non-metal profiles in producing artefacts were investigated. A phantom (plastictrunk) filled with Gd-Mn-solution was used for representation of the artefacts. The materials analysed were placed parallel to the phantom at predetermined distances. The images were obtained in transverse and sagittal planes and analysed with respect to the resulting artefacts.The results show that aluminium and polymer profiles produce the weakest artefacts, even when the material is positioned close to the phantom. A comparison of the sequence types shows that the SE-sequence has a low sensitivity to artefacts, despite the great profile variation in size and shape. The SE-sequence accordingly showed a higher imaging stability scompared with the GE- and EPI-sequences. Steel and copper produced the strongest artefacts. The examination was begun after an intensive study of the literature(Internet, Medline, Meditec). So far have been few publications on this subject
Decay-assisted collinear resonance ionization spectroscopy: Application to neutron-deficient francium
This paper reports on the hyperfine-structure and radioactive-decay studies
of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes Fr performed with the
Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) experiment at the ISOLDE
facility, CERN. The high resolution innate to collinear laser spectroscopy is
combined with the high efficiency of ion detection to provide a
highly-sensitive technique to probe the hyperfine structure of exotic isotopes.
The technique of decay-assisted laser spectroscopy is presented, whereby the
isomeric ion beam is deflected to a decay spectroscopy station for alpha-decay
tagging of the hyperfine components. Here, we present the first
hyperfine-structure measurements of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes
Fr, in addition to the identification of the low-lying states of
Fr performed at the CRIS experiment.Comment: Accepted for publication with Physical Review
Laser spectroscopy of francium isotopes at the borders of the region of reflection asymmetry
The magnetic dipole moments and changes in mean-square charge radii of the
neutron-rich isotopes were measured with the
newly-installed Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) beam line at
ISOLDE, CERN, probing the to atomic
transition. The values for
and follow the observed increasing
slope of the charge radii beyond . The charge radii odd-even
staggering in this neutron-rich region is discussed, showing that
has a weakly inverted odd-even staggering while
has normal staggering. This suggests that both isotopes
reside at the borders of a region of inverted staggering, which has been
associated with reflection-asymmetric shapes. The value supports a shell model configuration for the
ground state. The values support the tentative
spin, and point to a intruder ground state configuration.Comment: Accepted for publication with Physical Review
Atomic spectroscopy studies of short-lived isotopes and nuclear isomer separation with the ISOLDE RILIS
The Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) at the ISOLDE on-line isotope separator is based on the selective excitation of atomic transitions by tunable laser radiation. Ion beams of isotopes of 20 elements have been produced using the RILIS setup. Together with the mass separator and a particle detection system it represents a tool for high-sensitive laser spectroscopy of short-lived isotopes. By applying narrow-bandwidth lasers for the RILIS one can study isotope shifts (IS) and hyperfine structure (HFS) of atomic optical transitions. Such measurements are capable of providing data on nuclear charge radii, spins and magnetic moments of exotic nuclides far from stability. Although the Doppler broadening of the optical absorption lines limits the resolution of the technique, the accuracy of the HFS measurements examined in experiments with stable Tl isotopes approaches a value of 100 MHz. Due to the hyperfine splitting of atomic lines the RILIS gives an opportunity to separate nuclear isomers. Isomer selectivity of the RILIS has been used in studies of short-lived Ag, Cu and Pb isotopes
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