Neutron Capture Measurements on Unstable Nuclei at LANSCE

Although neutron capture by stable isotopes has been extensively measured, there are very few measurements on unstable isotopes. The intense neutron flux at the Manual Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center at LANSCE enables us to measure capture on targets with masses of about 1 mg over the energy range from 1 eV to 100 keV. These measurements are important not only for understanding the basic physics, but also for calculations of stellar nucleosynthesis and Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship. Preliminary measurements on {sup 169}Tm and {sup 171}Tm have been made with deuterated benzene detectors. A new detector array at the Lujan center and a new radioactive isotope separator will combine to give Los Alamos a unique capability for making these measurements

Performance of a 229 Thorium solid-state nuclear clock

The 7.8 eV nuclear isomer transition in 229 Thorium has been suggested as an etalon transition in a new type of optical frequency standard. Here we discuss the construction of a "solid-state nuclear clock" from Thorium nuclei implanted into single crystals transparent in the vacuum ultraviolet range. We investigate crystal-induced line shifts and broadening effects for the specific system of Calcium fluoride. At liquid Nitrogen temperatures, the clock performance will be limited by decoherence due to magnetic coupling of the Thorium nucleus to neighboring nuclear moments, ruling out the commonly used Rabi or Ramsey interrogation schemes. We propose a clock stabilization based on counting of flourescence photons and present optimized operation parameters. Taking advantage of the high number of quantum oscillators under continuous interrogation, a fractional instability level of 10^{-19} might be reached within the solid-state approach.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figure

Global variability of high-nutrient low-chlorophyll regions using neural networks and wavelet coherence analysis

We examine 20 years of monthly global ocean color data and modeling outputs of nutrients using self-organizing map (SOM) analysis to identify characteristic spatial and temporal patterns of high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) regions and their association with different climate modes. The global nitrate-to-chlorophyll ratio threshold of NO3 : Chl &gt; 17 (mmol NO3 mg Chl−1) is estimated to be a good indicator of the distribution limit of this unproductive biome that, on average, covers 92 × 106 km2 (∼ 25 % of the ocean). The trends in satellite-derived surface chlorophyll (0.6 ± 0.4 % yr−1 to 2 ± 0.4 % yr−1) suggest that HNLC regions in polar and subpolar areas have experienced an increase in phytoplankton biomass over the last decades, but much of this variation, particularly in the Southern Ocean, is produced by a climate-driven transition in 2009–2010. Indeed, since 2010, the extent of the HNLC zones has decreased at the poles (up to 8 %) and slightly increased at the Equator (&lt; 0.5 %). Our study finds that chlorophyll variations in HNLC regions respond to major climate variability signals such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) at both short (2–4 years) and long (decadal) timescales. These results suggest global coupling in the functioning of distant biogeochemical regions.</p

The Nondeterministic Waiting Time Algorithm: A Review

We present briefly the Nondeterministic Waiting Time algorithm. Our technique for the simulation of biochemical reaction networks has the ability to mimic the Gillespie Algorithm for some networks and solutions to ordinary differential equations for other networks, depending on the rules of the system, the kinetic rates and numbers of molecules. We provide a full description of the algorithm as well as specifics on its implementation. Some results for two well-known models are reported. We have used the algorithm to explore Fas-mediated apoptosis models in cancerous and HIV-1 infected T cells

Improved Value for the Energy Splitting of the Ground-State Doublet in the Nucleus 229Th

We have made an improved estimate of the 229mTh isomer energy. The new value 7.8(5) eV includes an estimate of spectral contamination due to the out-of-band E2 transition from the 42.43-keV 7/2+ member of the [633] ground state band to the 3/2+ [631] 229mTh bandhead. We estimate a 2% branching ratio for this unobserved transition in the 42.43-keV 7/2+ [633] deexcitation. The excitation of the 229mTh level is increased from the previously reported value of 7.6(5) eV to the new value of 7.8(5) eV when this branch is included in the analysis

Search for superradiant emission states in nuclear isomer crystals

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The objective was to verify the stimulated emission of gamma rays from {sup 125m}Te, as claimed by Russian scientists. The reported cross section for stimulated emission was sufficiently large to allow gain in a single-pass gamma-ray laser. The stimulated emission of gamma rays from a nuclear isomer is expected to result in collinear photons and, therefore, should be observable as a sum peak in the gamma-ray spectrum. Skorobogatov and Dzevitskii reported an increase of an order of magnitude in the sum peak (218.56 keV) when a sample of beryllium telluride containing {sup 125m}Te was cooled from room temperature to near-liquid-helium temperatures. The authors have repeated their experiment and have observed no increase in the sum peak above accidental summing. The upper limit for the stimulated-emission cross section based on the three-standard-deviation statistical error is 6.8 x 10 {sup {minus}21} cm{sup 2}. This result is one order of magnitude lower than the cross section reported by Skorobogatov and Dzevitskii. The cross section would not allow gain in a single-pass gamma-ray laser. Their results support the position of Baldwin and Solem rather than that of Kamenov

SN~2012cg: Evidence for Interaction Between a Normal Type Ia Supernova and a Non-Degenerate Binary Companion

We report evidence for excess blue light from the Type Ia supernova SN 2012cg at fifteen and sixteen days before maximum B-band brightness. The emission is consistent with predictions for the impact of the supernova on a non-degenerate binary companion. This is the first evidence for emission from a companion to a SN Ia. Sixteen days before maximum light, the B-V color of SN 2012cg is 0.2 mag bluer than for other normal SN~Ia. At later times, this supernova has a typical SN Ia light curve, with extinction-corrected M_B = -19.62 +/- 0.02 mag and Delta m_{15}(B) = 0.86 +/- 0.02. Our data set is extensive, with photometry in 7 filters from 5 independent sources. Early spectra also show the effects of blue light, and high-velocity features are observed at early times. Near maximum, the spectra are normal with a silicon velocity v_{Si} = -10,500$ km s^{-1}. Comparing the early data with models by Kasen (2010) favors a main-sequence companion of about 6 solar masses. It is possible that many other SN Ia have main-sequence companions that have eluded detection because the emission from the impact is fleeting and faint.Comment: accepted to Ap

A proposed measurement of the ß asymmetry in neutron decay with the Los Alamos Ultra-Cold Neutron Source

This article reviews the status of an experiment to study the neutron spin-electron angular correlation with the Los Alamos Ultra-Cold Neutron (UCN) source. The experiment will generate UCNs from a novel solid deuterium, spallation source, and polarize them in a solenoid magnetic field. The experiment spectrometer will consist of a neutron decay region in a solenoid magnetic field combined with several different detector possibilities. An electron beam and a magnetic spectrometer will provide a precise, absolute calibration for these detectors. An A-correlation measurement with a relative precision of 0.2% is expected by the end of 2002

A radium assay technique using hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

As photodisintegration of deuterons mimics the disintegration of deuterons by neutrinos, the accurate measurement of the radioactivity from thorium and uranium decay chains in the heavy water in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is essential for the determination of the total solar neutrino flux. A radium assay technique of the required sensitivity is described that uses hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent on a filtration membrane together with a beta-alpha delayed coincidence counting system. For a 200 tonne assay the detection limit for 232Th is a concentration of 3 x 10^(-16) g Th/g water and for 238U of 3 x 10^(-16) g U/g water. Results of assays of both the heavy and light water carried out during the first two years of data collection of SNO are presented.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure