TRASMA, a detector for γ-charged particle coincidences

An apparatus for detecting light and heavy fragments, in coincidence with γ-rays is described. Its use is foreseen for studying heavy ion complete and incomplete fusion reactions at low and intermediate energy.

The ΔE-E and TOF techniques are used for charged particle identification at small angles using a combination of Si strip detectors and CsI(Tl) crystals. The γ-ray detection is performed by using a coverage of 9 clusters, each consisting of 7 BaF₂ crystals, similar to the TAPS configuration, resulting in a large solid angle and a high granularity. We report on recent results about the charged particle discrimination and the time and energy resolution for the whole detector. Initial tests were performed using ¹²C, ¹⁹F and ²⁸Si beams accelerated by the 15 MV tandem of the Laboratorio Nazionale del Sud in Catania.     

Thermal neutron cross-section and resonance integral for Dy(n,γ)Dy reaction

The thermal neutron cross-section (σ₀) and the resonance integral (I₀) of the reaction ¹⁶⁴Dy(n,γ)¹⁶⁵Dy were measured by the activation method, using ⁵⁵Mn(n,γ)⁵⁵Mn monitor reaction as a single comparator. The diluted MnO₂ and Dy₂O₃ powder samples within and without a cylindrical Cd shield case were irradiated in an isotropic neutron field obtained from the ²⁴¹Am–Be neutron sources, moderated with paraffin wax. The γ-ray spectra from the irradiated samples were measured by high-resolution γ-ray spectrometry with a calibrated n-type Ge detector. The necessary correction factors for γ-ray attenuation, thermal neutron and resonance neutron self-shielding effects and epithermal neutron spectrum shape factor () were taken into account in the determinations. The thermal neutron cross-section for ¹⁶⁴Dy(n,γ)¹⁶⁵Dy reaction studied has been determined to be 2672±104 b at 0.025 eV. This result has been obtained relative to the reference thermal neutron cross-section value of 13.3±0.1 b for the ⁵⁵Mn(n,γ)⁵⁶Mn reaction. For the thermal neutron cross-section, most of the experimental data and evaluated one in ENDF/B-VI, in general, are in good agreement with the present result. The resonance integral has also been measured relative to the reference value of 14.0±0.3 b for the ⁵⁵Mn(n,γ)⁵⁶Mn monitor reaction using a 1/E¹⁺ epithermal neutron spectrum of the ²⁴¹Am–Be neutron source. By defining Cd cut-off energy 0.55 eV, the resonance integral obtained was 527±89 b. The existing experimental and evaluated data for the resonance integral are distributed from 335 to 820 b. The present resonance integral value agrees with some previously reported values, 520 b by Holden, 505 b by Simonits et al. and 575±100 b by Heft, within the limits of error.     

Detection of γ-rays with a 3.5 l liquid xenon ionization chamber triggered by the primary scintillation light

A gridded ionization chamber with a drift length of 4.5 cm and a total volume of 3.5 l, was operated with high-purity liquid xenon and extensively tested with γ-rays from ¹³⁷Cs, ²²Na and ⁶⁰Co radioactive sources. An electron lifetime in excess of 1 ms was inferred from two independent measurements. The electric field dependence of the collected charge and energy resolution was studied in the range 0.1–4 kV/cm, for different γ-ray energies. With an electric field of 4 kV/cm, the spectral performance of the detector is consistent with an energy resolution of 5.9% at 1 MeV, scaling with energy as E^−0.5. The chamber was also used to detect the primary scintillation light produced by γ-ray interactions in liquid xenon. The light signal was successfully used to trigger the acquisition of the charge signal with a FADC readout. A trigger efficiency of 85% was measured at 662 keV.     

Emission probability measurement of γ-ray of Rh

¹⁰⁵Rh becomes a stable ¹⁰⁵Pd after β⁻-decay with a half-life of 35.36 h. The energies of especially strong γ-rays emitted from ¹⁰⁵Rh are 306.1 and 318.9 keV, and the emission probabilities are evaluated to be 5.1±0.3% and 19.1±0.6% by de Frenne et al. To improve the certainty, the γ-ray emission probabilities were determined from the disintegration rate and absolute γ-ray intensities measured using a 4πβ(ppc)-γ(HPGe) coincidence apparatus with two-dimensional data-acquisition system. The results for the 306.1 and 318.9 keV γ-rays were 4.76±0.05% and 16.99±0.17%, respectively.     

Investigation of CdTex and Cd1-xZnxTe Schottky Barrier Diode Structure Based γ-Ray Detectors

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe) based detectors have been developed for hard X-ray and γ -ray detection. These semiconducting materials have high resistivity because of the wide bandgap and also have high photon absorption efficiency because of the large atomic number (Z_Cd = 48, Z_Te = 52). CdTe and CdZnTe substrates (7 mm × 9 mm × 0.5 mm) with different stoichiometry were taken for the fabrication of γ-ray detectors. The substrate was prepared by polishing the bulk crystals grown by the rotational Bridgman method. Crystals with maximum electrical resistivity were grown in this way. For fabrication of Schottky barrier diode structures, the Schottky contacts were made by electroless deposition for gold (Au) and thermal evaporation for Indium (In). The Au/CdTe/In and Au/CdZnTe/In Schottky barrier diodes were linked to the charge sensitive preamplifier by gold wires. Then, I-V measurement and detector efficiency like charge collection performance with energy resolutions were analyzed at room temperature by using ⁵⁷Co and ¹³⁷Cs gamma sources. The good energy resolutions of ⁵⁷Co (122 KeV) and ¹³⁷Cs (662 KeV) sources are obtained for both CdTe and CdZnTe diode detectors.     

Studies of weak capture-γ-ray resonances via coincidence techniques

A method for measuring weak capture-γ-ray resonances via γγ-coincidence counting techniques is described. The coincidence apparatus consisted of a large-volume germanium detector and an annular NaI(Tl) crystal. The setup was tested by measuring the weak E_R=227 keV resonance in ²⁶Mg(p,γ)²⁷Al. Absolute germanium and NaI(Tl) counting efficiencies for a range of γ-ray energies and for different detector–target geometries are presented. Studies of the γ-ray background in our spectra are described. Compared to previous work, our method improves the detection sensitivity for weak capture-γ-ray resonances by a factor of ≈100. The usefulness of the present technique for investigations of interest to nuclear astrophysics is discussed.     

γ-ray emission probabilities of Os

Precise measurements of disintegration rates by using a 4πβ-γ coincidence apparatus have resulted in improved certainties of the principal γ-ray emission probabilities of ¹⁹³Os. Most of the uncertainties are less than 1%, whereas the uncertainties of emission probabilities evaluated in the Nuclear Data Sheets (83 (1998) 921) are more than 6%. The precision is improved for the β-ray branching ratio for direct transition to the ground state and the value is larger than the evaluated value by about 6%.     

Analysis of interface states and series resistance at MIS structure irradiated under Co γ-rays

In this research, we investigated the effect of ⁶⁰Co γ-ray exposure on the electrical properties of Au/SnO₂/n-Si (MIS) structures using current–voltage (I–V) measurements. The fabricated devices were exposed to γ-ray doses ranging from 0 to 300 kGy at a dose rate of 2.12 kGy h⁻¹ in water at room temperature. The density of interface states N_ss as a function of E_c–E_ss is deduced from the forward bias I–V data for each dose by taking into account the bias dependence effective barrier height and series resistance of device at room temperature. Experimental results show that the γ-irradiation gives rise to an increase in the zero bias barrier height Φ_BO, as the ideality factor n and N_ss decrease with increasing radiation dose. In addition, the values of series resistance were determined using Cheung's method. The R_s increases with increasing radiation dose. The results show that the main effect of the radiation is the generation of interface states with energy level within the forbidden band gap at the insulator/semiconductor interface.     

富集10B的Ce:Li6Lu(10BO3)3晶体生长及其闪烁性能

为了提高中子探测效率, 以富集¹⁰B的H₃¹⁰BO₃为原料, 通过提拉法生长了富集¹⁰B的Ce:Li₆Lu(¹⁰BO₃)₃晶体。X射线激发发射光谱测试表明: 其发光峰位于360~480 nm, 属于Ce³⁺离子典型的5d - 4f跃迁发光, 其闪烁发光效率为BGO晶体的3.9倍。在350 nm紫外光和¹³⁷Cs所发出的662 keV的γ射线激发下测得的衰减时间分别为21.0 ns 和31.7 ns, 在¹³⁷Cs辐射源激发下所测得的相对光输出是CsI(Tl)晶体的20%, 能量分辨率为9.7%。在慢化²⁵²Cf中子源激发下可以观测到明显的中子全能峰, 其能量分辨率为33%。上述研究结果表明, Ce:Li₆Lu(¹⁰BO₃)₃晶体具有较高的闪烁效率、快的衰减时间和良好的中子探测效率, 是一种具有应用前景的中子探测用闪烁晶体。     

Precision energy and intensity measurements for γ transitions from Cs decay

The precision energies and relative intensities of 11 γ transitions from the decay of ¹³⁴Cs have been determined. ¹⁹²Ir, ²²⁸Th, ¹³⁷Cs, ^110mAg, ⁶⁰Co, and ²⁰⁷Bi served as energy calibration standards, and ¹⁵²Eu and ¹⁹²Ir as relative intensity calibration standards. Special care was taken in the analysis of data for the weaker transitions. The results are incorporated into a self-consistent decay scheme.     

Color centers and charge state recharge in γ-irradiated Yb:YAP

Gamma-ray irradiation induced color centers and charge state recharge of impurity and doped ion in 10 at.% Yb:YAP have been studied. The change in the additional absorption (AA) spectra is mainly related to the charge exchange of the impurity Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions. Two impurity color center bands at 255 and 313 nm were attributed to Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions, respectively. The broad AA band centered at 385 nm may be associated with the cation vacancies and F-type center. The transition Yb³⁺ → Yb²⁺ takes place in the process of γ-irradiation. Oxygen annealing and γ-ray irradiation lead to an opposite effect on the absorption properties of the Yb:YAP crystal. In the air annealing process, the transition Fe²⁺ → Fe³⁺ and Yb²⁺ → Yb³⁺ take place and the color centers responsible for the 385 nm band was destroyed.     

γ-ray energies for calibration from the decay of Tb, Hf + Lu, and Am

The energies of a few γ-rays from 23 to 125 keV from the decay of the radioisotopes ¹⁶¹Tb, ¹⁷²Hf+ ¹⁷²Lu, and ²⁴¹Am have been determined. These energies were obtained from measurements of differences in the energies of closely spaced lines. The statistical components of the uncertainties of these energy differences range from 0.1 to 1.9 eV. Since it is a long-lived nuclide, these results should make ¹⁷²Hf, which has γ-rays from 23 to 125 keV, a useful energy calibration source. For ²⁴¹Am, our value of 59.5412(2) for this widely used line differs from the previously accepted value of 59.537(1) keV.     

Excited levels in Po and Pb fed by β-decays of Bi (T1/2 = 45.6 min) and Tl (T1/2 = 2.2 min)

The γ-decay of radiochemically separated ²¹³Bi sources (T_1/2 = 45.6 min), in equilibrium with ²⁰⁹Tl (T_1/2 = 2.2 min) and ²¹³Po (T_1/2 = 4.2 μs), has been reinvestigated using coaxial HPGe detectors, a LEPS detector and the γ-γ coincidence method. The energies and intensities of 20 γ-lines were measured, of which 11 are reported for the first time. Of the ten γ-rays attributed to ²¹³Bi β-decay, five are new. All of them were interpreted in a ²¹³Po level scheme using γ-γ coincidence data. New levels at 292.8, 1003.6 and 1119.5 keV are proposed in ²¹³Po. In the ²⁰⁹Tl β-decay, five γ-lines were measured, two of which are new. On the basis of γ-γ coincidence, we suggest that two new levels of 3069.6 and 3388.9 keV are fed into the ²⁰⁹Pb magic nucleus.     

An accurate redetermination of the Sn binding energy

The energy of well-known strong γ line from ¹⁹⁸Au, the “gold standard”, has been modified in the light of new adjustments in the fundamental constants and the value of 411.80176(12) keV was determined, which is 0.29 eV lower than the latest 1999 value. An energy calibration procedure for determining the neutron binding energy, B_n, from complicated (n, γ) spectra has been developed. A mathematically simple minimization function consisting only of terms having as parameters the coefficients of the energy calibration curve (polynomial) is used. A priori information about the relationships among the energies of different peaks on the spectrum is taken into account by a Monte-Carlo simulation. The procedure was used in obtaining B_n for ¹¹⁸Sn. The γ-ray spectrum from thermal neutron radiative capture by ¹¹⁷Sn has been measured on the IBR-2 pulsed reactor. γ-rays were detected by a 72 cm³ HPGe detector. For a better determination of B_n it was important to determine B_n for ⁶⁴Cu. This value was obtained from two γ-spectra. One spectrum was measured on the IBR-2 by the same detector. The other spectrum was measured with a pair spectrometer at the Brookhaven High Flux Beam Reactor. From these two spectra, B_n for ⁶⁴Cu was determined to be equal to 7915.52(8) keV. This result essentially differs from the previous value of 7915.96(11) keV. The mean value of the two most precise results of the B_n for ¹¹⁸Sn, was determined to be 9326.35(9) keV. The B_n for ⁵⁷Fe was determined to be 7646.08(9) keV.     

Characterization and Properties of γ-Cyclodextrin-C60 Complex In Aqueous Solution

Water soluble fullerene was prepared by complexing C₆₀ with γ-cyclodextrin. The stoichiometry of the complex [2:1, γ-CD: C₆₀] was determined by thermo gravimetric analysis. The complex was characterized by ¹H NMR, FTIR, SEM, circular dichroism and fluorescenc techniques.     

Neutron detection by superconducting tunnel junctions on a Li2B4O7 single-crystal absorber

We succeeded in detecting neutrons using superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) fabricated on a single crystal of Li₂B₄O₇. Neutrons are captured in the crystal by the nuclear reactions ⁶Li+n→T+alpha+4.78 MeV and ¹⁰B+n→⁷Li+alpha+2.3 MeV, which excite a large number of phonons in the substrate. The phonons propagate in the absorber and are measured by the STJs. We selected a single crystal of Li₂B₄O₇ as the absorber material because of properties such as the large neutron cross-section of ⁶Li and ¹⁰B, low γ-ray sensitivity, short particle range in the substrate, and fast phonon velocity. Series-connected or multiple STJs on the crystal would enable two-dimensional neutron imaging with high detection efficiency, low γ-ray background, and a high spatial resolution of a few microns. In this paper, we demonstrate neutron detection by STJs and report the basic characteristics of the fabricated STJs, including their X-ray response and neutron detection. The correlation in pulse heights between two junctions located 1.3 mm apart clearly indicates the possibility of neutron imaging.     

The Dislocation Structure of a Single-Crystal γ + γ′ Two-Phase Alloy After Tensile Deformation

The dislocation structures of an industrial single-crystal γ + γ′ two-phase alloy DD3 after tensile deformation from room temperature to 1273K were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The strength of this alloy decreased with an increase in the temperature, and showed a strength peak at 1033K. At room temperature, the dislocations shearing the γ′ particles were found to be 1/3<112> partial dislocations on the dodecahedral slip system <112>{111}. Some dislocation pairs on the cubic <110>{100} system that blocked the glide of dislocations were found at a medium temperature of 873K. As a result, dislocation bands were formed. Shearing of γ′ particles by 1/3<112> partial dislocations on the dodecahedral slip system <112>{111} was also found at this temperature. At the peak temperature of 1033K, because of the strong interaction between dislocations on the {111} and {100} planes, the extent of dislocation bands with high dislocation densities was extensive. The 1/3<112> partial dislocations on the dodecahedral slip system <112>{111} also existed. When the temperature reached the high temperature of 1133K, the range of dislocation bands was limited. The γ′ particles were sheared by <110> dislocation pairs on the octagonal <110>{111} system and the cubic <110>{100} system. At 1273K, the regular hexagonal dislocation networks were formed in the γ matrix and at the γ/γ′ interface. The Burgers vectors of the network were found to be b₁ = 1/2[110], b₂ = 1/2[1–10], b₃ = [100], and the last one was formed by the reaction of b₁ + b₂ → b₃. Dislocations shearing the γ′ particles were found to be <110> dislocation pairs on the octagonal system <110>{111} and cubic slip system <110>{100} at 1273K.     

Solid-Phase Syntheses of Two Deacetyl-Thymosin β4 Analogues with Substitution at Position 12 and Their Effects on Impaired Blastogenic Response of T Lymphocytes of Uremic Patients

Two deacetyl-thymosin β₄ analogues containing Phe(4Br) or D-Phe(4Br) as position 12 were synthesized by the manual solid-phase method, and their immunological effects on the impaired blastogenic response of phytohemagglutinin-stimulated T lymphocytes of uremic patients with infectious diseases were studied. Bromination of the p-position of Phe¹² resulted in a marked restorative effect on the impaired blastogenic response of T lympocytes compared with that of our synthetic deacetyl-thymosin β₄ The synthetic [Phe(4Br)¹²]deacetyl-thymsin β₄ was approximately equal in potency to our synthetic [Phe(4F)¹²]deacetyl-thymosin β₄ in uremic patients, but the other analogue, [D-Phe(4Br)¹²]deacetyl-thymosin β₄, had no effect.     

GRETA: utilizing new concepts in γ-ray detection

We present a new concept for γ-ray detector arrays. An example, called GRETA (Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array), consists of highly segmented HPGe detectors covering 4π solid angle. The new feature is the ability to track the scattering sequence of incident γ-rays and in every event, this potentially allows one to measure with high resolution the energy deposited, the location (incident angle) and the time of each γ-ray that hits the array. GRETA will be of order of 1000 times more powerful than the best present arrays, such as Gammasphere or Euroball, and will provide access to new physics.     

Low-temperature, direct synthesis of β-SiC by metal vapor vacuum arc ion source implantation

Crystalline β-SiC surface layers with strong (111) preferred orientation were synthesized by direct ion implantation into Si(111) substrates at a low temperature of 400°C using a metal vapor vacuum arc ion source. Both X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveal an augment in the amount of β-SiC with increasing implantation doses at 400°C. Scanning electron microscopy shows the formation of an almost continuous SiC surface layer after implantation at 400°C with a dose of 7×10¹⁷/cm². The full width at half maximum of the X-ray rocking curve of β-SiC(111) was measured to be 1.4° for the sample implanted at a dose of 2×10¹⁷/cm² at 700°C, revealing a good alignment of β-SiC with the Si matrix.