Scintillation Calorimetry and Readout Techniques

The status and prospects of new scintillation materials for calorimetry applications in high energy physics are reviewed. New readout methods are discussed with emphasis on the operation of high resolution scintillation calorimeters in magnetic fields.     

Electrode effects in the sweeping of alpha quartz

Experimental observations are described in the air-sweeping of alpha-quartz that reveal the introduction of hydrogen. Porous electrodes facilitate the indiffusion of hydrogen. By contrast, the use of thick, nonporous, strongly adherent Au/Cr electrodes causes a color-center front to advance from anode to cathode. Evidence is presented that indicates that: (1) color centers form beneath nonporous portions of the anode that correlate with the formation of Cr(2)O(3) on the metal surface and Cr-silicides at the metal-quartz interface, and (2) large-diameter clear striae form along the c-axis that correlate with small openings in the anode. These observations suggest that: (1) openings in the anode metallization are required for hydrogen introduction; (2) the electrochemical charge-transfer reaction, leading to hydrogen introduction, occurs at the gas-electrode-quartz boundary and spreads laterally by interfacial diffusion of hydrogen species; and (3) color centers form through the suppression of interfacial H-diffusion. Additionally, electrode-surface damage and high electric fields can result in undesirable electrode-metal indiffusion.     

Testing of timber structures and building boards

RILEM Recommendations57-TSB RILEM/CIB Joint Technical Committee

Testing of timber structures and building boards     

Metallurgical interactions at the contacts GaAs interface

Interface morphology, phase composition, and elemental diffusion of Pt/Ti/Ge/Pd ohmic contacts to both n and p⁺-GaAs have been investigated as a function of annealing temperature. Structural and chemical results were correlated with specific contact resistances (ρ_c) measured for each thermal treatment. Annealing at 450°C yielded the lowest ρ_c, ～6.4 × 10^?7Ω-cm². The interface was observed to be smooth and abrupt. Two interface phases were detected; a primary phase, PdGe, and a secondary, Ga-rich Pd-Ga-As ternary phase. The presence of this ternary phase was found to be critical to contact formation on n-GaAs. The Ti and Pt layers remained pristine. Annealing at 550°C resulted in a slightly higher ρ_c, ～2.1 × 10^?6Ω-cm². There was significant elemental diffusion within the contact metal and minor diffusion into the GaAs substrate. The interface possessed limited areas of spiking with uniform composition. Annealing at 600°C proved to have a detrimental effect on the ρ_c, ～10^?4Ω-cm². This electrical degradation was accompanied by strong chemical intermixing between the contact and substrate, resulting in a continuous nonplanar interface with deep multiphase protrusions.     

The water–food–energy nexus: an introduction to nexus concepts and some conceptual and operational problems

This introduction sets the scene for the special issue compiled by Martin Keulertz, Eckart Woertz and Tony Allan.     

Degenerate Quantum Gases in Microgravity

Clouds of ultra-cold atoms and especially Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC) provide a source for coherent matter-waves in numerous earth bound experiments. Analogous to optical interferometry, matter-wave interferometers can be used for precision measurements allowing for a sensitivity orders of magnitude above their optical counterparts. However, in some respects the presence of gravitational forces in the lab limits experimental possibilities. In this article, we report about a compact and robust experiment generating Bose–Einstein condensates in the drop tower facility in Bremen, Germany. We also present the progress of building the succeeding experiment in which a two species atom interferometer will be implemented to test the weak equivalence principle with quantum matter.     

Untersuchungen von Apfels?ften und Pektinerzeugnissen des Handels

Ohne ZusammenfassungMitteilung aus dem Betriebslaboratorium der Firma Johs. Eckart, Konservenfabrik in München.