Abstract
The experimental techniques developed to perform rapid chemical separations of the heaviest elements in the aqueous phase are presented. In general, these include transport of the nuclear ...reaction products to a separation device by the gas-jet technique and dissolution in an aqueous solution containing inorganic ligands for complex formation. The complexes are chemically characterized by a partition method which can be liquid–liquid extraction, ion-exchange- or reversed-phase extraction chromatography. The separated fractions are quickly evaporated to dryness for the preparation of samples for
α
-particle spectroscopy. Comments are given on the special situation in which chemistry has to be studied with single atoms. Theoretical predictions of chemical properties are compared to the presently known chemical behaviour of rutherfordium, Rf (element 104), dubnium, Db (element 105), seaborgium, Sg (element 106), and hassium, Hs (element 108) and to that of their lighter homologs in the Periodic Table in order to assess the role of relativistic effects in the chemistry of the heaviest elements.
This study investigates the dosimetric feasibility of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) of explanted livers in the thermal column of the research reactor in Mainz. The Monte Carlo code MCNP5 is ...used to calculate the biologically weighted dose for different ratios of the
10B-concentration in tumour to normal liver tissue. The simulation results show that dosimetric goals are only partially met. To guarantee effective BNCT treatment the organ has to be better shielded from all gamma radiation.
► Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the potential for BNCT treatment at TRIGA Mainz. ► Simulation shows the necessity of gamma shielding for the organ from all sides. ► Secondary photons induced within the graphite contribute considerably to gamma dose.
Towards a new measurement of the neutron electric dipole moment Altarev, I.; Ban, G.; Bison, G. ...
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment,
12/2009, Letnik:
611, Številka:
2
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The effort towards a new measurement of the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) at the Paul Scherrer Institut's (PSI) new high intensity source of ultracold neutrons (UCN) is described. The ...experimental technique relies on Ramsey's method of separated oscillatory fields, using UCN in vacuum with the apparatus at ambient temperature. In the first phase, R&D towards the upgrade of the RAL/Sussex/ILL apparatus is being performed at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). In the second phase the apparatus, moved from ILL to PSI, will allow an improvement in experimental sensitivity by a factor of 5. In the third phase, a new spectrometer should gain another order of magnitude in sensitivity. The improvements will be mainly due to (1) much higher UCN intensity, (2) improved magnetometry and magnetic field control, and (3) a double chamber configuration with opposite electric field directions.
The average charge states of 188Pb and 252,254No ions in dilute helium gas were measured at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. Hydrogen gas was also used as a filling gas for measurements of the ...average charge state of 254No. Helium and hydrogen gases at pressures from 0.2mbar to 2.0mbar were used. A strong dependence of the average charge state on the pressure of the filling gases was observed for both, helium and hydrogen. The influence of this dependence, classically attributed to the so-called “density effect”, on the performance of TASCA was investigated. The average charge states of 254No ions were also measured in mixtures of helium and hydrogen gases at low gas pressures around 1.0mbar. From the experimental results simple expressions for the prediction of average charge states of heavy ions moving in rarefied helium gas, hydrogen gas, and in their mixture were derived.
The typical primary malignancies of the liver are hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, whereas colorectal liver metastases are the most frequently occurring secondary tumors. In many ...cases, only palliative treatment is possible. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) represents a technique that potentially destroys tumor tissue selectively by use of externally induced, locally confined secondary particle irradiation. In 2001 and 2003, BNCT was applied to two patients with colorectal liver metastases in Pavia, Italy. To scrutinize the rationale of BNCT, a clinical pilot study on patients with colorectal liver metastases was carried out at the University of Mainz. The distribution of the 10B carrier (p-borono-phenylalanine) in the liver and its uptake in cancerous and tumor-free tissue were determined, focusing on a potential correlation between the uptake of p-borono-phenylalanine and the biological characteristics of cancerous tissue. Samples were analyzed using quantitative neutron capture radiography of cryosections combined with histological analysis. Methodological aspects of the combination of these techniques and results from four patients enrolled in the study are presented that indicate that the uptake of p-borono-phenylalanine strongly depends on the metabolic activity of cells.
Two-proton decay of the unbound nucleus Ne-16 , produced in one-neutron knockout from a 500 MeV/u Ne-17 beam, has been studied at GSI. The ground state, at a resonance energy 1.388(15) MeV, ( MeV) ...above the O-14 +p+p threshold, and two narrow resonances at MeV and 7.57(6) MeV have been investigated. A comparison of the energy difference between the first excited 2(+) state and the 0(+) ground state in Ne-16 with its mirror nucleus C-16 reveals a small Thomas-Ehrman shift (TES) of keV. A trend of the TES for the T = 2 quintet is obtained by completing the known data with a prediction for F-16 obtained from an IMME analysis. The decay mechanisms of the observed three resonances were revealed from an analysis of the energy and angular correlations of the O-14 +p+p decay products. The ground state decay can be considered as a genuine three-body (democratic) mode and the excited states decay sequentially via states in the intermediate nucleus F-15 , the 3.22 MeV state predominantly via the F-15 ground-state resonance, while the 7.57 MeV state decays via the 5/2(+) resonance in F-15 at 2.8 MeV above the O-14 +p+p threshold. Further, from an analysis of angular correlations, the spin-parity of the 7.57 MeV state has been determined as and assigned as the third 2(+) state in Ne-16 based on a comparison with C-16.
The speciation of plutonium (Pu) in contact with humic substances (HS) and kaolinite has been performed in aquifer systems. Mainly the redox behavior, complexation, and sorption of plutonium are ...discussed here. The redox behavior of Pu(VI) in contact with HS was studied and it was found that Pu(VI) is reduced to Pu(III) and Pu(IV) within a couple of weeks. The complexation constants (log
β
LC) of Pu(III) and Pu(IV) with HS have been determined by means of the ultrafiltration method. Furthermore, the sorption of Pu(III) and Pu(IV) onto kaolinite has been investigated as a function of pH by batch experiments under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
Standard wafer solar cells are made of near-semiconductor quality silicon. This high quality material makes up a significant part of the total costs of a solar module. Therefore, new concepts with ...less expensive so called solar grade silicon directly based on physiochemically upgraded metallurgical grade silicon are investigated. Metallurgical grade silicon contains large amounts of impurities, mainly transition metals like Fe, Cr, Mn, and Co, which degrade the minority carrier lifetime and thus the solar cell efficiency. A major reduction of the transition metal content occurs during the unidirectional crystallization due to the low segregation coefficient between the solid and liquid phase. A further reduction of the impurity level has to be done by gettering procedures applied to the silicon wafers. The efficiency of such cleaning procedures of metallurgical grade silicon is studied by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Small sized silicon wafers of approximately 200mg with and without gettering step were analyzed. To accelerate the detection of transition metals in a crystallized silicon ingot, experiments of scanning whole vertical silicon columns with a diameter of approximately 1cm by gamma spectroscopy were carried out. It was demonstrated that impurity profiles can be obtained in a comparably short time. Relatively constant transition metal ratios were found throughout an entire silicon ingot. This led to the conclusion that the determination of several metal profiles might be possible by the detection of only one "leading element". As the determination of Mn in silicon can be done quite fast compared to elements like Fe, Cr, and Co, it could be used as a rough marker for the overall metal concentration level. Thus, a fast way to determine impurities in photovoltaic silicon material is demonstrated.
As part of the studies on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy at the University of Mainz, Germany, a clinical trial has been started in which, four patients suffering from liver metastases of colorectal ...carcinoma have been enrolled. Specimens of blood and healthy tissue samples taken from the patients were measured at the PGAA facilities at the HFR in Petten, The Netherlands, and at the FRM II in Munich, Germany. From the measured boron concentrations, pharmacokinetic curves and blood-to-tissue concentration ratios were produced.
We report on development of a gas-jet transport system coupled to a surface ionization ion-source in the JAEA-ISOL (Isotope Separator On-Line) system. As a new aerosol material for the gas-jet ...system, CdI
2
, which has a low boiling point of 713 °C, is exploited to prevent deposition of the aerosol material on the surface of the ion-source. An additional filament is newly installed in the previous ion-source to provide uniform heating of an ionizer. The present system is applied to the measurement of absolute efficiencies of various short-lived lanthanide isotopes produced in nuclear reactions.
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