Vortex dynamics in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-thin films in the presence of columnar defects

With heavy ion irradiation we create continous amorphous columnar defects in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-thin films. With regard to a reliable comparison of irradiation effects three of four identical striplines on the same samples were exposed to different irradiation procedures. We performed irradiations as well parallel as under different angles with respect to the film $$\vec c$$ -axis. Beside an enlarged normal state resistivity after irradiation the films suffer a Tc-reduction proportional to the volume of the damaged material. The activation energy ascertained from resistive transitions shows best enhancement for magnetic field values close to the matching field. Measurements of the transport crit…

First Aqueous Chemistry with Seaborgium (Element 106)

Search for Superheavy Elements in theU238+U238Reaction

A search was made for spontaneously fissioning superheavy elements in damped collisions of two uranium nuclei. Different techniques were applied covering the elements 108 to 118 and approx. =126, and a half-life range from 1 ms to more than 1 yr. No evidence for superheavy elements was found at upper cross-section limits of 10/sup -32/, 10/sup -33/, and 10/sup -35/ cm/sup 2/ for half-lives from 1 to 100 ms, 100 ms to 1 d, and 1 d to 1 yr, respectively.

Isotope Distributions in the Reaction ofU238withU238

Radiochemically determined cross sections $\ensuremath{\sigma}(Z, A)$ were used to construct charge and mass distributions for the reaction of 1785-MeV $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ ions with thick $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ targets. Fission of the colliding nuclei is found to dominate. For the surviving uraniumlike fragments an enhancement of yields compared to the Kr + U and Xe + U reactions is observed. The formation of heavy actinides is shown to be associated with the low-energy tails of the broad excitation energy distributions in damped collisions.

Nuclear reactions in collisions of very heavy ions at energies below and near the barrier

Heavy ion induced columnar defects: a sensitive probe for the 2D/3D behaviour of vortex matter in high-temperature superconductors

Abstract Heavy ion irradiation is used to create columnar defects in high-temperature superconductors (HTS). The heavy ion induced defects are not only very well controlled in shape and density, but also in the direction of the tracks with respect to the crystallographic c-axis. Pinning of the flux lines as a function of magnetic field orientation then becomes dependent on vortex dimensionality. The two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) behaviour of flux lines was investigated in the highly anisotropic Bi-based superconducting oxide. Results obtained from transport current measurements with epitaxial films, measurements with small single crystals in flux transformer geometry and muon …

Cross sections for nuclear reactions in collisions of238U+238U and238U +197Au near and below the coulomb barrier

Cross sections for nuclear reactions at beam energies near and below the spherical Coulomb barrier V c were measured in the very heavy collision systems238U +238U and238U +197Au. The most probable reaction channel with mass transfer is the one-neutron transfer. Its excitation function is understood in terms of Rutherford trajectories together with the quantal process of neutron tunnelling over large distances. In addition, the exchange of up to 15 nucleons is observed down to 0.90 V c . The excitation functions for the multi-nucleon transfer products have much steeper slopes than that for one-neutron transfer, and are steeper for238U +197Au than for238U +238U, suggesting that nuclear contac…

Risk for non-AIDS-defining and AIDS-defining cancer of early versus delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy

BACKGROUND: Immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of CD4 cell count reduces risk for AIDS and non-AIDS-related events in asymptomatic, HIV-positive persons and is the standard of care. However, most HIV-positive persons initiate ART when their CD4 count decreases below 500 × 10 9 cells/L. Consequences of delayed ART on risk for non-AIDS-defining and AIDS-defining cancer, one of the most common reasons for death in HIV, are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the long-term risk difference for cancer with the immediate ART strategy.DESIGN: Multinational prospective cohort study.SETTING: The D:A:D (Data collection on Adverse events of anti-HIV Drugs) study, which included…

Actinide Production in Collisions ofU238withCm248

Cross sections for the production of heavy actinides in damped collisions of $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ ions with $^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$ targets are reported and compared with similar data for other projectiles. The relatively small differences in the formation rates of a given isotope made by different projectiles indicate a balance between increased mass transfer probability with increasing projectile mass and a concurrent decrease in survivability because of an increase in excitation energy.

Evidence for quasi-fission in40Ar+208Pb collisions near the coulomb-barrier

Fission-fragment angular distributions were measured in the reaction of40Ar with208Pb near the fusion barrier. For nearly symmetric mass-/charge splits we find angular distributions symmetric around θ=90 degrees, however, with unusually large anisotropies. These develop gradually into forward-backward asymmetric distributions as one moves away from mass-/charge symmetry. This indicates that non-compound fission (‘quasi-fission’) competes with true fusion-fission. The relative contribution of quasi-fission to the total fission cross section is somewhere between 51 and 85%. In the framework of the extra-push model this is equivalent to an extra-extra push energy for compound-nucleus formation…

Unusual excitation-energy division in quasi-fission reactions between50Ti,54Cr and58Fe with207,208Pb at the barrier

Angular distributions in quasi-fission reactions

Abstract Angular distributions for fission-like fragments were measured in the systems 50Ti, 56Fe + 208Pb by applying an off-line K X-ray activation technique. The distributions d2σ/dθdZ exhibit forward-backward asymmetries that are strongly Z-dependent. They result from a process (quasi-fission) which yields nearly symmetric masses in times comparable to the rotational period of the composite system. A method for obtaining the variance of the tilting angular momentum, K02, from these skewed, differential angular distributions is described. The results indicate that the tilting mode is not fully excited in quasi-fission reactions. The results are compared to the sum of the variances of all …

Fission in238U+238U collisions below the Coulomb barrier

Integral fission cross sections in the system238U+238U were measured at beam energies below the interaction barrierVC. Scattering angle dependent probabilities and integral cross sections for Coulomb fission were calculated. It is concluded that earlier observed discrepancies between measured and calculated angular distributions for the one-neutron transfer product239U cannot be explained by sequential fission. Multi-nucleon transfer induced fission is observed down to energies (0.90±0.02)×VC.

Influence of Collective Surface Motion on the Threshold Behavior of Nuclear Fusion

Fusion excitation functions for the systems $^{40}\mathrm{Ar}$+$^{112,116,122}\mathrm{Sn}$ and $^{40}\mathrm{Ar}$+$^{144,148,154}\mathrm{Sm}$ have been determined, covering cross sections ranging from several hundred millibarns down to the microbarn level. The data are interpreted with a fusion model that includes fluctuations of the barrier with an amplitude that is shown to be correlated with the collective surface properties of the nuclei. There is no need to assume an additional enhanced tunneling process.

Search for superheavy elements in damped collisions betweenU238andCm248

Negative results for the production of superheavy elements in damped collisions between $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ projectiles and $^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$ targets are reported. This reaction was believed to permit a closer and more widespread approach to the predicted island of stability near Z=114 and N=184 than any practical fusion reaction. Aqueous and gas phase chemistry techniques were used to isolate superheavy element fractions. The fractions were counted for spontaneous fission activity, fragment kinetic energies, and neutron multiplicities. Cross-section limits for half-lives from hours to several years are g4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}35}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{…

Excitation functions for production of heavy actinides from interactions ofCa40andCa48ions withCm248

Excitation functions have been measured for production of isotopes of Bk through Fm in bombardments of /sup 248/Cm with 234- to 294-MeV /sup 40/Ca ions and with 239- to 318-MeV /sup 48/Ca ions. The maxima of the isotopic distributions for these elements occur at only 2 to 3 mass numbers larger for /sup 48/Ca than for /sup 40/Ca reactions. The shapes of the distributions and the half-widths of about 2.5 mass numbers are quite similar to those observed previously for reactions of /sup 16/O, /sup 18/O, /sup 20/Ne, and /sup 22/Ne with /sup 248/Cm. In general, the excitation functions for /sup 40/Ca show maxima near the Coulomb barrier while those for /sup 48/Ca are about 20 MeV above the barrie…

Fission fragment angular distributions in the capture reactions 50Ti, 56Fe + 208Pb

The analysis of %-ray mult ip l ic i t ies measured I in coincidence with capture fission events in reactions of 26Mg through 54Cr, 58Fe, and 64Ni with 208pb in terms of Ko and~eff revealed1 that the resulting values of ~ /~e f f were rather independent of for a given system and, in a compound nucleus picture, were more in agreement with the 'shape of the non-rotating saddle than with the actually expected rotating saddle I f non-compound systenmhave to be considered these values of ~/J~ff__ shapes. suggested at least that the captured systems near the turning point from the inward radial motion to symmetric fragmentation had reached a remarkable compactness.

Chemical investigation of hassium (element 108).

The periodic table provides a classification of the chemical properties of the elements. But for the heaviest elements, the transactinides, this role of the periodic table reaches its limits because increasingly strong relativistic effects on the valence electron shells can induce deviations from known trends in chemical properties. In the case of the first two transactinides, elements 104 and 105, relativistic effects do indeed influence their chemical properties, whereas elements 106 and 107 both behave as expected from their position within the periodic table. Here we report the chemical separation and characterization of only seven detected atoms of element 108 (hassium, Hs), which were…

Decay of the 4.2-min152Pm into levels of152Sm

After bombardments of enriched152Sm with 14-MeV neutrons, three isomers of125Pm reaction, have been observed with half-lives of 4.2±0.2 min, 7.5±0.2 min and 15.0±1.0 min. Sources of pure 4.2-min152Pm were obtained by separating the promethium from its parent 11-min152Nd produced by thermal-neutron induced fission of235U. The beta and gamma radiations of the 4.2-min152Pm have been investigated using semiconductor and scintillation spectrometers. Most of theγ-ray transitions could be placed in a level scheme for 152Sm. Especially interesting is a level at 1083 keV for which the assignmentI π=0+ is proposed. In a 4πβγ experiment, the ground state feeding of152Sm in theβ −-decay of the 4.2-min1…

Attempts to chemically investigate element 112

Summary Two experiments aiming at the chemical investigation of element 112 produced in the heavy ion induced nuclear fusion reaction of 48Ca with 238U were performed at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Darmstadt, Germany. Both experiments were designed to determine the adsorption enthalpy of element 112 on a gold surface using a thermochromatography setup. The temperature range covered in the thermochromatography experiments allowed the adsorption of Hg at about 35 °C and of Rn at about -180 °C. Reports from the Flerov Laboratory for Nuclear Reactions (FLNR), Dubna, Russia claim production of a 5-min spontaneous fission (SF) activity assigned to 283112 for the 238U(48Ca,3n)…

Angular distributions in quasi-fission reactions: Evidence for incomplete relaxation of the tilting mode

Angular distributions of fission-like fragments have been measured for50Ti+208Pb and56Fe+208Pb collisions. Z-dependent asymmetries around Θincm= 90° preclude their interpretation in terms of compound nucleus fission with the transition state theory. Fits of the data with a simple ansatz for statistical angular momentum fluctuations (tilting) give evidence for an incomplete relaxation of the tilting mode in quasi fission reactions.

Fusion-fission in the reaction76Ge+170Er

Radiochemical yield measurements were performed to study mass- and charge distributions in the reaction of76Ge ions with170Er in the c.m. energy range from 222 MeV through 272 MeV. The magnitude of the resulting cross-section for fusion-fission is significantly lower than expected and is explained within the framework of Swiatecki's Extra-Push model.

Reactions of40Ar with233U,235U, and238U at the barrier

Production cross sections for target-like transfer products in reactions of40Ar with233,235,238U at the barrier were determined using radiochemical techniques. The heaviest products detected are isotopes of californium (Z=98). In addition to the quasi-elastic component of the isotopic distributions observed in the vicinity of uranium, there are also relaxed contributions throughout the entire region. The peak positions of the isotope distributions of this component for fixed atomic number, after the transfer of > 3 charges, approach closely the minimum of the potential energy surfaces (PES). The experimental results thus indicate the cold formation of the reaction products. A search for lon…

Search for long-lived superheavy elements in the reaction of136Xe with238U

A search with radiochemical methods for long-lived superheavy elements in 238U targets bombarded with intense beams of136Xe ions produced negative results. A formation cross section of ≤1×10−35 cm2 is deduced at 95% confidence level for nuclides with half-lives between 1 and 200 d.

Flux Pinning by Columnar Defects in Bi<sub>2</sub>Sr<sub>2</sub>CaCu<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub>-Thin Films

Competition between binary reactions and fusion in heavy-ion collisions at the Coulomb barrier

Mass and charge distributions for binary reaction channels have been measured for the reactions86Kr with76Ge,104Ru and130Te at the Coulomb barrier using chemical separations andγ-ray spectroscopy. These systems span the region where dynamical hindrance to complete fusion sets in. The binary reactions can be subdivided into two components associated withi) reflection from the outer potential barrier (quasielastic), andii) reseparation after passing the barrier (complex reactions). The sum of complex-reaction channels and evaporation residues from complete fusion can be reproduced by a barrier passing calculation. The fraction of the barrier passing flux leading to reseparation increases from…

Absence of correlated flux pinning by columnar defects in irradiated epitaxial Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 thin films

Abstract Using heavy-ion irradiation, we produced columnar defects of different density and orientation in epitaxial Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 thin films. Although this increases the normal state resistivity and the critical temperature is reduced proportionally to the volume fraction of damaged material, pinning-related quantities like critical current density, activation energy and depinning field are enhanced in external magnetic fields. Transport measurements in dependence of the magnetic field and its orientation consistently indicate two-dimensional pinning of pancake vortices at the columnar defects. We observe the absence of correlated flux pinning by columnar defects and compare to heav…

Charge-Asymmetry Equilibration in the Reaction ofXe129,132,136withAu197near the Interaction Barrier

Neutron-proton population ratios for quasielastic and inelastic processes in the reactions of 761-MeV $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$, 769-MeV $^{132}\mathrm{Xe}$, and 795-MeV $^{136}\mathrm{Xe}$ ions with thick $^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ targets were determined radiochemically. Completely relaxed $\frac{N}{Z}$ ratios are observed for damped collisions involving the transfer of $\ensuremath{\Delta}Zg~1$ charge units. The limiting condition $\ensuremath{\Delta}Z\ensuremath{\approx}1$ corresponds to a characteristic time of the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}22}$ sec which indicates the absence of dissipative forces in the equilibration of the charge-asymmetry mode.

Shift of the surface-barrier part of the irreversibility line due to columnar defects in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 thin films

We report the results of studying the influence of the uranium-ion irradiation of the Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8 thin films on the high-temperature part (close to critical temperature) of their irreversibility line. We studied irreversible properties of the films by measuring the hysteresis of nonresonant microwave absorption. The results have revealed the shift of irreversibility line towards low temperatures and magnetic fields. The effect is most significant for the films irradiated with large doses, more than 1T. This fact is in good agreement with the theoretical prediction by Koshelev and Vinokur of suppression of surface barrier by columnar defects.

Electromagnetic and nuclear fission of238U in the reaction of 100, 500, and 1000 A�MeV208Pb with238U

The folding- and azimuthal-angle and velocity distributions for the238U fission fragments have been measured in reactions with 100, 500, and 1000 A·MeV208Pb. These distributions were used to decompose the fission cross section into its electromagnetic and nuclear components. The fraction of electromagnetic fission was found to be 0.16±0.07, 0.48±0.08, and 0.60±0.04, respectively. The electromagnetic fission cross section as a function of the208Pb nucleus energy is compared with theoretical predictions. The measured fission cross section from nuclear reactions (≈1.5 b) is approximately constant between 100 and 1000 A·MeV.

A rotating wheel system for the detection of spontaneously fissioning nuclides from heavy ion reactions

Abstract A rotating wheel system for the detection of spontaneously fissioning reaction products from heavy ion reactions was developed. In this system products recoiling from a rotating target wheel are stopped in a catcher foil stack which can be rotated at various velocities up to 80 rotations per second. All products emitted within a wide emission cone are stopped in the catcher foils and are rotated into shielded positions with stationary fission-track detectors positioned on both sides of each rotating foil. This technique allows a sensitive detection of spontaneously fissioning nuclides over a broad range of half-lives from 1 ms to about 1 d. By post-bombardment exposure of the catch…