Search results for "noble gas"
showing 10 items of 57 documents
Production of pure samples of 131mXe and 135Xe
2011
Pure samples of (131m)Xe, (133m)Xe, (133)Xe and (135)Xe facilitate the calibration and testing of noble gas sampler stations and related laboratory instrumentation. We have earlier reported a Penning trap-based production method for pure (133m)Xe and (133)Xe samples. Here we complete the work by reporting the successful production of pure (131m)Xe and (135)Xe samples using the same technique. In addition, we present data on xenon release from graphite.
MR imaging of the lungs with hyperpolarized helium-3 gas transported by air.
2002
Hyperpolarized noble gas MRI shows promise in the functional imaging of the pulmonary air spaces. The production of hyperpolarized (HP) gas requires specialized laser optical pumping apparatus, which is not likely to be home built in the majority of clinical MRI radiology centres. There are two routes through which HP gas will be made available to hospitals for clinical use: either the apparatus will be installed locally at a considerable expense to the centre, or a central facility will produce the gas and then deliver it to remote MRI sites as and when required. In this study, the feasibility of transporting large quantities of HP gas for in vivo MR imaging from a remote production facili…
Functional MR imaging of pulmonary ventilation using hyperpolarized noble gases.
2000
The current status of experimental and clinical applications for functional MR imaging of pulmonary ventilation using hyperpolarized noble gases are reviewed. 3-helium (3He) and 129-xenon (129Xe) can be hyperpolarized by optical pumping techniques such as spin exchange or metastability exchange in sufficient amounts. This process leads to an artificial, non-equilibrium increase of the density of excited nuclei which represents the source of the MR signal. Those hyperpolarized gases are administered mostly via inhalation, and will fill airways and airspaces allowing for ventilation imaging. Recent human studies concentrate on imaging the airways and airspaces with high spatial resolution. N…
The New Generation of Resonant Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometers: Becoming Competitive for Selective Atomic Ultra-Trace Determination?
2002
A critical assessment of the present status of resonant laser ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) as a specialized analytical technique for the field of atomic ultra-trace determination is attempted and a comparison with established mass spectrometric methods is made. Within the last years RIMS on atomic species has rapidly developed towards becoming a versatile experimental technique, in particular addressing those applications that require high selectivity in respect of isobaric or isotopic interferences. This progress is mainly based on the advent of easy-to-handle tunable solid-state laser systems for both pulsed and continuous operation, which are used in combination with modern compac…
High gas pressure: An innovative method for the inactivation of dried bacterial spores
2012
In this article, an original non-thermal process to inactivate dehydrated bacterial spores is described. The use of gases such as nitrogen or argon as transmission media under high isostatic pressure led to an inactivation of over 2 logs CFU/g of Bacillus subtilis spores at 430 MPa, room temperature, for a 1 min treatment. A major requirement for the effectiveness of the process resided in the highly dehydrated state of the spores. Only a water activity below 0.3 led to substantial inactivation. The solubility of the gas in the lipid components of the spore and its diffusion properties was essential to inactivation. The main phenomenon involved seems to be the sorption of the gas under pres…
Noble-gas bubbles in metals: Molecular-dynamics simulations and positron states.
1987
A theoretical treatment of atomic structure and positron states in noble-gas bubbles in metals is presented. The Al-He and Cu-Kr systems are considered as specific examples. For large bubbles (radii above a few tens of angstroms) a calculational scheme is developed combining molecular-dynamics results for the metal--noble-gas interface with positron calculations. It is demonstrated that a positron is trapped at the surface of a noble-gas bubble, i.e., at the metal-gas interface. The annihilation rate with metal electrons is similar to that at a clean surface, while simultaneously there is a significant annihilation rate with gas-atom electrons. This enables relationships between the gas den…
New evidence of mantle heterogeneity beneath the Hyblean Plateau (southeast Sicily, Italy) as inferred from noble gases and geochemistry of ultramafi…
2012
Abstract We analyzed major and trace elements, Sr and Nd isotopes in ultramafic xenoliths in Miocenic age Hyblean diatremes, along with noble gases of CO2-rich fluid inclusions hosted in the same products. The xenoliths consist of peridotites and pyroxenites, which are considered to be derived from the upper mantle. Although the mineral assemblage of peridotites and their whole-rock abundance of major elements (e.g., Al2O3 = 0.8–1.5 wt.%, TiO2 = 0.03–0.08 wt.%) suggest a residual character of the mantle, a moderate enrichment in some incompatible elements (e.g., LaN/YbN = 9–14) highlights the presence of cryptic metasomatic events. In this context a deep silicate liquid is considered the me…
The heterogeneity of the Mexican lithospheric mantle: Clues from noble gas and CO2 isotopes in fluid inclusions
2022
The abundance of mantle-derived rocks and lavas, in combination with its tectonic evolution, render Mexico a perfect laboratory to investigate the chemical and the isotopic heterogeneity of the lithospheric mantle. New data on the composition of noble gases and CO2in Mexican mantle xenoliths and lavas is reported. Our samples consist of six ultramafic nodules from the Durango Volcanic Field (DVF) and the San Quintin Volcanic Field (SQVF), monogenetic complexes belonging to the Mexican Basin and Range province; and four lavas from the Sierra Chichinautzin (SCN), a Quaternary monogenetic volcanic field located in the Mexican volcanic arc. Ne and Ar isotopes in fluid inclusions reveal mixing b…
Using 81Kr and Noble Gases to Characterize and Date Groundwater and Brines in the Baltic Artesian Basin on the One-Million-Year Timescale
2017
Analyses for $^{81}$Kr and noble gases on groundwater from the deepest aquifer system of the Baltic Artesian Basin (BAB) were performed to determine groundwater ages and uncover the flow dynamics of the system on a timescale of several hundred thousand years. We find that the system is controlled by mixing of three distinct water masses: Interglacial or recent meteoric water $(\delta^{18}\text{O} \approx -10.4\unicode{x2030})$ with a poorly evolved chemical and noble gas signature, glacial meltwater $(\delta^{18}\text{O} \leq -18\unicode{x2030})$ with elevated noble gas concentrations, and an old, high-salinity brine component $(\delta^{18}\text{O} \geq -4.5\unicode{x2030}, \geq 90 \text{g …
Petrological and noble gas features of Lascar and Lastarria volcanoes (Chile): Inferences on plumbing systems and mantle characteristics
2020
Lascar (5592 m a.s.l.) and Lastarria (5697 m a.s.l.) are Chilean active stratovolcanoes located in the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ; 16°S to 28°S) that have developed on top of a 71 km thick continental crust. Independently of the similarities in their Plinian/Vulcanian eruptive styles, their complex magmatic feeding structures and the origins of their magmatic fluids still necessitate constraints in order to improve the reliability of geochemical monitoring. Here we investigate the petrography, bulk-rock chemistry, and mineral chemistry in products from the 1986–1993 explosive eruptive cycle at Lascar and from several Holocene eruptive sequences at Lastarria. These data are integrated with m…