Search results for "radioactivity"
showing 10 items of 334 documents
Volcanic products of Lipari (Aeolian islands, Italy): Multivariate analysis of petrographic and radiometric data
2010
Abstract A petrographic and radiometric study, along with statistical multivariate analysis of volcanic products of the island of Lipari (Aeolian islands, Italy) was carried out. The volcanological history of Lipari was reconstructed defining two stages (pre- and post-erosive stages) further on subdivided in four volcanic phases, each of which characterized by products with a particular chemical composition and separated by stratigraphic unconformities. The correlations between petrographic features, determined by X-ray fluorescence, and volcanological history of the island highlight a gradual differentiation with younger rocks showing a more acid chemical composition than the older ones. R…
Environmental Radioactivity and Volcanological Features of Three Islands of the Mediterranean Sea (Pantelleria, Ustica and Vulcano)
1996
Abstract The Mediterranean Sea is an area of great interest for its volcanic activities. This paper presents a comparative study of radiometric and chemical data regarding three volcanic islands located in southern Italy (Pantellena, Ustica, and Vulcano) characterized by different magmatic histories. Measurements of radionulide contents and chemical composition of rock samples belonging to the main lithologies present in the three islands were carried out the observed correlations among radiometric, chemical and mineralogical data reflect the differences in the volcanological genesis and suggest some hypotheses on the magmatic evolution.
Quantum and classical dynamics of heavy quarks in a quark-gluon plasma
2018
We derive equations for the time evolution of the reduced density matrix of a collection of heavy quarks and antiquarks immersed in a quark gluon plasma. These equations, in their original form, rely on two approximations: the weak coupling between the heavy quarks and the plasma, the fast response of the plasma to the perturbation caused by the heavy quarks. An additional semi-classical approximation is performed. This allows us to recover results previously obtained for the abelian plasma using the influence functional formalism. In the case of QCD, specific features of the color dynamics make the implementation of the semi-classical approximation more involved. We explore two approximate…
Natural Radioactivity in Clay Ceramics and their Raw Materials in Latvia
2018
Natural radionuclides K-40, and Th-232, U-238 (Ra-226) decay chain products contained in building materials are the main source of radiation dose received by population and the only source of indoor radiation exposure. Present work contains results of the study of natural radionuclide activity level in clay, clay ceramics and silica bricks used in Latvia. Obtained data show that radionuclide content in different clay products can differ up to five times. However, determined activity index values for all tested materials, except fireproof bricks, were below radionuclide concentration level permitted by EU and Latvian national regulations. Comparison with analogous data from other North Europ…
Calibration of high voltages at the ppm level by the difference of $$^{83{\mathrm{m}}}$$ 83m Kr conversion electron lines at the KATRIN experiment
2018
The neutrino mass experiment KATRIN requires a stability of 3 ppm for the retarding potential at − 18.6 kV of the main spectrometer. To monitor the stability, two custom-made ultra-precise high-voltage dividers were developed and built in cooperation with the German national metrology institute Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). Until now, regular absolute calibration of the voltage dividers required bringing the equipment to the specialised metrology laboratory. Here we present a new method based on measuring the energy difference of two $$^{83{\mathrm{m}}}$$ 83m Kr conversion electron lines with the KATRIN setup, which was demonstrated during KATRIN’s commissioning measurements …
Seasonal Modulation of the $^7$Be Solar Neutrino Rate in Borexino
2017
We detected the seasonal modulation of the $^7$Be neutrino interaction rate with the Borexino detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The period, amplitude, and phase of the observed time evolution of the signal are consistent with its solar origin, and the absence of an annual modulation is rejected at 99.99\% C.L. The data are analyzed using three methods: the sinusoidal fit, the Lomb-Scargle and the Empirical Mode Decomposition techniques, which all yield results in excellent agreement.
High-precision mass measurements for the isobaric multiplet mass equation atA= 52
2017
Masses of $^{52}$Co, $^{52}$Co$^m$, $^{52}$Fe, $^{52}$Fe$^m$, and $^{52}$Mn have been measured with the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap mass spectrometer. Of these, $^{52}$Co and $^{52}$Co$^m$ have been experimentally determined for the first time and found to be more bound than predicted by extrapolations. The isobaric multiplet mass equation for the $T=2$ quintet at $A=52$ has been studied employing the new mass values. No significant breakdown (beyond the $3\sigma$ level) of the quadratic form of the IMME was observed ($\chi^2/n=2.4$). The cubic coefficient was 6.0(32) keV ($\chi^2/n=1.1$). The excitation energies for the isomer and the $T=2$ isobaric analogue state in $^{52}$Co have been d…
A Monte Carlo-aided design of a modular 241Am-Be neutron irradiator
2013
Monte Carlo studies aimed at designing a modular 241Am-Be neutron irradiator for testing neutron detectors and personal dosimeters and processing large volume samples are reported in this study. The evaluation of the shapes and thicknesses of the moderator and shielding materials was carried out by a MCNP5 Monte Carlo simulation code. The reliability of the simulation was experimentally verified by the activation of gold foils and TLD dosimeter measurements in an irradiation cell placed at the center of the test configuration.
Women Scientists Who Made Nuclear Astrophysics
2019
Female role models reduce the impact on women of stereotype threat, i.e. of being at risk of conforming to a negative stereotype about one’s social, gender, or racial group (Fine in Delusion of Gender. W.W. Norton & Co. NY, p. 36, 2010 [1]; Steele and Aronson in J Pers Soc Psychol 69:797–811, 1995 [2]). This can lead women scientists to underperform or to leave their scientific career because of negative stereotypes such as, not being as talented or as interested in science as men. Sadly, history rarely provides role models for women scientists; instead, it often renders these women invisible (CafeBabel Homepage [3]). In response to this situation, we present a selection of twelve outst…
Proton radioactivity of 117La
2001
A new more precise measurement of the ground-state proton decay of 117La is presented @Ep 5806(5) keV, t1/2,p526(3) ms#. 117La was produced via the p4n fusion-evaporation channel by bombarding a 64Zn target with 310 and 295 MeV 58Ni beams. The proton decay rate is consistent with emission from a prolate deformed 3/21 or 3/22 Nilsson state. No evidence is found for a previously reported proton decay from a high spin isomer in 117La. An upper limit for the production cross section for proton decay of 116La at a bombarding energy of 325 MeV was established. peerReviewed