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At least 37 records · Page 2

New limit on the mass of 14.4-keV solar axions emitted in an M1 transition in {sup 57}Fe nuclei

Axions of energy 14.4 keV that originated from the M1 transition in {sup 57}Fe nuclei in the Sun were sought by using the resonance-absorption reaction A+{sup 57}Fe {yields} {sup 57}Fe* {yields} {sup 57}Fe+{gamma} (14.4 keV). Asectioned Si(Li) detector arranged in a low-background facility was used to record photons from this reaction. This resulted in setting a new limit on the axion couplings to nucleons, vertical bar -1.19g{sub AN}{sup 0} + g{sub AN}{sup 3} vertical bar {<=} 3.0 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -6}. Within the hadronic-axion model, the respective constraint on the axion mass is m{sub A} {<=} 145 eV (at a 95% C.L.).

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Multispace quantum interference in a {sup 57}Fe synchrotron Moessbauer source

A physical picture for coherent emission of {gamma} rays by a nuclear array excited with synchrotron radiation is given. The particular case of a pure nuclear Bragg reflection from the {sup 57}FeBO{sub 3} crystal is analyzed. During free de-excitation of the nuclei, a nuclear exciton polariton is developing inside the crystal and generates at the exit of the crystal a coherent {gamma}-ray beam. In the crystal the nuclear levels of {sup 57}Fe are split because of a combined magnetic and electric interaction. The rich picture of {gamma}-ray interference is described, which involves geometrical space, energy, and spin domains. In the vicinity of the Neel temperature of the crystal the magnetic splitting of nuclear levels nearly collapses. These conditions lead to drastic changes in the angular, energy, and temporal properties of the emitted radiation. The emission angular function, which in the approximation of a plane incident wave represents the emission intensity for different angular settings of the crystal near Bragg angle, strongly broadens and transforms to a double-hump structure with a central dip between the peaks. The energy and temporal distributions of the emitted radiation crucially depend upon the crystal angular setting. Beyond the central dip, the energy distribution of nuclear scattering acquires a complicated form with several satellites at various energies. In contrast, at the exact angular position of the central dip, the energy spectrum exhibits a single line shape with the line width close to the natural width of the nuclear resonance. The obtained results constitute the theoretical basis for the understanding and for the further elaboration of the {sup 57}Fe synchrotron Moessbauer source--the device that provides a collimated beam of intense and polarized {gamma} radiation in an energy bandwidth of nanoelectronvolts, the nuclear resonance natural level width.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Hyperfine Interactions of {sup 57}Fe Nuclei in ScCo{sub 1–x}Fe{sub x}O{sub 3} (x = 0.05, 0.4) Substituted Cobaltites

The Mössbauer study of {sup 57}Fe nuclei in Sc{sub 1–y}Co{sub 1–x}Fe{sub x}O{sub 3–3/2y} (x = 0.05, 0.4; y = 0.1, 0.2) cobaltites has been reported. Mössbauer spectra, as well as calculations of the parameters of the electric field gradient tensor, have shown that Fe{sup 3+} cations not only occupy characteristic for them positions with octahedral oxygen coordination, but also partially substitute Sc{sup 3+} cations in ScO{sub n} polyhedra with a large coordination number (n = 8–12). The character of distribution of iron cations over two positions depends on the composition of studied cobaltites. In contrast to Co{sup 3+} cations, Fe{sup 3+} cations in both positions are stabilized in a highspin state (S = 5/2). The analysis of the magnetic hyperfine structure of {sup 57}Fe spectra measured at T < T{sub N} has shown that magnetically ordered iron-rich microclusters can be formed in the octahedral sublattice of the Sc{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.6}Fe{sub 0.4}O{sub 2.85} and Sc{sub 0.8}Co{sub 0.6}Fe{sub 0.4}O{sub 2.7} cobaltites. The most fraction of iron in Sc{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.95}{sup 57}Fe{sub 0.05}O{sub 2.85} remains in the paramagnetic state down to the lowest temperatures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

57 Zn β-delayed proton emission establishes the 56 Ni rp-process waiting point bypass

We measured the 57 Zn β-delayed proton (βp) and γemission at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. We find a 57 Zn half-life of 43.6 ± 0.2ms, βp branching ratio of (84.7 ±1.4)%, and identify four transitions corresponding to the exotic β-γ-pdecay mode, the second such identification in the fp-shell. The p/γratio was used to correct for isospin mixing while determining the 57 Zn mass via the isobaric multiplet mass equation. Previously, it was uncertain as to whether the rp-process flow could bypass the textbook waiting point 56 Ni for astrophysical conditions relevant to Type-I X-ray bursts. Our results definitively establish the existence of the 56 Ni bypass, with 14-17% of the rp-process flow taking this route.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Understanding Active Sites in Pyrolyzed Fe–N–C Catalysts for Fuel Cell Cathodes by Bridging Density Functional Theory Calculations and 57 Fe Mössbauer Spectroscopy

Pyrolyzed Fe–N–C materials are promising platinum-group-metal-free catalysts for proton-exchange membrane fuel cell cathodes. However, the detailed structure, oxidation, and spin states of their active sites are still undetermined. As such, 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy has identified FeN x moieties as the most active sites, with their fingerprint being a doublet in low-temperature Mössbauer spectra. However, the interpretation of the doublets for such materials has lacked theoretical basis. Here, we applied density functional theory to calculate the quadrupole splitting energy of doublets (Δ E QS ) for a range of FeN x structures in different oxidation and spin states. The calculated and experimental values are then compared for a reference Fe–N–C catalyst, whereas further information on the Fe oxidation and spin states was obtained from electron paramagnetic resonance, superconducting quantum interference device, and 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy under external magnetic field. The combined theoretical and experimental results identify the main presence of FeN x moieties in Fe(II) low-spin and Fe(III) high-spin states, whereas a minor fraction of sites could exist in the Fe(II) S = 1 state. From the analysis of the 57 Fe Mössbauer spectrum under the external magnetic field and the comparison of calculated and measured Δ E QS values, we assign the experimental doublet D1 with a mean Δ E QS value of around 0.9 mm·s –1 to Fe(III)N 4 C 12 moieties in high-spin state and the experimental doublet D2 with a mean Δ E QS value of around 2.3 mm·s –1 to Fe(II)N 4 C 10 moieties in low and medium spin. These conclusions indicate that D1 corresponds to surface-exposed sites, whereas D2 may correspond either to bulk sites that are inaccessible to O 2 or to surface sites that bind O 2 weaker than D1.

fuel cell↗

Vegetation Assessment at Project 57 for 2019

During the late 1950s, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), now the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), conducted a series of experiments in Emigrant Valley to determine if a nuclear device subjected to a large conventional explosives detonation would result in a nuclear yield. One of these tests, Project 57, disseminated plutonium across the ground surface. Plutonium isotopes dispersed across the land surface can adhere to soil particles, particularly fine soil materials. Plutonium can be redistributed beyond the Contamination Area (CA) boundary by both wind and water. A vegetation survey was initiated in 2016 to assess the vegetation cover of the Project 57 CA and was repeated in 2018 and 2019. The purpose of the survey was to inform managers and provide data about the site’s vegetation with a perspective toward aeolian (wind) transport of soil particles. Results from the 2019 survey are reported here, with comparison to previous surveys. Perennial cover has remained stable (16 percent) during the survey time period, from 2016 to 2019. Shrub cover measured for the 2019 survey was calculated at 14 percent, which is slightly less than reported in earlier surveys but still typical for Great Basin valley shrublands. Annual plant cover was dramatically higher in 2019 at 33 percent, comprised primarily of forbs. This is because of the even distribution of precipitation events from the prior winter compared with previous years. Annual plant cover was 17 percent in 2016 and less than 2 percent in 2018. The spike in annual production following a wet winter demonstrates the variability and resiliency of the desert shrubland environment, which can be difficult to predict over long time periods. Consequently, the percent of bare soil was considerably less than seen in prior years, down from 60 percent to 47 percent, primarily because of the high percentage of annuals. The burned area of the CA remained dominated by native annual plants. The entirety of the plant cover within the burned area as surveyed was comprised of annuals (44 percent), primarily bristly fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata), leaving 56 percent of the burned area as bare ground. No bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) was recorded in the 2019 survey in the burned area, but it was observed throughout the area in general. Lacking perennial shrub cover and despite the dramatic increase in annual cover in 2019, the burned area remains a potential and geographically large source for sediment transport. Therefore, the variability of annual plant cover and the potential for changes in the perennial plant cover because of fire or drought mortality continues to suggest sediment transport from the Project 57 study site could vary dramatically over time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Peculiar Nebula Simeis 57: II. Distance, Nature and Excitation

Simeis 57 (HS 191) is an optically bright nebula in the Cygnus X region with a peculiar appearance that suggests an outflow from a rotating source. Newly obtained observations and archival data reveal Simeis 57 as a low-density (ne∼100cm−3) nebula with an east-to-west excitation gradient. The extinction of the nebula isAV≤2mag. The nebula is recognizable but not prominent in mid-and far-infrared images. In its direction, half a dozen small CO clouds have been identified at VLSR= +5km s−1. One of these coincides with both the optical nebula and a second CO cloud at the nebular velocity- VLSR≈ −10km−1. No luminous stars are embedded in these molecular clouds, nor are any obscured by them and no sufficiently luminous stars are found in the immediate vicinity of the nebula. Instead, all available data points to the evolved star HD 193793 = WR 140 (an O4-5 supergiant and WC7 Wolf–Rayet binary)as the source of excitation, notwithstanding its large separation of 50′, about 25 pc at the stellar distance of 1.7 kpc. Simeis 57 appears to be a part of a larger structure surrounding the HI void centered on HD 193793

L H T Oudshoorn↗

In-field {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy below spin-flop transition in powdered troilite (FeS) mineral

Powdered troilite (FeS), extracted from the Cape York IIIA octahedrite meteorite, was investigated employing in-field {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. The study identified a typical behavior of polycrystalline antiferromagnetic material under external magnetic fields. The in-field evolution of the {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectra showed that the spin-flop transition in the FeS system occurs at a field higher than 5 T.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Mössbauer investigations of hyperfine interactions features of {sup 57}Fe nuclei in BiFeO{sub 3} ferrite

New results of {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer studies on BiFeO{sub 3} powder sample performed at various temperatures above and below magnetic phase transitions point T{sub N} ≈ 640K are reported. We have performed self-consistent calculations of the lattice contributions to the EFG tensor, taking into account dipole moments of the O{sup 2−} and Bi{sup 3+} ions. Low-temperature {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectra recorded at T < T{sub N} were analyzed assuming an anharmonic cycloidal modulation of the Fe{sup 3+} magnetic moments. The cycloidal modulation of the iron spin was described with the elliptic Jacobi function sn[(±4K(m)/λ)x,m]. The good fit of the experimental spectra was obtained for the anharmonicity m = 0.44 ± 0.04 (T = 4.9K) resulting from the easy-axis magnetic anisotropy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Probe Mössbauer spectroscopy of mechanical alloying in binary Cr‐{sup 57}Fe(1 at%) system

Solid state reactions during mechanical alloying (MA) in a binary mixture of powdered Cr and {sup 57}Fe in atomic ratio of 99:1 have been studied using {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Auger spectrometry. The proposed model of MA includes formation of Cr(Fe){sub x}O{sub y} oxides at the contact places of Cr and Fe particles, formation of nanostructure with simultaneous dissolution of the oxides, penetration of Fe atoms along grain boundaries in close-to-boundary distorted zones of interfaces in a substitutional position, formation of the substitutional solid solution of Fe in Cr in the body of grains. It was shown that the increase in the BCC lattice parameter on increasing the milling time is due to the dissolution of oxides and formation of interstitial solid solution of O in Cr. There were established substantial differences in consumption of BCC Fe in a Mg → Al → Si → Cr sequence due to the major role of chemical interaction of Mg(Al,Si,Cr) with Fe.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Evaluating the purity of a {sup 57}Co flood source by PET

Purpose: Flood sources of {sup 57}Co are commonly used for quality control of gamma cameras. Flood uniformity may be affected by the contaminants {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co, which emit higher energy photons. Although vendors specify a maximum combined {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co activity, a convenient test for flood source purity that is feasible in a clinical environment would be desirable. Methods: Both {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co emit positrons with branching 19.6% and 14.9%, respectively. As is known from {sup 90}Y imaging, a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner is capable of quantitatively imaging very weak positron emission in a high single-photon background. To evaluate this approach, two {sup 57}Co flood sources were scanned with a clinical PET/CT multiple times over a period of months. The {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co activity was clearly visible in the reconstructed PET images. Total impurity activity was quantified from the PET images after background subtraction of prompt gamma coincidences. Results: Time-of-flight PET reconstruction was highly beneficial for accurate image quantification. Repeated measurements of the positron-emitting impurities showed excellent agreement with an exponential decay model. For both flood sources studied, the fit parameters indicated a zero intercept and a decay half-life consistent with a mixture of {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co. The total impurity activity at the reference date was estimated to be 0.06% and 0.07% for the two sources, which was consistent with the vendor’s specification of <0.12%. Conclusions: The robustness of the repeated measurements and a thorough analysis of the detector corrections and physics suggest that the accuracy is acceptable and that the technique is feasible. Further work is needed to validate the accuracy of this technique with a calibrated high resolution gamma spectrometer as a gold standard, which was not available for this study, and for other PET detector models.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan for Corrective Action Unit 415: Project 57 No. 1 Plutonium Dispersion (NTTR), Nevada (Revision 0)

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan addresses the actions needed to achieve closure for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 415, Project 57 No. 1 Plutonium Dispersion (NTTR). CAU 415 is located on Range 4808A of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) and consists of one corrective action site: NAFR-23-02, Pu Contaminated Soil. The CAU 415 site consists of the atmospheric release of radiological contaminants to surface soil from the Project 57 safety experiment conducted in 1957. The safety experiment released plutonium (Pu), uranium (U), and americium (Am) to the surface soil over an area of approximately 1.9 square miles. This area is currently fenced and posted as a radiological contamination area. Vehicles and debris contaminated by the experiment were subsequently buried in a disposal trench within the surface-contaminated, fenced area and are assumed to have released radiological contamination to subsurface soils. Potential source materials in the form of pole-mounted electrical transformers were also identified at the site and will be removed as part of closure activities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Two Years of Vegetation Assessment at Project 57 for 2016 and 2018

During the late 1950s, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), now the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), conducted a series of experiments in Emigrant Valley to determine if a nuclear device subjected to a large conventional explosives detonation would result in a nuclear yield. One of these tests, Project 57, disseminated plutonium across the ground surface. Plutonium isotopes dispersed across the land surface can adhere to soil particles, particularly fine soil materials. Plutonium can be redistributed beyond the Contamination Area (CA) boundary by both wind and water. In 2016 and 2018, a vegetation assessment investigated the variation in vegetation cover of the CA to evaluate the potential influence of vegetation on aeolian (wind) transport of soil particles. Results showed the perennial cover was relatively stable during the time period, increasing from 17 percent to 19 percent, which is typical shrub cover for Great Basin valley shrublands. However, annual plant cover varied dramatically between years, likely because of dry conditions during 2018. Annual plant cover was 17 percent in 2016 and less than 2 percent in 2018. Bare soil was greater than 60 percent in both years, which provided a source of potential sediment erosion during wind and precipitation events, and consequently sediment transport outside of the CA. Additionally, in 2016, part of the CA appeared to have burned several decades prior, and was dominated by both native and non-native annual plants. The burned area was mostly bare soil in 2018, which was also a potential source for sediment transport. The variability of annual plant cover and the potential for changes in the perennial plant cover because of fire or drought mortality suggests future sediment transport from the Project 57 study site could vary dramatically over time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Mechanically-induced disorder in CaFe 2 As 2 : A 57 Fe Mössbauer study

57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to perform a microscopic study on the extremely pressure and strain sensitive compound, CaFe 2 As 2 , with different degrees of strain introduced by grinding and annealing. At the base temperature, in the antiferromagnetic/orthorhombic phase, compared to a sharp sextet Mössbauer spectrum of single crystal CaFe 2 As 2 , which is taken as an un-strained sample, an obviously broadened sextet and an extra doublet were observed for ground CaFe 2 As 2 powders with different degrees of strain. The Mössbauer results suggest that the magnetic phase transition of CaFe 2 As 2 can be inhomogeneously suppressed by the grinding induced strain to such an extent that the antiferromagnetic order in parts of the grains forming the powdered sample remain absent all the way down to 4.6 K. However, strain has almost no effect on the temperature dependent hyperfine magnetic field in the grains with magnetic order. Additional electronic and asymmetry information was obtained from the isomer shift and quadrupole splitting. Similar isomer shift values in the magnetic phase for samples with different degrees of strain, indicate that the stain does not bring any significant variation of the electronic density at 57 Fe nucleus position. As a result, the absolute values of quadrupole shift in the magnetic phase decrease and approach zero with increasing degrees of strain, indicating that the strain reduces the average lattice asymmetry at Fe atom position.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

57 Fe Mössbauer study of Lu 2 Fe 3 Si 5 iron silicide superconductor

With the advent of Fe–As based superconductivity it has become important to study how superconductivity manifests itself in details of 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy of conventional, Fe-bearing superconductors. The iron-based superconductor Lu 2 Fe 3 Si 5 has been studied by 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy over the temperature range from 4.4 K to room temperature with particular attention to the region close to the superconducting transition temperature (T c =6.1 K). Consistent with the two crystallographic sites for Fe in this structure, the observed spectra appear to have a pattern consisting of two doublets over the whole temperature range. Furthermore, the value of Debye temperature was estimated from temperature dependence of the isomer shift and the total spectral area and compared with the specific heat capacity data. Neither abnormal behavior of the hyperfine parameters at or near T c , nor phonon softening were observed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Confirmation of a high magnetic field in GRO J1008–57

GRO J1008–57 is a high-mass X-ray binary for which several claims of a cyclotron resonance scattering feature near 80 keV have been reported. We use NuSTAR, Suzaku, and Swift data from its giant outburst of 2012 November to confirm the existence of the 80 keV feature and perform the most sensitive search to date for cyclotron scattering features at lower energies. We find evidence for a 78{sub −2}{sup +3} keV line in the NuSTAR and Suzaku data at >4σ significance, confirming the detection using Suzaku alone by Yamamoto et al. A search of both the phase-averaged and phase-resolved data rules out a fundamental at lower energies with optical depth larger than 5% of the 78 keV line. These results indicate that GRO J1008–57 has a magnetic field of 6.7 × 10{sup 12}(1 + z) G, the highest among known accreting pulsars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Study of 57 Fe Mössbauer effect in R Fe 2 Zn 20 ( R = Lu, Yb, Gd)

In this document we report measurements of 57 Fe Mössbauer spectra for R Fe 2 Zn 20 ( R = Lu, Yb, Gd) from ~ 4.5 K to room temperature. The obtained isomer shift values are very similar for all three compounds, their temperature dependence was analyzed within the Debye model and resulted in an estimate of the Debye temperatures of 450-500 K. The values of quadrupole splitting at room temperature change with the cubic lattice constant a in a linear fashion. For GdFe 2 Zn 20 , ferromagnetic order is seen as an appearance of a sextet in the spectra. The 57 Fe site hyperfine field for T → 0 was evaluated to be ~ 2.4 T.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Low-energy enhancement and fluctuations of γ -ray strength functions in 56,57 Fe: test of the Brink–Axel hypothesis

Nuclear level densities and γ-ray strength functions of 56,57 Fe have been extracted from proton-γ coincidences. A low-energy enhancement in the γ-ray strength functions up to a factor of 30 over common theoretical E1 models is confirmed. Angular distributions of the low-energy enhancement in 57 Fe indicate its dipole nature, in agreement with findings for 56 Fe. The high statistics and the excellent energy resolution of the large-volume LaBr 3 (Ce) detectors allowed for a thorough analysis of γ strength as function of excitation energy. Taking into account the presence of strong Porter–Thomas fluctuations, there is no indication of any significant excitation energy dependence in the γ-ray strength function, which is in support of the generalized Brink–Axel hypothesis.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗