Characterization of non-imaging semiconductor X-ray solar monitors

The first observations of solar X-rays date back to late 1940 s. In order to observe solar X-rays the instruments have to be lifted above the Earth s atmosphere, since all high energy radiation from the space is almost totally attenuated by it. This is a good thing for all living creatures, but bad for X-ray astronomers. Detectors observing X-ray emission from space must be placed on-board satellites, which makes this particular discipline of astronomy technologically and operationally demanding, as well as very expensive. In this thesis, I have focused on detectors dedicated to observing solar X-rays in the energy range 1-20 keV. The purpose of these detectors was to measure solar X-rays simultaneously with another X-ray spectrometer measuring fluorescence X-ray emission from the Moon surface. The X-ray fluorescence emission is induced by the primary solar X-rays. If the elemental abundances on the Moon were to be determined with fluorescence analysis methods, the shape and intensity of the simultaneous solar X-ray spectrum must be known. The aim of this thesis is to describe the characterization and operation of our X-ray instruments on-board two Moon missions, SMART-1 and Chandrayaan-1. Also the independent solar science performance of these two almost similar X-ray spectrometers is described. These detectors have the following two features in common. Firstly, the primary detection element is made of a single crystal silicon diode. Secondly, the field of view is circular and very large. The data obtained from these detectors are spectra with a 16 second time resolution. Before launching an instrument into space, its performance must be characterized by ground calibrations. The basic operation of these detectors and their ground calibrations are described in detail. Two C-flares are analyzed as examples for introducing the spectral fitting process. The first flare analysis shows the fit of a single spectrum of the C1-flare obtained during the peak phase. The other analysis example shows how to derive the time evolution of fluxes, emission measures (EM) and temperatures through the whole single C4 flare with the time resolution of 16 s. The preparatory data analysis procedures are also introduced in detail. These are required in spectral fittings of the data. A new solar monitor design equipped with a concentrator optics and a moderate size of field of view is also introduced.

Small-angle x-ray scattering study of the aggregation of gold nanoparticles during formation at the toluene-water interface

We report the results of an in situ small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) study of the aggregation of gold nanoparticles formed by an interfacial reaction at the toluene-water interface. The SAXS data provide a direct evidence for aggregate formation of nanoparticles having 1.3 nm gold core and an organic shell that gives a core-core separation of about 2.5 nm. Furthermore, the nanoparticles do not occupy all the cites of 13-member cluster. This occupancy decreases with reaction time and indicate reorganization of the clusters that generates planner disklike structures. A gradual increase in fractal dimension from 1.82 to 2.05 also indicate compactification of cluster aggregation with reaction time, the final exponent being close to 2 expected for disklike aggregates.

N-H center dot center dot center dot O and C-H center dot center dotcenter dot O interaction mimicry in the 1:1 molecular complexes of 5,5-diethylbarbituric acid with urea and acetamide

The analogy between N-H center dot center dot center dot O and C-H center dot center dot center dot O intermolecular interactions is studied with variable temperature (180-100 K) single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.5,5-Diethylbarbituric acid (barbital) forms isostructural molecular complexes (co-crystals) with urea (1) and acetamide (2) that respectively contain these analogous interactions.The behaviour of these two interactions as a function of temperature is very similar. This indicates that the C-H center dot center dot center dot O bond in barbital acetamide plays a similar chemical and structural role as does the N-H center dot center dot center dot O bond in barbital urea. The close relationship between these interactions and their comparable nature is further adduced from the formation of a ternary solid solution (3) of barbital, urea and acetamide. The fact that the C-H center dot center dot center dot O interaction in barbital acetamide is weaker than the N-H center dot center dot center dot O interaction in barbital urea is shown by the fact that acetamide is under expressed and urea is over expressed with respect to the quantities of these substances present in solution prior to crystallization of these ternary crystals.

Alignment of the ALICE Inner Tracking System with cosmic-ray tracks

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiment devoted to investigating the strongly interacting matter created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC energies. The ALICE ITS, Inner Tracking System, consists of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors with three different technologies; in the outward direction: two layers of pixel detectors, two layers each of drift, and strip detectors. The number of parameters to be determined in the spatial alignment of the 2198 sensor modules of the ITS is about 13,000. The target alignment precision is well below 10 micron in some cases (pixels). The sources of alignment information include survey measurements, and the reconstructed tracks from cosmic rays and from proton-proton collisions. The main track-based alignment method uses the Millepede global approach. An iterative local method was developed and used as well. We present the results obtained for the ITS alignment using about 10^5 charged tracks from cosmic rays that have been collected during summer 2008, with the ALICE solenoidal magnet switched off.

Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of the putative SAICAR synthetase (PH0239) from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3

The study of proteins involved in de novo biosynthesis of purine nucleotides is central in the development of antibiotics and anticancer drugs. In view of this, a protein from the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 was isolated, purified and crystallized using the microbatch method. Its primary structure was found to be similar to that of SAICAR synthetase, which catalyses the seventh step of de novo purine biosynthesis. A diffraction-quality crystal was obtained using Hampton Research Crystal Screen II condition No. 34, consisting of 0.05 M cadmium sulfate hydrate, 0.1 M HEPES buffer pH 7.5 and 1.0 M sodium acetate trihydrate, with 40%(v/v) 1,4-butanediol as an additive. The crystal belonged to space group P3(1), with unit-cell parameters a = b = 95.62, c = 149.13 angstrom. Assuming the presence of a hexamer in the asymmetric unit resulted in a Matthews coefficient (V-M) of 2.3 angstrom(3) Da(-1), corresponding to a solvent content of about 46%. A detailed study of this protein will yield insights into structural stability at high temperatures and should be highly relevant to the development of antibiotics and anticancer drugs targeting the biosynthesis of purine nucleotides.

Visst gör kunden en stor del av jobbet. Referensramar för kunders medverkan vid tillkomsten av konsumenttjänster

I detta arbete accentueras kunden som medverkande aktör vid tillkomsten av tjänster och specifikt då inom den konsumentorienterade sektorn, vilken är en naturlig del av vårt vardagsliv. Såväl kommersiella som icke-kommersiella tjänster beaktas och på denna grund står kundrollen i centrum. Detta är primärt parallellt med valet av perspektiv, vilket genomgående får en fundamental betydelse. Kunders aktiva medverkan framstår som en naturlig och väsentlig ingrediens inom tjänstesektorn, vilket understryks och poängteras i detta arbete inom ramen för en samlad bild av kunden i rollen som medverkande aktör. Därmed markeras betydelsen av att söka förstå fenomenet ”kundmedverkan” utifrån en helhetssyn och med denna utgångspunkt tydliggöra en helhet, en samlad bild, och de delar som bygger och formar denna. Tre ingredienser aktualiseras härvid som tongivande och dessa präglar den bild som i detta arbete framträder av kunden som medverkande part. I ett första steg klarläggs sådana aktiviteter som bygger och formar kundens medverkan. Denne engagerar sig och presterar olika aktiviteter, insatser, vilka framstår som ett fundament i fenomenet. På denna grund skapas och formas kundens input i tjänsteprocessen, dennes processbidrag. Därmed fokuseras kundens processnära funktion, samtidigt som vikten av att parallellt uppmärksamma insatser respektive processbidrag betonas. Vidare klarläggs de effekter som kan uppkomma för såväl kunden själv som tjänsteorganisationen och andra inblandade kunder. Olika typer av effekter lyfts fram och tydliggörs med koppling till bland annat tidsrelaterade inslag. Kunders inflytande på såväl kvalitetsupplevelser som produktivitet är härvid av naturligt intresse. Teoretisk analys och begreppsutveckling har varit tongivande inslag i forskningsstrategin, samtidigt som perspektivfrågan har intagit en avgörande position. Vidare har erfarenhetsbaserade bilder av ”kundens vardag” byggt en väsentlig grund, parallellt med teoretiska erfarenheter. I arbetet utvecklas och presenteras referensramar för kunders medverkan i tjänsteprocessen. Inom ramen för en samlad bild erbjuds härigenom möjligheter till analys av konsumentrelaterade verksamheter av skiftande karaktär. Detta framstår som väsentligt med hänsyn till de variationer som kan framträda inom tjänstesektorn.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of superconducting RuSr2Eu1.5Ce0.5Cu2O10 and nonsuperconducting RuSr2EuCeCu2O10

We report x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigation of RuSr2Eu1.5Ce0.5Cu2O10 with ferromagnetic T-C similar to 100 K and a superconducting transition temperature of similar to 30 K compared with RuSr2EuCeCu2O10, which is a ferromagnetic (T-C similar to 150 K) insulator. Our results show that the rare earths, Eu and Ce, are in 3+ and 4+ states, respectively. Comparing the Ru core level spectra from these compounds to those from two Ru reference oxides, we also show that Ru in these ruthenocuprates is always in 5+ state, suggesting that the doped holes in the superconducting compound arising from the substitution of Ce4+ by Eu3+ are primarily in the Cu-O plane, in close analogy to all other doped high-T-C cuprates. Analysis of Cu 2p spectra in terms of a configuration interaction model provides a quantitative description of the gross electronic structures of these ruthenocuprates.

Crystal chemistry of a new solid solution in the BaO-Bi2O3-Nb2O5 system: Ba-5x/2-Bi(1-x)5/3Nb5O15

A solid solution of the type Ba5x/2Bi(1-x)5/3Nb5O15 has been identified in the BaO-Bi2O3-Nb2O5 system for the first time. The limits of the solid solution are within the range 0.52 <= x <= 0.80. The compositions x = 0.52, 0.60, 0.72, 0.77, 0.78, and 0.80 were synthesized by the solid-state technique from the starting materials in stoichiometric quantities. The powder X-ray patterns of all the phases in the domain indicate a structural similarity to tetragonal tungsten bronzes (TTBs). The compositions below x = 0.52 and those above x = 0.80 exhibit barium niobate and bismuth niobate impurities, respectively. Single crystals of the composition x = 0.77 were obtained by the melt cooling technique. The crystal structure of Ba3.85/2Bi1.15/3Nb5O15 (x = 0.77) was solved in the tetragonal space group P4bm (No. 100) with a = 12.4938 (14) angstrom, c = 3.9519 (2) A, V = 616.87 (10) angstrom(3), and Z = 2 and was refined to an R index of 0.034. Dielectric measurements on all the phases indicate a typical relaxor behavior with a broad phase transition at T-m approximate to 300 K.

Mixed Azide and 5-(Pyrimidyl)tetrazole Bridged Co(II)/Mn(II) Polymers: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, Ferroelectric and Magnetic Behavior

The reaction of pyrimidine-2-carbonitrile, NaN3 in the presence of Co(NO3)(2)center dot 6H(2)O or MnCl2 center dot 4H(2)O leads to the formation of complexes Co(pmtz)(mu(1,3)-N-3)(H2O)](n) (1) and Mn(pmtz)(mu(1,3)-N-3)(H2O)](n) (2) respectively, under hydrothermal condition pmtz =5-(pyrimidyl)tetrazolate]. These two complexes have been fully characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 crystallizes in a non-centrosymmetric space group Aba2 in the orthorhombic system and is found to exhibit ferroelectric behavior, whereas complex 2 crystallizes in the P2(1)/c space group in the monoclinic system. Variable temperature magnetic characterizations in the temperature range of 2-300 K indicate that complex 1 is a canted antiferromagnet (weak ferromagnet) with T-c = 15.9 K. Complex 1 represents a unique example of a multiferroic coordination polymer containing tetrazole as a co-ligand. Complex 2 is a one-dimensional chain of Mn(II) bridged by a well-known antiferromagnetic coupler end-to-end azido ligand. In contrast to the role played by the end-to-end azido pathway in most of the transition metal complexes, complex 2 showed unusual ferromagnetic behavior below 40 K because of spin canting.

X-ray studies on crystalline complexes involving amino acids and peptides. XV. Crystal structures of L-lysine D-glutamate and L-lysine D-aspartate monohydrate and the effect of chirality on molecular aggregation

L-Lysine D-glutamate crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1) with a = 4.902, b = 30.719, c = 9.679 A, beta = 90 degrees and Z = 4. The crystals of L-lysine D-aspartate monohydrate belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 5.458, b = 7.152, c = 36.022 A and Z = 4. The structures were solved by the direct methods and refined to R values of 0.125 and 0.040 respectively for 1412 and 1503 observed reflections. The glutamate complex is highly pseudosymmetric. The lysine molecules in it assume a conformation with the side chain staggered between the alpha-amino and the alpha-carboxylate groups. The interactions of the side chain amino groups of lysine in the two complexes are such that they form infinite sequences containing alternating amino and carboxylate groups. The molecular aggregation in the glutamate complex is very similar to that observed in L-arginine D-aspartate and L-arginine D-glutamate trihydrate, with the formation of double layers consisting of both types of molecules. In contrast to the situation in the other three LD complexes, the unlike molecules in L-lysine D-aspartate monohydrate aggregate into alternating layers as in the case of most LL complexes. The arrangement of molecules in the lysine layer is nearly the same as in L-lysine L-aspartate, with head-to-tail sequences as the central feature. The arrangement of aspartate ions in the layers containing them is, however, somewhat unusual. Thus the comparison between the LL and the LD complexes analyzed so far indicates that the reversal of chirality of one of the components in a complex leads to profound changes in molecular aggregation, but these changes could be of more than one type.

Eigenvalues of kinematical conservation laws (KCL) based 3-D weakly nonlinear ray theory (WNLRT)

System of kinematical conservation laws (KCL) govern evolution of a curve in a plane or a surface in space, even if the curve or the surface has singularities on it. In our recent publication K. R. Arun, P. Prasad, 3-D kinematical conservation laws (KCL): evolution of a surface in R-3-in particular propagation of a nonlinear wavefront, Wave Motion 46 (2009) 293-311] we have developed a mathematical theory to study the successive positions and geometry of a 3-D weakly nonlinear wavefront by adding an energy transport equation to KCL. The 7 x 7 system of equations of this KCL based 3-D weakly nonlinear ray theory (WNLRT) is quite complex and explicit expressions for its two nonzero eigenvalues could not be obtained before. In this short note, we use two different methods: (i) the equivalence of KCL and ray equations and (ii) the transformation of surface coordinates, to derive the same exact expressions for these eigenvalues. The explicit expressions for nonzero eigenvalues are important also for checking stability of any numerical scheme to solve 3-D WNLRT. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An X-ray and neutron diffraction study of cation substituted TlSr2CuO5

The structures of TlSr(2−x)LaxCuO(5+δ), with x=0.5, 0.75 and 1, and Tl.5Pb0.5Sr2CuO(5+δ) have been examined with X-ray and neutron powder Rietveld refinement. They are isostructural (P4/mmm) with the corresponding thallium-barium cuprate having one Cu-O layer with Cu3+ ions in octahedral coordination with oxygen (structure type 1201). The influence of cation substitution and disorder on the structure and superconducting properties of these phases have been investigated. La3+ substitution for Sr2+ stabilises the structure and reduces Cu3+, permitting superconductivity, while Pb2+ substitution for Tl3+ only stabilises the structure, without reducing Cu3+.