Observation of an Antimatter Hypernucleus

Nuclear collisions recreate conditions in the universe microseconds after the Big Bang. Only a very small fraction of the emitted fragments are light nuclei, but these states are of fundamental interest. We report the observation of antihypertritons-comprising an antiproton, an antineutron, and an antilambda hyperon-produced by colliding gold nuclei at high energy. Our analysis yields 70 +/- 17 antihypertritons (3/Lambda(H) over bar) and 157 +/- 30 hypertritons (H-3(Lambda)). The measured yields of H-3(Lambda) (3/Lambda(H) over bar) and He-3 ((3)(He) over bar) are similar, suggesting an equilibrium in coordinate and momentum space populations of up, down, and strange quarks and antiquarks, unlike the pattern observed at lower collision energies. The production and properties of antinuclei, and of nuclei containing strange quarks, have implications spanning nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.

THE ISOSPIN DEPENDENCE OF THE NUCLEAR PHASE TRANSITION NEAR THE CRITICAL POINT

The experimental results reveal the isospin dependence of the nuclear phase transition in terms of the Landau Free Energy description of critical phenomena. Near the critical point, different ratios of the neutron to proton concentrations lead to different critical points for the phase transition which is analogous to the phase transitions in He-4-He-3 liquid mixtures. The antisymmetrized molecular dynamics (AMD) and GEMINI models calculations were also performed and the results will be discussed as well.

碳化硅中氦离子辐照缺陷演化及SiCOI薄膜合成的研究

碳化硅是一种宽带隙半导体材料,具有禁带宽度大、击穿电压高、热导率高、电子饱和漂移速度大、介电常数小、抗辐射能力强、化学稳定性好等优良特性,使其在越来越多的领域如航空航天、太空探测、人造卫星、地热勘探、核能仪器、雷达通讯等, 所需要高温、高速、高频、大功率的微电子器件方面倍受青睐,并和氮化镓、金刚石一起被誉为发展前景十分广阔的第三代半导体材料。本论文采用He+离子注入,在SiC衬底一定深度引入纳米气泡/空腔的方法,来增强对氧原子的俘获以增加O原子在RP处局域浓度,使得更利于O与Si的反应,从而促进氧化埋层的形成,以达到降低注入O的剂量而形成优良的氧化物电绝缘层的目的。由于高剂量的O注入会引起表层SiC材料的损伤，该方法有望缓解目前SIMOX技术中O离子高剂量注入引起表层材料的损伤问题，以期获得低成本、低缺陷密度的SiCOI材料。论文主要开展了如下研究：（1）对He+离子高温（600 K）注入6H-SiC中产生的辐照缺陷,以及缺陷在阶梯温度退火的演化行为的特征进行了分析。实验采用100 keV的He+,辐照剂量范围为3.0×1015～3.0×1016 He+/cm2。利用拉曼光谱、室温光致发光谱、红外吸收光谱、沟道卢瑟福背散射谱的特征进行了分析。实验结果表明,离子注入所产生晶格损伤的程度与He+离子注入剂量有关；高温退火使得损伤得到恢复,不同注入剂量造成的晶格损伤需要不同的退火温度才可恢复。高剂量注入的样品在阶梯温度退火条件下呈现出了点缺陷的复合、氦-空位团的产生、氦泡的形核、长大等特性。与室温注入相比,高温注入引入的自退火作用使大部分简单缺陷发生复合,限制了损伤的积累,从而在材料中产生相对较小的损伤。在一定剂量范围内是避免注入层非晶化的一个重要方法,为后续利用氦离子注入空腔掩埋层吸杂或者制备低成本、低缺陷密度的绝缘层上碳化硅(SiCOI)材料提供了可能。 （2）对He的预注入引入的辐照缺陷与随后注入的氧原子的相互作用机理进行了初步分析。实验采用先He后O注入的方法，采用的离子能量为30 keV (He+)，100 keV (O+)；剂量分别为3.0×1016 (He+)、1.0×1017 (O+) ions/cm2。拉曼散射谱结果表明,空腔对氧的吸收主要是通过捕获简单缺陷释放出来的间隙氧原子实现的,进而促进了对氧的吸附,形成硅氧化合物,有利于氧化埋层的形成。紫外-可见吸收谱中的干涉带表明在材料表面下大概198 nm处是损伤层与晶体层的分界面，接近于SRIM2006估算得到的30 keV He+和100 keV O+辐照损伤的深度（He+辐照损伤的深度为195 nm；O+辐照损伤的深度为165 nm）。沟道卢瑟福背散射谱表明，在特定深度（约150 nm）处,样品中形成了接近非晶的埋层。He离子预注入的碳化硅基体由于含有较多的空位,注入的氧在退火过程中从简单缺陷中释放,向空腔层扩散并捕获在空腔层内,使得He离子预先注入形成的空腔层限制了随后O离子注入造成的损伤层的厚度

非全裸氟离子与氦原子和氖原子碰撞中的多电子过程研究

本工作采用反冲离子飞行时间技术和散射离子位置灵敏探测技术测量了F~(2+)、F~(3+)离子与He原子和Ne原子碰撞中转移电离截面与单电子俘获截面比和入射离子损失一个电子情况下靶原子多重电离与单重电离的截面比。研究了这些截面比随作用强度κ的变化规律，并对不同的碰撞体系进行了比较，总结了强相互作用区(1.4 < κ < 4.4) F~(2+)、F~(3+)离子与He和Ne原子碰撞中的转移电离过程和入射离子电子损失过程的规律。实验发现：（1）对本工作中所有的碰撞体系，转移电离截面与单电子俘获截面比随作用强度κ的增大而减小；（2）对He原子靶，入射离子损失一个电子时He原子二重电离与单重电离的截面比随作用强度κ的增大而减小；（3）对于Ne原子靶，入射离子损失一个电子时Ne原子四重电离、三重电离、二重电离截面与单重电离截面比随作用强度κ有不同的变化规律。本工作对于上述实验现象进行了定性分析和讨论。在本实验能区，转移电离现象可视作一个电子被俘获、另一个电子被电离的两步过程；当入射离子损失一个电子时，He原子二重电离的主要机制为Two-Step机制，而Ne原子的多重电离则为Two-Step机制和随后的电子重组过程的共同作用的结果。深入研究强相互作用区离子一原子碰撞过程，还需要积更多的实验数据和发展有效的理论模型。

Helium, neon and argon isotope compositions of fluid inclusions in massive sulfides from the Jade hydrothermal field, the Oldnawa Trough

Helium, neon and argon isotope compositions of fluid inclusions have been measured in massive sulfide samples from the Jade hydrothermal field in the central Okinawa Trough. Fluid-inclusion He-3/He-4 ratios are between 6.2 and 10.1 times the air value (Ra), and with a mean of 7.8Ra, which are consistent with the mid-ocean ridge basalt values [He-3/He-4 approximate to (6Rasimilar to 11Ra)]. Values for Ne-20/Ne-22 are from 10.7 to 11.3, which are significantly higher than the atmospheric ratio (9.8). And the fluid-inclusion Ar-40/Ar-36 ratios range from 287 to 334, which are close to the atmosperic values (295.5). These results indicate that the noble gases of trapped hydrothermal fluids in massive sulfides are a mixture of mantle- and seawater-derived components, and the helium of fluid inclusions is mainly from mantle, the nelium and argon isotope compositions are mainly from seawater.

华南白垩一第三纪地壳拉张与铀成矿的关系

华南是中国最重要的铀矿产区之一。按赋矿围岩的不同，该区主要产出花岗岩型、火山岩型和碳硅泥岩型3类铀矿床。铀矿区都分布有比铀成矿超前形成的富铀岩石；铀矿床成矿热液中的水主要为大气成因地下水，成矿温度约为120~250 C，成矿热液的δ13C值主要为～4‰～ 一8‰ ，表明幔源Co2参与了成矿作用；矿床的N(。He)／N( He)为0．10～2．02 R ，显示成矿热液中大量幔源He的存在。这些铀矿床的成矿时代与赋矿围岩的岩性和时代无关，都集中在该区地壳受到强烈拉张因而断陷盆地广泛发育并伴有幔源基性岩浆活动(基性脉岩、玄武岩)的白垩一第三纪。研究表明，白垩一第三纪导致了地幔与地壳表层沟通的地壳拉张，把该区3大类型的铀矿床串联成了一个有机的整体：(1)地壳拉张通过控制向大气成因的贫C 热液提供铀成矿必不可少的幔源Co2，而与铀成矿发生联系；(2)同一机制形成的富Co2热液浸取同一或不同铀源岩石中的铀并在不同围岩中成矿，形成了按赋矿围岩划分的各种矿床类型(花岗岩型、火山岩型和碳硅泥岩型)。

Genomic instability after targeted irradiation of human lymphocytes: Evidence for inter-individual differences under bystander conditions

Environmental (222)radon exposure is a human health concern, and many studies demonstrate that very low doses of high LET alpha-particle irradiation initiate deleterious genetic consequences in both radiated and non-irradiated bystander cells. One consequence, radiation-induced genomic instability (RIGI), is a hallmark of tumorigenesis and is often assessed by measuring delayed chromosomal aberrations We utilised a technique that facilitates transient immobilization of primary lymphocytes for targeted microbeam irradiation and have reported that environmentally relevant doses, e.g. a single He-3(2+) particle traversal to a single cell, are sufficient to Induce RIGI Herein we sought to determine differences in radiation response in lymphocytes isolated from five healthy male donors Primary lymphocytes were irradiated with a single particle per cell nucleus. We found evidence for inter-individual variation in radiation response (Rid, measured as delayed chromosome aberrations) Although this was not highly significant, it was possibly masked by high levels of intra-individual variation While there are many studies showing a link between genetic predisposition and RIGI, there are few studies linking genetic background with bystander effects in normal human lymphocytes In an attempt to investigate inter-individual variation in the induction of bystander effects, primary lymphocytes were irradiated with a single particle under conditions where fractions of the population were traversed We showed a marked genotype-dependent bystander response in one donor after exposure to 15% of the population The findings may also be regarded as a radiation-induced genotype-dependent bystander effect triggering an instability phenotype (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genomic instability in human lymphocytes irradiated with individual charged particles: Involvement of tumor necrosis factor a in irradiated cells but not bystander cells

Exposure to ionizing radiation can increase the risk of cancer, which is often characterized by genomic instability. In environmental exposures to high-LET radiation (e.g. Ra-222), it is unlikely that many cells will be traversed or that any cell will be traversed by more than one alpha particle, resulting in an in vivo bystander situation, potentially involving inflammation. Here primary human lymphocytes were irradiated with precise numbers of He-3(2+) ions delivered to defined cell population fractions, to as low as a single cell being traversed, resembling in vivo conditions. Also, we assessed the contribution to genomic instability of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFA). Genomic instability was significantly elevated in irradiated groups ( greater than or equal totwofold over controls) and was comparable whether cells were traversed by one or two He-3(2+) ions. Interestingly, substantial heterogeneity in genomic instability between experiments was observed when only one cell was traversed. Genomic instability was significantly reduced (60%) in cultures in which all cells were irradiated in the presence of TNFA antibody, but not when fractions were irradiated under the same conditions, suggesting that TNFA may have a role in the initiation of genomic instability in irradiated cells but not bystander cells. These results have implications for low-dose exposure risks and cancer. (C) 2005 by Radiation Research Society.

Observation of an Antimatter Hypernucleus

Nuclear collisions recreate conditions in the universe microseconds after the Big Bang. Only a very small fraction of the emitted fragments are light nuclei, but these states are of fundamental interest. We report the observation of antihypertritons-comprising an antiproton, an antineutron, and an antilambda hyperon-produced by colliding gold nuclei at high energy. Our analysis yields 70 +/- 17 antihypertritons (3/Lambda(H) over bar) and 157 +/- 30 hypertritons ((3)(Lambda)H). The measured yields of (3)(Lambda)H (3/Lambda(H) over bar) and (3)He ((3)(He) over bar) are similar, suggesting an equilibrium in coordinate and momentum space populations of up, down, and strange quarks and antiquarks, unlike the pattern observed at lower collision energies. The production and properties of antinuclei, and of nuclei containing strange quarks, have implications spanning nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.

Candida albicans adherence to an acrylic resin modified by experimental photopolymerised coatings: An in vitro study

Purpose: This study evaluated whether photopolymerised coatings containing zwitterion or hydrophilic monomers would reduce the adhesion of Candida albicans to an acrylic resin. Materials and methods: Disc-shaped samples (n = 468) were fabricated with rough or smooth surfaces. The samples did not receive any surface treatment (control) or were coated with one of the following experimental coatings (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate - HE; 3-hydroxypropyl methacrylate - HP; and 2-trimethylammonium ethyl methacrylate chloride - T; and sulfobetaine methacrylate - S). The concentrations of the constituent monomers were 25, 30 or 35%. The water contact angles of the samples were measured, and half of the samples were exposed to saliva. The adherent yeast cells were counted after crystal violet staining. Results: For the smooth samples, the groups S35, HP35 and HE35 showed significantly lower number of adhered Candida than control, in the absence of saliva. There were no significant differences among the experimental and control groups for the rough samples, but the saliva decreased the cell numbers for groups S25, S30 and HP30. The photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the changes in the chemical compositions of the experimental samples. Conclusions: The experimental photopolymerised coatings changed the chemical composition and decreased C. albicans adhesion in the groups S35, HP35 and HE35, suggesting that they should be further investigated. © 2012 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Effect of experimental photopolymerized coatings on the hydrophobicity of a denture base acrylic resin and on Candida albicans adhesion

Objective: This study investigated the effect of experimental photopolymerized coatings, containing zwitterionic or hydrophilic monomers, on the hydrophobicity of a denture base acrylic resin and on Candida albicans adhesion. Methods: Acrylic specimens were prepared with rough and smooth surfaces and were either left untreated (control) or coated with one of the following experimental coatings: 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HE); 3-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HP); and 2-trimethylammonium ethyl methacrylate chloride (T); and sulfobetaine methacrylate (S). The concentrations of these constituent monomers were 25%, 30% or 35%. Half of the specimens in each group (control and experimentals) were coated with saliva and the other half remained uncoated. The surface free energy of all specimens was measured, regardless of the experimental condition. C. albicans adhesion was evaluated for all specimens, both saliva conditioned and unconditioned. The adhesion test was performed by incubating specimens in C. albicans suspensions (1 × 10 7 cell/mL) at 37 °C for 90 min. The number of adhered yeasts were evaluated by XTT (2,3-bis[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-5-[{phenylamino} carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium-hydroxide) method. Results: For rough surfaces, coatings S (30 or 35%) and HP (30%) resulted in lower absorbance values compared to control. These coatings exhibited more hydrophilic surfaces than the control group. Roughness increased the adhesion only in the control group, and saliva did not influence the adhesion. The photoelectron spectroscopy analysis (XPS) confirmed the chemical changes of the experimental specimens, particularly for HP and S coatings. Conclusions: S and HP coatings reduced significantly the adhesion of C. albicans to the acrylic resin and could be considered as a potential preventive treatment for denture stomatitis. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Searching for resonances in the unbound Be-6 nucleus by using a radioactive Be-7 beam

Knowledge of the He-3(He-3,2p)He-4 reaction is important for understanding stellar burning and solar neutrino production. Previous measurements have found a surprisingly large rise in the cross section at low energies that could be due to a low-energy resonance in the He-3 + He-3 (Be-6) system or electron screening. In the Be-6 nucleus, however, no excited states have been observed above the first 2(+) state at E (x) = 1.67 MeV up to 23 MeV, even though several are expected. The H-2(Be-7,H-3)Be-6 reaction has been studied for the first time to search for resonances in the Be-6 nucleus that may affect our understanding of the He-3(He-3,2p)He-4 reaction. A 100-MeV radioactive Be-7 beam from the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) was used to bombard CD2 targets, and tritons were detected by using the silicon detector array (SIDAR). A combination of reaction mechanisms appears to be necessary to explain the observed triton energy spectrum.

Cross sections and double-helicity asymmetries of midrapidity inclusive charged hadrons in p plus p collisions at root s = 62.4 GeV

Unpolarized cross sections and double-helicity asymmetries of single-inclusive positive and negative charged hadrons at midrapidity from p + p collisions at root s = 62.4 GeV are presented. The PHENIX measurement of the cross sections for 1.0 < p(T) < 4.5 GeV/c are consistent with perturbative QCD calculations at next-to-leading order in the strong-coupling constant, alpha(s). Resummed pQCD calculations including terms with next-to-leading-log accuracy, yielding reduced theoretical uncertainties, also agree with the data. The double-helicity asymmetry, sensitive at leading order to the gluon polarization in a momentum-fraction range of 0.05 less than or similar to x(gluon) less than or similar to 0.2, is consistent with recent global parametrizations disfavoring large gluon polarization.

Tracking eolian dust with helium and thorium: Impacts of grain size and provenance

Reconstructions of the deposition rate of windblown mineral dust in ocean sediments offer an important means of tracking past climate changes and of assessing the radiative and biogeochemical impacts of dust in past climates. Dust flux estimates in ocean sediments have commonly been based on the operationally defined lithogenic fraction of sediment samples. More recently, dust fluxes have been estimated from measurements of helium and thorium, as rare isotopes of these elements (He-3 and Th-230) allow estimates of sediment flux, and the dominant isotopes (He-4 and Th-232) are uniquely associated with the lithogenic fraction of marine sediments. In order to improve the fidelity of dust flux reconstructions based on He and Th, we present a survey of He and Th concentrations in sediments from dust source areas in East Asia, Australia and South America. Our data show systematic relationships between He and Th concentrations and grain size, with He concentrations decreasing and Th concentrations increasing with decreasing grain size. We find consistent He and Th concentrations in the fine fraction (<5 μm) of samples from East Asia, Australia and Central South America (Puna-Central West Argentina), with Th concentrations averaging 14 μg/g and He concentrations averaging 2 μcc STP/g. We recommend use of these values for estimating dust fluxes in sediments where dust is dominantly fine-grained, and suggest that previous studies may have systematically overestimated Th-based dust fluxes by 30%. Source areas in Patagonia appear to have lower He and Th contents than other regions, as fine fraction concentrations average 0.8 μcc STP/g and 9 μg/g for 4He and 232Th, respectively. The impact of grain size on lithogenic He and Th concentrations should be taken into account in sediments proximal to dust sources where dust grain size may vary considerably. Our data also have important implications for the hosts of He in long-traveled dust and for the 3He/4He ratio used for terrigenous He in studies of extraterrestrial He in sediments and ice. We also investigate the use of He/Th ratios as a provenance tracer. Our results suggest differences in fine fraction He/Th ratios between East Asia, Australia, central South America and Patagonia, with ratios showing a positive relationship with the geological age of source rocks. He/Th ratios may thus provide useful provenance information, for example allowing separation of Patagonian sources from Puna-Central West Argentina or Australian dust sources. He/Th ratios in open-ocean marine sediments are similar to ratios in the fine fraction of upwind dust source areas. He/Th ratios in mid-latitude South Atlantic sediments suggest that dust in this region primarily derives from the Puna-Central West Argentina region (23–32°S) rather than Patagonia (>38°S). In the equatorial Pacific, He/Th ratios are much lower than in extratropical Pacific sediments or potential source areas measured as a part of this study (East Asia, South America, Australia) for reasons that are at present unclear, complicating their use as provenance tracers in this region.