Search Results (9)

Although much information can be gained about thermally induced microstructural changes in metals through the measurement of their thermophysical properties using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), due to competing influences on the signal, not all microstructural changes can be fully characterised this way. For example, accurate characterisation of recrystallisation, tempering, and changes in retained delta ferrite in alloyed steels becomes complex due to additional signal changes due to the Curie point, oxidation, and the rate (and therefore the magnitude) of transformation. However, these types of microstructural changes have been shown to invoke strong magnetic and electromagnetic (EM) responses; therefore, simultaneous EM measurements can provide additional complementary data which can help to emphasise or deconvolute these complex signals and develop a more complete understanding of certain metallurgical phenomena. This paper discusses how a DSC machine has been modified to incorporate an EM sensor consisting of two copper coils printed onto either side of a ceramic substrate, with one coil acting as a transmitter and the other as a receiver. The coil is interfaced with a custom-built data acquisition system, which provides current to the transmit coil, records signals from the receive coil, and is controlled by a graphical user interface which allows the user to select multiple excitation frequencies. The equipment has a useable frequency range of approximately 1–100 kHz and outputs phase and magnitude readings at a rate of approximately 50 samples per second. Simultaneous DSC-EM measurements were performed on a nickel sample up to a temperature of 600 °C, with the reversable ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition in the nickel sample invoking a clear EM response. The results show that the combined DSC-EM apparatus has the potential to provide a powerful tool for the analysis of thermally induced microstructural changes in metals, feeding into research on steel production, development of magnetic and conductive materials, and many more areas. Full article

We, the QUARTET Collaboration, propose an experiment to measure the nuclear charge radii of light elements with up to 20 times higher accuracy. These are essential both for understanding nuclear physics at low energies, and for experimental and theoretical applications in simple atomic systems. Such comparisons advance the understanding of bound-state quantum electrodynamics and are useful for searching for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The energy levels of muonic atoms are highly susceptible to nuclear structure, especially to the mean square charge radius. The radii of the lightest nuclei (with the atomic number, $Z=1,2$) have been determined with high accuracy using laser spectroscopy in muonic atoms, while those of medium mass and above were determined using X-ray spectroscopy with semiconductor detectors. In this communication, we present a new experiment, aiming to obtain precision measurements of the radii of light nuclei $3\le Z\le 10$ using single-photon energy measurements with cryogenic microcalorimeters; a quantum-sensing technology capable of high efficiency with outstanding resolution for low-energy X-rays. Full article

We report on a new experimental approach for the Doppler correction of X-rays emitted by heavy ions, using novel metallic magnetic calorimeter detectors which uniquely combine a high spectral resolution with a broad bandwidth acceptance. The measurement was carried out at the electron cooler of CRYRING@ESR at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany. The X-ray emission associated with the radiative recombination of cooler electrons and stored hydrogen-like uranium ions was investigated using two novel microcalorimeter detectors positioned under 0${}^{\circ }$ and 180${}^{\circ }$ with respect to the ion beam axis. This new experimental setup allowed the investigation of the region of the N, M → L transitions in helium-like uranium with a spectral resolution unmatched by previous studies using conventional semiconductor X-ray detectors. When assuming that the rest-frame energy of at least a few of the recorded transitions is well-known from theory or experiments, a precise measurement of the Doppler shifted line positions in the laboratory system can be used to determine the ion beam velocity using only spectral information. The spectral resolution achievable with microcalorimeter detectors should, for the first time, allow intrinsic Doppler correction to be performed for the precision X-ray spectroscopy of stored heavy ions. A comparison with data from a previous experiment at the ESR electron cooler, as well as the conventional method of conducting Doppler correction using electron cooler parameters, will be discussed. Full article

With metallic-magnetic calorimeters (MMCs), promising detectors for high-precision X-ray spectrometry in atomic and fundamental physics experiments are available. In this work, we present a pilot experiment based on a maXs-30 type MMC-spectrometer for recording X-rays emitted in collisions of lithium-like uranium ions with a molecular nitrogen gas jet in the internal target of the ESR storage ring of the GSI. Sample spectra have been measured, and a multitude of X-ray transitions have been unambiguously identified. As a first test and for comparison with data recorded at an EBIT, the 2s Lamb shift in lithium-like uranium was estimated. Full article

In this report, we compare two filter algorithms for extracting timing information using novel metallic magnetic calorimeter detectors, applied to the precision X-ray spectroscopy of highly charged ions in a storage ring. Accurate timing information is crucial when exploiting coincidence conditions for background suppression to obtain clean spectra. For X-rays emitted by charge-changing interactions between ions and a target, this is a well-established technique when relying on conventional semiconductor detectors that offer a good temporal resolution. However, until recently, such a coincidence scheme had never been realized with metallic magnetic calorimeters, which typically feature much longer signal rise times. In this report, we present optimized timing filter algorithms for this type of detector. Their application to experimental data recently obtained at the electron cooler of CRYRING@ESR at GSI, Darmstadt is discussed. Full article

Fe-based metallic glass has wide industrial application due to its unique mechanical behavior and magnetic properties. In the present work, the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics in Fe₆₈Nb₆B₂₃Mo₃ glassy alloys were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The results indicate that both the glass transformation and crystallization process display an obvious kinetic effect. The activation energy is calculated using Kissinger’s method and Ozawar’s method. The activation energy for T_g (glass transition temperatures), T_x (crystallization initiation temperatures) and T_p (crystallization peak temperatures) calculated from Kissinger equation, is 308 ± 4, 342 ± 5 and 310 ± 7 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The activation energy for T_g, T_x and T_p calculated from Ozawa equation is 322 ± 3, 356 ± 5 and 325 ± 7 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. With the increase of the crystallization volume fraction x, the Avrami exponent n(x) first decreases and then increases. At the preliminary step, 0 < x < 0.25, 2.5 < n(x) < 4.0 stands for the growth from a small size with an increasing nucleation rate. When 0.25 < x < 0.71, n(x) decreases from 2.5 to 1.5, indicating that this stage is controlled by the growth of small particles with a decreasing nucleation rate. Full article

Low Temperature Detectors have been used to measure embedded radioisotopes in a measurement mode known as Decay Energy Spectroscopy (DES) since 1992. DES microcalorimeter measurements have been used for applications ranging from neutrino mass measurements to metrology to measurements for safeguards and medical nuclides. While the low temperature detectors have extremely high intrinsic energy resolution (several times better than semiconductor detectors), the energy resolution achieved in practice is strongly dependent on factors such as sample preparation method. This review seeks to present the literature consensus on what has been learned by looking at the energy resolution as a function of various choices of detector, absorber, and sample preparation methods. Full article

As a high-temperature sorbent, kaolinite undergoes the flash calcination process in the furnace resulting in the dehydroxylation and structural distortion, which are closely related to its heavy metal/alkali metal adsorption characteristics. We investigated the flash calcination of kaolinite by the experiments using a drop tube furnace and by the characterization of flash-calcined products using thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR)and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). There were three kinds of hydroxyl groups in kaolinite during flash calcination at 800–1300 °C, E-type (~50%, easy), D-type (~40%, difficult) and U-type (~10%, unable) according to the removal difficulty. The hydroxyl groups activation was believed to be the first step of the removal of E-type and D-type hydroxyl groups. The kinetics model of dehydroxylation groups at 900–1200 °C was established following Arrhenius equation with the activation energy of 140 kJ/mol and the pre-exponential factor of 1.32 × 10⁶ s⁻¹. At 800 °C, the removal of E-type hydroxyl groups resulted in the conversion of a part of VI-coordinated Al in kaolinite to V-coordinated Al and the production of meta-kaolinite. When the temperature rose up to 1200 °C, mullite was produced and a part of V-coordinated Al converted to IV-coordinated Al and VI-coordinated Al. Finally, the adsorption characteristics of kaolinite was discussed according to the results of dehydroxylation and structural distortion. Full article

Cellulose derivatives have been widely used as adsorbents for the removal of micropollutants such as drugs, dyes, and metals, due to their abundance, low cost and non-contaminating nature. In this context, several studies have been performed searching for new adsorbents (cellulose derivatives) efficient at contaminant removal from aqueous solutions. Thus, a new adsorbent was synthesized by chemical modification of cellulose with ethylenediamine in the absence of solvent and applied to the adsorption of amitriptyline (AMI) in aqueous solution. The modification reaction was confirmed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetry/Differential Scanning Calorimeter (TG/DSC), solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of ¹H and ¹³C (¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR). Moreover, the effectiveness of reaction was confirmed by computational calculations using Density Functional Theory (DFT) at level B3LYP/6-31G(d). This adsorption process was influenced by pH, time, concentration, temperature and did not show significant changes due to the ionic strength variation. Through these experiments, it was observed that the maximum adsorption capacity of AMI by CN polymer at 298 K, 300 min, and pH 7 was 87.66 ± 0.60 mg·g⁻¹. Full article