461 research outputs found
An Infinite Dimensional Approach to the Third Fundamental Theorem of Lie
We revisit the third fundamental theorem of Lie (Lie III) for finite
dimensional Lie algebras in the context of infinite dimensional matrices.Comment: This is a contribution to the Proc. of the Seventh International
Conference ''Symmetry in Nonlinear Mathematical Physics'' (June 24-30, 2007,
Kyiv, Ukraine), published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry:
Methods and Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA
Microscopic study of Ca+Ni fusion reactions
Background: Heavy-ion fusion reactions at energies near the Coulomb barrier
are influenced by couplings between the relative motion and nuclear intrinsic
degrees of freedom of the colliding nuclei. The time-dependent Hartree-Fock
(TDHF) theory, incorporating the couplings at the mean-field level, as well as
the coupled-channels (CC) method are standard approaches to describe low energy
nuclear reactions.
Purpose: To investigate the effect of couplings to inelastic and transfer
channels on the fusion cross sections for the reactions Ca+Ni and
Ca+Ni.
Methods: Fusion cross sections around and below the Coulomb barrier have been
obtained from coupled-channels (CC) calculations, using the bare
nucleus-nucleus potential calculated with the frozen Hartree-Fock method and
coupling parameters taken from known nuclear structure data. The fusion
thresholds and neutron transfer probabilities have been calculated with the
TDHF method.
Results: For Ca+Ni, the TDHF fusion threshold is in agreement
with the most probable barrier obtained in the CC calculations including the
couplings to the low-lying octupole state for Ca and to the
low-lying quadrupole state for Ni. This indicates that the
octupole and quadrupole states are the dominant excitations while neutron
transfer is shown to be weak. For Ca+Ni, the TDHF barrier is
lower than predicted by the CC calculations including the same inelastic
couplings as those for Ca+Ni. TDHF calculations show large
neutron transfer probabilities in Ca+Ni which could result in a
lowering of the fusion threshold.
Conclusions: Inelastic channels play an important role in Ca+Ni
and Ca+Ni reactions. The role of neutron transfer channels has
been highlighted in Ca+Ni
Development of a blood-based molecular biomarker test for identification of schizophrenia before disease onset
Recent research efforts have progressively shifted towards preventative psychiatry and prognostic identification of individuals before disease onset. We describe the development of a serum biomarker test for the identification of individuals at risk of developing schizophrenia based on multiplex immunoassay profiling analysis of 957 serum samples.
First, we conducted a meta-analysis of five independent cohorts of 127 first-onset drug-naive schizophrenia patients and 204 controls. Using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, we identified an optimal panel of 26 biomarkers that best discriminated patients and controls.
Next, we successfully validated this biomarker panel using two independent validation cohorts of 93 patients and 88 controls, which yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.97 (0.95-1.00) for schizophrenia detection.
Finally, we tested its predictive performance for identifying patients before onset of psychosis using two cohorts of 445 pre-onset or at-risk individuals.
The predictive performance achieved by the panel was excellent for identifying USA military personnel (AUC: 0.90 (0.86-0.95)) and help-seeking prodromal individuals (AUC: 0.82 (0.71-0.93)) who developed schizophrenia up to 2 years after baseline sampling. The performance increased further using the latter cohort following the incorporation of CAARMS (Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental State) positive subscale symptom scores into the model (AUC: 0.90 (0.82-0.98)). The current findings may represent the first successful step towards a test that could address the clinical need for early intervention in psychiatry. Further developments of a combined molecular/symptom-based test will aid clinicians in the identification of vulnerable patients early in the disease process, allowing more effective therapeutic intervention before overt disease onset
Fusion measurements of 12C+12C at energies of astrophysical interest
The cross section of the 12C+12C fusion reaction at low energies is of paramount importance for models of stellar nucleosynthesis in different astrophysical scenarios, such as Type Ia supernovae and Xray superbursts, where this reaction is a primary route for the production of heavier elements. In a series of experiments performed at Argonne National Laboratory, using Gammasphere and an array of Silicon detectors, measurements of the fusion cross section of 12C+12C were successfully carried out with the γ and charged-particle coincidence technique in the center-of-mass energy range of 3-5 MeV. These were the first background-free fusion cross section measurements for 12C+12C at energies of astrophysical interest. Our results are consistent with previous measurements in the high-energy region; however, our lowest energy measurement indicates a fusion cross section slightly lower than those obtained with other techniques
Experimental investigations of the sub-Coulomb 12C+12C and 12C+16O reactions
Cluster resonances in light heavy-ion systems like 12C+12C and 12C+16O may have a major impact on astrophysics stellar scenarios. Resonant radiative capture reactions have been studied for these systems at energies at and slightly below their Coulomb barriers to investigate the possible 12C-12C and 12C-16O molecular origin of the resonances. Spins have been attributed to the resonances and specificities of their γ-decay have been identified. At deep sub-barrier energies, a fusion cross section measurement using the particle-γ coincidence technique is discussed for the 12C+12C system. A new project is presented to possibly extend the 12C+12C S low-energy S factor study
Isotopic effects in sub-barrier fusion of Si + Si systems
Background: Recent measurements of fusion cross sections for the 28Si+28Si system revealed a rather unsystematic behavior ; i.e., they drop faster near the barrier than at lower energies. This was tentatively attributed to the large oblate deformation of 28Si because coupled-channels (CC) calculations largely underestimate the 28Si+28Si cross sections at low energies, unless a weak imaginary potential is applied, probably simulating the deformation. 30Si has no permanent deformation and its low-energy excitations are of a vibrational nature. Previous measurements of this system reached only 4 mb, which is not sufficient to obtain information on effects that should show up at lower energies. Purpose: The aim of the present experiment was twofold: (i) to clarify the underlying fusion dynamics by measuring the symmetric case 30Si+30Si in an energy range from around the Coulomb barrier to deep sub-barrier energies, and (ii) to compare the results with the behavior of 28Si+28Si involving two deformed nuclei. Methods: 30Si beams from the XTU tandem accelerator of the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare were used, bombarding thin metallic 30Si targets (50 μg/cm2) enriched to 99.64% in mass 30. An electrostatic beam deflector allowed the detection of fusion evaporation residues (ERs) at very forward angles, and angular distributions of ERs were measured. Results: The excitation function of 30Si+30Si was measured down to the level of a few microbarns. It has a regular shape, at variance with the unusual trend of 28Si+28Si. The extracted logarithmic derivative does not reach the LCS limit at low energies, so that no maximum of the S factor shows up. CC calculations were performed including the low-lying 2+ and 3− excitations. Conclusions: Using a Woods-Saxon potential the experimental cross sections at low energies are overpredicted, and this is a clear sign of hindrance, while the calculations performed with a M3Y + repulsion potential nicely fit the data at low energies, without the need of an imaginary potential. The comparison with the results for 28Si+28Si strengthens the explanation of the oblate shape of 28Si being the reason for the irregular behavior of that system
Mass correlation between light and heavy reaction products in multinucleon transfer 197Au+130Te collisions
We studied multinucleon transfer reactions in the 197Au+130Te system at Elab=1.07 GeV by employing the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer coupled to a coincident detector. For each light fragment we constructed, in coincidence, the distribution in mass of the heavy partner of the reaction. With a Monte Carlo method, starting from the binary character of the reaction, we simulated the de-excitation process of the produced heavy fragments to be able to understand their final mass distribution. The total cross sections for pure neutron transfer channels have also been extracted and compared with calculations performed with the grazing code
Recent experimental results in sub- and near-barrier heavy ion fusion reactions
Recent advances obtained in the field of near and sub-barrier heavy-ion
fusion reactions are reviewed. Emphasis is given to the results obtained in the
last decade, and focus will be mainly on the experimental work performed
concerning the influence of transfer channels on fusion cross sections and the
hindrance phenomenon far below the barrier. Indeed, early data of sub-barrier
fusion taught us that cross sections may strongly depend on the low-energy
collective modes of the colliding nuclei, and, possibly, on couplings to
transfer channels. The coupled-channels (CC) model has been quite successful in
the interpretation of the experimental evidences. Fusion barrier distributions
often yield the fingerprint of the relevant coupled channels. Recent results
obtained by using radioactive beams are reported. At deep sub-barrier energies,
the slope of the excitation function in a semi-logarithmic plot keeps
increasing in many cases and standard CC calculations over-predict the cross
sections. This was named a hindrance phenomenon, and its physical origin is
still a matter of debate. Recent theoretical developments suggest that this
effect, at least partially, may be a consequence of the Pauli exclusion
principle. The hindrance may have far-reaching consequences in astrophysics
where fusion of light systems determines stellar evolution during the carbon
and oxygen burning stages, and yields important information for exotic
reactions that take place in the inner crust of accreting neutron stars.Comment: 40 pages, 63 figures, review paper accepted for EPJ
How well do we understand the reaction rate of C burning?
Carbon burning plays a crucial role in stellar evolution, where this reaction is an important route for the production of heavier elements. A particle-γ coincidence technique that minimizes the backgrounds to which this reaction is subject and provides reliable cross sections has been used at the Argonne National Laboratory to measure fusion cross-sections at deep sub-barrier energies in the 12C+12C system. The corresponding excitation function has been extracted down to a cross section of about 6 nb. This indicates the existence of a broad S-factor maximum for this system. Experimental results are presented and discussed
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