Aujourd'hui, nous sommes tous témoins d'une compétition des installations en pays différents pour étudier les régions inconnues de noyaux riches en neutrons. Beaucoup d'efforts sont consacrés à comprendre le rôle de l'excès de neutrons et son influence sur les noyaux dans les environs de coquilles de neutrons fermées. Un des moyens pour étudier la structure nucléaire est via la désintégration bêta. Une fois un noyau est prouvé d'exister, ses propriétés de désintégration bêta, comme T1/2 et Pn (probabilité de l'émission de neutrons de bêta-retardés), qui sont relativement faciles à mesurer, peuvent fournir les premiers indices sur la structure nucléaire. Sur le site de processus-r des «points d'attente» (noyaux sur des coquilles de neutrons fermés) ont des effets importants sur la dynamique processus-r ainsi que sur la distribution de l'abondance des éléments. Les conditions astrophysiques exactes en vertu de desquelles la synthèse nucléaire a lieu ne sont pas connus avec certitude. Parce que les noyaux participant en processus-r sont difficiles à synthétiser même aujourd'hui et à étudier expérimentalement, les paramètres nécessaires pour les calculs du processus-r sont principalement dérivés de modèles théoriques. Comme on l'a vu récemment, la plupart des théories n'ont pas réussi à reproduire des ensembles de données nouvellement mesurées près de fermetures de couche. Avec de nouvelles données expérimentales déjà (ou bientôt) disponibles les approches théoriques peuvent être ajustées. Comme émission de neutrons retardée bêta devient plus importante voie le canal dominant en désintégration des noyaux loin d'un stabilité, l'utilisation d'un détecteur de neutrons approprié afin d'étudier leurs propriétés est indispensable. C'est pour mener la recherche appropriée que dans le cadre de la thèse, en étroite collaboration avec le JINR (Dubna) un nouveau système de détection a été construit. Il se compose de 80 compteurs de ³He, un détecteur 4π de bêta et un HPGe afin de mesurer simultanément l'activité de gamma, bêta et neutrons. Le développement d'un tel système de détection, actuellement installé sur ALTO, a été le premier objectif de la thèse. Puis, au cours de deux campagnes expérimentales menées pour examiner les propriétés de désintégration bêta de noyaux riches en neutrons dans le proximité de N = 50, N = 82 la capacité de travail du système de détection produit a été prouvée. Dans le région de ⁷⁸Ni : le temps de vie et de la probabilité de l'émission de neutrons bêta retardés pour ⁸º,⁸²,⁸³,⁸⁴Ga ont été mesurés. Nous sommes les premiers à observer la structure de ⁸¹,⁸² Ge via spectroscopie gamma spectre conditionnée par bêta et par neutron. Grâce à la détection des neutrons les intensités absolues de la désintégration bêta ont été proposées pour la première fois. Dans le région de ¹³²Sn les temps de vie de ¹²³Ag, ¹²⁴Ag, ¹²⁵Ag et ¹²⁷In, ¹²⁸In ont été mesurées. Pour la première fois l'émission de neutrons retardés bêta a été observée pour le cas de ¹²⁶Cd, sa valeur Pn également mesurée. Sur la base des données obtenues, nous arrivons à la conclusion que, pour déterminer la contribution relative de désintégrations permises et interdites les efforts théoriques doivent être faites en traversant la couche N = 50. Alors que dans le région de N = 82 plus de données expérimentales sont nécessaires. / Nowadays we are all witnesses of a competition of facilities at different countries to study unknown regions of neutron rich nuclei. Much efforts are devoted to understand the role of neutron excess and its influence on nuclei in vicinity of closed neutron shells. One of the means to investigate nuclear structure is in beta-decay. Once a nucleus is proven to exist, its beta-decay properties, such as T1/2 and Pn (probability of beta-delayed neutron emission), which are relatively easy to measure, can provide the first hints on the nuclear structure. On the r-process site, "waiting points"(nuclei on closed neutron shells) has significant effects on the r-process dynamics and the abundance distribution. The actual side and the astrophysical conditions under which the nuclear synthesis takes place are still not certainly known - since r-process nuclei are difficult to produce and to study experimentally, input parameters for r-process calculations are mostly derived from theoretical models. As it has been seen lately, most of the theories have failed to reproduce newly measured data sets near shell closures. With new experimental data already (or shortly) available theoretical approaches can be adjusted. Since a beta-delayed neutron emission becomes strong if not dominating decaying channel for nuclei far stability, a proper neutron detector to study their properties is indispensable. To conduct the appropriate investigations, in the frame of the present thesis, in close collaboration with JINR (Dubna) a new detection system was constructed. It consists of 80 ³He-filled counters, 4π beta detector and a HPGe in order to measure simultaneously beta, gamma, neutron activity. The development of such a detection system system, currently installed at ALTO ISOL facility, was the first objective of the thesis. Then, during two experimental campaigns conducted to investigate beta decay properties of neutron rich nuclei in the neighborhood of N=50, N=82 the workability of the newly produced detection system was proven. In the vicinity of ⁷⁸Ni: half- lives and probability of beta-delayed neutron emission for ⁸º,⁸²,⁸³,⁸⁴Ga were measured. We were the first to observe the structure of ⁸¹,⁸² Ge via beta neutron gated gamma spectra. Thanks to the neutron detection channel the absolute intensities of beta decay were proposed for the first time. In the vicinity of ¹³²Sn the half lives of ¹²³Ag, ¹²⁴Ag, ¹²⁵Ag and ¹²⁷In, ¹²⁸In was measured. For the first time the beta delayed neutron emission was observed for ¹²⁶Cd, its Pn value also measured. Based on the data obtained we come to the conclusion that to figure out the relative contribution of allowed and forbidden decays more theoretical efforts should be done crossing the N=50 shell. Whereas in the vicinity of N=82 shell more experimental challenge are required.

No description available.

The rapid neutron-capture process, known as the r-process, is responsible for the origin of about half the stable nuclei heavier than iron observed in nature. Though the r-process is believed to take place in explosive stellar environments and to involve a large number (few thousands) of exotic nuclei, this nucleosynthesis process remains poorly understood from the astrophysics as well as nuclear physics points of view. On the nuclear physics side, the nuclei are too exotic to be studied in the laboratory, even though great efforts are constantly made to extend the experimental limits away from the eta-$stability region. Therefore, theoretical models are indispensable to estimate the nuclear properties of interest in the r-process nucleosynthesis modelling. So far, models used to predict the properties of the exotic nuclei were based on parametrized macroscopic-type approaches the reliability of which is questionable when extrapolating far away from the experimentally known region. This work is devoted to the improvement of nuclear predictions, such as the nuclear ground- and excited-state properties, needed as input data to model the r-process. In order to give the predictions a reliable character, we rely on the microscopic mean-field Hartree-Fock theory based on the Skyrme-type interaction. Pairing correlations play an important role in the description of nuclei, and become essential for nuclei located near the drip lines, since the scattering of pairs of quasi-particles into the continuum increases significantly. In this work, we brought to the Hartree-Fock model the self-consistent treatment of the pairing correlations within the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) theory. Further improvements are made in the restoration of symmetries broken by correlations added in the form of additional degrees of freedom in the wave function. These include the translational invariance restored by calculating the recoil energy, the particle-number symmetry by an exact projection after variation, the rotational symmetry by an approximate cranking correction and the parity symmetry for reflection asymmetric shapes. In addition, the renormalization of the HFB equations has been studied as well and allows to eliminate the dependence of the total energy with respect to the cutoff energy. The effective nucleon-nucleon interaction is determined by adjusting its parameters on all available experimental masses, with some constraints derived from fundamental nuclear matter properties. A systematic study of the influence on mass predictions for each of the above cited improvements as well as of some uncertainties affecting the particle-hole and particle-particle interactions has been conducted. In spite of quite important differences in the input physics, we find a great stability in the mass predictions for exotic neutron-rich nuclei, though local mass differences can be significant. Each of the Skyrme force derived in the present work has been tested on the predictions of basic ground-state properties (including charge radii, quadrupole moments, single-particle levels), fission barriers and electric dipole $gamma-$ray strengths. The HFB predictions globally reproduce experimental data with a level of accuracy comparable with the widely-used droplet-like models. The microscopic character of the approach followed in the present work makes however the predictions for exotic neutron-rich nuclei involved in the r-process more reliable. The influence of such improved nuclear mass predictions on the r-process abundance distribution is studied in the specific scenario of the prompt supernova explosion mechanism.

No description available.

No description available.

This study contributes to the understanding of major river evolution in Southeast Asia during the Cenozoic. In order to trace the evolution of a hypothesized palaeo-Yarlung Tsangpo-Irrawaddy River, this work undertakes the first systematic provenance study of detrital minerals from Cenozoic synorogenic fluvial and deltaic sedimentary rocks of the Central Burma Basin, employing a combination of high precision geochronology, thermochronology, and geochemistry analytical techniques on single grain detrital zircon and white mica. The dataset is compared to published isotopic data from potential source terranes in order to determine source provenance and exhumation history from source to sink. A Yarlung Tsangpo-Irrawaddy connection existed as far back as ca. 42 Ma and disconnection occurred at 18–20 Ma, based on provenance changes detected using a combination of U-Pb ages and εHf(t) values on detrital zircons, and ⁴ºAr/³⁹Ar dating on detrital micas. During the Eocene and Oligocene, units are dominated by U-Pb age and high positive εHf(t) values, characteristic of a southern Lhasa Gangdese magmatic arc source. An antecedent Yarlung Tsangpo-Irrawaddy River system formed the major river draining the eastern Himalaya at this time. A significant change in provenance is seen in the early Miocene, where detritus is predominantly derived from bedrock of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, western Yunnan and Burma, a region drained by the modern Irrawaddy-Chindwin river system characterized by Cenozoic U-Pb ages and negative εHf(t) values. This is attributed to the disconnection of the Yarlung-Irrawaddy River and capture by the proto-Brahmaputra River, re-routing Tibetan Transhimalayan detritus to the eastern Himalayan foreland basin. Re-set zircon fission track ages of 14-8 Ma present in all units is used to infer post-depositional basin evolution related to changes in the stress regime accommodating the continued northward migration of India. The early Miocene initiation of the Jiali-Parlung-Gaoligong-Sagaing dextral shear zone and the continued northward movement of the coupled India-Burma plate aided in focusing deformation inside the syntaxis contributing to the disconnection of the Yarlung Tsangpo-Irrawaddy system, linking surface deformation and denudation with processes occurring at deeper crustal levels.

Ferritic ODS steels show improved high temperature strength and irradiation tolerance compared with conventional ferritic steels, and are one of the key potential materials for fusion blanket structural applications. The processing of ODS steels is critical to their subsequent performance; however knowledge of the optimum processing approaches for these alloys is not complete. The microstructural evolution of ODS steels containing Y₂O₃ and other additions during manufacture has been investigated and the processing conditions optimised based on microstructural and mechanical investigations. Ferritic powders with Y₂O₃ and other additions were investigated, primarily using analysis on the micro- and nano-scale, with an emphasis on identifying the requirements for homogenization of the Y within the steel matrix. The Y₂O₃ dispersion and subsequent development of the nano-precipitates during thermal treatment was investigated using in-situ neutron diffraction. The nano-precipitates were resolved at approximately 900◦C after 1hr, with coarsening and/or re-precipitation progressively increasing at higher temperatures. A significantly increased number density of nano-precipitates (∼2x10²³m−3 to ∼7x10²³m−3) was established by hot isostatically pressing an Fe-14Cr-3W-0.2Ti0.25Y₂O₃ alloy at 950◦C compared with more traditional temperatures at 1150◦C, attributed to the increased coarsening and/or re-precipitation of the nano-precipitates at the higher temperatures. The influence of the mechanical alloy (MA)ing conditions on bulk mechanical properties was investigated using four point bend. The highest fracture toughness of ∼55MN/m^3/2 and ultimate strength of ∼1450MPa was achieved under conditions that minimised the mechanical alloying time and increased the average final size of the powders. An Fe-14Cr-3W-0.2Ti-0.25Y₂O₃ (wt%) ODS alloy manufactured under optimised conditions showed a bi-modal grain structure size distribution and had a comparatively high yield strength of >1200MPa at 20◦C and >330MPa at 700◦C. The grain structure and high yield strength were attributed to the random distribution of 25nm radius of gyration (R_g) Y, Ti and O rich nano-precipitates randomly dispersed throughout the alloy. Long term thermal ageing (750hr at 1000◦C) reduced the room temperature yield strength and increased the proportion of larger grains in the bi-modal distribution, but high temperature yield strength was remarkably stable.

This thesis overviews my experience during graduate school making tangible,object oriented sculpture. I have been working formally to compose space in a way that develops a narrative between parts. The work is also a bridge between the fields of painting and sculpture, in terms of drawing with form and both painted and local, material color. My palette has mostly consisted of bronze casting, steel fabrication, fiberglass and epoxy resin, paint, the found object, woodworking, and mold making. This work is also conceptually based in showing the hand worked qualities of the materials, the transfer of meaning through casting, and my emotional relationship with the various parts of the sculptures. The three major themes of the work are: divine love and the complex of the apocalypse, the complexities and psychology concerning the relationship between a man and a woman, and the intrigue, potential energy, and beauty of the systems mankind hasinvented to harness the atom. The major artistic influences for this body of work have been: Jasper Johns, Marcel Duchamp, Constantine Brancusi, Alberto Giacommetti, Reg Butler, Henry Moore, Lynn Chadwick, Kenneth Armitage, Jeff Koons, Terry Winters, William DeKooning, Richard Diebenkorn, David Smith and Charles Long. I retain a strongrelationship with the movements of Dada, Surrealism, Futurism, and Assemblage, and amalso currently involved in solidifying the Manifesto of Raubeaux with a small group ofesteemed colleagues.

[pt] Um espectrômetro de massa tipo tempo-de-vôo, montado no Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron (Campinas - SP), foi utilizado para analisar os íons dessorvidos de uma amostra de amônia condensada (temperaturas de análise: 25 a 150 K) ao ser impactada por fragmentos de fissão do 252Cf. O espectrômetro permite identificar e determinar as abundâncias das espécies iônicas dessorvidas. Quanto à parte teórica, foram feitos cálculos para determinar as estruturas mais estáveis dos agregados de NH3 e para determinar suas dinâmicas de emissão de íons secundários observados na parte experimental. A amônia foi escolhida por sua semelhança com a água, uma molécula muito bem estudada. Outra razão é o atual interesse em determinar a formação de compostos orgânicos nas superfícies de corpos interestelares, uma vez que está comprovada a presença da amônia naquelas superfícies. Nos espectros obtidos observa-se a formação de agregados de amônia que podem ser representados por (NH3)nNHm ± com n = 0-30 e m = 0-5, para íons positivos, e com n = 0- 3 para íons negativos. Uma forma de evidenciar a possibilidade de formação de novos compostos foi realizar experiências com a mistura NH3-CO, com a mesma montagem experimental utilizada para a amônia. Observa-se no espectro obtido (antes da sublimação do CO a 30 K) linhas de massa resultantes de reações primárias que correspondem a íons moleculares híbridos com estrutura CnOmHl+.Os cálculos teóricos referentes às estruturas dos agregados foram realizados través do programa Jaguar 5.5 e Jaguar 6.0. O objetivo é determinar as estruturas mais estáveis dos agregados iônicos da amônia através da teoria DFT (Teoria do Funcional de Densidade) por meio da minimização da energia. Encontrou-se uma relação direta entre as estabilidades determinadas e as abundâncias relativas no espectro de massa. Finalmente foram realizados cálculos com o modelo teórico de dessorção iônica induzida por elétrons. Os resultados de distribuição de velocidades e energias foram comparados com os dados experimentais dos agregados da amônia (n = 0, 4), apresentando uma concordância razoável em valor absoluto, mas moderada em forma. / [en] A time-of-flight mass spectrometer, mounted at the Laboratório National de Luz Síncrotron (Campinas - SP), was used to analyze desorbed ions of a condensed ammonia sample (analyzing temperatures: 25 - 150 K) being impacted by 252Cf fission fragments . The spectrometer allows identifying and determining the relative yields of ionic desorbed species. Besides, it had been made theoretical calculations to determine the most stable cluster structures as well as to determine the emission dynamics of NH3 clusters observed in the experimental part. The ammonia was chosen because of its similarity with the water molecule (very well studied). Another reason is the current interest in determining the organic compounds formation in the interstellar surfaces, now that it is proven the presence of ammonia in those surfaces. The measured spectra show the formation of ammonia clusters that can be represented by (NH3)nNHm ± with n = 0 - 30 and m = 0 - 5 for positive ions, and n = 0 - 3 for negative ones. One way to evidence the formation possibility of new compound is to perform experiments with CO-NH3 mixture samples, using the same experimental set up used for the ammonia. In the spectrum measured before CO sublimation (30 K), mass lines, product of primary reactions, corresponding to hybrid molecular ions having the CnOmHl + structure were observed. Theoretical calculations referring to cluster structures had been carried out using the programs Jaguar 5,5 and Jaguar 6.0. The objective is to determine the most stable structures of the ammonia clusters through the Density Functional Theory (DFT) by means of energy minimizations. A direct relation between the computed stabilities and the relative abundances in the mass spectra was found. Finally calculations with the Secondary Electron Induced Desorption (SEID) model had been carried out. Results of velocity and energy distributions had been compared with the experimental data of ammonia clusters (n = 0, 4), presenting a good agreement in absolute values but moderate agreement in shape.

In killer whales, fish- versus mammal-eating ecological differences are regarded as key ecological drivers of sociality, but the potential influence of specific target prey characteristics remains unclear. This thesis aimed to study the social patterns and dynamics of Icelandic killer whales feeding upon herring, a schooling prey that undergoes frequent changes in distribution and school size. I used a multi-disciplinary approach combining photo-identification and genetic data to understand the sociality, role of kinship and genetic differentiation within the population. Individuals sighted in summer-spawning and overwintering herring grounds during at least five separate days (N = 198) were considered associated if photographed within 20 seconds of each other. Photo-identified individuals were genotyped (N = 61) for 22 microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA control region (611 bp). The population had weak but non-random associations, fission-fusion dynamics at the individual level and seasonal patterns of preferred associations. The society was significantly structured but not hierarchically. Social clusters were highly diverse and, whilst kinship was correlated with association, it was not a prerequisite for social membership. Indeed, some cluster members had different mitochondrial haplotypes, representing separate maternal lineages. Individuals with different observed movement patterns were genetically distinct, but associated with each other. No sex-biased dispersal or inbreeding was detected. This study revealed that the Icelandic population has a multilevel society without clear hierarchical tiers or nested coherent social units, different from the well-studied salmon- (‘residents') and seal-eating populations in the Northeast Pacific. In the Icelandic population kinship drives social structure less strongly than in residents. These findings suggest effective foraging on schooling herring in seasonal grounds promotes the formation of flexible social groupings which can include non-kin. Killer whale sociality may be strongly influenced by local ecological context, such as the characteristics of the specific target prey (e.g., predictability, biomass, and density) and subsequent foraging strategies of the population.