We report on the measurement of the ^{7}Be(n,p)^{7}Li cross section from thermal to approximately 325 keV neutron energy, performed in the high-flux experimental area (EAR2) of the n_TOF facility at CERN. This reaction plays a key role in the lithium yield of the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) for standard cosmology. The only two previous time-of-flight measurements performed on this reaction did not cover the energy window of interest for BBN, and they showed a large discrepancy between each other. The measurement was performed with a Si telescope and a high-purity sample produced by implantation of a ^{7}Be ion beam at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. While a significantly higher cross section is found at low energy, relative to current evaluations, in the region of BBN interest, the present results are consistent with the values inferred from the time-reversal ^{7}Li(p,n)^{7}Be reaction, thus yielding only a relatively minor improvement on the so-called cosmological lithium problem. The relevance of these results on the near-threshold neutron production in the p+^{7}Li reaction is also discussed.

In this Letter a detailed study of the electric field gradient (EFG) across the Pr 1ÿx Ca x MnO 3 phase diagram and its temperature dependence is given. Clearly, distinct EFG behavior for samples outside or inside the charge order (CO) region are observed. The EFG temperature dependence evidences a new phase transition occurring over the broad CO region of the phase diagram. This transition is discontinuous and occurs at temperatures between the charge ordering and the Néel temperatures. The prominent features observed in the EFG are associated with polar atomic vibrations which eventually lead to a spontaneous local electric polarization below CO transition. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.155702 PACS numbers: 64.60.ÿi, 75.47.Lx, 76.80.+y, 77.80.Bh The exquisite coupling between lattice, spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom, that led to renowned phenomena like high-T c superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, and multiferroic behavior, still challenges our understanding of transition metal oxides [1]. In Mn 3 =Mn 4 mixed valence manganites this subtle entanglement of the several degrees of freedom brings about competing orbital, magnetic, and dielectric orders depending on the doping, temperature, and external stimulation. In particular, much attention has been devoted to the charge ordered (CO) and orbital ordered (OO) phases, i.e., a realspace ordering of charge and orbitals due to the electronphonon and long-range Coulomb interactions. The classic CO picture with a Mn 3 -Mn 4 checkerboard pattern [2] has been questioned [3,4] since the work of Daoud-Aladine et al. [5]. These authors proposed an electronic ground state where one e g electron is shared by two Mn 3 ions, the so-called bond-centered Zener polaron picture. Subsequently, Efremov et al. [6] proposed a new scenario where the bond-centered (Mn 3 -O ÿ -Mn 3 dimmers) and the site-centered CO pictures coexist and the result breaks the inversion symmetry, leading to the appearance of a spontaneous electric polarization. More recently, it has been demonstrated that a commensurate spin-densitywave ordering with a phase dislocation can also give rise to a polar ferroelectric distortion in rare-earth manganites [7]. In a different context, a frustrated CO state was also shown to lead to an electrical polarization in LuFe 2 O 4 [8]. Although the CO state in Pr 1ÿx Ca x MnO 3 is currently referred to as a new paradigm for ferroelectrics [9][10][11], it has been very hard to prove that electric polarization exists in CO Pr 1ÿx Ca x MnO 3 and in similar CO manganites [9,10,12]. This is connected to the relatively high conductivity of these materials, and to the possibility that the suspected electric dipole order may only occur within nanoscopic regions. However, a very recent work of Jooss et al. [13] provides, by refinements of electron diffraction microscopy data, indirect evidence for canted antiferroelectricity in Pr 0:68 Ca 0:32 MnO 3 .The measurement of the electric field gradient tensor (EFG) via hyperfine techniques offers a very sensitiv...

We report on the lattice location of Er in Si using the emission channeling technique. The angular distribution of conversion electrons emitted by the decay chain 167 Tm ͑t 1͞2 9.25 d͒ ! 167m Er ͑2.27 s͒ was monitored with a position-sensitive detector following room temperature implantation and annealing up to 950 ± C. Our experiments give direct evidence that Er is stable on tetrahedral interstitial sites in float-zone Si. We also confirm that rare earth atoms strongly interact with oxygen, which finally leads to their incorporation on low-symmetry lattice sites in Czochralski Si. [S0031-9007(97) Rare earth doping of Si is known to result in the formation of luminescent centers and is considered as a possible way to manufacture Si-based optoelectronic devices [1]. Among the various rare earth elements, Er is of special interest since its atomic transition at 1.54 mm matches the absorption minimum of SiO 2 , a highly desirable feature both for signal transmission through glass fiber cables and optical on-chip communication. Luminescence at this wavelength from Er-implanted Si was already established several years ago [2]. Meanwhile Er-based light-emitting diodes operating at room temperature have been reported [3]. The basic understanding of Er luminescence in Si, however, is far from complete. This concerns both the lattice sites of Er and the role of codopants such as O, N, or F, which were found to have a beneficial influence on luminescence yield. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy studies have identified a number of Er-related centers with different crystal surroundings in Si [4]. The most intense PL yield was due to two centers having cubic and axial symmetry, respectively. While the cubic center occurred in both float-zone (FZ) and Czochralski (CZ) Si and was attributed to tetrahedral ͑T ͒ interstitial Er, the center with axial symmetry was observed only in CZ Si and ascribed to Er-O complexes. The existence of tetrahedral interstitial Er would be also in agreement with theoretical studies, which predict that T sites are the most stable sites for all oxidation states of isolated Er atoms in Si [5]. Direct lattice location using the Rutherford backscattering (RBS) channeling technique only suggested substitutional [6] or hexagonal ͑H͒ interstitial Er [7,8]. The reasons for these discrepancies, however, are unclear.To study the lattice sites and damage recovery after rare earth implantation, we have applied conversion electron emission channeling [9] combined with position sensitive detection. Emission channeling makes use of the fact that charged particles emitted from radioactive isotopes in single crystals experience channeling or blocking effects along low-index crystal directions. This leads to an anisotropic particle emission yield from the crystal surface which depends in a characteristic way on the lattice sites occupied by the emitter atoms. While this technique as such is not new and, in case of rare earths, was already used once for the lattice location of 175 Yb in Si [10], we have for the fi...

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Time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) of γ-rays spectroscopy has been applied in chemistry and biochemistry for decades. Herein we aim to present a comprehensive review of chemical and biochemical applications of TDPAC spectroscopy conducted at ISOLDE over the past 15 years, including elucidation of metal site structure and dynamics in proteins and model systems. β-NMR spectroscopy is well established in nuclear physics, solid state physics, and materials science, but only a limited number of applications in chemistry have appeared. Current endeavors at ISOLDE advancing applications of β-NMR towards chemistry and biochemistry are presented, including the first experiment on 31Mg2+ in an ionic liquid solution. Both techniques require the production of radioisotopes combined with advanced spectroscopic instrumentation present at ISOLDE.

We provide the first systematic characterization of the structural and photoluminescence properties of optically active centers fabricated upon implantation of 30–100 keV Mg+ ions in synthetic diamond. The structural configurations of Mg-related defects were studied by the electron emission channeling technique for short-lived, radioactive 27Mg implantations at the CERN-ISOLDE facility, performed both at room temperature and 800 °C, which allowed the identification of a major fraction of Mg atoms (∼30 to 42%) in sites which are compatible with the split-vacancy structure of the MgV complex. A smaller fraction of Mg atoms (∼13 to 17%) was found on substitutional sites. The photoluminescence emission was investigated both at the ensemble and individual defect level in the 5–300 K temperature range, offering a detailed picture of the MgV-related emission properties and revealing the occurrence of previously unreported spectral features. The optical excitability of the MgV center was also studied as a function of the optical excitation wavelength to identify the optimal conditions for photostable and intense emission. The results are discussed in the context of the preliminary experimental data and the theoretical models available in the literature, with appealing perspectives for the utilization of the tunable properties of the MgV center for quantum information processing applications.

Electron emission channeling allows direct lattice location studies of low doses of radioactive atoms implanted in single crystals. For that purpose the anisotropic emission yield of conversion electrons from the crystal surface is measured, most conveniently by use of position-sensitive detectors. We discuss characteristic features of this method, including quantitative data analysis procedures, which are achieved by fitting simulated two-dimensional emission distributions for different lattice sites to the experimental patterns. The capabilities of this approach are illustrated by the case of rare earth atoms (Er, Tm, Yb) in Si, where we were able to do lattice location experiments down to implanted doses which are 150 times lower compared to previous RBS studies.

A novel concept for a positron emission tomography (PET) camera module is proposed, which provides full 3D reconstruction with high resolution over the total detector volume, free of parallax errors. The key components are a matrix of long scintillator crystals and hybrid photon detectors (HPDs) with matched segmentation and integrated readout electronics. The HPDs read out the two ends of the scintillator package. Both excellent spatial (x, y, z) and energy resolution are obtained. The concept allows enhancing the detection efficiency by reconstructing a significant fraction of events which underwent Compton scattering in the crystals. The proof of concept will first be demonstrated with yttrium orthoaluminate perovskite (YAP):Ce crystals, but the final design will rely on other scintillators more adequate for PET applications (e.g. LSO:Ce or LaBr3:Ce). A promising application of the proposed camera module, which is currently under development, is a high resolution 3D brain PET camera with an axial field-of-view of approximately 15 cm dedicated to brain research. The design philosophy and performance predictions based on analytical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations are presented. Image correction and reconstruction tools required to operate this transmissionless device in a research environment are also discussed. Better or similar performance parameters were obtained compared to other known designs at lower fabrication cost. The axial geometrical concept also seems to be promising for applications such as positron emission mammography.