Neutrino-nucleus coherent elastic scattering provides a theoretically appealing way to measure the neutron part of nuclear form factors. Using an expansion of form factors into moments, we show that neutrinos from stopped pions can probe not only the second moment of the form factor (the neutron radius) but also the fourth moment. Using simple Monte Carlo techniques for argon, germanium, and xenon detectors of 3.5 tonnes, 1.5 tonnes, and 300 kg, respectively, we show that the neutron radii can be found with an uncertainty of a few percent when near a neutrino flux of 3 × 10 7 neutrinos/(cm 2 s). If the normalization of the neutrino flux is known independently, one can determine the moments accurately enough to discriminate among the predictions of various nuclear energy functionals.

We present a new calculation of the neutrino flux received at Earth from a massive star in the ∼ 24 hours of evolution prior to its explosion as a supernova (presupernova). Using the stellar evolution code MESA, the neutrino emissivity in each flavor is calculated at many radial zones and time steps. In addition to thermal processes, neutrino production via beta processes is modeled in detail, using a network of 204 isotopes. We find that the total produced ν e flux has a high energy spectrum tail, at E > ∼ 3 − 4 MeV, which is mostly due to decay and electron capture on isotopes with A = 50 − 60. In a tentative window of observability of E > ∼ 0.5 MeV and t < 2 hours pre-collapse, the contribution of beta processes to the ν e flux is at the level of ∼ 90% . For a star at D = 1 kpc distance, a 17 kt liquid scintillator detector would typically observe several tens of events from a presupernova, of which up to ∼ 30% due to beta processes. These processes dominate the signal at a liquid argon detector, thus greatly enhancing its sensitivity to a presupernova.

We present a new calculation of neutrino emissivities and energy spectra from a massive star going through the advanced stages of nuclear burning (presupernova) in the months before becoming a supernova. The contributions from beta decay and electron capture, pair annihilation, plasmon decay, and the photoneutrino process are modeled in detail, using updated tabulated nuclear rates. We also use realistic conditions of temperature, density, electron fraction and nuclear isotopic composition of the star from the state of the art stellar evolution code MESA. Results are presented for a set of progenitor stars with mass between 15 M ⊙ and 30 M ⊙ . It is found that beta processes contribute substantially to the neutrino emissivity above realistic detection thresholds of few MeV, at selected positions and times in the evolution of the star.

The reverse Pluronic triblock copolymer 17R4 is formed from poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO): PPO(14)-PEO(24)-PPO(14), where the subscripts denote the number of monomers in each block. In water, 17R4 shows both a transition to aggregated micellar species at lower temperatures and a separation into copolymer-rich and copolymer-poor liquid phases at higher temperatures. For 17R4 in H(2)O and in D(2)O, we have determined (1) the phase boundaries corresponding to the micellization line, (2) the cloud point curves marking the onset of phase separation at various compositions, and (3) the coexistence curves for the phase separation (the compositions of coexisting phases). In both H(2)O and in D(2)O, 17R4 exhibits coexistence curves with lower consolute temperatures and compositions that differ from the minima in the cloud point curves; we take this as an indication of the polydispersity of the micellar species. The coexistence curves for compositions near the critical composition are described well by an Ising model. For 17R4 in both H(2)O and D(2)O, the critical composition is 0.22 ± 0.01 in volume fraction. The critical temperatures differ: 44.8 °C in H(2)O and 43.6 °C in D(2)O. The cloud point curve for the 17R4/D(2)O is as much as 9 °C lower than in H(2)O.