New limits on double-beta decay of $$^{190}$$Pt and $$^{198}$$Pt

A search for double-beta decay of $$^{190}$$ 190 Pt and $$^{198}$$ 198 Pt with emission of $$\gamma $$ γ -ray quanta was realized at the HADES underground laboratory with a 148 g platinum sample measured by two ultralow-background HPGe detectors over 8946 h. The isotopic composition of the platinum sample has been measured with high precision using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. New lower limits for the half-lives of $$^{190}$$ 190 Pt relative to different channels and modes of the decays were set on the level of $$\lim T_{1/2}\sim 10^{14}$$ lim T 1 / 2 ∼ 10 14 –$$10^{16}$$ 10 16 year. A possible exact resonant $$0\nu KN$$ 0 ν K N transition to the 1,2 1326.9 keV level of $$^{190}$$ 190 Os is limited for the first time as $$T_{1/2} \ge 2.5 \times 10^{16}$$ T 1 / 2 ≥ 2.5 × 10 16 year. A new lower limit on the double-beta decay of $$^{198}$$ 198 Pt to the first excited level of $$^{198}$$ 198 Hg was set as $$T_{1/2} \ge 3.2\times 10^{19}$$ T 1 / 2 ≥ 3.2 × 10 19 year, one order of magnitude higher than the limit obtained in the previous experiment.

Luminescence Properties of Tetrahedral Coordinated Mn2+; Genthelvite and Willemite Examples

The cause of the split of 4A4E(4G) Mn2+ excited level measured on minerals spectra is discussed. It is our view that ∆E = |4E(4G) − 4A(4G)| should be considered an important spectroscopic parameter. Among the possible reasons for the energy levels splitting taken under consideration, such as the covalent bond theory, the geometric deformation of the coordination polyhedron and the lattice site’s symmetry, the first one was found to be inappropriate. Two studied willemite samples showed that the impurities occur in one of the two available lattice sites differently in both crystals. Moreover, it was revealed that the calculated crystal field Dq parameter can indicate which of the two non-equivalent lattice sites positions in the willemite crystal structure was occupied by Mn2+. The above conclusions were confirmed by X-ray structure measurements. Significant differences were also noted in the Raman spectra of these willemites.

Effect of Ceramic Formation on the Emission of Eu3+ and Nd3+ Ions in Double Perovskites

Herein, the structure, morphology, as well as optical properties of the powder and ceramic samples of Ba2MgWO6 are presented. Powder samples were obtained by high temperature solid-state reaction, while, for the ceramics, the SPS technique under 50-MPa pressure was applied. The morphology of the investigated samples showed some agglomeration and grains with a submicron size of 490–492 µm. The theoretical density and relative density of ceramics were calculated using the Archimedes method. The influence of sample preparation on the position, shape, and character of the host, as well as dopants emission was investigated. Sample sintering enhances regular emission of WO6 groups causing a blue shift of Ba2MgWO6 emission. Nonetheless, under X-ray excitation, only the green emission of inversion WO6 group was detected. For the ceramic doped with Eu3+ ions, the emission of both host and dopant was detected. However, for the powder efficient host to activator energy, the transfer process occurred, and only the magnetic dipole emission of Eu3+ was detected. The intensity of Nd3+ ions of Ba2MgWO6 powder sample is five times higher than for the ceramic. The sintering process reduces inversion defects and creates a highly symmetrical site of neodymium ions. The emission of Ba2MgWO6:Nd3+ consists of transitions from the 4F3/2 excited level to the 4IJ multiplet states with the dominance of the 4F3/2→4I11/2 one. The spectroscopic quality parameter and branching ratio of Nd3+ emission are presented.

Enhanced Photoluminescence Properties of BaAl2O4: Ce3+/Li+ Yellow Phosphors

Ce3+/ Li+ activated barium aluminate phosphor (BAO) was synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure of the synthesized phosphor was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy analysis. FT-IR spectrum results revealed the characteristic vibration bands present in the synthesized phosphor. Surface composition analysis of the prepared samples was examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). PL emission band observed at 589 nm was assigned to 5D excited level corresponding to 2F5/2 transition in yellow region under the excitation wavelength of 320 nm. Yellow light emission was confirmed by the Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE) chromatic coordinate graph. The color purity of BAO: 0.5Ce3+, BAO: 0.5Ce3+, 0.1Li+ was found to be 78.4 %, 81.3 % whereas the measured lifetime was 4.333, 4.738 ns respectively.

Three-Photon Ionization with One-Photon Resonance between Excited Levels

Within the framework of a three-level model, the process of three-photon ionization with one-photon resonance between two excited levels (with the lower one being initially unpopulated) is considered using the density matrix method. It is shown that such resonance can result in the appearance of a maximum in the three-photon ionization spectrum when detuning between the resonance wavenumber and the wavenumber of the transition responsible for the lower excited level being populated exceeds the laser radiation linewidth by more than three orders of magnitude.

Tidal deformation of quantum black holes

The response of a gravitating object to an external tidal field is encoded in its Love numbers, which identically vanish for classical black holes (BHs). Here we show, using standard time-independent quantum perturbation theory, that for a quantum BH, generically, the Love numbers are nonvanishing and negative. We calculate the quadrupolar electric quantum Love number of slowly rotating BHs and show that it depends most strongly on the first excited level of the quantum BH. Finally, we discuss the detectability of the quadrupolar quantum Love number in future precision gravitational-wave observations and show that, under favourable circumstances, its magnitude is large enough to imprint an observable signature on the gravitational waves emitted during the inspiral. Phase of two moderately spinning BHs.

Application of WGM Resonances to the Measurement of the Temperature Increment of Ho and Ho-Yb Doped Optical Fibers Pumped at 1125 and 975 nm

Optical fiber characterization using whispering gallery mode resonances of the fiber itself has been demonstrated to be a powerful technique. In this work, we exploit the thermal sensitivity of whispering gallery mode resonances to characterize the pump-induced temperature increment in holmium doped and holmium-ytterbium codoped optical fibers. The technique relies on the measurement of the resonances’ wavelength shift due to temperature variation as a function of the pump power. Holmium doped fibers were pumped to the second excited level 5I6 of the Ho3+ ion using a laser diode at 1125 nm and ytterbium-holmium codoped fibers to the 2F5/2 level of the Yb3+ ion by a laser diode at 975 nm. Our results demonstrate that pumping ytterbium-holmium codoped fibers at 975 nm results in dramatic thermal effects, producing a temperature increment two orders higher than that observed in holmium doped fibers pumped with a 1125 nm laser diode.

Ebysus, a Multi-Fluid Multi-Species (MFMS) code: Application to magnetic reconnection in the solar atmosphere

<p>The solar atmosphere is composed of many species with a large number of ionization levels. Depending on the region considered, the plasma can be partially or fully ionized, weakly or strongly magnetized, weakly or strongly collisional, allowing for thermal non-equilibrium processes and chemical reactions. Recent observations of the IRIS mission (De Pontieu et al. 2014) have confirmed that the solar atmosphere is a complex environment involving a wide range of unsteady processes occurring at different temporal and spatial scales.</p><p>In this context, we have developed a new code Ebysus (see Martinez-Sykora et al., 2019), by expanding the state-of-the-art single-fluid radiative MHD code Bifrost (Gudiksen et al. 2011). Ebysus solves a full MultiFluid MultiSpecies (MFMS)  system of equation for any species and/or ionized/excited level as desired separately. Following Wargnier et al. 2020, an accurate description of the collisions for multicomponent plasmas in solar atmosphere conditions, consistent with the kinetic theory, has also been developed and implemented in the code. The code includes non-equilibrium (NEQ) ionization, recombination, excitation and de-excitation for any species, momentum exchange, electric forces due to velocity drift between different ionized species, thermal conduction and radiative losses. The whole numerical strategy has been tested and the modules needed for this proposal are fully implemented.</p><p>First, we will present the model and its numerical strategy. We will then focus on realistic magnetic reconnection (MR) events and perform numerical simulations in several conditions representative of different layers of the solar atmosphere. In particular, we will demonstrate the role of the drift velocities between different species on the reconnection rate and the formation of plasmoid instabilities, which leads to a high energy release. These instabilities play a significant role in the dynamics of chromospheric jets, as observed by IRIS (Rouppe et al. 2017). This strategy will be a crucial point in understanding MR events that occur during UV bursts or flares.</p>

Signatures of optical phase transitions in superradiant and subradiant atomic arrays

Resonant light interacting with matter supports different phases of a polarisable medium, and optical bistability where two phases coexist. Such phases have previously been actively studied in cavities. Here, we identify signatures of optical phase transitions and optical bistability mapped onto scattered light in free-space planar arrays of cold atoms. Methods on how to explore such systems in superradiant and extreme subradiant states are proposed. The cooperativity threshold and intensity regimes for the intrinsic optical bistability, supported by resonant dipole-dipole interactions alone, are derived in several cases of interest analytically. Subradiant states require lower intensities, but stronger cooperativity for the existence of non-trivial phases than superradiant states. The transmitted light reveals phase transitions and bistability that are predicted by mean-field theory as large jumps in coherent and incoherent signals and hysteresis. In the quantum solution, traces of phase transitions are identified in enhanced quantum fluctuations of excited level populations.