Piezoelectric matrix-assisted ionization

We have developed a new actuation method for matrix-assisted ionization with good temporal and spatial resolution using piezoelectric cantilever. A strike from the piezoelectric bimorph cantilever on a thin metal foil was used to remove materials deposited on the opposite side facing the mass spectrometer inlet. Highly charged ions of peptides and proteins were generated from dried droplet deposits and sampled into the inlet of the mass spectrometer. A lateral resolution of 1 mm was obtained with the piezoelectric sampling configuration. Singly charged lipids and gangliosides were detected from tissue with piezoelectric matrix-assisted ionization using a silica nanoparticle co-matrix.

Extremely Thin Metal Foil Blades as Cutting Tools for Hard and Brittle Materials

The manufacturing costs of semiconductor products such as silicon wafers can be reduced by decreasing the kerf loss. In addition, a decrease in the kerf loss leads to an effective utilization of rare materials, which is environmentally beneficial from the viewpoint of saving resources. This study aims to reduce the kerf loss during slicing hard and brittle materials. Therefore, the possibility of using an extremely thin metal foil blade instead of a wire tool in slicing was examined. Initially, grooving characteristics using a metal foil blade (thickness: 50 μm or less) was investigated. The main conclusions are that grooving with a metal foil blade is possible and kerf loss can be reduced. The groove depth tends to increase as the machining time and particle size of abrasives increase. The groove width is smaller when a thin metal foil blade is used and vice versa. However, if the abrasive particle size is too large, grooving becomes impossible. Since the wear of metal foil blade increases with an increase in the particle size of the abrasive, it is necessary to use an abrasive with a particle size that is suitable for the thickness of the metal foil blade.

A new measurement of electron transverse polarization in polarized nuclear β-decay

The Mott polarimetry for T-violation (MTV) experiment tests time-reversal symmetry in polarized nuclear [Formula: see text]-decay by measuring an electron’s transverse polarization as a form of angular asymmetry in Mott scattering using a thin metal foil. A Mott scattering analyzer system developed using a tracking detector to measure scattering angles offers better event selectivity than conventional counter experiments. In this paper, we describe a pilot experiment conducted at KEK-TRIAC using a prototype system with a polarized 8Li beam. The experiment confirmed the sound performance of our Mott analyzer system to measure T-violating triple correlation (R correlation), and therefore recommends its use in higher-precision experiments at the TRIUMF-ISAC.