This paper presents selected optically stimulated luminescence properties of Lu2SiO5:Ce single crystalline films grown using Liquid Phase Epitaxy technique. Comparison of continuous wave optically stimulated luminescence decay curves under blue and green light stimulation is shown. The dose response characteristic is found to be linear in the studied range from 100 uGy to 1 Gy. Analyses of the linearly modulated optically stimulated luminescence signal enabled establishing of the photoionization cross sections for blue light (470 nm). Bleachability and thermal stability of CW-OSL signal are discussed, as well as preliminary results of the fading study.
We have evaluated the performance of a Ce-doped fused-silica fiber as wavelength shifter coupled to a CeF$_{3}$ crystal using electron beams at CERN. The pulse shape and collection efficiency were measured using irradiated (100 kGy) and un-irradiated fibers. In addition, we evaluated the light yield of various Ce-doped fibers and explored the possibility of using them in the future, including for precision timing applications in a high-luminosity collider environment.
This paper presents the results of measurements of fluorescing cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet crystals after being irradiated by an accelerated electron beam with energy of around 4 MeV. The measurements were performed using the PHIL linear accelerator at LAL (France). We observe linear dependence of the crystal emission to the electron beam charge and the isotropy of the photon emission. We provide the calibration coefficients of the photon emission depending on the charge of the accelerated electron beam for two crystals originating from two different manufacturers.
Semiconductor nanoparticles (quantum dots) were studied in the context of liquid scintillator development for upcoming neutrino experiments. The unique optical and chemical properties of quantum dots are particularly promising for the use in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. Liquid scintillators for large scale neutrino detectors have to meet specific requirements which are reviewed, highlighting the peculiarities of quantum-dot-doping. In this paper, we report results on laboratory-scale measurements of the attenuation length and the fluorescence properties of three commercial quantum dot samples. The results include absorbance and emission stability measurements, improvement in transparency due to filtering of the quantum dot samples, precipitation tests to isolate the quantum dots from solution and energy transfer studies with quantum dots and the fluorophore PPO.
The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in single-layer iron selenide has generated significant experimental interest for optimizing the superconducting properties of iron-based superconductors through the lattice modification. For simulating the similar effect by changing the chemical composition due to S doping, we investigate the superconducting properties of high-quality single crystals of FeSe$_{1-x}$S$_{x}$ ($x$=0, 0.04, 0.09, and 0.11) using magnetization, resistivity, the London penetration depth, and low temperature specific heat measurements. We show that the introduction of S to FeSe enhances the superconducting transition temperature $T_{c}$, anisotropy, upper critical field $H_{c2}$, and critical current density $J_{c}$. The upper critical field $H_{c2}(T)$ and its anisotropy are strongly temperature dependent, indicating a multiband superconductivity in this system. Through the measurements and analysis of the London penetration depth $lambda _{ab}(T)$ and specific heat, we show clear evidence for strong coupling two-gap $s$-wave superconductivity. The temperature-dependence of $lambda _{ab}(T)$ calculated from the lower critical field and electronic specific heat can be well described by using a two-band model with $s$-wave-like gaps. We find that a $d$-wave and single-gap BCS theory under the weak-coupling approach can not describe our experiments. The change of specific heat induced by the magnetic field can be understood only in terms of multiband superconductivity.
The discoveries of high-temperature superconductivity in H3S and LaH10 have excited the search for superconductivity in compressed hydrides. In contrast to rapidly expanding theoretical studies, high-pressure experiments on hydride superconductors are expensive and technically challenging. Here we experimentally discover superconductivity in two new phases,Fm-3m-CeH10 (SC-I phase) and P63/mmc-CeH9 (SC-II phase) at pressures that are much lower (<100 GPa) than those needed to stabilize other polyhydride superconductors. Superconductivity was evidenced by a sharp drop of the electrical resistance to zero, and by the decrease of the critical temperature in deuterated samples and in an external magnetic field. SC-I has Tc=115 K at 95 GPa, showing expected decrease on further compression due to decrease of the electron-phonon coupling (EPC) coefficient {lambda} (from 2.0 at 100 GPa to 0.8 at 200 GPa). SC-II has Tc = 57 K at 88 GPa, rapidly increasing to a maximum Tc ~100 K at 130 GPa, and then decreasing on further compression. This maximum of Tc is due to a maximum of {lambda} at the phase transition from P63/mmc-CeH9 into a symmetry-broken modification C2/c-CeH9. The pressure-temperature conditions of synthesis affect the actual hydrogen content, and the actual value of Tc. Anomalously low pressures of stability of cerium superhydrides make them appealing for studies of superhydrides and for designing new superhydrides with even lower pressures of stability.