Technobius Physics

Determination of Ba-137m Half-Life Using Logarithmic Decay Analysis

Milana Bushina — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0500

The precise determination of radioactive half-life is essential for nuclear physics, radiation safety, and medical applications. This study focuses on measuring the half-life of Barium-137m (Ba-137m) using a Geiger-Müller counter and employing logarithmic decay analysis to enhance accuracy. A systematic approach was applied to correct for equilibrium activity contributions, addressing a key limitation in previous studies. The experiment involved monitoring the counting rate of Ba-137m over time, followed by logarithmic transformation and regression analysis to extract the decay constant. The measured half-life was found to be 142.33 seconds, closely aligning with theoretical expectations and previous experimental values. The results demonstrated a clear exponential decay trend, with minor statistical fluctuations observed at lower activity levels. By subtracting the equilibrium activity and applying a refined regression model, the accuracy of the measurement was improved. The findings confirm that logarithmic data processing provides a reliable method for reducing systematic errors in half-life determination. This study contributes to the optimization of experimental techniques in nuclear decay analysis, offering a refined approach that enhances precision in half-life measurements. Future research could explore higher-resolution detection methods and extended measurement intervals to further minimize uncertainties and validate the proposed methodology in different experimental settings.

Synthesis and research of optical and electrical properties of tin dioxide nanoprolocs in the SiO2/Si track template

Diana Junisbekova, Zein Baimukhanov, Alma Dauletbekova — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0500

This work presents a study of the structural, optical and electrical characteristics of tin dioxide (SnO₂) nanowires obtained by chemical deposition (CD) into SiO2/Si track templating (templating synthesis). Latent tracks in the SiO2 layer were created by irradiation with fast heavy ions (FHE) Xe at 200 MeV energy with fluence F = 108 cm-2 followed by etching in 4% aqueous hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. The selected XO method is widely used for the deposition of semiconductor oxide nanowires in SiO₂ nanopores. The CW method is cost-effective because it does not require any special equipment for the deposition of nanowires. To realize the deposition, a solution of metal coordination compound and reducing agent is used. To analyze the pore filling after CW process, the surface morphology of the samples was investigated using Zeiss Crossbeam 540 scanning microscope. The crystallographic structure of SnO2/SiO2/Si nanostructures with SnO₂ nanopore filling was investigated by X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) is performed on a Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffractometer. A SnO₂-NP/SiO₂/Si nanostructure with orthorhombic crystalline structure of SnO₂ nanowires supplemented with metallic tin was obtained. The photoluminescence spectra were measured under excitation with 5.17 eV wavelength light using a CM2203 spectrofluorimeter. Gaussian decomposition of the photoluminescence spectra of SnO2-NP/SiO₂/Si structures, showed that they have low intensity, which is mainly due to the presence of defects such as oxygen vacancies, interdomain tin or tin with damaged bonds. The electrical characterization study was carried out using a VersaStat 3 patentiostat. The WAC measurement of the nanowire obtained by chemical deposition showed that due to the presence of metallic tin, the conductivity is close to metallic.

Relaxation time measurement in liquids using compact NMR

Aigul Akkulova — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0500

This study investigates the influence of experimental parameters on the accurate determination of longitudinal and transverse relaxation times in liquids using compact nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry. Water and glycerin were selected as representative samples due to their contrasting viscosities and relaxation behaviors. The primary objective was to evaluate how repetition time, echo time, number of data points, and time step affect the precision of T₁ and T₂ measurements. Longitudinal relaxation times were determined using a variable repetition time method, while transverse relaxation times were measured via a multi-echo spin sequence. Exponential fitting algorithms were employed to extract relaxation parameters from recorded signal amplitudes. For water, the relaxation times were found to be approximately 3.0 s for T₁ and 1.423 s for T₂. In contrast, glycerin exhibited significantly shorter relaxation times, with T₁ estimated at 0.126 s and T₂ at 0.094 s. The results demonstrated that accurate estimation of relaxation times requires carefully optimized acquisition settings. Specifically, repetition time must exceed three times the T₁ value to ensure full longitudinal recovery, while short echo times and a high number of echoes are essential for reliable T₂ determination. The findings address a critical methodological gap in relaxometry protocols and offer practical recommendations for enhancing measurement accuracy in simple liquids.

Experimental determination of X-ray absorption and K-edge behavior in metal foils

Sanzhar Serik — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0500

This study investigates the absorption behavior of X-rays in various metallic foils, focusing on the dependence of transmitted intensity and mass attenuation coefficients on material thickness and radiation wavelength. The objective was to experimentally validate theoretical models of X-ray attenuation and to determine the position of K absorption edges for selected elements. Using a goniometer-based X-ray setup equipped with a Geiger-Müller counter, a series of measurements were conducted on aluminum, zinc, tin, copper, and nickel foils under controlled conditions. The first part of the experiment demonstrated an exponential decrease in transmitted intensity with increasing absorber thickness. The second part established a cubic dependence of the mass attenuation coefficient on the wavelength of the incident X-rays, consistent with theoretical expectations for photoelectric absorption. In the third part, distinct K absorption edges were successfully identified for copper and nickel, with experimentally determined edge energies closely matching known values. The results confirmed that materials with higher atomic numbers exhibit greater absorption and sharper K-edges. Minor deviations observed near absorption thresholds were attributed to spectral interference and detector resolution limitations. Overall, the study validated key theoretical relationships and demonstrated the effectiveness of the experimental setup for accurately characterizing X-ray absorption behavior in metals.

Pulsed cathodoluminescence of BaFBr crystals irradiated by swift heavy ions

Daurzhan Kenbayev, Elena Polisadova, Alexei Shalayev , Marina Konuhova — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0500

This study investigates the influence of swift heavy ion irradiation on the pulsed cathodoluminescence properties of BaFBr crystals. The objective is to analyze how ion species and fluence affect exciton luminescence behavior under pulsed electron beam excitation. BaFBr crystals were irradiated with 147 MeV krypton and 227 MeV xenon ions at varying fluences, and their PCL spectra were recorded at room temperature. Time-resolved measurements revealed the presence of luminescence bands centered at 4.2 eV, attributed to self-trapped excitons. A comparative analysis of irradiated and unirradiated samples showed that ion irradiation led to notable modifications in the intensity and decay dynamics of the nanosecond and microsecond components of the emission. The fast component dominated at lower fluences, while higher fluences induced a shift toward slower decay processes, likely due to the accumulation of radiation-induced defects. The experimental results suggest that controlled ion irradiation can be used to tailor the luminescence characteristics of BaFBr crystals, with implications for improving materials used in digital imaging and radiation detection technologies.