同步辐射与高压矿物学研究

同步辐射(synchrotron radiation)装置是能产生极高亮度电磁波的一类大科学装置。利用同步辐射和金刚石压腔(DAC)技术,可以研究矿物在高压下的结构和物理性质及其变化。文章简要介绍了同步辐射光源及其特点,对DAC和高压实验技术的相关问题进行了说明,并基于北京同步辐射装置(BSRF)高压站的能量色散X射线衍射(EDXD)实验状况,对获得的部分高压矿物学研究成果,如钙钛矿CaTiO3、硬玉、钛闪石、电气石、绿帘石等矿物的高压结构和状态方程进行了回顾。     

环境核辐射的检测与评估

环境中的核辐射是客观存在的。关注居住环境中的核辐射问题 ,采用国际惯用的检测方法与评估体系进行环境核辐射的检测与评估势在必行。     

Annealing of radiation damage in allanite and gadolinite

Samples of allanite and gadolinite with a range of alpha-recoil damage 0.1 to 3.0 dpa, were annealed in Ar and analysed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), infrared (IR) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Samples that were fully metamict, and also amorphous regions of partially metamict samples, annealed according to the Ostwald step rule. After annealing, X-ray crystalline material still showed significantly damaged regions under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Hydrothermal annealing of fully metamict gadolinite at 710° C and PH₂O=2.3 kbar resulted in direct recrystallization. Direct recrystallization, by heterogeneous nucleation, occurred also in samples with significant amount of relict crystalline material. Of two exotherms observed on DTA curves for fully metamict gadolinite only one, at 840° C, resulted from recrystallization. The second exotherm at 895° C was related to the transformation of a transitional, high-temperature γ-phase into gadolinite. The activation energy of recrystallization of partially metamict gadolinite is 0.58 eV. The same annealing path for fully metamict gadolinite and for the amorphous component of partially metamict allanite is consistent with the model of an aperiodic random network structure of metamict minerals.     

锆石辐射损伤测年方法研究进展与应用

锆石辐射损伤测年是一种新兴的低温热年代学方法(封闭温度为～230±25℃),其原理是依据拉曼半高宽(ν₃)计算出锆石所累积的α通量,结合U、Th含量,得出锆石辐射损伤的累积时间,即锆石辐射损伤年龄。相较于其他低温年代学方法,锆石辐射损伤测年具有测试简便、高效、低成本、双(多)定年等优势,在地学研究中展现出广泛的应用前景,现已成功应用于示踪物源区和揭示岩体热事件等领域。然而,该方法尚存几个关键问题有待解决,例如,微区测试的空间不匹配性、封闭温度存有争议、较大的年龄偏差等,这无疑阻碍其在地球科学领域中更进一步的推广和应用。本文系统地介绍了锆石辐射损伤测年方法的起源、原理和测试方法,总结了相关应用的重要进展,阐述了锆石辐射损伤测年方法的尚存问题,并对该方法的发展趋势作以展望,以期为年代学的发展提供新的技术手段。     

锆石辐射损伤测年方法研究进展与应用

锆石辐射损伤测年是一种新兴的低温热年代学方法（封闭温度为~230 ± 25 ℃）,其原理是依据拉曼半高宽（ν3）计算出锆石所累积的α通量,结合U、Th含量,得出锆石辐射损伤的累积时间,即锆石辐射损伤年龄。相较于其他低温年代学方法,锆石辐射损伤测年具有测试简便、高效、低成本、双（多）定年等优势,在地学研究中展现出广泛的应用前景,现已成功应用于示踪物源区和揭示岩体热事件等领域。然而,该方法尚存几个关键问题有待解决,例如,微区测试的空间不匹配性、封闭温度存有争议、较大的年龄偏差等,这无疑阻碍其在地球科学领域中更进一步的推广和应用。本文系统地介绍了锆石辐射损伤测年方法的起源、原理和测试方法,总结了相关应用的重要进展,阐述了锆石辐射损伤测年方法的尚存问题,并对该方法的发展趋势作以展望,以期为年代学的发展提供新的技术手段。     

A climatic model of solar radiation and temperature change

Mean monthly temperatures for the Northern Hemisphere were determined for the years 1955 through 1968 following the same procedures used by H. C. Willett and J. M. Mitchell, Jr., in their studies of long-term trends. It was found that the downward trend they reported starting in the 1940s continued, though interrupted, into the 1960s.The temperature data when combined with radiation data and other components of the hemispheric energy budget led to the formulation of the response ratio, the relationship between change in incoming solar radiation and change in temperature. When this response ratio was applied to the reported trends in direct solar radiation and to the decrease in direct solar radiation following the eruption of Agung in 1963, a probable cause-effect relationship was suggested.     

观赏石的放射性探究

随着赏石爱好者和藏石者的不断增多,赏石贸易市场日趋繁荣。有关赏石的放射性问题也受到诸多赏石收藏者的日益关注。将赏石进行地质成因分类,了解放射性与地质成因的关系,从而分析研究不同类型赏石放射性的强弱水平,指导赏石市场和藏石爱好者在赏石的销售和收藏中对放射性的把握。     

Rapid changes of magnetic Field polarity in the late Ediacaran: Linking the Cambrian evolutionary radiation and increased UV-B radiation

Novelty in the biological world is the culmination of genetic changes often triggered by the physical environment. The most radical phase of biological evolution took place during the Cambrian Evolutionary Radiation (CER). Prior to the CER, bacterial matgrounds and associated communities of Ediacaran organisms dominated the shallow seafloor. Near the end of the Ediacaran Period, ~ 550 million years ago, many soft-bodied biota went extinct. In the Early Cambrian, animals with the ability to burrow vertically altered the ecology of the seafloor and biomineralization became commonplace. Here we link the terminal Ediacaran extinction, the Cambrian substrate revolution and the diversification of biomineralizing organisms to changes associated with the reversal frequency of the Earth's magnetic field. Beginning around 550 Ma and continuing through much of the Cambrian, the Earth's magnetic field was rapidly reversing. Models, and limited paleointensity studies, indicate that rapid reversals are a feature of an overall weaker dipole. A weakened dipole reduces the dimensions of the magnetosphere that provides a barrier to incoming cosmic radiation. Here we show that the environmental effects of that collapse include increased dosing of UVB radiation into the shallow marine environment. Increased UVB radiation in the shallow marine environment provided selective pressure favoring organisms that could detect and avoid UVB damage by burrowing vertically, moving up or down in the water column, growing protective shells and other ‘flight from light’ mechanisms. These changes took place in advance of the CER, but effectively cleared the ecological space for the subsequent changes in the later Cambrian.     

Continental ice sheets and the planetary radiation budget

The interaction between continential ice sheets and the planetary radiation budget is potentially important in climate-sensitivity studies. A simple ice-sheet model incorporated in an energybalance climate model provides a tool for studying this interaction in a quantitative way. Experiments in which the ice-sheet model is coupled step by step to the climate model show that ice sheets hardly affect the zonal mean radiation balance because the albedo feedback due to sea ice and snow cover is dominating. The model requires a 5% drop in the solar constant to create ice sheets of ice-age size.If the feedback between surface elevation and ice-mass balance is included (in a very crude way), the ice-sheet size (L, measured southward from 70°N) becomes much more sensitive to in insolation. For a range of normalized solar constants, roughly from 0.98 to 1.02, two stable solutions exist: L 0 and L 2000 km. This result demonstrates that the response of ice sheets to insolation variations is far from linear. It also stresses the need for explicit modeling of the ice-mass balance of ice sheets, particularly its dependence on surface elevation.     

Some mineralogical applications of synchrotron radiation

Synchrotron radiation offers several advantages over the conventional X-ray sources, among which the most important are its high intensity, broad spectral range and natural collimation. Among the numerous techniques which have been recently developed we present a review of the results concerning more specifically mineralogical systems: X-ray absorption spectroscopy concerning high-resolution edge spectra and Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), X-ray diffraction under high P-high T conditions, small-angle scattering, X-ray microanalysis and X-ray topography. For each technique the basic principles are described together with the experimental devices used, before mineralogical examples are given. Two main applications may be pointed out: chemical and structural characterization of disordered systems and kinetic studies (phase transitions and evolution). Many other techniques (photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis ...) which are actually under development as a result of the rapid increase of the use of storage rings are not covered in the present review but will possibly also be used in the near future in Earth Sciences.     

Synthesis of radioactive isotopes and gamma radiation in nova outbursts

The range of abundances of radioactive nuclei in material ejected during novae is derived from kinetic calculations of thermonuclear burning in a hydrogen-rich, single-zone envelope at the surface of a CO or ONeMg dwarf. The total amount of radioactive N, O, and F isotopes in the envelope is approximately equal to the mass of CO in the dwarf that is admixed during accretion and/or the outburst. The mass fraction of synthesized ¹⁸F is 10^?3–10^?2. In the case of ONeMg dwarfs, the abundances of ²²Na and ²⁶Al are substantially higher and reach several percent and one percent of the mass, respectively. We derived light curves in the annihilation line from short-lived NOF-isotopes and studied the effect of varying the envelope parameters. The light curves are most sensitive to the degree of mixing of the radioactive isotopes in the envelope. Even having as little as 1% of unmixed material in the outer layer results in appreciable suppression of the first luminosity peak due to radioactive NO isotopes. The second luminosity peak, due to ¹⁸F decay, is appreciably suppressed only when the relative mass of unmixed material in the outer layer exceeds 10%. We suggest observations of the ¹⁸F annihilation-line flux with independent observational estimates of the ¹⁸F mass in the ejected envelope as a means to determine the degree of mixing and the mass of synthesized ¹⁸O. Calculations of the synthesis of ²²Na and ²⁶Al isotopes are compared to estimates of the masses of these isotopes in the envelopes of novae derived from observations of their gamma radiation.     

Anisotropic mechanical properties of zircon and the effect of radiation damage

This study provides new insights into the relationship between radiation-dose-dependent structural damage due to natural U and Th impurities and the anisotropic mechanical properties (Poisson’s ratio, elastic modulus and hardness) of zircon. Natural zircon samples from Sri Lanka (see Muarakami et al. in Am Mineral 76:1510–1532, 1991) and synthetic samples, covering a dose range of zero up to 6.8 × 10¹⁸ α-decays/g, have been studied by nanoindentation. Measurements along the [100] crystallographic direction and calculations, based on elastic stiffness constants determined by Özkan (J Appl Phys 47:4772–4779, 1976), revealed a general radiation-induced decrease in stiffness (~54 %) and hardness (~48 %) and an increase in the Poisson’s ratio (~54 %) with increasing dose. Additional indentations on selected samples along the [001] allowed one to follow the amorphization process to the point that the mechanical properties are isotropic. This work shows that the radiation-dose-dependent changes of the mechanical properties of zircon can be directly correlated with the amorphous fraction as determined by previous investigations with local and global probes (Ríos et al. in J Phys Condens Matter 12:2401–2412, 2000a; Farnan and Salje in J Appl Phys 89:2084–2090, 2001; Zhang and Salje in J Phys Condens Matter 13:3057–3071, 2001). The excellent agreement, revealed by the different methods, indicates a large influence of structural and even local phenomena on the macroscopic mechanical properties. Therefore, this study indicates the importance of acquiring better knowledge about the mechanical long-term stability of radiation-damaged materials.     

Gravitational radiation during coalescence of neutron stars

The coalescence of components of a binary star with equal masses (M ₁ = M ₂ = M _⊙) and moving in circular orbits is considered. The equation of state for degenerate neutrons is used, leading to the equation of state for an ideal gas. The initial model has zero temperature, corresponding to a polytrope with n = 1.5. To reduce the required computational time, the initial close binary is constructed using the self-consistent field method. The computations use Newtonian gas dynamics, but the back reaction of the gravitational radiation is taken into account in a PN2.5 post-Newton approximation, obtained using ADM formalism. This makes it possible to apply previous experienceof constructing high-order Godunov-type difference schemes, which are suitable for end-to-end calculations of discontinuous solutions of the gas-dynamics equations on a fixed Eulerian grid. The Poisson equations were solved using an original spherical-function expansion method. The 3D computations yielded the parameters of the gravitational signal. Near the radiation maximum, the strain amplitude is rh ～ 4 × 10⁴ cm, the power maximum is 4 × 10⁵⁴ erg/s, and the typical radiation frequency is ?1 kHz. The energy carried away by gravitational waves is ?10⁵² erg. These parameters are of interest, since they form an inherent part of a rotational mechanism for the supernova explosion. They are also of interest for the planning of gravitational-wave detection experiments.     

The passage of radiation through a wormhole

We consider a model for the passage of radiation through a “wormhole.” A physical interpretation of a special class of solutions of the Einstein equations with a scalar field is given. A solution describing the passage of an infinitely narrow pulse of radiation is constructed by joining along the null geodesic the two stationary equations describing the wormhole before and after the passage of the radiation. The physical consequences of the passage of the radiation on the structure of the wormhole are analyzed.     

Natural nuclear reactors and ionizing radiation in the Precambrian

The natural nuclear reactors were geological arrangements of uranium and water where, like the 2 Ga-old uranium deposits discovered in Oklo (Gabon, Africa), uranium chain fission processes took place. Ten years after its discovery the phenomenon of Oklo is still neglected in Precambrian evolutionary studies. We consider some probable reasons for this and show that natural reactors might have been important, specific, localized sources of ionizing radiation during both the criticality and shut-down periods. Some of the long-lived fission products which migrated from the reactor core could also have been effective radiation energy sources after fixation in the environment or upon uptake by the earliest forms of living matter. The results presented here concern the examination of conditions for nuclear criticality on the Precambrian Earth, the dose-rates of ionizing radiation available and the estimate of the number of natural nuclear reactors that could have been active in the past.     

Polarization of radiation in turbulent magnetized atmospheres

Multiple scattering of radiation in a semi-infinite electron atmosphere in the absence of true absorption (the Milne problem) is considered. The electron plasma is assumed to be turbulent, i.e., the magnetic field B has a regular B ₀ and a stochastic B′ component (B = B ₀ + B′). Faraday rotation of the plane of polarization (s8 λ² B ₀ cos gJ) due to the field B ₀ depolarizes the outcoming radiation due to the superposition of rays with different polarization-angle rotations, corresponding to different paths traveled before they left the atmosphere. Stochastic Faraday rotation due to isotropic fluctuations, B′, efficiently decreases the amplitude of the polarization of each individual beam as it travels through the turbulent atmosphere. This effect is proportional to λ⁴ 〈(B′)²〉, and becomes the dominant factor at large λ. We use the Ambartsumian-Chandrasekhar invariance principle, which results in six nonlinear equations (for the field B ₀ perpendicular to the surface of the medium). We also compute the degree of polarization for the cases B ₀ = 0, B′ ≠ 0, and B′ = 0, B ₀ ≠ 0, and for a number of versions of the general case, B ₀ ≠ 0, B′ ≠ 0. The spectra of the degree of polarization (for the case B ₀ = 0) are presented for optical (λ = 0 ? 1 μm), infrared (λ = 1?5 μm), and X-ray (1–50 keV) wavelengths.     

高速公路建设中的辐射监测和防护

在铀资源丰富的地区修建高速公路，天然放射性辐射对施工人员的影响是建设单位非常关心的问题。文章分析了梅河高速公路沿线的放射性环境地质特征，介绍了多种辐射监测方法、如何计算施工人员受到的辐射剂量及对超标地段采取的防护和处理措施。     

Acceleration of a quasar by a one-sided jet and asymmetrical radiation

We show that a quasar (or active galactic nucleus) emitting a one-sided jet (or displaying asymmetry in its emission of particles and photons) can be accelerated, causing it to be ejected from its galaxy.     

Seismoacoustic emission and electromagnetic radiation of fractured rocks in deep wells

The results of simultaneous measurements in seismoacoustic emission (SAE) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR), carried out with the help of a program-apparatus complex developed at the Institute of Geophysics, Ural Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, are considered. Measurements have been carried out in the wells with varied structures located in Karelia, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, and Kamchatka. It has been shown that intervals of fractured rocks are simultaneously recorded in anomalies of SAE and EMR signals. This fact allows us to detect these zones of high tensosensitivity in a geomedium volume for the purposes of monitoring in geodynamic phenomena in the Earth’s crust.     

Natural environmental radioactivity and estimation of radiation exposure from saline soils

The study was conducted for the investigation of amount of radioactivity in the barren and cultivated soil of Bio saline Research Station in Pakka Anna, established by Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) in 1990, 34 km. away from the city of Faisalabad, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The studies were done on an area of about 100 hectares of two types of virgin and fertilized saline soils. The technique of gamma ray spectrometry was applied using HPGe (high purity germanium) gamma ray detector and a PC based MCA. Activity concentration levels due to ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs, ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th were measured in 250 saline soil samples collected at a spacing of about 4 hectares at the depth level of 0–25 cm. with a step of 5 cm. depth. Activity concentrations ranges of the concerned radionuclides for both of the soils were as follows: ⁴⁰K, for virgin and cultivated saline soil was 500–610.2 and Bq/kg 560.2–635.6 respectively; ¹³⁷Cs, 3.57–3.63 and 1.98–5.15 Bq/kg ²³⁸U, 26.3–31.6 and 30.3–38.7 Bq/kg, and ²³²Th, 50.6–55.3 and 50.6–64.0 Bq/kg respectively. The absorbed dose rate in air lies in the region 63–73 nGyh^-1 and 68–83 nGyh^-1 for virgin and fertilized soils respectively. This indicates that this region lies in the area of higher radiation background, while comparing with the worlds’ average. The slightly higher value of dose in the fertilized farm may be due to the use of fertilizers for cultivation. Before the radiometric measurements, chemical analysis for concentration of Na, Ca and Mg was also carried out along with the measurement of electrical conductivity and pH of the soil samples.