From the editors

Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis: New Information Technologies (PRIA-7-2004)18–23 October, 2004, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation Revised papers

From the editors     

Superconductive toroidal solenoid of Tokamak-7

Conclusions Our tests have shown that the superconductive magnetic system of the T-7 unit is operative and that the main design and circuit features adopted on the basis of preliminary investigations are appropriate. In particular, it was shown that it is possible to use a hydraulic parallel joining of numerous sections without additional adjustment. The superconductive magnetic system could be efficiently cooled by liquid two-phase helium rather than by supercritical cold helium which was frequently discussed in the literature.The authors sincerely thank the friendly collective of engineers, designers, technicians, and workers who enthusiastically applied their efforts to the building of the Tokamak-7 unit and the execution of the tests.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 171–174, September, 1978.     

Experiments on the synthesis of neutron-deficient isotopes of kurchatovium in reactions with accelerated50Ti ions

Conclusions A number of conclusions can be drawn from the aggregate of experimental results.The method of synthesis of transfermium elements in the irradiation of lead isotopes with ions with mass A_I40 atomic units, investigated earlier [12] for the example of the reaction Pb(⁴⁰Ar, xn)Fm, is also extremely effective using⁵⁰Ti ions. The reactions Pb(⁴⁰Ar, 2n)Fm and Pb(⁵⁰Ti, 2n)Ku have approximately equal cross sections, which might have been expected on the basis of theoretical estimates. This permits us to hope that this method can be used successfully for the synthesis of heavier elements in the reactions induced by⁵⁴Cr,⁵⁵Mn, and⁵⁸Fe ions.In all probability, the substantial changes in the systematics of the half-lives for even-even isotopes of kurchatovium are associated with the structure of the barriers to fission of these nuclei. From this standpoint, it seems important to investigate the properties of more neutron-deficient isotopes of kurchatovium, using, in particular, the reactions with²⁰⁴Pb, and to attempt to advance into the region of elements with Z 106. On the other hand, a detailed theoretical analysis must be made of the data obtained on the basis of the modern theory of nuclear fission, which, in our opinion, will aid in a more reliable prediction of the properties of heavy and ultraheavy elements.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 38, No. 6, pp. 382–390, June, 1975.     

Methodology for the reliability evaluation of a passive system and its integration into a Probabilistic Safety Assessment

A methodology has been developed to evaluate the reliability of passive systems characterised by a moving fluid and whose operation is based on thermal–hydraulic (T-H) principles. The methodology includes:

• identification and quantification of the sources of uncertainties and determination of the important variables;

• propagation of the uncertainties through T-H models and assessment of T-H passive system unreliability;

• introduction of passive system unreliability in the accident sequence analysis.

Each step of the methodology is described and commented and a diagram of the methodology is presented. An example of passive system is presented with the aim to illustrate the possibilities of the methodology. This example is the Residual Passive heat Removal system on the Primary circuit (RP2), an innovating system supposed to be implemented on a 900 MWe Pressurized Water Reactor.     

Nanoluminograph — A New Generation of Measuring Instruments

A nanoluminescent device, or nanoluminograph, has been developed, created, and patented. By means of the device, unique information about the physicochemical properties of surface and near-surface layers of solids and ultrathin coatings of thickness less than 0.4 μm may be obtained. There is also the hope of decreasing the thickness of the subject layer with further development of the detecting component of the device. __________ Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 8, pp. 28–31, August, 2005.     

Electron-beam-induced fabrication of metal-containing nanostructures

An experimental system based on a transmission electron microscope JEM-100CX has been developed for electron beam-induced chemical vapor deposition. Direct electron beam-induced growth of nanometer-wide self-supporting rods has been performed inside the microscope operating in scanning mode by decomposition of carbonyls of chromium Cr(CO)₆, tungsten W(CO)₆, and rhenium Re₂(CO)₁₀. In situ phase and structure transformations under annealing inside the microscope column were studied. Nanoscale rods and strips grown from rhenium carbonyl are of special interest because, after annealing, they consist of a single pure rhenium phase. The described method of metallic nanoelements fabrication enables us to produce highly conductive nanowires and tips for application in nanoelectronics, emission electronics, and scanning tunneling microscopy.     

Effects of electrochemical doping of manganese dioxide with copper and lithium on the physicochemical properties

An electrochemical method has been used with fluoride electrolytes to synthesize specimens of manganese dioxide doped with copper and lithium. The compositions, structures, and physicochemical properties have been examined by chemical analysis and x-ray diffraction. It is found that the specimens have highly defective structures. Conclusions are drawn on the scope for using such products as electrode materials in chemical batteries and as catalysts based on manganese dioxide. __________ Translated from Poroshkovaya Metallurgiya, Nos. 3–4(448), pp. 62–66, March–April, 2006.     

Synthesis and electrical properties of Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript>-based thermoelectric materials doped with Er,Tm, Yb,and Lu

Nanopowders of Bi₂Te₃ and R_0.1Bi_1.9Te₃ (where R = Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) are obtained by microwave solvothermal synthesis. The powder-like materials are compacted by cold isostatic compression followed by annealing in argon. The influence of the doping agent on the structure and characteristics of the derived materials are investigated. It is demonstrated that the introduction of rare-earth elements (2 at %) into the bismuth-telluride lattice leads to a decrease in the electrical resistivity and to an increase in the Seebeck coefficient. The best thermoelectric properties are obtained for the sample of bismuth telluride doped with thulium.     

Three-Dimensional FDTD Simulation of Micro-Pillar Microcavity Geometries Suitable for Efficient Single-Photon Sources

We present the results of calculations of the microcavity mode structure of distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) micro-pillar microcavities of group III-V semiconductor materials. These structures are suitable for making single photon sources when a single quantum dot is located at the center of a wavelength scale cavity. The 3-D finite difference time domain (FDTD) method is our primary simulation tool and results are validated against semi-analytic models. We show that high light extraction efficiencies can be achieved (>90%) limited by sidewall scattering and leakage. Using radial trench DBR microcavities or 2-D photonic crystal structures, we can further suppress sidewall emission, however, light is then redirected into other leaky modes