Search for extraterrestrial point sources of neutrinos with AMANDA-II.

We present the results of a search for point sources of high-energy neutrinos in the northern hemisphere using AMANDA-II data collected in the year 2000. Included are flux limits on several active-galactic-nuclei blazars, microquasars, magnetars, and other candidate neutrino sources. A search for excesses above a random background of cosmic-ray-induced atmospheric neutrinos and misreconstructed downgoing cosmic-ray muons reveals no statistically significant neutrino point sources. We show that AMANDA-II has achieved the sensitivity required to probe known TeV gamma-ray sources such as the blazar Markarian 501 in its 1997 flaring state at a level where neutrino and gamma-ray fluxes are equal.

Limits on diffuse fluxes of high energy extraterrestrial neutrinos with the AMANDA-B10 detector.

Data from the AMANDA-B10 detector taken during the austral winter of 1997 have been searched for a diffuse flux of high energy extraterrestrial muon neutrinos. This search yielded no excess events above those expected from background atmospheric neutrinos, leading to upper limits on the extraterrestrial neutrino flux measured at the earth. For an assumed E-2 spectrum, a 90% classical confidence level upper limit has been placed at a level E2Phi(E)=8.4 x 10(-7) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) GeV (for a predominant neutrino energy range 6-1000 TeV), which is the most restrictive bound placed by any neutrino detector. Some specific predicted model spectra are excluded. Interpreting these limits in terms of the flux from a cosmological distributions of sources requires the incorporation of neutrino oscillations, typically weakening the limits by a factor of 2.

Transfer and/or breakup modes in the 6He+209Bi reaction near the coulomb barrier

Reaction products from the interaction of 6He with 209Bi have been measured at energies near the Coulomb barrier. A 4He group of remarkable intensity, which dominates the total reaction cross section, has been observed. The angular distribution of the group suggests that it results primarily from a direct nuclear process. It is likely that this transfer and/or breakup channel is the doorway state that accounts for the previously observed large sub-barrier fusion enhancement in this system.

A windowless 13N production target for use with low energy deuteron accelerators.

The recent development of low energy accelerators for positron emission tomography has necessitated the development of new targets for 13N production. 12C(d,n)13N reaction yields in graphite at low deuteron beam energies (0.8-3.2 MeV) are presented and a new technique for the in situ extraction of 13N activity from solid graphite and subsequent conversion to [13N] ammonia is described. The target is windowless and is reusable for multiple isotope production runs. This technique utilizes radio frequency induction heating to rapidly heat the graphite to combustion temperatures in an O2 gas stream. The conversion of activity induced in the target to [13N] ammonia in under 10 min with an overall decay-corrected efficiency of 45% is reported.

Production of [13N]ammonia applicable to low energy accelerators.

We have developed a technique for the rapid conversion of the nitrogen-13 induced in a graphite target into nitrogen oxides. This was accomplished by heating the graphite target in a stream of pure oxygen at 800 degrees C. Less than 20% of the radioactivity was found in the form of [13N]nitrogen. The rest of the radioactivity was efficiently trapped in a solid-phase medium that consisted of an aqueous solution of 5% NaOH dispersed in silica gel. The radioactivity from this solid-phase medium was eluted with water (94% recovery) and found to be in the form of 13NO2- (99%). This was subsequently converted to [13N]ammonia with Raney-nickel, either by a conventional liquid-phase reduction with an overall conversion efficiency to ammonia of 45%, or by an incorporation of the Raney-nickel into the solid-phase medium. The latter system resulted in an overall conversion efficiency to ammonia of 37 +/- 9%, with a radiochemical purity of nearly 100% and a synthesis time under 17 min.

Exploration of head injury without medical attention.

In surveys of prison inmates and four other populations, 1,055 subjects reported having a history of 489 head injuries, with 31% of these "unattended" by a physician and 60% "undocumented" in that they were not hospitalized. The prison inmates did not have a history of more unattended injuries or undocumented injuries than the other groups of subjects as was predicted. However, the inmates reported more permanent effects from their unattended and undocumented injuries. Also, the inmates had more permanent effects and longer unconsciousness than did the other groups for their attended and documented head injuries.

Two-week prognosis in problem drinkers.

The predictors of favorable status two weeks after entry into an alcoholism rehabilitation program were measured. Favorable outcome was predicted by lower MMPI Pd Scale, being older, and having been older at time first intoxicated. Implications were discussed for these findings for the shortest prognostic interval apparently reported in the alcoholism literature.