Gulzar Singh

ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF GROUND WATER USING PIXE AND PIGE TECHNIQUES

Water is the most important source of minerals for both human beings and animals. But at the same time, water is also a source of disease due to the contamination of various elements. Therefore, knowledge of the elemental content of water is important. In this work, water samples were collected from areas around Chandigarh and Bathinda district, Panjab, India. Proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and proton-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) techniques were used for the determination of heavy and light trace elements, respectively, in wide varieties of water samples. A large number of elements, namely F, Na, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and U were detected in the samples and results are discussed.

Level density parameter around A ∼ 50-110 nuclei

The nuclear level density parameter, ‘a’ for the compound nuclei lying in the mass range A ∼ 50-110 has been extracted from the α-evaporation spectra in different heavy-ion induced reactions. The high energy part of the evaporation spectra is analyzed using the statistical model code PACE2, to extract the values of the inverse level density parameter, ‘K’. The values are found to be in the range of 6-12.5 for all the systems under study. From these values of ‘K’, the values of ‘a’ are determined using the relation a = A/K. Mass and excitation energy dependence of ‘K’ values has also been studied and compared ∼ith different theories.

INVESTIGATION OF MAJOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS USING PIXE

The use of the medicinal herbs for curing disease has been documented in history of all civilizations. With introduction of scientific procedures, researchers isolated active constituents of the medicinal herbs and after testing, some were found to be therapeutically active. Trace elements are important constituents of active principles of medicinal plants which affect the human body. The aim of this study was to determine qualitatively and quantitatively trace elements in these plants and their medicinal roles in the human body. Analysis of medicinal plants of various biological activities, commonly used in Northern India, was carried out using PIXE technique. Plant samples were collected from Chandigarh (India), which is located at the foothills of the Shivalik ranges, which form a part of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. PIXE measurements were carried out using 2.4 MeV collimated protons from the 3 MV Tandetron (accelerator) of NCCCM, Hyderabad, India. Various elements namely S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se etc. were detected with different concentrations. Many of these elements play significant roles in human metabolism and are very important with regards to life processes in man.

Neutron evaporation as a probe for dynamical effects in heavy ion fusion reactions

The compound nucleus 76Kr* was populated at the excitation energy of 75 MeV and angular momentum of 39 ℏ in fusion reactions with two complementary, mass‐symmetric (31P+45Sc) and mass asymmetric (12C+64Zn) entrance channels. The neutron evaporation spectra were measured and compared with the predictions of the statistical model calculations. The results for the mass‐asymmetric reaction are found to be consistent with the predictions of the statistical model calculations. However, for the mass‐symmetric reaction (31P+45Sc), the experimental spectra are found to be harder than the theoretical neutron spectra. The dynamical model calculations of Feldmeier show that the formation time for the compound nucleus for the symmetric system is relatively larger as compared to the asymmetric system.