J.L. Gervasoni

Quantum Mechanical Model for Plasmon Excitations in Nanostructures

In this work, we develop a theoretical quantum mechanical model for describing the plasmon excitations in nanostructures. This model is based on the electronic density according to the Density Functional Theory (DFT). We derive an expression for finding an approximation to the dispersion relation in a nanostructure from the complete Hamiltonian of the system. We apply this expression to an aluminium nanoring showing how great, and not negligible, the ionic-interaction term is.

Nuclear Properties of Carbon Nanotubes for Fast Neutron Detection

Fast neutron detection is a subject of great relevance in modern nuclear science and engineering, in particular, with the recent advances in nuclear fusion research, detection of fast neutron became a key issue. Nuclear properties of carbon are of special interest due to its relatively high capture cross section for fast neutrons. Devices made of silicon carbide and diamond are based on these properties, and so are being developed to be used with the proper wiring. In addition, in recent years carbon nano-tubes unveiled their electrical and mechanical properties, which can be exploited for neutron detection. In this work, we use MCNP5 Monte Carlo code to analyze the carbon nuclear properties and discuss the way nano-tubes can be used for fast neutron detection.