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The annual 14C data in tree rings is an outstanding proxy for uncovering extreme solar energetic particle (SEP) events in the past. Signatures of extreme SEP events have been reported in 774/775 CE, 992/993 CE, and ∼660 BCE. Here, we report another rapid increase of 14C concentration in tree rings from California, Switzerland, and Finland around 5410 BCE. These 14C data series show a significant increase of ∼6‰ in 5411–5410 BCE. The signature of 14C variation is very similar to the confirmed three SEP events and points to an extreme short‐term flux of cosmic ray radiation into the atmosphere. The rapid 14C increase in 5411/5410 BCE rings occurred during a period of high solar activity and 60 years after a grand 14C excursion during 5481–5471 BCE. The similarity of our 14C data to previous events suggests that the origin of the 5410 BCE event is an extreme SEP event., Key Points Rapid 14C increase of ∼6‰ with significant level was found in tree rings from California, Switzerland, and Finland around 5410 BCEFive thousand, four hundred ten BCE event occurred during a period of high solar activity and 60 years after a grand 14C excursion of ∼20‰ from 5481 to 5471 BCEThe similarity of this 14C signature to already known solar events suggests that the origin of this new 5410 BCE event is an extreme SEP

The Sun exhibits centennial-scale activity variations and sometimes encounters grand solar minimum when solar activity becomes extremely weak and sunspots disappear for several decades. Such an extreme weakening of solar activity could cause severe climate, causing massive reductions in crop yields in some regions. During the past decade, the Sun’s activity has tended to decline, raising concerns that the Sun might be heading for the next grand minimum. However, we still have an underdeveloped understanding of solar dynamo mechanisms and hence precise prediction of near-future solar activity is not attained. Here we show that the 11-year solar cycles were significantly lengthened before the onset of the Maunder Minimum (1645–1715 CE) based on unprecedentedly high-precision data of carbon-14 content in tree rings. It implies that flow speed in the convection zone is an essential parameter to determine long-term solar activity variations. We find that a 16 year-long cycle had occurred three solar cycles before the onset of prolonged sunspot disappearance, suggesting a longer-than-expected preparatory period for the grand minimum. As the Sun has shown a tendency of cycle lengthening since Solar Cycle 23 (1996–2008 CE), the behavior of Solar Cycle 25 can be critically important to the later solar activity.

The 11th Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OS] Space and upper-atmosphere sciences, Poster presentations, Mon. 16 Nov. - Fri. 18 Dec.

Rapid in situ formation of metal carbonyl complexes with short-lived nuclides has been demonstrated to be feasible with recoiling ions formed in nuclear fusion and fission reactions. These carbonyl complexes are highly volatile and can be transported rapidly in a gas-stream to counting or chemistry devices. This method was already successfully applied in the chemical investigation of the superheavy element seaborgium (Z = 106) and appears promising for various fields of nuclear research. In this article, we give an overview on the current status of metal carbonyl complex studies with short-lived d-element isotopes.

The exotic decay process of $\ensuremath{\beta}$-delayed fission ($\ensuremath{\beta}\mathrm{DF}$) has been studied in the neutron-deficient isotope $^{230}\mathrm{Am}$. The $^{230}\mathrm{Am}$ nuclei were produced in the complete fusion reaction $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}(^{27}\mathrm{Al},4n)^{230}\mathrm{Am}$ and separated by using the GARIS gas-filled recoil ion separator. A lower limit for the $\ensuremath{\beta}\mathrm{DF}$ probability ${P}_{\ensuremath{\beta}\text{DF}}(^{230}\mathrm{Am})g0.30$ was deduced, which so far is the highest value among all known $\ensuremath{\beta}\mathrm{DF}$ nuclei. The systematics of $\ensuremath{\beta}\mathrm{DF}$ in the region of $^{230}\mathrm{Am}$ will be discussed.

A new micromesh gas (Micromegas) detector has been developed for a gaseous photomultiplier tube (PMT) with a bialkali photocathode. A basic performance test of the Micromegas detector was carried out for a Ne (90%) + CF4 (10%) gas mixture using an X-ray beam. We constructed gaseous PMTs with a bialkali photocathode and Micromegas detectors. The photoelectron collection efficiencies in several gases and the suppression of ion feedback were investigated.

Chemical studies of superheavy elements require fast and efficient techniques, due to short half-lives and low production rates of the investigated nuclides. Here, we advocate for using a tubular flow reactor for assessing the thermal stability of the Sg carbonyl complex – Sg(CO)6. The experimental setup was tested with Mo and W carbonyl complexes, as their properties are established and supported by theoretical predictions. The suggested approach proved to be effective in discriminating between the thermal stabilities of Mo(CO)6 and W(CO)6. Therefore, an experimental verification of the predicted Sg–CO bond dissociation energy seems to be feasible by applying this technique. By investigating the effect of 104,105Mo beta-decay on the formation of 104,105Tc carbonyl complex, we estimated the lower reaction time limit for the metal carbonyl synthesis in the gas phase to be more than 100 ms. We examined further the influence of the wall material of the recoil chamber, the carrier gas composition, the gas flow rate, and the pressure on the production yield of 104Mo(CO)6, so that the future stability tests with Sg(CO)6 can be optimized accordingly.

In recent years gas-phase chemical studies assisted by physical pre-separation allowed for the investigation of fragile single molecular species by gas-phase chromatography. The latest success with the heaviest group 6 transactinide seaborgium is highlighted. The formation of a very volatile hexacarbonyl compound Sg(CO)6 was observed similarly to its lighter homologues molybdenum and tungsten. The interactions of these gaseous carbonyl complex compounds with quartz surfaces were investigated by thermochromatography. Second-generation experiments are under way to investigate the intramolecular bond between the central metal atom of the complexes and the ligands addressing the influence of relativistic effects in the heaviest compounds. Our contribution comprises some aspects of the ongoing challenging experiments as well as an outlook towards other interesting compounds related to volatile complex compounds in the gas phase.

An isotope of the 113th element, i.e., 278[113], was produced in a nuclear reaction with a 70Zn beam on a 209Bi target. We observed six consecutive {\alpha}-decays following the implantation of a heavy particle in nearly the same position in the semiconductor detector under an extremely low background condition. The fifth and sixth decays are fully consistent with the sequential decays of 262Db and 258Lr in both decay energies and decay times. This indicates that the present decay chain consisted of 278[113], 274Rg (Z=111), 270Mt (Z=109), 266Bh (Z=107), 262Db (Z=105), and 258Lr (Z=103) with firm connections. This result, together with previously reported results from 2004 and 2007, conclusively leads to the unambiguous production and identification of the isotope 278[113] of the 113th element., Comment: http://jpsj.ipap.jp/link?JPSJ/81/103201/