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Lattice strains of appropriate symmetry have served as an excellent tool to explore the interaction of superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors with nematic and stripe spin-density wave (SSDW) order, which are both closely tied to an orthorhombic distortion. In this work, we contribute to a broader understanding of the coupling of strain to superconductivity and competing normal-state orders by studying CaKFe4As4 under large, in-plane strains of B1g and B2g symmetry. In contrast to the majority of iron-based superconductors, pure CaKFe4As4 exhibits superconductivity with relatively high transition temperature of Tc∼35 K in proximity of a non-collinear, tetragonal, hedgehog spin-vortex crystal (SVC) order. Through experiments, we demonstrate an anisotropic in-plane strain response of Tc, which is reminiscent of the behavior of other pnictides with nematicity. However, our calculations suggest that in CaKFe4As4, this anisotropic response correlates with the one of the SVC fluctuations, highlighting the close interrelation of magnetism and high-Tc superconductivity. By suggesting moderate B2g strains as an effective parameter to change the stability of SVC and SSDW, we outline a pathway to a unified phase diagram of iron-based superconductivity.
In this roadmap article, we have focused on the most recent advances in terahertz (THz) imaging with particular attention paid to the optimization and miniaturization of the THz imaging systems. Such systems entail enhanced functionality, reduced power consumption, and increased convenience, thus being geared toward the implementation of THz imaging systems in real operational conditions. The article will touch upon the advanced solid-state-based THz imaging systems, including room temperature THz sensors and arrays, as well as their on-chip integration with diffractive THz optical components. We will cover the current-state of compact room temperature THz emission sources, both optolectronic and electrically driven; particular emphasis is attributed to the beam-forming role in THz imaging, THz holography and spatial filtering, THz nano-imaging, and computational imaging. A number of advanced THz techniques, such as light-field THz imaging, homodyne spectroscopy, and phase sensitive spectrometry, THz modulated continuous wave imaging, room temperature THz frequency combs, and passive THz imaging, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in THz data processing and optics development, will be reviewed. This roadmap presents a structured snapshot of current advances in THz imaging as of 2021 and provides an opinion on contemporary scientific and technological challenges in this field, as well as extrapolations of possible further evolution in THz imaging.
Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) are promising tools for the efficient transmutation of nuclear waste products in dedicated industrial installations, called transmuters. The Myrrha project at Mol, Belgium, placed itself on the path towards these applications with a multipurpose and versatile system based on a liquid PbBi (LBE) cooled fast reactor (80 MWth) which may be operated in both critical and subcritical modes. In the latter case the core is fed by spallation neutrons obtained from a 600 MeV proton beam hitting the LBE coolant/target. The accelerator providing this beam is a high intensity CW superconducting linac which is laid out for the highest achievable reliability. The combination of a parallel redundant and of a fault tolerant scheme should allow obtaining an MTBF value in excess of 250 hours that is required for optimal integrity and successful operation of the ADS. Myrrha is expected to be operational in 2023. The forthcoming 4-year period is fully dedicated to R&D activities, and in the field of the accelerator they are strongly focused on the reliability aspects and on the proper shaping of the beam trip spectrum.
Stored and cooled highly-charged ions offer unprecedented capabilities for precision studies in realm of atomic-, nuclear-structure and astrophysics. In context of the latter, after the successful investigation of the cross section of 96Ru(p,γ) in 2009, in 2016 the first measurement of the 124Xe(p,γ)125Cs reaction was performed at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI.
Stored and cooled, highly-charged ions offer unprecedented capabilities for precision studies in the realm of atomic, nuclear structure and astrophysics[1]. After the successful investigation of the 96Ru(p,7)97Rh reaction cross section in 2009[2], the first measurement of the 124Xe(p,7)125Cs reaction cross section has been performed with decelerated, fully-ionized 124Xe ions in 2016 at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) of GSI[3]. Using a Double Sided Silicon Strip Detector, introduced directly into the ultra-high vacuum environment of a storage ring, the 125Cs proton-capture products have been successfully detected. The cross section has been measured at 5 different energies between 5.5AMeV and 8AMeV, on the high energy tail of the Gamow-window for hot, explosive scenarios such as supernovae and X-ray binaries. The elastic scattering on the H2 gas jet target is the major source of background to count the (p,7) events. Monte Carlo simulations show that an additional slit system in the ESR in combination with the energy information of the Si detector will enable background free measurements of the proton-capture products. The corresponding hardware is being prepared and will increase the sensitivity of the method tremendously.
We discuss the possibility that nuclei with very large baryon numbers can exist in the form of large quark blobs in their ground states. A calculation based on the picture of quark bags shows that, in principle, the appearance of such exotic nuclear states in present laboratory experiments cannot be excluded. Some speculations in connection with the recently observed anomalous positron production in heavy-ion experiments are presented.
The cosmological implications of the Covariant Canonical Gauge Theory of Gravity (CCGG) are investigated. CCGG is a Palatini theory derived from first principles using the canonical transformation formalism in the covariant Hamiltonian formulation. The Einstein-Hilbert theory is thereby extended by a quadratic Riemann-Cartan term in the Lagrangian. Moreover, the requirement of covariant conservation of the stress-energy tensor leads to necessary presence of torsion. In the Friedman universe that promotes the cosmological constant to a time-dependent function, and gives rise to a geometrical correction with the EOS of dark radiation. The resulting cosmology, compatible with the ΛCDM parameter set, encompasses bounce and bang scenarios with graceful exits into the late dark energy era. Testing those scenarios against low-z observations shows that CCGG is a viable theory.
The cosmological implications of the Covariant Canonical Gauge Theory of Gravity (CCGG) are investigated. CCGG is a Palatini theory derived from first principles using the canonical transformation formalism in the covariant Hamiltonian formulation. The Einstein-Hilbert theory is thereby extended by a quadratic Riemann-Cartan term in the Lagrangian. Moreover, the requirement of covariant conservation of the stress-energy tensor leads to necessary presence of torsion. In the Friedman universe that promotes the cosmological constant to a time-dependent function, and gives rise to a geometrical correction with the EOS of dark radiation. The resulting cosmology, compatible with the ΛCDM parameter set, encompasses bounce and bang scenarios with graceful exits into the late dark energy era. Testing those scenarios against low-z observations shows that CCGG is a viable theory.
The cosmological implications of the Covariant Canonical Gauge Theory of Gravity (CCGG) are investigated. CCGG is a Palatini theory derived from first principles using the canonical transformation formalism in the covariant Hamiltonian formulation. The Einstein-Hilbert theory is thereby extended by a quadratic Riemann-Cartan term in the Lagrangian. Moreover, the requirement of covariant conservation of the stress-energy tensor leads to necessary presence of torsion. In the Friedman universe that promotes the cosmological constant to a time-dependent function, and gives rise to a geometrical correction with the EOS of dark radiation. The resulting cosmology, compatible with the ΛCDM parameter set, encompasses bounce and bang scenarios with graceful exits into the late dark energy era. Testing those scenarios against low-z observations shows that CCGG is a viable theory.
A modification of the Einstein–Hilbert theory, the Covariant Canonical Gauge Gravity (CCGG), leads to a cosmological constant that represents the energy of the space–time continuum when deformed from its (A)dS ground state to a flat geometry. CCGG is based on the canonical transformation theory in the De Donder–Weyl (DW) Hamiltonian formulation. That framework modifies the Einstein–Hilbert Lagrangian of the free gravitational field by a quadratic Riemann–Cartan concomitant. The theory predicts a total energy-momentum of the system of space–time and matter to vanish, in line with the conjecture of a “Zero-Energy-Universe” going back to Lorentz (1916) and Levi-Civita (1917). Consequently, a flat geometry can only exist in presence of matter where the bulk vacuum energy of matter, regardless of its value, is eliminated by the vacuum energy of space–time. The observed cosmological constant Λobs is found to be merely a small correction attributable to deviations from a flat geometry and effects of complex dynamical geometry of space–time, namely torsion and possibly also vacuum fluctuations. That quadratic extension of General Relativity, anticipated already in 1918 by Einstein, thus provides a significant and natural contribution to resolving the “cosmological constant problem”.
This short paper gives a brief overview of the manifestly covariant canonical gauge gravity (CCGG) that is rooted in the De Donder-Weyl Hamiltonian formulation of relativistic field theories, and the proven methodology of the canonical transformation theory. That framework derives, from a few basic physical and mathematical assumptions, equations describing generic matter and gravity dynamics with the spin connection emerging as a Yang Mills-type gauge field. While the interaction of any matter field with spacetime is fixed just by the transformation property of that field, a concrete gravity ansatz is introduced by the choice of the free (kinetic) gravity Hamiltonian. The key elements of this approach are discussed and its implications for particle dynamics and cosmology are presented. New insights: Anomalous Pauli coupling of spinors to curvature and torsion of spacetime, spacetime with (A)dS ground state, inertia, torsion and geometrical vacuum energy, Zero-energy balance of the Universe leading to a vanishing cosmological constant and torsional dark energy.
Walter Greiner: in memoriam
(2017)
Walter Greiner (29 October 1935 - 6 October 2016) was a German theoretical physicist. His scientific research interests include the thematic areas of atomic physics, heavy ion physics, nuclear physics, elementary particle physics (particularly quantum electrodynamics and quantum chromodynamics). He is most known in Germany for his series of books in theoretical physics, but he is also well known around the world. Greiner was born on October 29, 1935, in Neuenbau, Sonnenberg, Germany. He studied physics at the University of Frankfurt (Goethe University in Frankfurt Am Main), receiving in this institution a BSci in physics and a Master’s degree in 1960 with a thesis on plasma-reactors, and a PhD in 1961 at the University of Freiburg under Hans Marshal, with a thesis on the nuclear polarization in μμ-mesic atoms. During the period of 1962 to 1964 he was assistant professor at the University of Maryland, followed by a position as research associate at the University of Freiburg, in 1964. Starting in 1965, he became a full professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Goethe University until 2003. Greiner has been a visiting professor to many universities and laboratories, including Florida State University, the University of Virginia, the University of California, the University of Melbourne, Vanderbilt University, Yale University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 2003, with Wolf Singer, he was the founding Director of the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), and gave lectures and seminars in elementary particle physics. He died on October 6, 2016 at the age of 80.
Walter Greiner was an excellent teacher, researcher, friend. And he was a great supporter of the series of events known by the acronyms IWARA - International Workshop on Astronomy and Relativistic Astrophysics, STARS - Caribbean Symposium on Cosmology, Gravitation, Nuclear and Astroparticle Physics, and SMFNS - International Symposium on Strong Electromagnetic Fields and Neutron Stars. Walter Greiner left us. But his memory will remain always alive among us who have had the privilege of knowing him and enjoy his wisdom and joy of living.
Aufbau eines Experimentes zur Untersuchung der Ionenstrahlkühlung mit Hilfe eines HF-Quadrupols
(2003)
Die Arbeit beschreibt ein Experiment zur Kühlung eines 40Ar-Ionenstrahls mittels eines 4He-Hintergrundgases innerhalb eines unmodulierten RF-Quadrupols von 500 mm Länge. Ziel des Experimentes war es, den Einfluss der Gaskühlung auf die Qualität von Ionenstrahlen geringer Energie und Intensität zu untersuchen. Die Ionen wurden bei unterschiedlichen Spannungen aus einem Duoplasmatron extrahiert und vor der Injektion in den Quadrupol durch ein elektrostatisches Linsensystem formiert. Die Stromstärke der Strahles wurde mittels einer Faradaytasse gemessen, die mit einer Sekundärelektronen unterdrückenden Repellerblende ausgestattet ist. Der Einfluß der variierten Parameter Hintergrundgasdruck, Quadrupolfrequenz und Strahlenergie auf die Qualität des Strahls wurde dabei nicht direkt über dessen, die Phasenraumverteilung beschreibende, Emittanz gemessen, sondern über die Veränderung der registrierten Strahlstromstärken an einer Blende konstanter Apertur, also der Brillanz abgeleitet. Vorbereitend wurden zunächst Duoplasmatron und Injektionssystem überholt, aufgebaut und mit der nötigen Energie- und Kühlversorgung ausgerüstet. Im anschließenden Testlauf mit ungekühlten Heliumionen wurden die einzustellenden Werte der Betriebsparameter Quellendruck und diverse Blendenspannungen ermittelt und das System auf seine der Reproduktion dienenden Stabilität geprüft. Dabei wurden im Dauerbetrieb Strahlstromstärken von 0,29 mA bei 1 keV/u und 0,02 mA bei 0,15 keV/u Strahlenergie erzielt. Mittels der bekannten Emittanz des Helium-Strahls bei 1 keV/u Energie und 0,25 mA Strahlstromstärke wurde die jeweilige normierte Emittanz der noch ungekühlten Strahlen auf 2,18*10-2 im ersten und 1,61*10-2 im zweiten Fall abgeschätzt. Zur Gaskühlung wurde ein Quadrupol mit 10 mm Apertur- und 7,5 mm Elektrodenradius gefertigt und mit einem Phasentrenner gekoppelt. Ein Breitbandgenerator und -Verstärker dienten der frequenz- und spannungsvariablen Elektrodenbelegung. Der Hintergrundgasdruck wurde mittels einem handelsüblichen Regelventil variiert. Um der ein großes Masseverhältnis von Strahlionen zu Hintergrundgas fordernden Theorie Rechnung zu tragen, wurden Argon als Ionen und Helium als Buffergas gewählt. Einer eingehenden Untersuchung der Auswirkung der einzelnen Komponenten und ihrer Kombination auf die Eigenschaften des Ionenstrahls folgte eine schrittweise Variation von Quadrupolfrequenz und Hintergrundgasdruck im Bereich 1-5 MHz und 9*10-6 - 4*10-3 mbar bei den Strahlenergien 15, 25 und 80 eV/u. Die hierbei gemessenen Strahlstromstärken wurden über die frequenzabhängige Elektrodenspannung normiert und mit der Stärke der ungekühlten Strahlen verglichen. Bei 15 eV/u Strahlenergie konnte die gemessene Maximalstromstärke um 43 % von 0,014 µA/V ungekühlt auf 0,02 µA/V bei 1*10-4 mbar Hintergrundgasdruck gesteigert werden. Die Strahlstromstärke des Strahles mit 25 eV/u Energie wurde von 0,045µA/V des ungekühlten auf 0,1 µA/V bei ca. 6*10-5 mbar verdoppelt. Bei 80 eV/u Energie blieb die Strahlstromstärke mit 0,35 µA/V unverändert, jedoch wurde im gesamten Bereich zwischen 2*10-5 und 3*10-5 mbar und 3,4 - 4,6 MHz mit annähernd konstanten 0,28 µA/V ein Plateau hoher Strahlstromstärke registriert, dem etwa 0,06 µA/V im ungekühlten Strahl entgegenstehen. Ein weniger stark ausgeprägtes Analogon wurde bei 15 eV/u im Frequenzbereich um 3,5 MHz beobachtet. In zwei von drei Fällen konnte im Experiment die Strahlstromstärke durch die Gaskühlung deutlich gesteigert werden, im dritten Fall wurde die Zahl der transportierten Ionen in einem zuvor ungeeigneten Frequenzbereich um den Faktor 4,5 gesteigert. Durch die Beziehung zwischen Strahlstromstärke I, Strahlbrillanz B und Strahlemittanz ε mit I~B~1/ε2 kann abschließend eine Verminderung der Strahlemittanz durch die Gaskühlung festgestellt werden. Die durchgeführten Experimente haben gezeigt, daß man bei niedrigen Strahlenergien einfach geladene Ionen bei relativ hohem Gasdruck und geeigneten Parametern des Quadrupols transportieren und die Emittanz des Strahls verbessern kann. Die Kombination von Quadrupol und Buffergas stellt also ein System dar, das als Gaskühler bei kleinen Strömen von Niedrigenergiestrahlen eingesetzt werden kann. Als nächstes würde zur weitergehenden, jedoch den Rahmen dieser Arbeit übersteigenden Untersuchung ein technisch und finanziell aufwändigerer Aufbau benötigt. Das benutzte Linsensystem würde durch ein auf die Ionensorte speziell abgestimmtes Injektionssystem und die Faradaytasse durch eine rechnergesteuerte, orts- und winkelauflösende Emittanzmessanlage ersetzt. Die somit erhaltene höhere Auflösung des Strahles würde den Übergang von der vorliegenden qualitativen Beschreibung der Gaskühlung zu einer quantitativen ermöglichen.
Nanomaterials, i.e., materials that are manufactured at a very small spatial scale, can possess unique physical and chemical properties and exhibit novel characteristics as compared to the same material without nanoscale features. The reduction of size down to the nanometer scale leads to the abundance of potential applications in different fields of technology. For instance, tailoring the physicochemical properties of nanomaterials for modification of their interaction with a biological environment has been reflected in a number of biomedical applications.
Strategies to choose the size and the composition of nanoscale systems are often hindered by a limited understanding of interactions that are difficult to study experimentally. However, this goal can be achieved by means of advanced computer simulations. This thesis explores, from a theoretical and a computational viewpoints, stability, electronic and thermo-mechanical properties of nanoscale systems and materials which are related to biomedical applications.
We examine the ability of existing classical interatomic potentials to reproduce stability and thermo-mechanical properties of metal systems, assuming that these potentials have been fitted to describe ground-state properties of the perfect bulk materials.
It is found that existing classical interatomic potentials poorly describe highly-excited vibrational states when the system is far from the potential energy minimum. On the other hand, construction of a reliable computational model is essential for further development of nanomaterials for applications. A new interatomic potential that is able to correctly reproduce both the melting temperature and the ground-state properties of different metals, such as gold, platinum, titanium, and magnesium, by means of classical molecular dynamics simulations is proposed in this work. The suggested modification of a many-body potential has a general nature and can be utilized for similar numerical exploration of thermo-mechanical properties of a broad range of molecular and solid state systems experiencing phase transitions.
The applicability of the classical interatomic potentials to the description of nanoscale systems, consisting of several tens-hundreds of atoms, is also explored in this study. This issue is important, for instance, in the case of nanostructured materials, where grains or nanocrystals have a typical size of about a few nanometers. We validate classical potentials through the comparison with density-functional theory calculations of small
atomic clusters made of titanium and nickel. By this analysis, we demonstrate that the classical potentials fitted to describe ground-state properties of a bulk material can describe the energetics of nanoscale systems with a reasonable accuracy.
In this work, we also analyze electronic properties of nanometer-size nanoparticles made of gold, platinum, silver, and gadolinium; nanoparticles composed of these materials are of current interest for radiation therapy applications. We focus on the production of low-energy electrons, having the kinetic energy from a few electronvolts to several tens of electronvolts. It is currently established that the low-energy secondary electrons of such energies play an important role in the nanoscale mechanisms of biological damage resulting from ionizing radiation. We provide a methodology for analyzing the dynamic response of nanoparticles of the experimentally relevant sizes, namely of about several nanometers, exposed to ionizing radiation. Because of a large number of constituent atoms (about 1000 −10000 atoms) and consequently high computational costs, the electronic properties of such systems can hardly be described by means of ab initio methods based on a quantum-mechanical treatment of electrons, and this analysis should rely on model approaches. By comparing the response of smaller systems (of about 1 nm size) calculated within the ab initio- and the model framework, we validate this methodology and make predictions for the electron production in larger systems.
We have revealed that a significant increase in the number of the low-energy electrons emitted from nanometer-size noble metal nanoparticles arises from collective electron excitations formed in the systems. It is demonstrated that the dominating mechanisms of electron yield enhancement are related to the formation of plasmons excited in a whole system and of atomic giant resonances formed due to excitation of valence d electrons in individual atoms of a nanoparticle. Being embedded in a biological medium, the noble metal nanoparticles thus represent an important source of low-energy electrons, able to produce a significant irrepairable damage in biological systems.
A general methodology for studying electronic properties of nanosystems is used to make quantitative predictions for electron production by non-metal nanoparticles. The analysis illustrates that due to a prominent collective response to an external electric field, carbon nanoparticles embedded in a biological medium also enhance the production of low-energy electrons. The number of low-energy electrons emitted from carbon nanoparticles is demonstrated to be several times higher as compared to the case of liquid water.
Mixing and magnetic fields in asymptotic giant branch stars in the framework of FRUITY models
(2021)
In the last few years, the modeling of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars has been much investigated, both focusing on nucleosynthesis and stellar evolution aspects. Recent advances in the input physics required for stellar computations made it possible to construct more accurate evolutionary models, which are an essential tool to interpret the wealth of available observational and nucleosynthetic data. Motivated by such improvements, the FUNS stellar evolutionary code has been updated. Nonetheless, mixing processes occurring in AGB stars’ interiors are currently not well-understood. This is especially true for the physical mechanism leading to the formation of the 13C pocket, the major neutron source in low-mass AGB stars. In this regard, post-processing s-process models assuming that partial mixing of protons is induced by magneto-hydrodynamics processes were shown to reproduce many observations. Such mixing prescriptions have now been implemented in the FUNS code to compute stellar models with fully coupled nucleosynthesis. Here, we review the new generation of FRUITY models that include the effects of mixing triggered by magnetic fields by comparing theoretical findings with observational constraints available either from the isotopic analysis of trace-heavy elements in presolar grains or from carbon AGB stars and Galactic open clusters.
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are responsible for the production of the main component of the solar s-process distribution. Despite enormous progress in the theoretical modeling of these objects over the last few decades, many uncertainties remain. The still-unknown mechanism leading to the production of 13C neutron source is one example. The nucleosynthetic signature of AGB stars can be examined in a number of stellar sources, from spectroscopic observations of intrinsic and extrinsic stars to the heavy-element isotopic composition of presolar grains found in meteorites. The wealth of available observational data allows for constraining the processes occurring in AGB interiors. In this view, we discuss recent results from new AGB models including the effects of mixing triggered by magnetic fields, and show comparisons of the related s-process nucleosynthesis with available observations.
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are thought to be among the most important sources of fluorine in our Galaxy. While observations and theory agree at close-to-solar metallicity, stellar models overestimate fluorine production in comparison to heavy elements at lower metallicities. We present predictions for 19F abundance for a set of AGB models with various masses and metallicities, in which magnetic buoyancy induces the formation of the 13C neutron source (the so-called 13C pocket). In our new models, fluorine is mostly created as a consequence of secondary 14N nucleosynthesis during convective thermal pulses, with a minor contribution from the 14N existing in the 13C pocket zone. As a result, AGB stellar models with magnetic-buoyancyinduced mixing show low 19F surface abundances which agree with fluorine spectroscopic observations at both low and near-solar metallicity.
s-processing in asymptotic giant branch stars in the light of revised neutron-capture cross sections
(2021)
Current AGB stellar models provide an adequate description of the s-process nucleosynthesis that occurs. Nonetheless, they still suffer from many uncertainties related to the modeling of the 13C pocket formation and the adopted nuclear reaction rates. For many important s-process isotopes, a best set of neutron-capture cross sections was recently re-evaluated. Using stellar models prescribing that the 13C pocket is a by-product of magnetic-buoyancy-induced mixing phenomena, s-process calculations were carried out with this database. Significant effects are found for a few s-only and branching point isotopes, pointing out the need for improved neutron-capture cross section measurements at low energy.
Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are one of the astrophysical sites for the occurrence of the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). After a merger, the ejected neutron-rich matter hosts the production of radioactive heavy nuclei located far from the stability valley. Their nuclear physics properties are key inputs for r-process nucleosynthesis calculations. Here, we focus on the importance of neutron-capture rates and perform a sensitivity study for typical outflows from NSMs. We identify the rates with the highest impact on the final r-process abundance pattern and the nuclear energy release, therefore determining the nucleosynthesis in NSMs. A list of major n-capture rates affecting individual isotopes and elements production is also provided.
Present nuclear reaction network computations for astrophysical simulations involve many different types of rates, including neutron-capture reactions of interest for the modeling of heavy-element nucleosynthesis. While for many of them we still have to rely on theoretical calculations, an increasing number of experimentally-determined cross sections have now become available. In this contribution, we present “ASTrophysical Rate and rAw data Library” (ASTRAL), a new online database for neutron-capture cross sections based on experimental results, mainly obtained through activation and timeof-flight measurements. For the evaluation process, cross sections were re-calculated starting from raw data and by considering recent changes in physical properties of the involved isotopes (e.g., half-life and γ-ray intensities). We show the current status of the database, the techniques adopted to derive the recommended Maxwellian-averaged cross sections, and future developments.