[en] We present a pulse counting multichannel data acquisition system, characterized by the high number of high speed acquisition channels, and by the modular, embedded system architecture. The former leads to very fast acquisitions and allows to obtain sequences of snapshots, for the study of time dependent phenomena. The latter, thanks to the integration of a CPU into the system, provides high computational capabilities, so that the interfacing with the user computer is very simple and user friendly. Moreover, the user computer is free from control and acquisition tasks. The system has been developed for one of the beamlines of the third generation synchrotron radiation sources ELETTRA, and because of the modular architecture can be useful in various other kinds of experiments, where parallel acquisition, high data rates, and user friendliness are required. First experimental results on a double pass hemispherical electron analyser provided with a 96 channel detector confirm the validity of the approach. (author)

[en] We use ultracold atoms in a quasiperiodic lattice to study two outstanding problems in the physics of disordered systems: a) the anomalous diffusion of a wavepacket in the presence of disorder, interactions and noise; b) the transport of a disordered superfluid. a) Our results show that the subdiffusion, observed when interaction alone is present, can be modelled with a nonlinear diffusion equation and the peculiar shape of the expanding density profiles can be connected to the microscopic nonlinear diffusion coefficients. Also when noise alone is present we can describe the observed normal diffusion dynamics by existing microscopic models. In the unexplored regime in which noise and interaction are combined, instead, we observe an anomalous diffusion, that we model with a generalized diffusion equation, where noise- and interaction-induced contributions add each other. b) We find that an instability appearing at relatively large momenta can be employed to locate the fluid-insulator crossover driven by disorder. By investigating the momentum-dependent transport, we observe a sharp crossover from a weakly dissipative regime to a strongly unstable one at a disorder-dependent critical momentum. The set of critical disorder and interaction strengths for which such critical momentum vanishes, can be identified with the separation between a fluid regime and an insulating one and can be related to the predicted zero-temperature superfluid-Bose glass transition

[en] From 1986, boron isotope data in natural substances increased sharply in scientific publications. Analytical difficulties derived from complex geochemical matrices have been faced and interlaboratory calibrations reported in the boron literature. Boron isotopes are nowdays applied to investigate boron origin and migration in natural waters, sources of boron contamination, water-rock interactions and also contribute to water resource management. This is especially important in those areas where boron content exceeds the local regulations for drinking water supply and boron sources need to be identified. ISOBORDAT, an interactive database on boron isotope composition and content in natural waters is presented to the wider community of boron isotope users. The database's structure, scope and applications are reported, along with a discussion on δ¹¹B values obtained in Italian waters. In the database boron data are structured in the following categories: rainwater, rivers, lakes, groundwater and potential contaminants. New categories (medium and high enthalpy fluids from volcanic and geothermal areas) are anticipated. ISOBORDAT aims to be as interactive as possible and will be developed taking into account information and suggestions received. The database is continually undergoing revision to keep pace with continuous data publication. Indications of data that are missing at present are greatly appreciated. (author)