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Atkinson, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Atkinson, R..

8 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment

On December 5, 2022, an indirect drive fusion implosion on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved a target gain G target of 1.5. This is the first laboratory demonstration of exceeding “scientific breakeven” (or G target > 1 ) where 2.05 MJ of 351 nm laser light produced 3.1 MJ of total fusion yield, a result which significantly exceeds the Lawson criterion for fusion ignition as reported in a previous NIF implosion [H. Abu-Shawareb (Indirect Drive ICF Collaboration), ]. This achievement is the culmination of more than five decades of research and gives proof that laboratory fusion, based on fundamental physics principles, is possible. This Letter reports on the target, laser, design, and experimental advancements that led to this result. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Lawson Criterion for Ignition Exceeded in an Inertial Fusion Experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin “burn propagation” into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While “scientific breakeven” (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this work reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1990

Halocarbon ozone depletion and global warming potentials

Concern over the global environmental consequences of fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has created a need to determine the potential impacts of other halogenated organic compounds on stratospheric ozone and climate. The CFCs, which do not contain an H atom, are not oxidized or photolyzed in the troposphere. These compounds are transported into the stratosphere where they decompose and can lead to chlorine catalyzed ozone depletion. The hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs or HFCs), in particular those proposed as substitutes for CFCs, contain at least one hydrogen atom in the molecule, which confers on these compounds a much greater sensitivity toward oxidation by hydroxyl radicals in the troposphere, resulting in much shorter atmospheric lifetimes than CFCs, and consequently lower potential for depleting ozone. The available information is reviewed which relates to the lifetime of these compounds (HCFCs and HFCs) in the troposphere, and up-to-date assessments are reported of the potential relative effects of CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, and halons on stratospheric ozone and global climate (through 'greenhouse' global warming).

Cox, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS): Instrument description, calibration and data quality

A new instrument has been developed to produce high resolution imagery in eight visible and three infared spectral bands from an aircraft platform. An analysis of the data and calibration procedures has shown that useful data can be obtained at up to 50 m resolution with a 2.5 milliradian aperture. Single sample standard errors for the measurements are 0.5, 0.2, and 0.9 K for the 6.5, 11.1, and 12.3 micron spectral bands, respectively. These errors are halved when a 5.0 milliradian aperture is used to obtain 100 m resolution data. Intercomparisons with VAS and AVHRR measurements show good relative calibration. MAMS development is part of a larger program to develop multispectral Earth imaging capabilities from space platforms during the 1990s.

Jedlovec, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Multispectral atmospheric mapping sensor of mesoscale water vapor features

The Multispectral atmospheric mapping sensor was checked out for specified spectral response and detector noise performance in the eight visible and three infrared (6.7, 11.2, 12.7 micron) spectral bands. A calibration algorithm was implemented for the infrared detectors. Engineering checkout flights on board the ER-2 produced imagery at 50 m resolution in which water vapor features in the 6.7 micron spectral band are most striking. These images were analyzed on the Man computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS). Ground truth and ancillary data was accessed to verify the calibration.

Menzel, P.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Classification software technique assessment

A catalog of software options is presented for the use of local user communities to obtain software for analyzing remotely sensed multispectral imagery. The resources required to utilize a particular software program are described. Descriptions of how a particular program analyzes data and the performance of that program for an application and data set provided by the user are shown. An effort is made to establish a statistical performance base for various software programs with regard to different data sets and analysis applications, to determine the status of the state-of-the-art.

Jayroe, R. R., Jr.↗