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Fisher, A

Publications and source records attributed to Fisher, A.

14 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Application of IR imaging for free-surface velocity measurement in liquid-metal systems

Measuring free-surface, liquid-metal flow velocity is challenging to do in a reliable and accurate manner. This paper presents a non-invasive, easily-calibrated method of measuring the surface velocities of open-channel liquid-metal flows using an IR camera. Unlike other spatially-limited methods, this IR camera particle tracking technique provides full field-of-view data that can be used to better understand open-channel flows and determine surface boundary conditions. This method could be implemented and automated for a wide range of liquid-metal experiments, even if they operate at high-temperatures or within strong magnetic fields.

Free surface↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-IeP4-05: Experience with a Practical Approach to the Release of Radioactive Patients from Radiation Safety Isolation

Purpose: The radioactive patient releases of the nuclear medicine department in a large cancer center were analyzed to compare the estimated doses to others to the regulatory limit and institutional targets and to gauge how onerous the patients’ instructions were. Methods: In-house software that implements the NUREG 1556 approach and further considers fellow travelers, children and pregnant women and members of the public following Siegel, et al., is used to calculate release timing and to provide patients with individualized instructions. A retrospective analysis of the 218 releases in 2015 that required instructions included all I-131 and Lu-177 treatments. Results: There were 87 male and 131 female patients. They were 45.5±16.5 (8-84) years old, weighed 83.3±21.8 kg and stood 168±10 cm tall with a body mass index of 29.3±6.7 kg/m2. 195 patients received 2.96±2.23 GBq of I-131-NaI for differentiated thyroid carcinoma and eight received 636±231 MBq of I-131-NaI for hyperthyroidism. There were eight administrations of 18.5 GBq of I-131-mIBG and seven administrations of 7.4 GBq of Lu-177-DOTATATE. The dose to the most exposed person was 1.67±1.05 (mode=0.60, median=1.15) mSv. The dose to a fellow traveler was 0.31±0.31 (mode=0.1, median=0.17) mSv. The dose to children and pregnant women was 0.51±0.34 (mode=1.0, median=0.42) mSv. The duration of isolation was 7.7±17.3 (mode=2, median=1.7) hours. The duration of sleeping alone was 60.4±127 (mode=0, median=15.5) hours. The time to delay traveling was 12.2±11 (mode=median=0) hours. The time to completely avoid children and pregnant women was 23.3±26.5 (0–254, mode=median=24) hours followed by limited contact for 20.6±68.1 (0–491, mode=median=0) hours. The time to avoid others (e.g., to wait to return to work) was 12.1±101 (0–1465, mode=median=0) hours. Conclusion: The estimated doses to others were often well below the limits set by regulation, 5 mSv, or prudent practice, 1 mSv. Most patients’ instructions were not hard to comply with.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Plasmas, Dielectrics and the Ultrafast: First Science and Operational Experience at FACET

FACET (Facility for Advanced Accelerator and Experimental Tests) is an accelerator R&D test facility that has been recently constructed at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The facility provides 20 GeV, 3 nC electron beams, short (20 {micro}m) bunches and small (20 {micro}m wide) spot sizes, producing uniquely high power beams. FACET supports studies from many fields but in particular those of Plasma Wakefield Acceleration and Dielectric Wakefield Acceleration. FACET is also a source of THz radiation for material studies. We present the FACET design, initial operating experience and first science from the facility.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

PEP-II Status and Outlook

PEP-II/BABAR are presently in their second physics run. With machine and detector performance and reliability at an all-time high, almost 51 fb{sup -1} have been integrated by BABAR up to mid-October 2001. PEP-II luminosity has reached 4.4 x 10{sup 33} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} and our highest monthly delivered luminosity has been above 6 pb{sup -1}, exceeding the performance parameters given in the PEP-II CDR by almost 50%. The increase compared to the first run in 2000 has been achieved by a combination of beam-current increase and beam-size decrease. In this paper we will summarize the PEP-II performance and the present limitations as well as our plans to further increase machine performance.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Structural Insights into Membrane Targeting by the Flagellar Calcium-binding Protein (FCaBP) a Myristoylated and Palmitoylated Calcium Sensor in Trypanosoma cruzi

The flagellar calcium-binding protein (FCaBP) of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is targeted to the flagellar membrane where it regulates flagellar function and assembly. As a first step toward understanding the Ca{sup 2+}-induced conformational changes important for membrane-targeting, we report here the x-ray crystal structure of FCaBP in the Ca{sup 2+}-free state determined at 2.2{angstrom} resolution. The first 17 residues from the N terminus appear unstructured and solvent-exposed. Residues implicated in membrane targeting (Lys-19, Lys-22, and Lys-25) are flanked by an exposed N-terminal helix (residues 26-37), forming a patch of positive charge on the protein surface that may interact electrostatically with flagellar membrane targets. The four EF-hands in FCaBP each adopt a 'closed conformation' similar to that seen in Ca{sup 2+}-free calmodulin. The overall fold of FCaBP is closest to that of grancalcin and other members of the penta EF-hand superfamily. Unlike the dimeric penta EF-hand proteins, FCaBP lacks a fifth EF-hand and is monomeric. The unstructured N-terminal region of FCaBP suggests that its covalently attached myristoyl group at the N terminus may be solvent-exposed, in contrast to the highly sequestered myristoyl group seen in recoverin and GCAP1. NMR analysis demonstrates that the myristoyl group attached to FCaBP is indeed solvent-exposed in both the Ca{sup 2+}-free and Ca{sup 2+}-bound states, and myristoylation has no effect on protein structure and folding stability. We propose that exposed acyl groups at the N terminus may anchor FCaBP to the flagellar membrane and that Ca{sup 2+}-induced conformational changes may control its binding to membrane-bound protein targets..

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Parameters for the PEP-II B-Factory at SLAC in 2008

The PEP-II B-Factory at SLAC (3.1 GeV e{sup +} x 9.0 GeV e{sup -}) operated from 1999 to 2008, delivering luminosity to the BaBar experiment. The design luminosity was reached after one and a half years of operation. In the end PEP-II surpassed, by four times, its design luminosity reaching 1.21 x 10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1}. It also set world stored beam current records of 2.1 A e{sup -} and 3.2 A e{sup +}. Continuous injection was implemented with BaBar successfully taking data. The total delivered luminosity to the BaBar detector was 557.4 fb{sup -1} spanning five upsilon resonances. PEP-II was constructed by SLAC, LBNL, and LLNL with help from BINP, IHEP, the BaBar collaboration, and the US DOE OHEP.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

High-Current Effects in the PEP-II Storage Ring

The PEP-II B-Factory operated at peak and integrated luminosity several times the original design values. Its storage rings operated at world-record beam currents with bunch lengths of about 10 mm. Correspondingly significant heat load was imposed on the vacuum system, both due to synchrotron radiation and by energy loss into higher-order modes. The latter in turn would lead to local heating or discharges wherever such energy got absorbed. Over the course of PEP-II running we experienced numerous such effects, which lead to upgrade programs of significant scope. In the following we will describe the most significant of such effects and their mitigation: (1) Upgrades and repairs of RF seals and shields in both rings; (2) Redesign of overheating stripline kicker electrodes to withstand higher powers; and (3) Redesign and replacement of BPM buttons following failure.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

The SuperB Accelerator: Overview and Lattice Studies

SuperB aims at the construction of a very high luminosity (10{sup 36} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}) asymmetric e{sup +}e{sup -} Flavour Factory, with possible location at the campus of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, near the INFN Frascati National Laboratory. In this paper the basic principles of the design and details on the lattice are given. SuperB is a new machine that can exploit novel very promising design approaches: (1) large Piwinski angle scheme will allow for peak luminosity of the order of 10{sup 36} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, well beyond the current state-of-the-art, without a significant increase in beam currents or shorter bunch lengths; (2) 'crab waist' sextupoles will be used for suppression of dangerous resonances; (3) the low beam currents design presents reduced detector and background problems, and affordable operating costs; (4) a polarized electron beam can produce polarized {tau} leptons, opening an entirely new realm of exploration in lepton flavor physics. SuperB studies are already proving useful to the accelerator and particle physics communities. The principle of operation is being tested at DAFNE. The baseline lattice, based on the reuse of all PEP-II hardware, fits in the Tor Vergata University campus site, near Frascati. A CDR is being reviewed by an International Review Committee, chaired by J. Dainton (UK). A Technical Design Report will be prepared to be ready by beginning of 2010.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Observations and Modeling of Debris and Shrapnel Impacts on Optics and Diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility

A wide range of targets with laser energies spanning two orders of magnitude have been shot at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The National Ignition Campaign (NIC) targets are cryogenic with Si supports and cooling rings attached to an Al thermo-mechanical package (TMP) with a thin (30 micron) Au hohlraum inside. Particular attention is placed on the low-energy shots where the TMP is not completely vaporized. In addition to NIC targets, a range of other targets has also been fielded on NIF. For all targets, simulations play a critical role in determining if the risks associated with debris and shrapnel are acceptable. In a number of cases, experiments were redesigned, based on simulations, to reduce risks or to obtain data. The majority of these simulations were done using the ALE-AMR code, which provides efficient late-time (100-1000X the pulse duration) 3D calculations of complex NIF targets.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2011

Modeling Warm Dense Matter Experiments using the 3D ALE-AMR Code and the Move Toward Exascale Computing

The Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment II (NDCX II) is an induction accelerator planned for initial commissioning in 2012. The final design calls for a 3 MeV, Li+ ion beam, delivered in a bunch with characteristic pulse duration of 1 ns, and transverse dimension of order 1 mm. The NDCX II will be used in studies of material in the warm dense matter (WDM) regime, and ion beam/hydrodynamic coupling experiments relevant to heavy ion based inertial fusion energy. We discuss recent efforts to adapt the 3D ALE-AMR code to model WDM experiments on NDCX II. The code, which combines Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) hydrodynamics with Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR), has physics models that include ion deposition, radiation hydrodynamics, thermal diffusion, anisotropic material strength with material time history, and advanced models for fragmentation. Experiments at NDCX-II will explore the process of bubble and droplet formation (two-phase expansion) of superheated metal solids using ion beams. Experiments at higher temperatures will explore equation of state and heavy ion fusion beam-to-target energy coupling efficiency. Ion beams allow precise control of local beam energy deposition providing uniform volumetric heating on a timescale shorter than that of hydrodynamic expansion. The ALE-AMR code does not have any export control restrictions and is currently running at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) at LBNL and has been shown to scale well to thousands of CPUs. New surface tension models that are being implemented and applied to WDM experiments. Some of the approaches use a diffuse interface surface tension model that is based on the advective Cahn-Hilliard equations, which allows for droplet breakup in divergent velocity fields without the need for imposed perturbations. Other methods require seeding or other methods for droplet breakup. We also briefly discuss the effects of the move to exascale computing and related computational changes on general modeling codes in fusion energy.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2011

Beyond Zeeman spectroscopy: Magnetic-field diagnostics with Stark-dominated line shapes

A recently suggested spectroscopic approach for magnetic-field determination in plasma is employed to measure magnetic fields in an expanding laser-produced plasma plume in an externally applied magnetic field. The approach enables the field determination in a diagnostically difficult regime for which the Zeeman-split patterns are not resolvable, as is often encountered under the conditions characteristic of high-energy-density plasmas. Here, such conditions occur in the high-density plasma near the laser target, due to the dominance of Stark broadening. A pulsed-power system is used to generate magnetic fields with a peak magnitude of 25 T at the inner-electrode surface in a coaxial configuration. An aluminum target attached to the inner electrode surface is then irradiated by a laser beam to produce the expanding plasma that interacts with the applied azimuthal magnetic field. A line-shape analysis of the Al III 4s-4p doublet (5696 and 5722 A) enables the simultaneous determination of the magnetic field and the electron density. The measured magnetic fields are generally found to agree with those expected in a vacuum based on the pulsed-power system current. Examples of other transitions that can be used to diagnose a wide range of plasma and magnetic field parameters are presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Ion Temperature and Hydrodynamic-Energy Measurements in a Z-Pinch Plasma at Stagnation

The time history of the local ion kinetic energy in a stagnating plasma was determined from Doppler-dominated line shapes. Using independent determination of the plasma properties for the same plasma region, the data allowed for inferring the time-dependent ion temperature, and for discriminating the temperature from the total ion kinetic energy. It is found that throughout most of the stagnation period the ion thermal energy constitutes a small fraction of the total ion kinetic energy; the latter is dominated by hydrodynamic motion. Both the ion hydrodynamic and thermal energies are observed to decrease to the electron thermal energy by the end of the stagnation period. It is confirmed that the total ion kinetic energy available at the stagnating plasma and the total radiation emitted are in balance, as obtained in our previous experiment. The dissipation time of the hydrodynamic energy thus appears to determine the duration (and power) of the K emission.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗