Engineering topics

King, G. B.

Publications and source records attributed to King, G. B..

8 records

DOE OSTI2024

Longitudinal form Factors of A ≤ 10 Nuclei in a Chiral Effective Field Theory Approach

Here, in this work, we present the elastic electron scattering longitudinal form factors of A ≤ 10 nuclei computed in a variational Monte Carlo approach. We employ the Norfolk family of local chiral interactions and a consistent electromagnetic charge operator. Our calculations are compared both to data and past theoretical evaluations. This work represents, to our knowledge, the first accurate calculation of longitudinal form factors using manybody methods based on interacting nucleon degrees of freedom in the 7 ≤ A ≤ 10 mass range. Finally, we identify 9 Be and 10 B as candidate targets for renewed experimental interest, as they exhibit the potential to provide more stringent constraints on the theoretical models.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Magnetic structure of A ≤ 10 nuclei using the Norfolk nuclear models with quantum Monte Carlo methods

Here we present quantum Monte Carlo calculations of magnetic moments, form factors, and densities of A ≤ 10 nuclei within a chiral effective field theory approach. We use the Norfolk two- and three-body chiral potentials and their consistent electromagnetic one- and two-nucleon current operators. We find that two-body contributions to the magnetic moment can be large (up to ≈ 33% in A = 9 systems). We study the model dependence of these observables and place particular emphasis on investigating their sensitivity to using different cutoffs to regulate the many-nucleon operators. Calculations of elastic magnetic form factors for A ≤ 10 nuclei show excellent agreement with the data out to momentum transfers q ≈ 3 fm -1 .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Quantum Monte Carlo Calculations of Magnetic Form Factors in Light Nuclei

Here, we present Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of magnetic form factors in A = 6-10 nuclei, based on Norfolk two- and three-nucleon interactions, and associated one- and two-body electromagnetic currents. Agreement with the available experimental data for 6 Li, 7 Li, 9 Be and 10 B up to values of momentum transfer q ~ 3 fm -1 is achieved when two-nucleon currents are accounted for. We present a set of predictions for the magnetic form factors of 7 Be, 8 Li, 9 Li, and 9 C. In these systems, two body currents account for ~ 40-60% of the total magnetic strength. Measurements in any of these radioactive systems would provide valuable insights on the nuclear magnetic structure emerging from the underlying many-nucleon dynamics. A particularly interesting case is that of 7 Be, as it would enable investigations of the magnetic structure of mirror nuclei

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2023

Ab initio calculation of the β-decay spectrum of 6 He

Here, we calculate the β spectrum in the decay of 6 He using quantum Monte Carlo methods with nuclear interactions derived from chiral effective field theory and consistent weak vector and axial currents. We work at second order in the multipole expansion, retaining terms suppressed by O(q 2 /m$^{2}_{π}$), where q denotes low-energy scales such as the reaction’s Q value or the electron energy, and m π is the pion mass. We go beyond the impulse approximation by including the effects of two-body vector and axial currents. We estimate the theoretical error on the spectrum by using four potential models in the Norfolk family of local two- and three-nucleon interactions, which have different cutoffs, fit two-nucleon data up to different energies, and use different observables to determine the couplings in the three-body force. We find the theoretical uncertainty on the β spectrum, normalized by the total rate, to be well below the permille level, and to receive contributions of comparable size from first- and second-order corrections in the multipole expansion. We consider corrections to the β decay spectrum induced by beyond-standard-model charged-current interactions in the standard model effective field theory, with and without sterile neutrinos, and discuss the sensitivity of the next generation of experiments to these interactions.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

DOE OSTI2022

Partial muon capture rates in A = 3 and A = 6 nuclei with chiral effective field theory

Searches for neutrinoless-double beta decay rates are crucial in addressing questions within fundamental symmetries and neutrino physics. The rates of these decays depend not only on unknown parameters associated with neutrinos, but also on nuclear properties. In order to reliably extract information about the neutrino, one needs an accurate treatment of the complex many-body dynamics of the nucleus. Neutrinoless-double beta decays take place at momentum transfers on the order of 100 MeV/$c$ and require both nuclear electroweak vector and axial current matrix elements. Muon capture, a process in the same momentum transfer regime, has readily available experimental data to validate these currents. In this work, we present results of {\it ab initio} calculations of partial muon capture rates for $^3$He and $^6$Li nuclei using variational and Green's Function Monte Carlo computational methods. We estimate the impact of the three-nucleon interactions, the cutoffs used to regularize two-nucleon ($2N$) interactions, and the energy range of $2N$ scattering data used to fit these interactions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Statistical tools for a better optical model

Background: Modern statistical tools provide the ability to compare the information content of observables and provide a path to explore which experiments would be most useful to give insight into and constrain theoretical models. Purpose: Here we study three such tools in the context of nuclear reactions with the goal of constraining the optical potential. Method: The three statistical tools examined are (i) the principal component analysis, (ii) the sensitivity analysis based on derivatives, and (iii) the Bayesian evidence. We first apply these tools to a toy-model case, comparing the form of the imaginary part of the optical potential. Then we consider two different reaction observables, elastic angular distributions and polarization data for reactions on 48 Ca and 208 Pb at two different beam energies. Results: For the toy-model case, we find significant discrimination power in the sensitivities and the Bayesian evidence, showing clearly that the volume imaginary term is more useful to describe scattering at higher energies. When comparing between elastic cross sections and polarization data using realistic optical models, sensitivity studies indicate that both observables are roughly equally sensitive but the variability of the optical model parameters is strongly angle dependent. The Bayesian evidence shows some variability between the two observables, but the Bayes factor obtained is not sufficient to discriminate between angular distributions and polarization. Conclusions: From the cases considered, we conclude that, in general, elastic scattering angular distributions have similar impact in constraining the optical potential parameters compared with the polarization data. The angular ranges for the optimum experimental constraints can vary significantly with the observable considered.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1986

Influence of temperature and hydroxyl concentration on incipient soot formation in premixed flames

Critical equivalence ratios phi(c) have been measured as a function of temperature (1600-1880 K) for premixed flames at atmospheric pressure. The five fuels studied are methane, ethane, propane, ethylene, and acetylene. The flames were stabilized on a flat flame burner and the temperatures were measured using sodium D-line reversal. A linear relationship is found between In phi(c) and 1/T for each fuel. Based on a global kinetic model in which soot precursors are formed by fuel pyrolysis and oxidized by OH, a predictive correlation has been developed which shows the influence of temperature, OH concentration, and C/H ratio on sooting tendency. This correlation describes all of the measured phi(c) versus temperature data, suggesting that the overall mechanism of soot formation is similar among aliphatic fuels.

Harris, M. M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Saturated laser fluorescence in turbulent sooting flames at high pressure

The primary objective was to develop a quantitative, single pulse, laser-saturated fluorescence (LSF) technique for measurement of radical species concentrations in practical flames. The species of immediate interest was the hydroxyl radical. Measurements were made in both turbulent premixed diffusion flames at pressures between 1 and 20 atm. Interferences from Mie scattering were assessed by doping with particles or by controlling soot loading through variation of equivalence ratio and fuel type. The efficacy of the LSF method at high pressure was addressed by comparing fluorescence and adsorption measurements in a premixed, laminar flat flame at 1-20 atm. Signal-averaging over many laser shots is sufficient to determine the local concentration of radical species in laminar flames. However, for turbulent flames, single pulse measurements are more appropriate since a statistically significant number of laser pulses is needed to determine the probability function (PDF). PDFs can be analyzed to give true average properties and true local kinetics in turbulent, chemically reactive flows.

King, G. B.↗