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Moore, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Moore, C..

16 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Strong Coulomb coupling influences ion and neutral temperatures in atmospheric pressure plasmas

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to model ion and neutral temperature evolution in partially-ionized atmospheric pressure plasma at different ionization fractions. Results show that ion–ion interactions are strongly coupled at ionization fractions as low as 10 –5 and that the temperature evolution is influenced by effects associated with the strong coupling. Specifically, disorder-induced heating is found to rapidly heat ions on a timescale of the ion plasma period (~10 s ps) after an ionization pulse. This is followed by the collisional relaxation of ions and neutrals, which cools ions and heats neutrals on a longer (~ns) timescale. Slight heating then occurs over a much longer (~100 s ns) timescale due to ion-neutral three-body recombination. An analytic model of the temperature evolution is developed that agrees with the simulation results. Finally, a conclusion is that strong coupling effects are important in atmospheric pressure plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Determining the bubble nucleation efficiency of low-energy nuclear recoils in superheated C 3 F 8 dark matter detectors

The bubble nucleation efficiency of low-energy nuclear recoils in superheated liquids plays a crucial role in interpreting results from direct searches for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter. Here, the PICO collaboration presents the results of the efficiencies for bubble nucleation from carbon and fluorine recoils in superheated C 3 F 8 from calibration data taken with five distinct neutron spectra at various thermodynamic thresholds ranging from 2.1 to 3.9 keV. Instead of assuming any particular functional forms for the nuclear recoil efficiency, a generalized piecewise linear model is proposed with systematic errors included as nuisance parameters to minimize model-introduced uncertainties. A Markov chain Monte Carlo routine is applied to sample the nuclear recoil efficiency for fluorine and carbon at 2.45 and 3.29 keV thermodynamic thresholds simultaneously. The nucleation efficiency for fluorine was found to be ≥ 50% for nuclear recoils of 3.3 keV (3.7 keV) at a thermodynamic Seitz threshold of 2.45 keV (3.29 keV), and for carbon the efficiency was found to be ≥ 50% for recoils of 10.6 keV (11.1 keV) at a threshold of 2.45 keV (3.29 keV). Simulated datasets are used to calculate a p value for the fit, confirming that the model used is compatible with the data. The fit paradigm is also assessed for potential systematic biases, which although small, are corrected for. Additional steps are performed to calculate the expected interaction rates of WIMPs in the PICO-60 detector, a requirement for calculating WIMP exclusion limits.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Results on photon-mediated dark-matter–nucleus interactions from the PICO-60 C 3 F 8 bubble chamber

Many compelling models predict dark matter coupling to the electromagnetic current through higher multipole interactions, while remaining electrically neutral. Different multipole couplings have been studied, among them anapole moment, electric and magnetic dipole moments, and millicharge. This study sets limits on the couplings for these photon-mediated interactions using nonrelativistic contact operators in an effective field theory framework. Using data from the PICO-60 bubble chamber leading limits for dark matter masses between 2.7 and 24 GeV/c 2 and above 265 GeV/c 2 (anapole moment), 2.7 and 11.7 GeV/c 2 (electric moment), 3 and 9.5 GeV/c 2 (magnetic moment), and 2.7 and 12 GeV/c 2 (millicharged) are reported for the coupling of these photon-mediated dark matter-nucleus interactions. The detector was filled with 52 kg of C 3 F 8 operating at thermodynamic thresholds of 2.45 keV and 3.29 keV, reaching exposures of 1404 kg-day and 1167 kg-day, respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comparative scintillation performance of EJ-309, EJ-276, and a novel organic glass

An organic glass scintillator developed by Sandia National Laboratories was characterized in terms of its light output and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) properties and compared to commercial liquid (EJ-309) and plastic (EJ-276) organic scintillators. The electron light output was determined through relative comparison of the 137 Cs Compton edge location. The proton light yield was measured using a double time-of-flight technique at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Using a tunable broad-spectrum neutron source and an array of pulse-shape-discriminating observation scintillators, a continuous measurement of the proton light yield was performed for EJ-309 (200 keV–3.2 MeV), EJ-276 (170 keV–4.9 MeV), and the organic glass (50 keV–20 MeV) . Finally, the PSD properties of the organic glass, EJ-309, and EJ-276 were evaluated using an AmBe source and compared via a figure-of-merit metric. The organic glass exhibited a higher electron light output than both EJ-309 and EJ-276. Its proton light yield and PSD performance were comparable to EJ-309 and superior to that of EJ-276. Finally, with these performance characteristics, the organic glass scintillator is well poised to replace current state-of-the-art PSD-capable scintillators in a range of fast neutron detection applications.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Data-Driven Modeling of Electron Recoil Nucleation in PICO C$_3$F$_8$ Bubble Chambers

The primary advantage of moderately superheated bubble chamber detectors is their simultaneous sensitivity to nuclear recoils from weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter and insensitivity to electron recoil backgrounds. A comprehensive analysis of PICO gamma calibration data demonstrates for the first time that electron recoils in C3F8 scale in accordance with a new nucleation mechanism, rather than one driven by a hot spike as previously supposed. Using this semiempirical model, bubble chamber nucleation thresholds may be tuned to be sensitive to lower energy nuclear recoils while maintaining excellent electron recoil rejection. The PICO-40L detector will exploit this model to achieve thermodynamic thresholds as low as 2.8 keV while being dominated by single-scatter events from coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering of solar neutrinos. In one year of operation, PICO-40L can improve existing leading limits from PICO on spin-dependent WIMP-proton coupling by nearly an order of magnitude for WIMP masses greater than 3 GeV c-2 and will have the ability to surpass all existing non-xenon bounds on spin-independent WIMP-nucleon coupling for WIMP masses from 3 to 40 GeV c-2.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

Dark Matter Search Results from the Complete Exposure of the PICO-60 C$_3$F$_8$ Bubble Chamber

Final results are reported from operation of the PICO-60 C3F8 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 52 kg of C3F8 located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. The chamber was operated at thermodynamic thresholds as low as 1.2 keV without loss of stability. A new blind 1404-kg-day exposure at 2.45 keV threshold was acquired with approximately the same expected total background rate as the previous 1167-kg-day exposure at 3.3 keV. This increased exposure is enabled in part by a new optical tracking analysis to better identify events near detector walls, permitting a larger fiducial volume. These results set the most stringent direct-detection constraint to date on the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-proton spin-dependent cross section at 3.2×10-41 cm2 for a 25 GeV WIMP, improving on previous PICO results for 3–5 GeV WIMPs by an order of magnitude.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

Developing a Bubble Chamber Particle Discriminator Using Semi-Supervised Learning

The identification of non-signal events is a major hurdle to overcome for bubble chamber dark matter experiments such as PICO-60. The current practice of manually developing a discriminator function to eliminate background events is difficult when available calibration data is frequently impure and present only in small quantities. In this study, several different discriminator input/preprocessing formats and neural network architectures are applied to the task. First, they are optimized in a supervised learning context. Next, two novel semi-supervised learning algorithms are trained, and found to replicate the Acoustic Parameter (AP) discriminator previously used in PICO-60 with a mean of 97% accuracy.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

Low energy light yield of fast plastic scintillators

Compact neutron imagers using double-scatter kinematic reconstruction are being designed for localization and characterization of special nuclear material. These neutron imaging systems rely on scintillators with a rapid prompt temporal response as the detection medium. As n-p elastic scattering is the primary mechanism for light generation by fast neutron interactions in organic scintillators, proton light yield data are needed for accurate assessment of scintillator performance. The proton light yield of a series of commercial fast plastic organic scintillators—EJ-200, EJ-204, and EJ-208—was measured via a double time-of-flight technique at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Using a tunable deuteron breakup neutron source, target scintillators housed in a dual photomultiplier tube configuration, and an array of pulse-shape- discriminating observation scintillators, the fast plastic scintillator light yield was measured over a broad and continuous energy range down to proton recoil energies of approximately 50 keV. Furthermore, this work provides key input to event reconstruction algorithms required for utilization of these materials in emerging neutron imaging modalities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Study of multiband disordered systems using the typical medium dynamical cluster approximation

We generalize the typical medium dynamical cluster approximation to multiband disordered systems. Using our extended formalism, we perform a systematic study of the nonlocal correlation effects induced by disorder on the density of states and the mobility edge of the three-dimensional two-band Anderson model. We include interband and intraband hopping and an intraband disorder potential. Our results are consistent with those obtained by the transfer matrix and the kernel polynomial methods. We also apply the method to K x Fe 2-y Se 2 with Fe vacancies. Despite the strong vacancy disorder and anisotropy, we find the material is not an Anderson insulator. Moreover our results demonstrate the application of the typical medium dynamical cluster approximation method to study Anderson localization in real materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS2000

The Gossamer Initiative

The Gossamer Spacecraft Initiative is a new NASA program to begin long-range development of enabling technologies for very large, ultra-lightweight structures and apertures.

Gossamer↗
NASA NTRS1993

Prediction of nonlinear optical properties of organic materials. General theoretical considerations

The prediction of nonlinear optical properties of organic materials is geared to assist materials scientists in the selection of good candidate molecules. A brief summary of the quantum mechanical methods used for estimating hyperpolarizabilities will be presented. The advantages and limitations of each technique will be discussed. Particular attention will be given to the finite-field method for calculating first and second order hyperpolarizabilities, since this method is better suited for large molecules. Corrections for dynamic fields and bulk effects will be discussed in detail, focusing on solvent effects, conformational isomerization, core effects, dispersion, and hydrogen bonding. Several results will be compared with data obtained from third-harmonic-generation (THG) and dc-induced second harmonic generation (EFISH) measurements. These comparisons will demonstrate the qualitative ability of the method to predict the relative strengths of hyperpolarizabilities of a class of compounds. The future application of molecular mechanics, as well as other techniques, in the study of bulk properties and solid state defects will be addressed. The relationship between large values for nonlinear optical properties and large conjugation lengths is well known, and is particularly important for third-order processes. For this reason, the materials with the largest observed nonresonant third-order properties are conjugated polymers. An example of this type of polymer is polydiacetylene. One of the problems in dealing with polydiacetylene is that substituents which may enhance its nonlinear properties may ultimately prevent it from polymerizing. A model which attempts to predict the likelihood of solid-state polymerization is considered, along with the implications of the assumptions that are used. Calculations of the third-order optical properties and their relationship to first-order properties and energy gaps will be discussed. The relationship between monomeric and polymeric third-order optical properties will also be considered.

Cardelino, B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Tambo Quemado: Extraordinary concentrations of REE and refractory trace elements caused by artificial heating

Buchwald examined samples of the IIIB iron Tambo Quemado (TAMQ) cut from the 130 kg main mass. He determined it had been artificially heated, at some time prior to being reported, in an attempt to obtain metal from it. Although the Widmanstatten structure appears relatively unaffected under macroscopic examination, microscopic study of etched sections reveals the effect of the heating. Taenite and plessite area boundaries are indistinct due to high temperature diffusion. Schreibersite, once present in significant amounts, has been melted. Schreibersites in the interior have resolidified in fine-grained eutectic textures surrounded by dark-etching metal rims supersaturated with phosphorus. Buchwald states that phosphate minerals were probably present originally, because graftonite, and its polymorph sarcopside (both essentially Fe3(PO4)2), are common in irons of the IIIB groups. Based on his metallographic study Buchwald estimates TAMQ was heated to 1000 C for about one hour. An interior sample from TAMQ was examined in order to determine what effect this unintended heating 'experiment' had upon the phosphate phases.

Olsen, E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Synthesis of Y1Ba2Cu3O(sub x) superconducting powders by intermediate phase reaction

One of the more striking problems for the synthesis of the Y1Ba2Cu3Ox compound is the high-temperature decomposition of the BaCO3. This compound is present as raw material or as an intermediate compound in chemical processes such as amorphous citrate, coprecipitation oxalate, sol-gel process, acetate pyrolisis, etc. This fact makes difficult the total formation reaction of the Y1Ba2Cu3Ox phase and leads to the presence of undesirable phases such as the BaCuO2 phase, the 'green phase', Y2BaCuO5 and others. Here, a new procedure to overcome this difficulty is studied. The barium cation is previously combined with yttrium and/or copper to form intermediate compounds which can react between them to give Y1Ba2Cu3Ox. BaY2O4 and BaCu2O3 react according to the equation BaY2O4+3BaCu2O3 yields 2Y1Ba2Cu3Ox. BaY2O4 is a stable compound of the Y2O3-BaO system; BaCu2O3 is an intimate mixture of BaCuO2 and uncombined CuO. The reaction kinetics of these phases have been established between 860 and 920 C. The phase evolution has been determined. The crystal structure of the Y1Ba2Cu3Ox obtained powder was studied. According to the results obtained from the kinetics study the Y1Ba2Cu3Ox the synthesis was performed at temperatures of 910 to 920 C for short treatment times (1 to 2 hours). Pure Y1Ba2Cu3Ox was prepared, which develops orthorombic type I structure despite of the cooling cycle. Superconducting transition took place at 91 K. The sintering behavior and the superconducting properties of sintered samples were studied. Density, microstructure and electrical conductivity were measured. Sintering densities higher than 95 percent D(sub th) were attained at temperatures below 940 C. Relatively fine grained microstructure was observed, and little or no-liquid phase was detected.

Moore, C.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Waveform simulator synthesizes complex functions

Multichannel apparatus produces or simulates a complex curve which can be viewed on an oscilloscope display surface and can be adjusted to match an original complex experimentally produced curve.

Malmberg, J.↗