Engineering topics

Van Bibber, Karl

Publications and source records attributed to Van Bibber, Karl.

4 records

DOE OSTI2021

History of and Aftermath from the Withdrawal of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

On February 1, 2019, the United States and Russia withdrew from the three-decades old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. Events precipitating the withdrawal were allegations by both the United States and Russia of a variety of treaty violations. Until that point, the treaty had been a centerpiece of arms control and a key agreement of the global security architecture. The absence of such a pillar has the potential destabilize the status quo of arms control, creating significant uncertainty in global nuclear stability and security. In this paper, we present a historical review as overture to an analysis on the impacts of this development on force structure. This analysis examines the changes in U.S., Russian, and Chinese nuclear forces which may occur as a result of the treaty's demise. The article concludes with commentary on potential actions to preserve stability in a post-INF world.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

DOE OSTI2020

An Integral Experiment on Polyethylene Using Radiative Capture in Indium Foils in a High Flux D-D Neutron Generator

In this work, we report here the results of a measurement of the scattered versus unscattered neutron fluence on polyethylene determined via neutron activation of multiple natural indium foils from a deuterium-deuterium (D-D) neutron generator. The neutrons were produced by the High Flux Neutron Generator (HFNG) at the University of California, Berkeley, a specially designed source to maximize neutron flux on a sample while minimizing the total neutron yield. During the experiment, approximately 10 8 n/s were produced with the energies at the indium foils ranging from 2.2 to 2.8 MeV. Both the angle-integrated and the partial angle differential results are consistent with the predictions of the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport (MCNP) code, using ENDF/B-VII.1. This supports shielding calculations in the fast energy region with high-density polyethylene.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2018

Design, construction, and characterization of a compact DD neutron generator designed for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

A next-generation, high-flux DD neutron generator has been designed, commissioned, and characterized, and is now operational in a new facility at the University of California Berkeley. The generator, originally designed for 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of geological materials, has since served numerous additional applications, including medical isotope production studies, with others planned for the near future. In this work, we present an overview of the High Flux Neutron Generator (HFNG) which includes a variety of simulations, analytical models, and experimental validation of results. Extensive analysis was performed in order to characterize the neutron yield, flux, and energy distribution at specific locations where samples may be loaded for irradiation. A notable design feature of the HFNG is the possibility for sample irradiation internal to the cathode, just 8 mm away from the neutron production site, thus maximizing the neutron flux (n/cm 2 /s). The generator’s maximum neutron flux at this irradiation position is 2.58 x 10 7 n/cm 2 /s ± 5% (approximately 3 x 10 8 n/s total yield) as measured via activation of small natural indium foils. However, future development is aimed at achieving an order of magnitude increase in flux. Additionally, the deuterium ion beam optics were optimized by simulations for various extraction configurations in order to achieve a uniform neutron flux distribution and an acceptable heat load. Finally, experiments were performed in order to benchmark the modeling and characterization of the HFNG.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Quantum Sensing for High Energy Physics

Report of the first workshop to identify approaches and techniques in the domain of quantum sensing that can be utilized by future High Energy Physics applications to further the scientific goals of High Energy Physics.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗