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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12

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NASA NTRS1971

Study of energetic solar particle events of 18 November 1968, 25 February 1969, and 30 March 1969

The solar particle events of 18 November 1968, 25 February 1969, and 30 March 1969 were studied using data from the detector system aboard the lunar orbiting satellite Explorer 35. Protons, alpha particles, and Z or = 3 nuclei were registered in the solid state detector of the system. Interplanetary propagation, particle anisotropy, and the intensity ratios of protons to alpha particles and of alpha particles to C, N, and O nuclei above a common specific energy of 0.5 MeV/nucleon were studied. Diffusion coefficients and decay constants for the three events are given, as well as magnitudes and directions of anisotropies.

Venkatarangan, P.↗

NASA NTRS1984

IUE observations of Centaurus X-4 during the 1979 May outburst

Ultraviolet spectrophotometry of the X-ray transient/burst source Centaurus X-4 at several intervals during the peak and decay of the May 1979 X-ray transient event was obtained. The spectrum was characterized by a blue continuum with alpha = 0.0 + or - 0.3 (F/nu/ varies as nu to the alpha power) and strong emission lines of N V lambda 1240, C IV lambda 1550, and Si IV lambda 1398. The relative intensities of the emission lines and the ratio of line to continuum strengths remained nearly constant during the decline. The emission lines may have arisen from a 'disk chromosphere', from X-ray heating of the K4 V companion star, or both. The ultraviolet data are combined with previously published optical and X-ray data to determine some of the physical characteristics of the system and to show that X-ray reprocessing plays an important role in producing the optical and ultraviolet continua.

Blair, W. P.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Developing an-In-Field Alpha Spectrometer (IFAS)-for UF 6 Enrichment Measurement [Slides]

This project is developing an in-field alpha spectrometry system for the purpose of assaying grab samples of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) and determining uranium enrichment. This new system will accommodate Single-Use Destructive Assay (SUDA) samples (PNNL) and will be robust to handle elevated beta-decay radiation present in UF 6 samples.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗

NASA NTRS1973

Time variations of magnetospheric intensities of outer zone protons, alpha particles and ions (Z greater than or equal to 2)

A comprehensive study of the temporal behavior of trapped protons, alpha particles and ions (Z 2) in outer zone of the earth's magnetosphere has been made. These observations were made by the Injun V satellite during the first 21 months of operation, August 1968 to May 1970. Rapid increases in the observed number of particles followed by slower exponential decay characterize the data. Comparisons are made with the temporal behavior of interplanetary particles of the same energy observed by Explorer 35. Increases in the trapped fluxes generally correspond to enhanced interplanetary activity. The energy spectra of protons and alpha particles at L = 3 have similar shapes when compared on an energy per charge basis while the respective polar cap spectra have similar shape on an energy per nucleon basis. Apparent inward trans-L motion of energetic protons is observed. These particles are diffused inward by a process involving fluctuating electric fields. The loss of trapped low altitude protons, alpha particles and ions (Z 2) is controlled by coulombic energy loss in the atmosphere.

Randall, B. A.↗

DOE OSTI2021

On the Feynman-alpha method for reflected fissile assemblies

The Feynman-alpha method is a neutron noise technique that is used to estimate the prompt neutron period of fissile assemblies. The method and quantity are of widespread interest including in applications such as nuclear criticality safety, safeguards and nonproliferation, and stockpile stewardship; the prompt neutron period may also be used to infer the k eff multiplication factor. The Feynman-alpha method is predicated on time-correlated neutron detections that deviate from a Poisson random variable due to multiplication. Traditionally, such measurements are diagnosed with one-region point kinetics, but two-region models are required when the fissile assembly is reflected. This paper presents a derivation of the two-region point kinetics Feynman-alpha equations based on a double integration of the Rossi-alpha equations, develops novel propagation of measurement uncertainty, and validates the theory. Validation is achieved with organic scintillator measurements of weapons-grade plutonium reflected by various amounts of copper to achieve k eff values of 0.83–0.94 and prompt periods of 5–75 ns. The results demonstrate that Feynman-alpha measurements should use the two-region model instead of the one-region model. The simplified one-region model deviates from the validated two-region models by as much as 10% in the estimate of the prompt neutron period, and the two-region model reduces to the one-region model for small amounts of reflector. The Feynman-alpha estimates of the prompt neutron period are compared to those of the Rossi-alpha approach. The comparative results demonstrate that the Feynman-alpha method is more precise than the Rossi-alpha method and more accurate for k eff < 0.92, whereas the Rossi-alpha method is generally more accurate for higher multiplications. Here, the uncertainty propagation developed in this work should be used for all Feynman-alpha measurements and will therein improve fitting accuracy and appropriate precision estimates.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

DOE OSTI2020

Microcalorimeters for IAEA NML (Annual Report FY2020)

Based on input from Andrey Bosko (IAEA NML) during a visit to LLNL October 17-18, 2019, the project focused on adapting magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs) for high-resolution decay energy (Q) spectroscopy of actinides. This included fabricating an MMC detector suitable for MeV signals, testing different approaches on how to embed an alpha source inside an absorber, and demonstrating Q-spectroscopy with MMCs.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1978

Proton-associated alpha-irradiation in the early solar system - A possible K-41 anomaly

It is shown that alpha-particle fluences associated with proton fluences sufficiently high to produce the Al-correlated excess of Mg-26 found in the Allende meteorite produce equally significant amounts of Ca-41. The Ca-41 is produced by Ar-38(alpha,n)Ca-41 reactions occurring in the gas and condenses into the Ca-Al-rich grains forming at that time. After the decay of Ca-41, these grains will have a Ca-correlated excess of K-41. The question is considered whether the proposed scheme is capable of producing an observable excess of K-41. A calculation is conducted of the magnitude of the K-41 excess expected to be found in Ca-Al-rich grains for various ratios of Ca/K by developing an irradiation-condensation model. It is shown that on the basis of the currently available data it is not possible to come to firm conclusions regarding the validity of the irradiation model.

Dwek, E.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of a Bulk 237 Np Oxide Sample for Trace Actinides

A neptunium oxide sample was dissolved and trace actinide constituents were measured by isotope dilution ICP-MS (for 239–244 Pu, 233–238 U, 237 Np, 241–243 Am) and alpha spectrometry ( 238 Pu, 242 Cm, 244 Cm). This material contained significant quantities of transuranic elements, notably americium and curium. The isotopic composition of the material will continue to evolve over time due to radioactive decay; the measurements reported here include all isotopes decay corrected to a reference date of 1/1/2022. These factors may be considerations in criticality studies of the related 237 Np sphere.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

DOE OSTI2021

Laser-induced annealing of aged PuO 2

Plutonium dioxide (PuO 2 ) is an important compound used in nuclear fuel, irradiation targets, and heat sources. As such, improved understanding of its structural and spectroscopic properties has numerous applications. Alpha particle-induced damage of a PuO 2 crystal lattice modifies several properties of its Raman spectrum, including band intensities, positions, and widths. The decay also induces growth of new bands and creates electron-trapped defects with luminescent properties. Herein, we show for the first time that laser-induced heating can reverse damage to an aged and damaged PuO 2 lattice. Using automated instrumentation to heat a single 6–10 μm spot to temperatures above 1,300°C, we show that laser-induced annealing of aged PuO 2 results in restoration of T2g band intensity with a concomitant decrease in defect band intensity, a result that indicates laser annealing can be used to reverse age-damage in PuO 2 . This laser annealing approach permitted in situ observation of temperature-dependent Raman spectral changes, thereby providing insight into the thermodynamics of structural alterations in a radiolytically damaged PuO 2 .

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Scintillation characteristics of the EJ-299-02H scintillator

Here a study of the dead layer thickness and quenching factor of a plastic scintillator for use in ultracold neutron (UCN) experiments is described. Alpha spectroscopy was used to determine the thickness of a thin surface dead layer to be 630 ± 110 nm. The relative light outputs from the decay of 241 Am and Compton scattering of electrons were used to extract Birks’ law coefficient, yielding a kB value of 0.087 ± 0.003 mm/MeV, consistent with some previous reports for other polystyrene-based scintillators. The results from these measurements are incorporated into the simulation to show that an energy threshold of (∼9 keV) can be achieved for the UCNProBe experiment. This low threshold enables high beta particle detection efficiency and the indirect measurement of UCN. The ability to make the scintillator deuterated, accompanied by its relatively thin dead layer, gives rise to unique applications in a wide range of UCN experiments, where it can be used to trap UCN and detect charged particles in situ.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Yet Another Hauser-Feshbach Code

Code framework to perform simulations of nuclear reactions with incident particles including gammas, protons, neutrons, deuterons, tritons, helium-3, and alphas to develop nuclear data libraries and study nuclear reaction phenomona. The code can model nuclear reactions or initial populations specified by the user. The decays principally follow the compound-nucleus hypothesis and the statistical decay of Hauser and Feshbach. The code models nuclear decays with a Monte Carlo process that tracks the decay of each state. Data libraries are produced that can be translated into GNDS (generalized Nuclear Data Structure). YAHFC can also be used as an event generator, with individual decays written to disk for offline analysis. Both serial and MPI versions are provided. YAHFC does NOT perform transport of nuclear reactions through materials, only the primary reaction with a target material.

Ormand, WilliamE.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Approximate formulation of redistribution in the Ly-alpha, Ly-beta, H-alpha system

Simple approximate formulas are given for the coupled redistribution of Ly-alpha, Ly-beta, and H-alpha, by using well-defined approximations to an essentially exact formulation. These formulas incorporate all the essential physics including Raman scattering, lower state radiative decay, and correlated terms representing emission during a collision which must be retained in order that the emission coefficients are properly behaved in the line wings. Approximate expressions for the appropriate line broadening parameters are collected. Finally, practical expressions for the source functions are given. These are formulated through newly introduced nonimpact redistribution functions, which are shown to be reasonably approximated by existing (ordinary and generalized) redistribution functions.

Cooper, J.↗

NASA NTRS1971

Tritium trick

Large controlled amounts of helium in uniform concentration in thick samples can be obtained through the radioactive decay of dissolved tritium gas to He3. The term, tritium trick, applies to the case when helium, added by this method, is used to simulate (n,alpha) production of helium in simulated hard flux radiation damage studies.

Green, W. V.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Leptonic scalars at the LHC

We explore the collider prospects of neutrino non-standard interaction with a Standard Model (SM) gauge-singlet leptonic scalar &straightphi; carrying two units of lepton-number-charge. These leptonic scalars are forbidden from interacting with the SM fermions at the renormalizable level and, if one allows for higher-dimensional operators, couple predominantly to SM neutrinos. For masses at or below the electroweak scale, &straightphi; decays exclusively into neutrinos. Its characteristic production signature at hadron collider experiments like the LHC would be via the vector boson fusion process and leads to same-sign dileptons, two forward jets in opposite hemispheres, and missing transverse energy, i.e., $$ pp\to {\mathrm{\ell}}_{\alpha}^{\pm }{\mathrm{\ell}}_{\beta}^{\pm } jj+{E}_T^{\mathrm{miss}}\left(\alpha, \beta =e,\mu, \tau \right) $$ pp → ℓ α ± ℓ β ± jj + E T miss α β = e μ τ . Exploiting the final states of electrons and muons, we estimate, for the first time, the sensitivity of the LHC to these lepton-number-charged scalars. We show that the LHC sensitivity is largely complementary to that of low-energy precision measurements of the decays of charged leptons, charged mesons, W , Z and the SM Higgs boson, as well as the neutrino beam experiments like MINOS, and searches for neutrino self-interactions at IceCube and in cosmological observations. For &straightphi; mass larger than roughly 10 GeV, our projected LHC sensitivity would surpass all existing bounds.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2023

Time-Resolved Radioluminescence of the Copper(I) Cluster Cu4I62-. Temporal responses to Photo, X-ray, Beta-ray, and alpha-ray Excitation.

Described are time-resolved radioluminescence (TRRL) properties of the Cu(I) cluster Cu4I62– upon pulsed X-ray, β-ray or α-particle excitation. The longer (>2 μs) TRRL component displayed exponential decay comparable to pulsed UV excitation; however, temporal behavior at shorter times indicates that high local excited state density provides an alternative decay channel.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2023

Development of 225 Ac Production from Low Isotopic Dilution 229 Th

The promise of 225 Ac targeted alpha therapies has been on the horizon for the last two decades. TerraPower Isotopes are uniquely suited to produce clinically relevant quantities of 225 Ac through the decay of 229 Th. Herein, a rapid processing scheme to isolate radionuclidic and radioisotopically pure 225 Ac in good yield (98%) produced from 229 Th that contains significant quantities of 228 Th activity is described. The characterization of each step of the process is presented along with the detailed characterization of the resulting 225 Ac isotopic starting material that will support the cancer research and development efforts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS1975

Slow X-ray bursts and flares with filament disruption

The data from OGO-5 and OSO-7 X-ray experiments have been compared with optical data from six chromospheric flares with filament disruption associated with slow thermal X-ray bursts. Filament activation accompanied by a slight X-ray enhancement precedes the first evidence of H-alpha flare by a few minutes. Rapid increase of the soft X-ray flux accompanies the phase of fastest expansion of the filament. Plateau or slow decay phases in the X-ray flux are associated with slowing and termination of filament expansion. The soft X-ray flux increases as F approaches (A + Bh)h, where h is the height of the disrupted prominence at any given time and A and B are constants. We suggest that the soft X-ray emission originates from a growing shell of roughly constant thickness of high-temperature plasma due to the compression of the coronal gas by the expanding prominence.

Roy, J.-R.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Effects of 18 O Exchange on Neutron Emission Rates of Aging 238 PuO 2 LWRHUs

The Lightweight Radioisotope Heater Unit (LWRHU) provides about 1 Watt of thermal power to critical electrical and mechanical systems in the extreme temperatures of space, maintaining the operating temperature of the spacecraft’s scientific and general operating equipment. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) designed and tested the LWRHU in the 1970s through early 1980s. The first production campaign at LANL was in the early 1980s in support of the Galileo mission in which over 100 LWRHUs were manufactured. In the mid-1990s, almost 200 LWRHUs were manufactured in support of the Cassini mission. After the primary Cassini manufacturing campaign, the Department of Energy (DOE) approved the fabrication of more than 10 additional LWRHUs as spares in 1998. The LWRHU assembly contains the following components: a fuel pellet, a vented capsule, a pyrolytic graphite insulator, and a fine-weave pierced fabric (FWPF) graphite aeroshell. The fuel pellet is a hot-pressed 238 PuO 2 cylindrical pellet that is sintered to create a ceramic pellet. The pellet is encapsulated in a platinum-rhodium encapsulation. The welded fueled clad is placed inside a pyrolytic graphite thermal insulation to protect the fuel from the heat produced in reentry events. The exterior layer of the LWRHU assembly is the FWPF aeroshell. Before sintering, PuO 2 granules are heated in a furnace at temperatures greater than or equal to 700°C under an enriched 16 O atmosphere in order to reduce trace quantities of 18 O. Because 18 O undergoes an (α,n) reaction, 18 O needs to be removed as much as possible to meet radiation emission requirements set by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as other agencies. The relative abundances of the oxygen isotopes are indicated by neutron emission rate (NER) measurements. LWRHUs are vented with a sintered platinum frit vent (George 1986). During extraterrestrial operation, the vent in the cladding allows helium from the decay of plutonium to escape and relieves pressure from the system while preventing the solids from escaping (Rinehart 1996, Tate 1982 & 1985). This vent is protected during manufacture by a platinum-30 rhodium cover. The capsule vent is activated by milling a 0.025-inch diameter hole through the protective cover to a nominal depth of 0.015 inches, generally immediately before the LWRHU is loaded into the aeroshell (George 1986). Prior to long-term storage, LWRHUs are vented and thus potentially allow infiltration of 18 O from the ambient atmosphere. Although NER decreases with age due to the reduction in emitted alpha particles, it might be expected that NER reduction is mitigated by the exchange of 18 O. However, this is not necessarily the case and no trend was observed relating NER to age other than the natural decay of 238 Pu (Mulford 2021). The most probable and dominant factor for determining specific NER was manufacturing discrepancies between individual units. It is important to understand the lack of observed 16 O- 18 O exchange and to compare LWRHU pellets as much as possible.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗