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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

A new equation of state with light nuclei and their weak interactions in core-collapse supernova simulations

We perform numerical experiments to investigate the influence of inelastic neutrino reactions with light nuclei on the standing accretion shock instability. The time evolutions of shock waves are calculated with a simple light-bulb approximation for the neutrino transport and a multi-nuclei equation of state. The neutrino absorptions and inelastic interactions with deuterons, tritons, helions and alpha particles are taken into account in the hydrodynamical simulations in addition to the ordinary charged-current interactions with nucleons. Axial symmetry is assumed but no equatorial symmetry is imposed. We show that the heating rates of deuterons reach as high as ∼ 10% of those of nucleons around the bottom of the gain region. On the other hands, alpha particles heat the matter near the shock wave, which is important when the shock wave expands and density and temperature of matter become low. It is also found that the models with heating by light nuclei have different evolutions from those without it in non-linear evolution phase. The matter in the gain region has various densities and temperatures and there appear regions that are locally rich in deuterons and alpha particles. These results indicate that the inelastic reactions of light nuclei, especially deuterons, should be incorporated in the simulations of core-collapse supernovae.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE INFLUENCE OF INELASTIC NEUTRINO REACTIONS WITH LIGHT NUCLEI ON THE STANDING ACCRETION SHOCK INSTABILITY IN CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE

We perform numerical experiments to investigate the influence of inelastic neutrino reactions with light nuclei on the standing accretion shock instability (SASI). The time evolution of shock waves is calculated with a simple light-bulb approximation for the neutrino transport and a multi-nuclei equation of state. The neutrino absorptions and inelastic interactions with deuterons, tritons, helions, and alpha particles are taken into account in the hydrodynamical simulations. In addition, the effects of ordinary charged-current interactions with nucleons is addressed in the simulations. Axial symmetry is assumed but no equatorial symmetry is imposed. We show that the heating rates of deuterons reach as high as {approx}10% of those of nucleons around the bottom of the gain region. On the other hand, alpha particles are heated near the shock wave, which is important when the shock wave expands and the density and temperature of matter become low. It is also found that the models with heating by light nuclei evolve differently in the non-linear phase of SASI than do models that lack heating by light nuclei. This result is because matter in the gain region has a varying density and temperature and therefore sub-regions appear that are locally rich in deuterons and alpha particles. Although the light nuclei are never dominant heating sources and they work favorably for shock revival in some cases and unfavorably in other cases, they are non-negligible and warrant further investigation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Neutronics of Advanced-Fuel Fusion Experiments with DT Triggering

Nuclear fusion studies are currently devoted to the Deuterium-Tritium (DT) fuel cycle, the easiest way to reach ignition. The recent stress on safety by the world community has stimulated the research on other fuel cycles, based on advanced reactions, such as Deuterium-Helium-3 (DHe). With DHe, it is not necessary to breed and fuel tritium. The DHe cycle has a very low presence of energetic fusion neutrons, due to DD and DT side reactions, and it has the possibility to obtain electrical power by direct energy conversion of the protons produced by the fusion reactions. DHe fusion has its own set of problems, such as the availability of {sup 3}He and the attainment of the higher plasma parameters. To explore the possibilities of DHe plasmas, a burning plasma experiment at high magnetic field and high plasma densities is particularly attractive. Ignitor is a proposed compact high-magnetic field tokamak, aimed at studying plasma-burning conditions in Deuterium-Tritium plasmas. The Ignitor experiment is designed to reach ignition under controlled DT burning conditions. The machine parameters have been established, on the basis of existing knowledge of the confinement properties of high density plasmas. The scientific goal of the Ignitor experiment is to approach, for the first time, the ignition conditions of a magnetically confined D-T plasma. However, the plasma density limit in Ignitor being well above the optimal density for DT ignition, is potentially suitable to the higher densities required for DHe burning. In fact, Ignitor has been designed also to explore conditions where 14.7-MeV protons and 3.6-MeV alpha particles produced by the DHe reactions can supply a significant amount of thermal energy to a well-confined plasma. In particular, Ignitor can sustain plasma currents exceeding those required to confine proton orbits at birth, and has more than sufficiently high densities so that the slowing-down time of both the protons and the DT alpha particles is shorter than the electron energy replacement time of the thermal plasma in which they are produced. Preliminary analyses show that a fusion power PF around 2 MW, may be reached. As a start, Ignitor can perform initial studies at the level of approximately 1 MW of power in charged particles from the DHe reaction in a mostly DT plasma. CANDOR, a design evolution of Ignitor in the direction of a reactor using a DHe fuel cycle, has been proposed; it is a feasibility study of a high-field DHe experiment of larger dimensions and higher fusion power than Ignitor, however still based on the core Ignitor technologies. The main characteristics of the CANDOR machine are the following: the major radius Ro is about double than Ignitor, plasma currents up to 25 MA with toroidal magnetic fields B{sub T} = 13 T can be produced. Unlike Ignitor, CANDOR would operate with higher values of poloidal beta around unity and the central part of the plasma column in the Second Stability region. The characteristic times over which the plasma discharge can be sustained are longer by more than a factor of 4 than those of Ignitor. To produce such a strong magnetic field in a larger machine, the toroidal field coils have been divided into two sets of coils and the central solenoid (air core transformer) is placed between them in the inboard part. In CANDOR, the DHe burning regime can be reached, by a combination of ICRF heating and alpha particle heating due to DT fusion reactions, which take the role of a sort of trigger. Thanks to this fact, and unlike other proposed DHe fusion experiments, CANDOR is capable of reaching DHe ignition using the existing technologies, and present knowledge of plasma confinement phenomena. With the initial use of DT, where tritium comprises some 50% of an initial lower density DT plasma, but is not added thereafter, the need for an intense auxiliary heating, which is one of the main technological drawbacks of DHe ignition, would be considerably alleviated, becoming feasible with the present technology. However, this method has the disadvantage of using tritium and of presenting a higher neutron flux (due to DT reactions) than 'pure' DHe plasmas, generating a neutron flux transient when passing from the initial DT trigger reaction to the final DHe burning plasma. However, for an experimental machine one-of-a-kind of relatively small dimensions, this is not an issue. (authors)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synergistic effects of Al, Ga, and In doping on ZnO nanorod arrays grown via citrate-assisted hydrothermal technique for highly efficient and fast scintillator screens

To be used as efficient alpha particle scintillator in the fields of nuclear security, nuclear nonproliferation and high-energy physics, scintillator screens must have high light output and fast decay properties. While there has been a great deal of progress in scintillation efficiency, achieving fast decay time properties are still a challenge. In this work, the near band edge (NBE) UV luminescence and alpha particle induced scintillation properties of vertically aligned densely packed ZnO nanorods (NRs) doped with Al, Ga, and In have been thoroughly investigated. The high crystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure with a strong orientation through the c -axis plane (002) and aspect ratios in the range 13–22 have been observed for all ZnO NRs. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis exhibited paramagnetic signals at g ≈ 1.96 for all ZnO NRs. A cost effective green hydrothermal synthesis technique was employed to grow well-aligned NRs. Using citrate as an additive acting as a strong reducing agent in the solution during the crystal growth, defects on the surface are significantly suppressed, thereby enhancing the NBE UV emission. Significantly higher NBE UV emission was observed from the top surface of ZnO NRs in cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy. Results show that citrate assisted donor doping of ZnO NRs not only reduces the defect emission and NBE self-absorption, but also induces fast decay time (~ 600–700 ps), which makes ZnO NRs a good candidate for fast alpha particle scintillator screens used in associated particle imaging for time and direction tagging of individual neutrons generated in D–T and D–D neutron generators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1981

A nonthermal ion layer with high anisotropies at the plasmasheet boundary during substorm recovery

The energy spectra and anisotropies of protons and alpha particles are investigated at the plasmasheet boundary during the recovery phase of geomagnetic substorms using the Max Planck Institut/University of Maryland sensor system on the ISEE-1 satellite. The observations are found to reveal the presence of a thin nonthermal layer of approximately 60 keV/charge protons and alpha particles at the plasmasheet boundary, the particles streaming highly collimated in earthward direction. It is pointed out that the alpha particle layer is confined within the proton layer. It is thought that the principal features of the layers can be explained in terms of an acceleration model proposed by Speiser (1965) for the environment of a magnetic neutral line.

Moebius, E.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Alfvén eigenmode stability in a JET afterglow deuterium plasma and projections to deuterium–tritium plasmas

Abstract The performance of fusion devices relies strongly on the good confinement of energetic particles (EPs). Therefore, the investigation of EP transport by magnetohydrodynamic instabilities is one of the key aspects in the development of plasma scenarios. Alfvénic instabilities in particular can lead to significant losses of alpha particles that are essential for plasma self-heating. A so-called afterglow scheme has been developed to study the destabilization of Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) by alpha particles and associated EP transport in the JET tokamak. In this work, the linear stability of AEs is discussed for the partial afterglow phase in a JET deuterium plasma discharge and for the full afterglow phase in a projected deuterium–tritium (DT) plasma. Thanks to recent upgrades in the tokamak transport code TRANSP, one can account for the contributions of different EP species to mode stability. Analysis of deuterium plasmas shows that AE growth rates are extremely sensitive to the energy and distribution of fast ions. An increase in fast ion energy can lead to more unstable AEs. In the afterglow phase of projected DT plasmas, it is EPs that mostly drive the AEs. However, the drive by alpha particles is comparable to that by beam ions and their contribution to the net growth rate might be hard to separate. According to the discussed projections, the destabilization of AEs might be ineffective because the background plasma damping significantly exceeds the EP drive. In this case, the development of an alternative plasma scenario that allows us to overcome such damping would be required in future experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Preliminary benchmarks and analysis of boundary conditions in a trenched microstructured silicon radiation detector

Microstructured neutron detectors have the benefit of enhanced neutron detection efficiency as compared to planar devices, achieved by etching 6 LiF-filled trenches on the top surface of a silicon PIN diode. This sensor geometry results in a complex electric field distribution and depletion characteristics within the diode under reverse bias. For the first time on record, the effects of a fixed oxide charge on the microstructured device depletion characteristics and mobile carrier transport is investigated. Prototype detectors were fabricated with non-conformal surface doping. Capacitance voltage and current voltage measurements were performed for these prototypes and compared with COMSOL Multiphysics simulations. A spectral response from an 241Am alpha particle source was acquired and analyzed. It was found that monoenergetic alpha particles produce three prominent peaks in the pulse height spectrum output by the device. The peaks were confirmed by simulations to correlate with dead layers and incident trajectories into the microstructure. It was also found that significant differences in pulse rise time result, corresponding with events arriving in a low-field region in the fins and a high-field region in the bulk. Geant4 was utilized for radiation transport, interaction modeling, and benchmarking the spectral data. The results of this simulation work provide confidence in the ability to attain and benchmark electrical characteristics and spectral data for semiconductor radiation detectors employing complex microstructures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of 235 U, 238 U and 239 Pu fission ionization chamber foils by α and γ -ray spectrometry

The masses of thin, electroplated deposits of 235 U, 238 U and 239 Pu on titanium backings have been determined to better than 1.3% precision by employing three complementary measurement techniques: $\alpha$ spectrometry, 2$\pi$ gas counting, and $\gamma$-ray spectrometry. A dedicated $\alpha$ spectrometer was designed and calibrated to allow for repeatable, high-precision measurements of the absolute $\alpha$ activity of a sample. The isotopic composition of the sample was determined by fitting the peaks in the $\alpha$ spectrum, a technique which was demonstrated to be generally consistent with mass spectrometry. Independently, the total activity of the deposits were measured in a 2$\pi$ gas flow proportional counter. A detailed study of the effects of $\alpha$ particle straggling in the actinide deposit and $\alpha$ particle recoil off the sample backing material was performed. The masses of these actinide deposits were also measured via $\gamma$-ray spectrometry. Here, we found that all three systematically independent techniques produced consistent results, and could be combined into a weighted average with further reduced uncertainty. The mass ratios of these actinide deposits were determined to better than 1% precision via $\alpha$ spectrometry, enabling high-precision fission cross section ratio measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1994

Acceleration of interstellar pickup ions in the disturbed solar wind observed on Ulysses

Acceleration of interstellar pickup H(+) and He(+) as well as of solar wind protons and alpha particles has been observed on Ulysses during the passage of a corotating interaction region (CIR) at approximately 4.5 AU. Injection efficiencies for both the high thermal speed interstellar pickup ions (H(+) and He(+)) and the low thermal speed solar wind ions (H(+) and He(++) are derived using velocity distribution functions of protons, pickup He(+) and alpha particles from less than 1 to 60 keV/e and of ions (principally protons) above approximately 60 keV. The observed spatial variations of the few keV and the few hundred keV accelerated pickup protons across the forward shock of CIR indicate a two stage acceleration mechanism. Thermal ions are first accelerated to speeds of 3 to 4 times the solar wind speed inside the CIR, presumably by some statistical mechanism, before reaching higher energies by a shock acceleration process. Our results also indicate that (1) the injection efficiencies for pickup ions are almost 100 times higher than they are for solar wind ions, (2) pickup H(+) and He(+) are the two most abundant suprathermal ion species and they carry a large fraction of the particle thermal pressure, (3) the injection efficiency is highest for protons, lowest for He(+), and intermediate for alpha particles, (4) both H(+) and He(+) have identical spectral shapes above the cutoff speed for pickup ions, and (5) the solar wind frame velocity distribution function of protons has the form F(w) = F(sub o)w(sup -4) for 1 is less than w is less than approximately 5, where w is the ion speed divided by the solar wind speed. Above w approximately 5-10 the proton spectrum becomes steeper. These results have important implications concerning acceleration of ions by shocks and CIRs, acceleration of anomalous cosmic rays, and particle dynamics in the outer heliosphere.

Gloeckler, G.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Quantifying Fusion Born Ion Populations in Magnetically Confined Plasmas using Ion Cyclotron Emission

Ion cyclotron emission (ICE) offers unique promise as a diagnostic of the fusion born alpha-particle population in magnetically confined plasmas. Pioneering observations from JET and TFTR found that ICE intensity P ICE scales approximately linearly with the measured neutron flux from fusion reactions, and with the inferred concentration, n /n i , of fusion-born alpha-particles confined within the plasma. We present fully nonlinear self-consistent kinetic simulations that reproduce this scaling for the first time. This resolves a longstanding question in the physics of fusion alpha particle confinement and stability in MCF plasmas. It confirms the MCI as the likely emission mechanism and greatly strengthens the basis for diagnostic exploitation of ICE in future burning plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of Z{sub 1/2}, EH{sub 5}, and Ci1 deep defects on the performance of n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layers Schottky detectors: Alpha spectroscopy and deep level transient spectroscopy studies

Spectroscopic performance of Schottky barrier alpha particle detectors fabricated on 50 μm thick n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layers containing Z{sub 1/2}, EH{sub 5}, and Ci1 deep levels were investigated. The device performance was evaluated on the basis of junction current/capacitance characterization and alpha pulse-height spectroscopy. Capacitance mode deep level transient spectroscopy revealed the presence of the above-mentioned deep levels along with two shallow level defects related to titanium impurities (Ti(h) and Ti(c)) and an unidentified deep electron trap located at 2.4 eV below the conduction band minimum, which is being reported for the first time. The concentration of the lifetime killer Z{sub 1/2} defects was found to be 1.7 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −3}. The charge transport and collection efficiency results obtained from the alpha particle pulse-height spectroscopy were interpreted using a drift-diffusion charge transport model. Based on these investigations, the physics behind the correlation of the detector properties viz., energy resolution and charge collection efficiency, the junction properties like uniformity in barrier-height, leakage current, and effective doping concentration, and the presence of defects has been discussed in details. The studies also revealed that the dominating contribution to the charge collection efficiency was due to the diffusion of charge carriers generated in the neutral region of the detector. The 10 mm{sup 2} large area detectors demonstrated an impressive energy resolution of 1.8% for 5486 keV alpha particles at an optimized operating reverse bias of 130 V.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1980

Observations of a nonthermal ion layer at the plasma sheet boundary during substorm recovery

Measurements of the energy and angular distributions of energetic protons and alpha particles (not less than 30 keV/charge) in the geomagnetic tail are presented. The measurements were made during the recovery phase of a geomagnetic substorm on Apr. 19, 1978, with the Max-Planck-Institut/University of Maryland sensor system on the Isee 1 satellite. The measurements were also correlated with plasma observations made by the LASL/MPE instrument on Isee 1. The data reveal the presence of a thin nonthermal layer of protons and alpha particles at the plasma sheet boundary. The particles have their maximum flux at 60 keV/charge and are streaming highly collimated in the earthward direction. The alpha particle layer is confined within the proton layer. Many aspects of the observations are in agreement with an acceleration model near the neutral line proposed by Jaeger and Speiser (1974)

Moebius, E.↗
DOE OSTI2014

FY2014 FES (Fusion Energy Sciences) Theory & Simulation Performance Target, Final Report

We report here the work done for the FY14 OFES Theory Performance Target as given below: "Understanding alpha particle confinement in ITER, the world's first burning plasma experiment, is a key priority for the fusion program. In FY 2014, determine linear instability trends and thresholds of energetic particle-driven shear Alfven eigenmodes in ITER for a range of parameters and profiles using a set of complementary simulation models (gyrokinetic, hybrid, and gyrofluid). Carry out initial nonlinear simulations to assess the effects of the unstable modes on energetic particle transport". In the past year (FY14), a systematic study of the alpha-driven Alfven modes in ITER has been carried out jointly by researchers from six institutions involving seven codes including the transport simulation code TRANSP (R. Budny and F. Poli, PPPL), three gyrokinetic codes: GEM (Y. Chen, Univ. of Colorado), GTC (J. McClenaghan, Z. Lin, UCI), and GYRO (E. Bass, R. Waltz, UCSD/GA), the hybrid code M3D-K (G.Y. Fu, PPPL), the gyro-fluid code TAEFL (D. Spong, ORNL), and the linear kinetic stability code NOVA-K (N. Gorelenkov, PPPL). A range of ITER parameters and profiles are specified by TRANSP simulation of a hybrid scenario case and a steady-state scenario case. Based on the specified ITER equilibria linear stability calculations are done to determine the stability boundary of alpha-driven high-n TAEs using the five initial value codes (GEM, GTC, GYRO, M3D-K, and TAEFL) and the kinetic stability code (NOVA-K). Both the effects of alpha particles and beam ions have been considered. Finally, the effects of the unstable modes on energetic particle transport have been explored using GEM and M3D-K.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

ALFITeX: A code introducing improvements in the analysis of alpha spectra

A new code for the deconvolution of complex alpha-particle spectra, called ALFITeX, has been developed. The procedure is based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, with the curve fitting being the mathematical function formed by the convolution of a Gaussian with two left-handed exponential curves in the low-energy-tail region. ALFITeX has been checked with its application to the calculation of the alpha-particle emission probabilities of several nuclides.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Search for the Hoyle State in Dissociation of Relativistic {sup 12}C Nuclei

Production of ensembles of alpha particle triples associated with the Hoyle state (the second excited state 0{sub 2}{sup +} of the {sup 1}2C nucleus) in peripheral dissociation of relativistic {sup 1}2C nuclei is studied. Stacks of nuclear track emulsion pellicles exposed to {sup 1}2C with an energy from hundreds MeV to a few GeV per nucleon serve as the material for studies. The Hoyle state decays are reconstructed via measurement of emission angles of α particles with the precision sufficient for identification of the unstable {sup 8}Be nucleus. The role of alpha particle bonds corresponding to {sup 8}Be in the Hoyle state is determined.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Radiative damping of toroidal Alfvén eigenmode in low-shear plasmas

Instabilities of Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) are of significant concern because they can enhance the cross-field transport of fusion-born alpha particles beyond the neoclassical level in magnetic fusion plasmas. The threshold value of alpha-particle pressure for exciting AEs depends critically on the damping rate of AEs. The damping mechanisms include kinetic damping due to interactions with thermal particles, continuum damping due to AE frequency crossing Alfvén continuum, and radiative damping due to emitting kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs). The radiative damping is substantial and can even prevail in high-temperature burning plasmas [1]. We revisit the radiative damping analytic theory for TAE in plasmas with low positive magnetic shear, considering TAE with an eigenfrequency near the bottom of TAE-gap and with poloidal harmonics of the same sign (even TAE). In contrast to earlier papers, we provide the damping calculations in real space rather than Fourier space. This approach is straightforward technically and more enlightening from a physics standpoint for benchmarking numerical calculations of radiative damping. The parametric dependence of the resulting damping rate agrees with that of Refs. [2-5], but it has a smaller numerical factor in front of it.

Alpha-particle driven instability↗
DOE OSTI2014

Application of proton boron fusion reaction to radiation therapy: A Monte Carlo simulation study

Three alpha particles are emitted from the point of reaction between a proton and boron. The alpha particles are effective in inducing the death of a tumor cell. After boron is accumulated in the tumor region, the emitted from outside the body proton can react with the boron in the tumor region. An increase of the proton's maximum dose level is caused by the boron and only the tumor cell is damaged more critically. In addition, a prompt gamma ray is emitted from the proton boron reaction point. Here, we show that the effectiveness of the proton boron fusion therapy was verified using Monte Carlo simulations. We found that a dramatic increase by more than half of the proton's maximum dose level was induced by the boron in the tumor region. This increase occurred only when the proton's maximum dose point was located within the boron uptake region. In addition, the 719 keV prompt gamma ray peak produced by the proton boron fusion reaction was positively detected. This therapy method features the advantages such as the application of Bragg-peak to the therapy, the accurate targeting of tumor, improved therapy effects, and the monitoring of the therapy region during treatment.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

MCNP6 Elevation Scaling of Cosmic Ray Backgrounds - Paper 29

The galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) source option was implemented in the all-energy, all-particle transport code MCNP62 in 2010. This source option along with other newly added features to MCNP6 have been used to produce increasingly accurate global cosmic and terrestrial background flux data files (background.dat).3 This data file is produced on a grid and is read and sampled by MCNP6 whenever a user invokes the background source option. The most recent adaptation of this data file, Version 4, will be completed in 2014. This paper reports on current progress toward enhancements that have been made to the modeling and simulation of these background spectra, in particular the elevation scaling used to produce more accurate spectra at off-grid locations. Cosmic radiation continuously bombards Earth with various particles, such as protons, alpha particles, and heavier nuclei, some of which are deflected by the Earth's shielding magnetic field. Particles that carry sufficient momentum can overcome the deflection and penetrate into the atmosphere. The sufficient momentum is dependent on the terrestrial coordinates due to the shape of the Earth's magnetic field and the Lorentz force's proportionality to the sine of the angle between the velocity vector of the incoming particle and the magnetic field direction. As the particles propagate through the atmosphere, collisions with atmospheric molecules generate secondary particles such as neutrons, protons, photons, muons, pions, and other exotic particles. These secondary particles often have sufficient energy to undergo additional nuclear interactions, and so on, forming what is known as a cascade shower. The particles in the cascade shower are constantly undergoing energy losses due to interactions, especially charged particles whose paths are bent into helical trajectories around magnetic field lines. These energy losses make the integral flux of the cosmic background at the ground level highly dependent on the atmospheric depth traveled by the incident particle and its progeny, and therefore dependent on the elevation of the ground where the cascade deposits its energy. For relatively small depth changes of approximately 100 g/cm{sup 2} or less, the ground-level cosmic flux follows an exponential model. The tabulation of background particle fluxes on the surface of the earth is important for a variety of reasons, one of which is the design of nuclear material detection systems. This method is also useful in producing user-specified effective attenuation lengths for particles. Attenuation lengths are an essential parameter used to compare particle spectra from different locations, elevations, and energy ranges. Traditionally these attenuation lengths are inferred from measured data. Now with the ability to simulate an accurate galactic cosmic ray source and transport it and its shower through a modeled atmosphere, these attenuation lengths can be calculated for any set of conditions. (authors)

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗