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Apollo 17 mission Report. Supplement 6: Calibration results for gamma ray spectrometer sodium iodide crystal

A major difficulty in medium energy gamma-ray remote sensing spectroscopy and astronomy measurements was the high rate of unwanted background resulting from the following major sources: (1) prompt secondary gamma-rays produced by cosmic-ray interactions in satellite materials; (2) direct charged-particle counts; (3) radioactivity induced in the detector materials by cosmic-ray and trapped protons; (4) radioactivity induced in detector materials by the planetary (e.g., earth or moon) albedo neutron flux; (5) radioactivity induced in the detector materials by the interaction of secondary neutrons produced throughout the spacecraft by cosmic-ray and trapped proton interactions; (6) radioactivity induced in spacecraft materials by the mechanisms outlined in 3, 4, and 5; and (7) natural radioactivity in spacecraft and detector materials. The purpose of this experiment was to obtain information on effects 3, 4, and 5, and from this information start developing calculational methods for predicting the background induced in the crystal detector in order to correct the Apollo gamma-ray spectrometer data for this interference.

Dyer, C.

Confirmation of the E(sup src)(sub Peak)-E(sub iso) (Amati) relation from the x-ray flash XRF 050416A observed by the Swift burst alert telescope

We report Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) observations of the X-ray flash (XRF) XRF 050416A. The fluence ratio between the 15-25 and 25-50 keV energy bands of this event is 1.5, thus making it the softest gamma-ray burst (GRB) observed by BAT so far. The spectrum is well fitted by a Band function with E(sup obs)(sub peak) of 15.0(sup +2.3)(sub -2.7) keV. Assuming the redshift of the host galaxy (z = 0.6535), the isotropic equivalent radiated energy E(sub iso) and the peak energy at the GRB rest frame (E(sup src)(sub peak)) of XRF 050416A are not only consistent with the correlation found by Amati et al. and extended to XRFs by Sakamoto et al. but also fill in the gap of this relation around the 30-80 keV range of E(sup src)(sub peak). This result tightens the validity of the E(sup src)(sub Peak)-E(sup src)(sub peak) relation from XRFs to GRBs. We also find that the jet break time estimated using the empirical relation between E(sup src)(sub peak) and the collimation corrected energy E(sub gamma), is inconsistent with the afterglow observation by the Swift X-Ray Telescope. This could be due to the extra external shock emission overlaid around the jet break time or to the nonexistence of a jet break feature for XRFs, which might be a further challenge for GRB jet emission models and XRF/GRB unification scenarios.

Sakamoti, T.

Directivity and its energy dependence in solar flare energetic emission

We have studied 72 solar flares simultaneously observed by the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS, 0.3-1 MeV) and the Hard X-Ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS, 30-500 keV) on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). Using the spectral analysis results, we studied spectal and size distribution center-to-limb variations for both instruments. The GRS observations show significant center-to-limb variations in both spectral and size distributions, while HXRBS observations show insignificant variations. In general, the GRS spectra are harder than the HXRBS spectra, and their difference increases from center to limb, suggesting that a flattening of the spectrum above 300 keV is inevitable for the gamma-ray emissions. We corrected for the effect of spacecraft pointing and combined HXRBS and GRS data to obtain spectra over the energy range of 0.03-1 MeV. The fluences at various energies were calculated and normalized to the total fluence of the burst to measure the directivity. It is found that the directivity increases with increasing energy, from 1.1 at 50 keV to 6.5 at 1 MeV. These results are consistent with anisotropic electron beams and the physics of Coulomb collision and bremsstrahlung.

Li, Peng

Erratum: Intergalactic Photon Spectra from the Far IR to the UV Lyman Limit for 0 < z < 6 and the Optical Depth of the Universe to High Energy Gamma-Rays

Table 1 in our paper had erroneous numbers for the coefficients fitting the parametric form for the optical depth of the universe to gamma-rays; tau. The correct values for these parameters as described in the original text are given in the table for various redshifts for the baseline model (upper row) and fast evolution (lower row) for each individual redshift.

Stecker, F. W.

Assessment of the 10-year Ozone Profile Record Derived from Suomi NPP OMPS-LP

In this presentation we evaluate ozone profile retrievals from Ozone Mapping and Profiling Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS-LP) launched in October 2011 on Suomi NPP satellite. The data from OMPS-LP were re-processed with the new retrieval algorithm that combines measurements from UV and VIS parts of the spectra to retrieve a single ozone profile between 12.5 km (or cloud tops) and 57.5 km. To improve ozone retrievals in the Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) region, a new aerosol correction with a gamma-function particle size distribution was implemented. The OMPS-LP altitude registration was also adjusted in the new version to ensure the stability of the ozone record. The continuous ozone profile observations with Suomi NPP OMPS LP exceeds 10 years. We will compare OMPS-LP ozone profiles with coincident stratospheric ozone measurements from NASA Aura MLS, ISS SAGE III, and OMPS NP and with the observations in UTLS and middle stratosphere from a ground-based network of ozone sonde stations to evaluate accuracy and precision of OMPS-LP retrievals and overall stability of the record. We will also investigate the quality of stratospheric ozone columns obtained from OMPS-LP and estimate the contribution of various errors to integrated stratospheric columns from OMPS-LP.

stratospheric ozone

New Identification of the Mixed-Morphology Supernova Remnant G298.6-0.0 with Possible Gamma-Ray Association

We present an X-ray analysis on the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G298.6−0.0 observed with Suzaku. The X-ray image shows a center-filled structure inside a radio shell, implying that this SNR can be categorized as a mixed-morphology (MM) SNR. The spectrum is well reproduced by a single-temperature plasma model in ionization equilibrium, with a temperature of 0.78 (0.70-0.87) keV. The total plasma mass of 30M indicates that the plasma has an interstellar medium origin. The association with a GeV gamma-ray source, 3FGL J1214.0−6236, on the shell of the SNR is discussed, in comparison with other MMSNRs with GeV gamma-ray associations. It is found that the flux ratio between absorption-corrected thermal X-rays and GeV gamma-rays decreases as the physical size of MMSNRs becomes larger. The absorption-corrected thermal X-ray flux of G298.6−0.0 and the GeV gamma-ray flux of 3FGL J1214.0−6236 closely follow this trend, implying that 3FGL J1214.0−6236 is likely to be a GeV counterpart of G298.6−0.0.

ISM: supernova remnants

The X-ray luminosity functions of Abell clusters from the Einstein Cluster Survey

We have derived the present epoch X-ray luminosity function of northern Abell clusters using luminosities from the Einstein Cluster Survey. The sample is sufficiently large that we can determine the luminosity function for each richness class separately with sufficient precision to study and compare the different luminosity functions. We find that, within each richness class, the range of X-ray luminosity is quite large and spans nearly a factor of 25. Characterizing the luminosity function for each richness class with a Schechter function, we find that the characteristic X-ray luminosity, L(sub *), scales with richness class as (L(sub *) varies as N(sub*)(exp gamma), where N(sub *) is the corrected, mean number of galaxies in a richness class, and the best-fitting exponent is gamma = 1.3 +/- 0.4. Finally, our analysis suggests that there is a lower limit to the X-ray luminosity of clusters which is determined by the integrated emission of the cluster member galaxies, and this also scales with richness class. The present sample forms a baseline for testing cosmological evolution of Abell-like clusters when an appropriate high-redshift cluster sample becomes available.

Burg, R.

High Energy Observations of X-Ray Binaries and Gamma-Ray Blazars

The report discusses the CGRO observation of X-ray binary systems and studies of gamma-ray blasars. Numerous authors have suggested mechanisms for particle acceleration within X-Ray Binary (XRB) systems. Among the acceleration mechanisms that have been applied are pulsar acceleration, shock acceleration at an accretion shock front, shock acceleration at a pulsar wind termination shock, plasma turbulence excited by the accretion flow, and a number of electrodynamic mechanisms. There are therefore many mechanisms which are capable of generating very energetic particles in the XRB environment. If the reports of TeV/PeV gamma-ray generation in XRBs are correct, then one can show that the accelerated particles must be hadrons and that the most likely gamma-ray production mechanism is the decay of collisionally-produced (or photoproduced) neutral pions. At these ultra-high energies, the emission is so strongly beamed that the target conditions are constrained by the requirement that the column depth be large enough to efficiently generate gamma-rays, but not so large that the gamma-rays are absorbed. These constraints naturally lead to models that explain the periodic, narrow duty-cycle pulses observed at TeV/PeV energies as arising from interactions with, either, the atmosphere of the binary companion, an accretion column, or an accretion disk. The production of these TeV/PeV gamma-rays by the decay of pions from "leading isobars" must also be accompanied by a more isotropic emission component in the EGRET energy band from the decay of slower pions (i.e. the "pionization" component). Since the attenuation of 35 MeV-1 GeV photons by photon-photon pair production is not likely to be significant in most XRBs, the TeV/PeV reports therefore strongly suggest sporadic emission in the EGRET energy band. One of the key unresolved issues for understanding AGN is the relationship between XBLs and RBLs.To test the "reunification" hypothesis, authors conducted a multiwavelength campaign during Cycle 7 of the CGRO observing program. The analysis of the cycle 4 through cycle 6 CGRO measurements was completed. Two previously unknown EGRET sources was discovered.

Vestrand, W. Thomas

Discovery of a transient MeV range gamma-ray source

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD)/MIT hard X-ray and gamma-ray instrument on the HEAO 1 surveyed the region near the Galactic center 3 times during its lifetime in 1977-1979. During the 1977 September-October scan, a gamma-ray source was detected south of the Galactic center. The source was below the threshold sensitivity in the spring and fall of 1978. The source was detected with the medium energy phoswich scintillation counters which operated over the 80 keV-2 MeV range, had an area of 42 sq cm each, and a 17 deg FWHM aperture. The error box for the source is centered on l = 2.4 deg, b = -12.2 deg, with a 90% confidence error circle of approximately 3.5 deg radius. The flux in the 333-635 keV range was (1.89 +/- 0.29) x 10(exp -5) photons/(sq cm s keV) and was constant within statistics during the 1 month period the source was in the field of view. The spectrum can be characterized as a Gaussian in the range 300 less than or = E less than or = 650 keV, with a FWHM of 249 +/- 51 keV centered on 461 +/- 22 keV. The flux of this broad Gaussian is (6.6 +/- 1.1) x 10(exp -3) photons/(sq cm s). The source is tentatively identified with the 5.57 hr period low-mass X-ray-emitting binary system 1H 1822-371. Assuming this is correct, the ratio of gamma-ray to X-ray luminosity during the outburst was about 5; at a distance of 8 kpc, the gamma ray luminosity is 4 x 10(exp 37) ergs. The emission may be interpreted as a positron-pair plasma ejected from a compact object, possibly a black hole, and annihilating in a thick accretion disk surrounding the object.

Briggs, M. S.

Collection, analysis, and archival of LDEF activation data

Samples intentionally placed aboard the LDEF and samples obtained from the LDEF structure were studied at NASA Marshall and seven national labs to determine the radioactivity produced in orbit. The gamma ray spectra from these studies have provided information concerning the type and quantity of radioactive nuclei produced by various activating particles. The gamma ray spectra, the resulting activation, and the experimental arrangements are being collected at Marshall and Eastern Kentucky Univ. for review, further analysis, and future archival. An overview of this process and the type of information that will be available for future reference is given. This information includes the samples studied, the location of the samples on LDEF, the amount and type of covering material, the types of detector systems, the format of the gamma ray spectra, and the corrections for geometry, self-absorption, detector efficiency, and background needed to obtain accurate specific activations (activation per kilogram) of material. Plans are given as to the archival of the data for such future reference and how other scientific investigators or spacecraft designers can access the data.

Laird, C. E.

Ten Year Ozone Profile Record From Suomi NPP OMPS Limb Profiler

In this study, we evaluate a decadal ozone profile record derived from Suomi NPP Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Limb Profiler (LP). The data from OMPS LP were re-processed with the new retrieval algorithm from 2012 to present. The new reprocessing includes adjustments in both Level 1 and Level 2 algorithms. The sensor’s altitude registration, updates in radiometric calibrations, under-sampling and stray light corrections were addressed in Level 1 processing. The new retrieval algorithm (version 2.7) combines measurements from UV and VIS parts of the spectra to retrieve a single vertical ozone profile between 12.5 km (or cloud tops) and 57.5 km, unlike to previous version 2.5 where ozone profiles were retrieved independently from UV and VIS. To improve ozone retrievals in the Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) region, we implemented a new aerosol correction that assumes a gamma-function particle size distribution. In addition, ozone and nitrogen dioxide cross sections and climatologies were updated. We discuss sensitivity of the ozone retrievals to implemented changes in Level 1 and Level 2 algorithms. We focus our analysis on evaluation of the stability of the 10-year record from OMPS LP. We show results from the internal methods for characterizing the stability of the LP altitude registration and compare the LP reflectivity and ozone with the similar quantities measured by OMPS nadir sensors. Finally, we will show results from comparisons with independent satellite (MLS and SAGE III) and ozone sonde measurements.

Ozone

127 Xe quantification method development and intercomparison exercise

Monitoring of the atmosphere for fission products ( 131m Xe, 133m Xe, 133 Xe, and 135 Xe) is performed by various laboratories to detect nuclear explosions. Quantification of 127 Xe is not routinely performed by laboratories measuring atmospheric radioxenon because it is not a fission product. 127 Xe was recently detected by a ground-based beta-gamma air monitoring system. When measured using beta-gamma coincidence detector systems, such as those in use on the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), 127 Xe can interfere with the quantification of fission product radioxenon due to overlap of the 127 Xe beta-gamma coincidence signatures with those of fission product radioxenon. Here, this work demonstrates quantification of 127 Xe at different laboratories with different measurement techniques. Production and purification of 127 Xe was performed by neutron activation of enriched 126 Xe. The purified 127 Xe was then split between laboratories, and detection and quantification methods were developed. At Idaho National Laboratory, a quantification method involving high purity germanium detectors was devised that included self-attenuation correction. At AWE, a beta-gamma coincidence counting method, as used in support of the IMS, was modified to enable the measurement and analysis of the 127 Xe samples. Corrections were made for self-attenuation, which showed a strong xenon volume dependency, for some coincidence signatures. The gas sample activity concentration was used as the comparison metric and it showed excellent agreement between the methods.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P

Emergency Control Aircraft System Using Thrust Modulation

A digital longitudinal Aircraft Propulsion Control (APC system of a multiengine aircraft is provided by engine thrust modulation in response to comparing an input flightpath angle signal (gamma)c from a pilot thumbwheel. or an ILS system with a sensed flightpath angle y to produce an error signal (gamma)e that is then integrated (with reasonable limits) to generate a drift correction signal to be added to the error signal (gamma)e after first subtracting a lowpass filtered velocity signal Vel(sub f) for phugoid damping. The output error signal is multiplied by a constant to produce an aircraft thrust control signal ATC of suitable amplitude to drive a throttle servo for all engines. each of which includes its own full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) computer. An alternative APC system omits sensed flightpath angle feedback and instead controls the flightpath angle by feedback of the lowpass filtered velocity signal Vel(sub f) which also inherently provides phugoid damping. The feature of drift compensation is retained.

Burken, John J.

The beam filling error in the Nimbus 5 electronically scanning microwave radiometer observations of Global Atlantic Tropical Experiment rainfall

A comparison of rain rates retrieved from the Nimbus 5 electronically scanning microwave radiometer brightness temperatures and observed from shipboard radars during the Global Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) phase I shows that the beam filling error is the major source of discrepancy between the two. When averaged over a large scene (the GATE radar array, 400 km in diameter), the beam filling error is quite stable, being 50 percent of the observed rain rate. This suggests the simple procedure of multiplying retrieved rain rates by 2 (correction factor). A statistical model of the beam filling error is developed by envisioning an idealized instrument field-of-view that encompasses an entire gamma distribution of rain rates. A modeled correction factor near 2 is found for rain rate and temperature characteristics consistent with GATE conditions. The statistical model also suggests that the correction factor varies from 1.5 to 2.5 for suppressed to enhanced tropical convective regimes, and decreases to 1.5 as the freezing level and average depth of the rain column decreases to 2.5 km.

Short, David A.

Accelerated 133 Xe Quantification in Samples Containing Significant 133 mXe

The quantification of 133 Xe in the presence of its mother radionuclide 133 mXe requires the full quantification of both to perform the ingrowth correction for 133 Xe. Due to the nature of both of these radionuclides, the 133 mXe requires significantly more time to quantify by High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors due to lower production yields, lower gamma emission probabilities, and lower detection efficiencies. This work shows that 133 Xe and 133 mXe quantification can be accelerated by measuring the 133m:133 activity ratio for a large batch of material and applying this activity ratio to assays of lower activity subsamples of the same batch of material. Included in this report are derivations of the required decay correction equations, and experiments using actual samples to validate the performance of these equations. A detector calibration method is also shown that leverages this method as an alternative to existing calibration methods for 133 mXe quantification.

133mXe

Software Verification of VARPOW

The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3DVARIANT, and it was developed to provide interface files for the thermal analysis program DASSH. The basic methodology of VARPOW is to take the neutron and gamma flux (moments) calculated by DIF3D (or GAMSOR) and combine them with the heating (coefficient) cross sections to calculate the spatial power distributions using the DIF3DVARIANT spatial basis. VARPOW can use the output from GAMSOR (both steady state neutron and gamma flux calculations) or standard DIF3D/REBUS calculations (neutron flux only). The correct approach for defining the power distribution is to use GAMSOR as its purpose was to properly compute the gamma heating throughout the modeled domain. The power densities calculated by VARPOW are broken into fuel, cladding and coolant terms for which isotope-wise categorization is needed. VARPOW has built in options the user can select for the isotope categorization or VARPOW can import a file that details the isotope categorization. VARPOW can export the solution in the polynomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT or the monomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT. The purpose of this work is to verify the power distribution results calculated by VARPOW from both the GAMSOR and DIF3D input options and verify that the input and output options are consistent with the manual. Hand calculation and independent numerical calculation are used for this verification work.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING

Software Verification of VARPOW

The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3DVARIANT, and it was developed to provide interface files for the thermal analysis program DASSH. The basic methodology of VARPOW is to take the neutron and gamma flux (moments) calculated by DIF3D (or GAMSOR) and combine them with the heating (coefficient) cross sections to calculate the spatial power distributions using the DIF3DVARIANT spatial basis. VARPOW can use the output from GAMSOR (both steady state neutron and gamma flux calculations) or standard DIF3D/REBUS calculations (neutron flux only). The correct approach for defining the power distribution is to use GAMSOR as its purpose was to properly compute the gamma heating throughout the modeled domain. The power desnities calculated by VARPOW are broken into fuel, cladding and coolant terms for which isotope-wise categorization is needed. VARPOW has built in options the user can select for the isotope categorization or VARPOW can import a file that details the isotope categorization. VARPOW can export the solution in the polynomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT or the monomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT. The purpose of this work is to verify the power distribution results calculated by VARPOW from both the GAMSOR and DIF3D input options and verify that the input and output options are consistent with the manual. Hand calculation and independent numerical calculation are used for this verification work.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS

Software Verification of VARPOW

The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3DVARIANT, and it was developed to provide interface files for the thermal analysis program DASSH. The basic methodology of VARPOW is to take the neutron and gamma flux (moments) calculated by DIF3D (or GAMSOR) and combine them with the heating (coefficient) cross sections to calculate the spatial power distributions using the DIF3DVARIANT spatial basis. VARPOW can use the output from GAMSOR (both steady state neutron and gamma flux calculations) or standard DIF3D/REBUS calculations (neutron flux only). The correct approach for defining the power distribution is to use GAMSOR as its purpose was to properly compute the gamma heating throughout the modeled domain. The power desnities calculated by VARPOW are broken into fuel, cladding and coolant terms for which isotope-wise categorization is needed. VARPOW has built in options the user can select for the isotope categorization or VARPOW can import a file that details the isotope categorization. VARPOW can export the solution in the polynomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT or the monomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT. Recently the clad neutron damage calculation capability was introduced into VARPOW, and it now allows a pathway to get distributions of clad DPA. The purpose of this work is to verify the power distribution, fast neutron flux and clad DPA results calculated by VARPOW from both the GAMSOR and DIF3D input options and verify that the input and output options are consistent with the manual. Hand calculation and independent numerical calculation are used for this verification work.

Zhong, Zhaopeng [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)