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Results for “nuclear induced nuclear reactions”

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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1976

Lunar microcraters and interplanetary dust fluxes

Conflicting depth/diameter ratios reported for lunar microcrater pits, microcrater pit morphology and size distribution, the composition and structure of pit glasses, and various alternative 'clocks' for estimating exposure time of microcrater pits are examined. Surface exposure time 'clocks' discussed include: galactic cosmic ray tracks, cosmogenic nuclides (involving changes in host rock isotopic composition induced by nuclear reactions), tracks produced in lunar top surfaces by nuclei accelerated during solar flares, and solar wind sputtering. 'Calibration' of the disparate types of surface exposure time 'clocks' with one another is discussed. The sensitive relationship between determinations of meteoroid flux and surface exposure time is examined.

Hartung, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Quantitative multielement analysis using high energy particle bombardment

Charged particles ranging in energy from 0.8 to 4.0 MeV are used to induce resonant nuclear reactions, Coulomb excitation (gamma-rays), and X-ray emission in both thick and thin targets. Quantitative analysis is possible for elements from Li to Pb in complex environmental samples, although the matrix can severely reduce the sensitivity. It is necessary to use a comparator technique for the gamma-rays while for X-rays an internal standard can be used. A USGS standard rock is analyzed for a total of 28 elements. Water samples can be analyzed either by nebulizing the sample doped with Cs or Y a thin Formvar film or by extracting the sample onto ion exchange resin which is pressed into a pellet.

Clark, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Relativistic Coulomb Fission

Nuclear fission reactions induced by the electromagnetic field of relativistic nuclei are studied for energies relevant to present and future relativistic heavy ion accelerators. Cross sections are calculated for U-238 and Pu-239 fission induced by C-12, Si-28, Au-197, and U-238 projectiles. It is found that some of the cross sections can exceed 10 b.

Norbury, John W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Nuclear gamma rays from 720-MeV alpha-induced reactions on Al-27 and Si-28

Prompt gamma rays from the interaction of 720-MeV alpha particles with Al-27 and Si-28 were detected and analyzed to identify residual nuclei and to determine cross sections for production of specific levels. No gamma-ray transitions were detected from nuclei heavier than the target. From Doppler broadening, the momentum of the residual nuclei was estimated. The results are compared with previous results for 140- and 1600-MeV alphas on Al-27 and approximately 200-MeV positive or negative pions on Al-27 and Si-28 and fitted to a spallation-yield formula.

Lieb, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Energy Distribution of Electrons in Radiation Induced-Helium Plasmas

Energy distribution of high energy electrons as they slow down and thermalize in a gaseous medium is studied. The energy distribution in the entire energy range from source energies down is studied analytically. A helium medium in which primary electrons are created by the passage of heavy-charged particles from nuclear reactions is emphasized. A radiation-induced plasma is of interest in a variety of applications, such as radiation pumped lasers and gaseous core nuclear reactors.

Lo, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

MeV ion-beam analysis of optical data storage films

Our objectives are threefold: (1) to accurately characterize optical data storage films by MeV ion-beam analysis (IBA) for ODSC collaborators; (2) to develop new and/or improved analysis techniques; and (3) to expand the capabilities of the IBA facility itself. Using H-1(+), He-4(+), and N-15(++) ion beams in the 1.5 MeV to 10 MeV energy range from a 5.5 MV Van de Graaff accelerator, film thickness (in atoms/sq cm), stoichiometry, impurity concentration profiles, and crystalline structure were determined by Rutherford backscattering (RBS), high-energy backscattering, channeling, nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) and proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Most of these techniques are discussed in detail in the ODSC Annual Report (February 17, 1987), p. 74. The PIXE technique is briefly discussed in the ODSC Annual Report (March 15, 1991), p. 23.

Leavitt, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Simulation of proton-induced energy deposition in integrated circuits

A time-efficient simulation technique was developed for modeling the energy deposition by incident protons in modern integrated circuits. To avoid the excessive computer time required by many proton-effects simulators, a stochastic method was chosen to model the various physical effects responsible for energy deposition by incident protons. Using probability density functions to describe the nuclear reactions responsible for most proton-induced memory upsets, the simulator determines the probability of a proton hit depositing the energy necessary for circuit destabilization. This factor is combined with various circuit parameters to determine the expected error-rate in a given proton environment. An analysis of transient or dose-rate effects is also performed. A comparison to experimental energy-disposition data proves the simulator to be quite accurate for predicting the expected number of events in certain integrated circuits.

Fernald, Kenneth W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Target fragmentation in radiobiology

Nuclear reactions in biological systems produce low-energy fragments of the target nuclei seen as local high events of linear energy transfer (LET). A nuclear-reaction formalism is used to evaluate the nuclear-induced fields within biosystems and their effects within several biological models. On the basis of direct ionization interaction, one anticipates high-energy protons to have a quality factor and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of unity. Target fragmentation contributions raise the effective quality factor of 10 GeV protons to 3.3 in reasonable agreement with RBE values for induced micronuclei in bean sprouts. Application of the Katz model indicates that the relative increase in RBE with decreasing exposure observed in cell survival experiments with 160 MeV protons is related solely to target fragmentation events. Target fragment contributions to lens opacity given an RBE of 1.4 for 2 GeV protons in agreement with the work of Lett and Cox. Predictions are made for the effective RBE for Harderian gland tumors induced by high-energy protons. An exposure model for lifetime cancer risk is derived from NCRP 98 risk tables, and protraction effects are examined for proton and helium ion exposures. The implications of dose rate enhancement effects on space radiation protection are considered.

Wilson, John W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Induced Background in the Mars Observer Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

Gamma-Ray Spectrometers in space must necessarily work in an environment of a background of lines due to natural and cosmic-ray induced radioactivity and lines due to prompt emission following nuclear reactions caused by primary and secondary cosmic rays. The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) on the Mar Observer mission has provided important data allowing one to estimate for future missions the extent of the background due to cosmic rays. These data will help in the design of instruments and in calculation of realistic background intensities that may effect the sensitivity of determining the intensity of lines of interest.

Boynton, William V.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Propagation of Cosmic Rays: Nuclear Physics in Cosmic-ray Studies

The nuclei fraction in cosmic rays (CR) far exceeds the fraction of other CR species, such as antiprotons, electrons, and positrons. Thus the majority of information obtained from CR studies is based on interpretation of isotopic abundances using CR propagation models where the nuclear data and isotopic production cross sections in p- and alpha-induced reactions are the key elements. This paper presents an introduction to the astrophysics of CR and diffuse gamma-rays and dimsses some of the puzzles that have emerged recently due to more precise data and improved propagation models. Merging with cosmology and particle physics, astrophysics of CR has become a very dynamic field with a large potential of breakthrough and discoveries in the near fume. Exploiting the data collected by the CR experiments to the fullest requires accurate nuclear cross sections.

Moskalenko, Igor V.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Nuclear gamma-rays from energetic particle interactions

Gamma-ray line emission due to nuclear deexcitation following energetic particle interactions with abundant constituents of cosmic matter is studied. Reactions induced by energetic protons and alpha particles in ambient nuclei (He, C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, and Fe) are considered, along with inverse reactions in which energetic nuclei interact with ambient H and He. Line-production cross sections are evaluated by analyzing a large body of laboratory nuclear data. Both prompt gamma rays, produced by direct excitation of nuclear levels and by spallation reactions that leave the secondary nucleus in an excited state, and delayed emission from long-lived radioactive nuclei also produced in the energetic particle reactions are investigated. A line list is provided, and the shapes of the gamma-ray lines are determined. Gamma-ray line production in the interstellar medium is evaluated in detail.

Ramaty, R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The conductive propagation of nuclear flames. I - Degenerate C + O and O + Ne + Mg white dwarfs

The paper determines the physical properties - speed, width, and density structure - of conductive burning fronts in degenerate carbon-oxygen (C + O) and oxygen-neon-magnesium (O + Ne + Mg) compositions for a grid of initial densities and compositions. The dependence of the physical properties of the flame on the assumed values of nuclear reaction rates, the nuclear reaction network employed, the thermal conductivity, and the choice of coordinate system are investigated. The occurrence of accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf is found to be critically dependent on the velocity of the nuclear conductive burning front and the growth rate of hydrodynamic instabilities. Treating the expanding area of the turbulent burning region as a fractal whose tile size is identical to the minimum unstable Rayleigh-Taylor wavelength, it is found, for all reasonable values of the fractal dimension, that for initial C + O or O + Ne + Mg densities above about 9 x 10 exp 9 g/cu cm the white dwarf should collapse to a neutron star.

Timmes, F. X.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Light ion components of the galactic cosmic rays: Nuclear interactions and transport theory

Light nuclei are present in the primary galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and are produced in thick targets due to projectile or target fragmentation from both nucleon and heavy induced reactions. In the primary GCR, He-4 is the most abundant nucleus after H-1. However, there are also a substantial fluxes of H-2 and He-3. In this paper we describe theoretical models based on quantum multiple scattering theory for the description of light ion nuclear interactions. The energy dependence of the light ion fragmentation cross section is considered with comparisons of inclusive yields and secondary momentum distributions to experiments described. We also analyze the importance of a fast component of lights ions from proton and neutron induced target fragementation. These theoretical models have been incorporated into the cosmic ray transport code HZETRN and will be used to analyze the role of shielding materials in modulating the production and the energy spectrum of light ions.

Cucinotta, F. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Barites - Anomalous xenon from spallation and neutron-induced reactions

Sedimentary barites from South Africa and Western Australia (about 3 billion years old) contain spallogenic Xe isotopes produced by reactions of Ba with nuclear-active particles in cosmic rays. 'Surface residence time' of these samples was calculated from the observed concentrations of spallogenic Xe-126. Comparison of spallogenic ratios of Xe-131/Xe-126 in the two samples provides evidence for the reaction Ba-130(n, gamma) yields Xe-131, which is characterized by a large number of resonances for neutron absorption in the epithermal region. This observation lends additional support to the conclusions already reached regarding the origin of anomalous Xe-131 in lunar samples.

Srinivasan, B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Thermonuclear breakup reactions of light nuclei. I - Processes and effects

Temperature and density conditions are considered for the occurrence of breakup reactions of light nuclei in astrophysical plasmas. The proton-induced endothermic process is shown to be the principal mechanism for nuclear breakdown in a plasma. The phenomenon occurs at a temperature of about 1 MeV, which is a fraction of the typical binding energy per nucleon in nuclei. The temperature for breakup of He-4 is about twice as large, because of the higher binding energy. Depending on the temperature attained in the plasma, the initial concentration of elements heavier than hydrogen can be depleted. However, if it attains a temperature of about 1 MeV, breaking up the metals (C, N, O, Ne, Mg) but not He-4, an increase in the He-4 abundance by as much as 10 percent can result, since these elements essentially break down to alpha particles.

Guessoum, Nidhal↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Plasma-Induced Electron Screening at the Bragg Peak

Over 36 years of laboratory astrophysics experiments employing accelerated hydrogen isotope beams have demonstrated the role of electron screened, enhanced nuclear reactions. The astrophysical role of weak and strong electron screening was first discussed by Saltpeter [1] in 1954 and later by Hagino and Balantekin [2] in 2002. Assenbaum, et al. [3], Czerski, et al. [4], and Schenkel, et al., [5] have used accelerated deuteron beams on various metal targets and observed increased fusion rates over the expected Astrophysical, S(E), and Gamow Factors for bare deuteron-deuteron fusion rates. The Pines calculated both electron screened direct and asymptotic enhancement factors, f(E) [6]. Arguably, electron screening makes LENR possible.

plasma↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Plasma-Induced Electron Screening at the Bragg Peak

Over 36 years of laboratory astrophysics experiments employing accelerated hydrogen isotope beams have demonstrated the role of electron screened, enhanced nuclear reactions. The astrophysical role of weak and strong electron screening was first discussed by Saltpeter in 1954 and later by Hagino and Balantekin in 2002. Assenbaum, et al., Czerski, et al., and Schenkel, et al., have used accelerated deuteron beams on various metal targets and observed increased fusion rates over the expected Astrophysical, S(E), and Gamow Factors for bare deuteron-deuteron fusion rates. The Pines calculated both electron screened direct and asymptotic enhancement factors, f(E). Arguably, electron screening makes LENR possible.

plasma↗
NASA NTRS1990

The nu-process

As the core of a massive star collapses to form a neutron star, the flux of neutrinos in the overlying shells of heavy elements becomes so great that, despite the small cross section, substantial nuclear transmutation is induced. Neutrinos excite heavy elements and even helium to particle unbound levels. The evaporation of a single neutron or proton, and the back reaction of these nucleons on other species present, significantly alters the outcome of traditional nucleosynthesis calculations leading to a new process: nu-nucleosynthesis. Modifications to traditional hydrostatic and explosive varieties of helium, carbon, neon, oxygen, and silicon burning are considered. The results show that a large number of rare isotopes, including many of the odd-Z nuclei from boron through copper, owe much of their present abundance in nature to this process.

Woosley, S. E.↗