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At least 433 records · Page 24

High-n Rydberg transition spectroscopy for heavy impurity transport studies in W7-X (invited)

Here, we present a novel spectroscopy approach to investigate impurity transport by analyzing line-radiation following high-n Rydberg transitions. While high-n Rydberg states of impurity ions are unlikely to be populated via impact excitation, they can be accessed by charge exchange (CX) reactions along the neutral beams in high-temperature plasmas. Hence, localized radiation of highly ionized impurities, free of passive contributions, can be observed at multiple wavelengths in the visible range. For the analysis and modeling of the observed Rydberg transitions, a technique for calculating effective emission coefficients is presented that can well reproduce the energy dependence seen in datasets available on the OPEN-ADAS database. By using the rate coefficients and comparing modeling results with the new high-n Rydberg CX measurements, impurity transport coefficients are determined with well-documented 2σ confidence intervals for the first time. This demonstrates that high-n Rydberg spectroscopy provides important constraints on the determination of impurity transport coefficients. By additionally considering Bolometer measurements, which provide constraints on the overall impurity emissivity and, therefore, impurity densities, error bars can be reduced even further.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗

Towards higher frequencies in a compact prebunched waveguide THz-FEL

Free-electron-lasers fill a critical gap in the space of THz-sources as they can reach high average and peak powers with spectral tunability. Using a waveguide in a THz FEL significantly increases the coupling between the relativistic electrons and electromagnetic field enabling large amounts of radiation to be generated in a single passage of electrons through the undulator. In addition to transversely confining the radiation, the dispersive properties of the waveguide critically affect the velocity and slippage of the radiation pulse which determine the central frequency and bandwidth of the generated radiation. In this paper, we characterize the spectral properties of a compact waveguide THz FEL including simultaneous lasing at two different frequencies and demonstrating tuning of the radiation wavelength in the high frequency branch by varying the beam energy and ensuring that the electrons injected into the undulator are prebunched on the scale of the resonant radiation wavelength.

Experimental particle physics↗

Annual LDRD Report (FY2019)

The performance of Nuclear Deterrence (ND) systems could be improved by adopting advanced commercial CMOS technologies. However, the radiation hardness of these ND systems must be assured. This project quantified dose rate upset thresholds, allowing us to evaluate whether advanced commercial technologies can be used in rad hard applications. This project also evaluated the susceptibility of advanced commercial technologies to neutron displacement damage and single event effects, and developed hardness assurance methods. As a result of this work, Sandia is now collaborating more closely with DoD agencies and their contractors to understand and improve the radiation hardness of advanced commercial technologies. Sandia Capabilities (SPHINX, lon Beam Lab, FPGA test capabilities) were developed and are being utilized by other programs. Staff were trained to do radiation survivability testing and developed proposals that were funded. Internal and external collaborations and partnerships were developed, including with Georgia Tech. This project received the Best Paper award at the 2019 Hardened Electronics And Radiation Technology (HEART) Conference.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Search for Neutrino-Induced Neutral Current Delta Radiative Decay in MicroBooNE and a First Test of the MiniBooNE Low Energy Excess Under a Single Photon Hypothesis (submitted to PRL)

We report results from a search for neutrino-induced neutral current (NC) resonant Δ(1232) baryon production followed by Δ radiative decay, with a h0.8i GeV neutrino beam. Data corresponding to MicroBooNE’s first three years of operations (6.80×10 20 protons on target) are used to select single-photon events with one or zero protons and without charged leptons in the final state (1γ1p and 1γ0p, respectively). The background is constrained via an in-situ high-purity measurement of NC π 0 events, made possible via dedicated 2γ1p and 2γ0p selections. A total of 16 and 153 events are observed for the 1γ1p and 1γ0p selections, respectively, compared to a constrained background prediction of 20.5 ± 3.65(sys.) and 145.1 ± 13.8(sys.) events. The data lead to a bound on an anomalous enhancement of the normalization of NC Δ radiative decay of less than 2.3 times the predicted nominal rate for this process at the 90% confidence level (CL). The measurement disfavors a candidate photon interpretation of the MiniBooNE low-energy excess as a factor of 3.18 times the nominal NC Δ radiative decay rate at the 94.8% CL, in favor of the nominal prediction, and represents a greater than 50-fold improvement over the world’s best limit on single-photon production in NC interactions in the sub-GeV neutrino energy range.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

X-ray FEL linear accelerator design via start-to-end global optimization

An X-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) prefers using an electron beam with low emittance, small energy spread, and a high core current to generate coherent radiation through an undulator. In order to attain such a high brightness beam, the linear accelerator beam dynamics design generally involves separate photoinjector optimization and linac optimization. In this paper, we propose a new beam dynamics design strategy based on global optimization with fast start-to-end simulations from the photocathode to the end of the accelerator. The new start-to-end model significantly reduces the simulation time and makes the global optimization practical. The global optimization method avoids the need to choose a single solution based on bunch length at the injector exit for the linac optimization and helps find the solution with unfavorable bunch length at the injector exit but better phase space distribution that can result in better final electron beam phase space distribution at the entrance of the undulator. Here, using the start-to-end global optimization, we showed in an application example, with a 100 pC beam that good transverse emittance and over kilo-Ampere final core current can be attained using a photoinjector that consists of a VHF gun and boosting RF cavities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

High-resolution hypernuclear decay pion spectroscopy at MAMI and future

Hypernuclear decay pion spectroscopy was established in 2012 at MAMI as a mass spectroscopy method for light hypernuclei. A monochromatic pion peak from $^4_Λ$H was successfully observed, and the Λ binding energy was determined to be B Λ = 2.157±0.005(stat.)±0.077(syst.) MeV in the 2014 run. In 2022, an upgrade experiment for $^3_Λ$H spectroscopy was conducted using a newly developed Li target. The absolute electron beam energy will be measured by the synchrotron radiation interferometry, which will be applied with the spectrometer calibration to improve the systematic error. The decay pion spectroscopy is planned to be performed at JLab Hall-C, which would significantly increase the statistics thanks to the higher energy beam, the better K + identification, and the faster data acquisition system. This experiment has been submitted as a Letter of Intent in JLab PAC51. The upgraded decay pion spectroscopy method is expected to provide new, accurate hypernuclear data, which will contribute to the advancement of our understanding of hypernuclear physics

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Near-infrared noise in intense electron beams

Requirements for the noise in electron beams (NEB) have recently approached the Shot-noise level in some new applications. The density fluctuations of intense beams in the near-infrared (NIR) region are being measured at the Fermilab Accelerator Science and Technology (FAST) facility. The main goal of the experiment is to accurately compare the Shot-noise model with the observations of optical transition radiation (OTR) generated by the gamma=63 electron beam transiting an Al metal surface. In addition, evidence for longitudinal-space-charge-induced microbunching for the chicane-compressed beam was obtained with coherent enhancements up to 100 in the various bandwidth-filtered NIR OTR photodiode signals. With micropulse charges up to 1 nC, the beam parameters are close to those proposed for a stage in an Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) with coherent electron cooling (CEC). In this paper we present the current progress of the NEB project and compare the low electron energy measurements with ImpactX simulations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Mapping Electron Beam-Induced Radiolytic Damage in Molecular Crystals

Every electron crystallography experiment is fundamentally constrained by radiation damage [1]. Despite its crucial importance, little is understood about the onset and progression of radiolysis in beam-sensitive molecular crystals [2]. Since the typical metric used for monitoring the degradation induced by radiolysis is the attenuation of Bragg reflections in electron diffraction patterns [3], the scope of previous analyses [2-6] has mostly been limited to indirect observation via the back focal plane. Here, a simultaneous visualization of the effects of electron beam-induced radiolysis—in both real space and reciprocal space—remains elusive.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Non-equilibrium plasma generation via nano-second multi-mode laser pulses

The formation and growth of plasma kernels generated via nano-second mode-beating laser pulses is investigated here via a non-equilibrium self-consistent computational model. Chemically reactive Navier–Stokes equations are used to describe the hydrodynamics, and non-equilibrium effects are taken into account with a two-temperature model. Inverse Bremsstrahlung and multiphoton ionization are included self-consistently in the model via a coupled solution of the plasma governing equations and the radiative transfer equation (that describes the laser beam propagation and attenuation). A self-consistent approach (despite carrying additional challenges) minimizes the empiricism and it allows for a more accurate description since it prevents both the utilization of artificial plasma seeds to trigger the breakdown and the implementation of tuning parameters to simulate the laser-energy deposition. The advantages of this approach are confirmed by the good agreement between the numerically predicted and the experimentally measured plasma boundary evolution and absorbed energy. This also holds true for the periodic plasma kernel structures that, as suggested by the experiments and confirmed by the simulations presented here, are connected to the modulating frequency.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Coherent wiggler radiation impedance at the storage ring cooler for the EIC project

The Electron Ion Collider project is presently under design at Brookhaven National Laboratory. One of the options how to achieve an electron-proton high-luminosity of 10 34 cm –2 s –1 range, is the storage ring cooler concept, which is based on employing a significant amount of the damping wigglers. One of the main concerns, in achieving the required beam parameters, is the collective effects, especially the coherent synchrotron radiation impedance produced by the damping wigglers and its effect on the longitudinal beam dynamics. Low energy of the electrons, E o =149.6 MeV, small vacuum chamber aperture, b=15 mm, small bending radius and a big number of poles make the coherent synchrotron radiation simulations for the damping wiggler with D. Zhou’s CSRZ code, pretty challenging. The obtained numerical results have been compare with a theoretical approach of Stupakov and Zhou. The strong narrow-band impedance, due to a presence of the periodic poles and the vacuum chamber, have been identified and classified. To suppress or detune the high-Q resonance peaks, a design of the damping wiggler with a varied period of length is presented and discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Characterization of High-Entropy Alloys for Accelerator Beam Window Applications

Particle production targets and accelerator beam windows receive millions of high-energy/intensity beam pulses throughout their service lifetime. For next-generation multi-MW accelerators, it is necessary for beam windows to be able to withstand higher levels of thermal shock and radiation damage, while also having good high-temperature mechanical properties. Novel High-Entropy Alloys (HEAs) that form a single-phase microstructure, have nanoscale precipitates, and are made from low-Z elements are good candidates for beam window materials. This is due to their high-temperature strength and high resistance to radiation-induced swelling and hardening, as well as their beam transparency, allowing for maximized particle production and a longer service lifetime.

Kidwell, Tristan [U. Chicago (main)] (ORCID:000900↗

Normal Tissue Injury Induced by Photon and Proton Therapies: Gaps and Opportunities

Despite technological advances in radiation therapy (RT) and cancer treatment, patients still experience adverse effects. Proton therapy (PT) has emerged as a valuable RT modality that can improve treatment outcomes. Normal tissue injury is an important determinant of the outcome; therefore, for this review, we analyzed 2 databases: (1) clinical trials registered with ClinicalTrials.gov and (2) the literature on PT in PubMed, which shows a steady increase in the number of publications. Most studies in PT registered with ClinicalTrials.gov with results available are nonrandomized early phase studies with a relatively small number of patients enrolled. From the larger database of nonrandomized trials, we listed adverse events in specific organs/sites among patients with cancer who are treated with photons and protons to identify critical issues. The present data demonstrate dosimetric advantages of PT with favorable toxicity profiles and form the basis for comparative randomized prospective trials. A comparative analysis of 3 recently completed randomized trials for normal tissue toxicities suggests that for early stage non-small cell lung cancer, no meaningful comparison could be made between stereotactic body RT and stereotactic body PT due to low accrual (NCT01511081). In addition, for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, a comparison of intensity modulated RT with passive scattering PT (now largely replaced by spot-scanned intensity modulated PT), PT did not provide any benefit in normal tissue toxicity or locoregional failure over photon therapy. Finally, for locally advanced esophageal cancer, proton beam therapy provided a lower total toxicity burden but did not improve progression-free survival and quality of life (NCT01512589). The purpose of this review is to inform the limitations of current trials looking at protons and photons, considering that advances in technology, physics, and biology are a continuum, and to advocate for future trials geared toward accurate precision RT that need to be viewed as an iterative process in a defined path toward delivering optimal radiation treatment. A foundational understanding of the radiobiologic differences between protons and photons in tumor and normal tissue responses is fundamental to, and necessary for, determining the suitability of a given type of biologically optimized RT to a patient or cohort.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Evidence for the 3D Radiative Effects of Boundary-Layer Clouds From Observations of Direct and Diffuse Surface Solar Fluxes

Numerical experiments have revealed the importance of horizontal transport of light in the presence of clouds (“3D effects”), with consequences for climate, weather, and solar resource availability predictions. Yet, analysis of 3D effects from observations remain sparse because of the difficulty to isolate the effect of horizontal transport in radiation measurements. In this study, we provide observational evidence for 3D effects based on the direct-diffuse partition of surface solar fluxes. It is compared to outputs from the ecRad radiative transfer scheme run on retrieved cloud profiles. Furthermore, the direct-beam calculation takes careful account of the field-of-view of the pyrheliometer to ensure consistency between observed and modeled direct fluxes. Only the solver that accounts for 3D effects is able to reproduce the observed mean direct-diffuse partition as a function of solar zenith angle and cloud cover, in particular at large solar zenith angles where cloud sides intercept most of the direct beam.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Precise measurements of the γ -ray intensities following the β decay of Ce 144 and Nd 147

For many fission products, the γ rays emitted following β decay provide an easily detectable signature that can be used to identify their quantities and distributions in a sample. As a result, γ-ray spectroscopy is often exploited to study fission-product yields, provided sufficiently accurate information on the γ-ray intensities is available. Further, in many cases, the uncertainties in the existing nuclear data are large enough that they compromise the precision achievable for modern experiments and applications. In this paper, we present high-precision results for the absolute γ-ray emission intensities for the most intense transitions in the β decays of 144 Ce and 147 Nd. We measured these intensities to ≲1% accuracy by producing radiopure samples with fission-product beams at CARIBU and detecting the emitted radiation with a 4⁢πβ counter and a meticulously efficiency-calibrated high purity germanium detector at Texas A&M University.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Optimization of microwave emission from laser filamentation with a machine learning algorithm

We demonstrate that is it possible to optimize the yield of microwave radiation from plasmas generated by laser filamentation in atmosphere through manipulation of the laser wavefront. A genetic algorithm controls a deformable mirror that reconfigures the wavefront using the microwave waveform amplitude as feedback. Optimization runs performed as a function of air pressure show that the genetic algorithm can double the microwave field strength relative to when the mirror surface is flat. Here, an increase in the volume and brightness of the plasma fluorescence accompanies the increase in microwave radiation, implying an improvement in the laser beam intensity profile through the filamentation region due to the optimized wavefront.

Englesbe, Alexander↗

Modeling of the Optical Stochastic Cooling at the IOTA Storage Ring Using ELEGANT

In support of the Optical Stochastic Cooling (OSC) experiment at IOTA, we implemented a high-fidelity model of OSC in ELEGANT. The element is generalizable to any OSC experiment and captures three main behaviors; (i) the longitudinal time of flight OSC, (ii) the effects between the transverse motion of particles in the beam and the transverse distribution of undulator radiation, and (iii) the incoherent contributions of neighboring particles. Together these produce a highly accurate model of OSC and were benchmarked using the results from the IOTA OSC experiment.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗