SEARCH · Search NASA
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
A mass shift method using ICP-MS/MS with O 2 reaction gas is used for ultra-trace determinations of U and Th in samples containing W, Ir, Pt, and Au derived polyatomic interferants without the need for extensive chemical sample preprocessing.
Radiochromic films (RCF) are commonly used in dosimetry for a wide range of radiation sources (electrons, protons, and photons) for medical, industrial, and scientific applications. They are multi-layered, which includes plastic substrate layers and sensitive layers that incorporate a radiation-sensitive dye. Quantitative dose can be retrieved by digitizing the film, provided that a prior calibration exists. Here, to calibrate the newly developed EBT3 and HDv2 RCFs from Gafchromic™, we used the Stanford Medical LINAC to deposit in the films various doses of 10 MeV photons, and by scanning the films using three independent EPSON Precision 2450 scanners, three independent EPSON V750 scanners, and two independent EPSON 11000XL scanners. The films were scanned in separate RGB channels, as well as in black and white, and film orientation was varied. We found that the green channel of the RGB scan and the grayscale channel are in fact quite consistent over the different models of the scanner, although this comes at the cost of a reduction in sensitivity (by a factor ∼2.5 compared to the red channel). To allow any user to extend the absolute calibration reported here to any other scanner, we furthermore provide a calibration curve of the EPSON 2450 scanner based on absolutely calibrated, commercially available, optical density filters.
A dual-channel streaked soft x-ray imager has been designed and used on high energy-density physics experiments at the National Ignition Facility. This streaked imager creates two images of the same x-ray source using two slit apertures and a single shallow angle reflection from a nickel mirror. Thin filters are used to create narrow band pass images at 510 eV and 360 eV. When measuring a Planckian spectrum, the brightness ratio of the two images can be translated into a color-temperature, provided that the spectral sensitivity of the two images is well known. To reduce uncertainty and remove spectral features in the streak camera photocathode from this photon energy range, a thin 100 nm CsI on 50 nm Al streak camera photocathode was implemented. Provided that the spectral shape is well-known, then uncertainties on the spectral sensitivity limits the accuracy of the temperature measurement to approximately 4.5% at 100 eV.
We present experiments at the Trident laser facility demonstrating the use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) to simultaneously measure density, ionization state populations, and electron temperature in shocked foams. An imaging x-ray spectrometer obtained spatially resolved measurements of Ti K-α emission. Density profiles were measured from K-α intensity. Ti ionization state distributions and electron temperatures were inferred by fitting K-α spectra to spectra from CRETIN simulations. This work shows that XRF provides a powerful tool to complement other diagnostics to make equation of state measurements of shocked materials containing a suitable tracer element.
In an electron beam ion trap (EBIT), the ions are not confined to the electron beam, but rather oscillate in and out of the beam. As a result, the ions do not continuously experience the full density of the electron beam. To determine the effective electron density, n e,eff , experienced by the ions, the electron beam size, the nominal electron density n e , and the ion distribution around the beam, i.e., the so-called ion cloud, must be measured. We use imaging techniques in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and optical to determine these. The electron beam width is measured using 3 d → 3 p emission from Fe xii and xiii between 185 and 205 Å. These transitions are fast and the EUV emission occurs only within the electron beam. The measured spatial emission profile and variable electron current yield a nominal electron density range of n e ~ 10 11 –10 13 cm –3 . We determine the size of the ion cloud using optical emission from metastable levels of ions with radiative lifetimes longer than the ion orbital periods. Here, the resulting emission maps out the spatial distribution of the ion cloud. We find a typical electron beam radius of ~60 μm and an ion cloud radius of ~300 μ m. These yield a spatially averaged effective electron density, ne,eff, experienced by the ions in EBIT spanning ~ 5 × 10 9 –5 × 10 11 cm –3 .
Ceramic-metallic nuclear fuels are a candidate fuel for nuclear thermal propulsion systems due to their high heat transport properties, which are necessary in very high-temperature environments. The conventional fabrication of uranium nitride–molybdenum fuel has been thoroughly studied in the past, but modern manufacturing techniques have presented a unique opportunity for further development within this field. This work demonstrates the use of advanced manufacturing techniques to produce nuclear fuel pellets composed of uranium nitride microspheres encased in a molybdenum matrix. Binder jetting is used to print molybdenum disks that are filled with uranium nitride microspheres and afterward sintered using spark plasma sintering. Two fuel pellets were fabricated to demonstrate the methodology and to provide a baseline analysis of the effects of temperature and pressure processing conditions. Characterization of the sintered fuel pellets includes detailed microstructural analysis and thermal conductivity measurements.
This study explores the usefulness of machine learning classifiers for modeling freight mode choice. We investigate eight commonly used machine learning classifiers, namely Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network, K-Nearest Neighbors, Classification and Regression Tree, Random Forest, Boosting and Bagging, along with the classical Multinomial Logit model. US 2012 Commodity Flow Survey data are used as the primary data source; we augment it with spatial attributes from secondary data sources. The performance of the classifiers is compared based on prediction accuracy results. The current research also examines the role of sample size and training-testing data split ratios on the predictive ability of the various approaches. In addition, the importance of variables is estimated to determine how the variables influence freight mode choice. The results show that the tree-based ensemble classifiers perform the best. Specifically, Random Forest produces the most accurate predictions, closely followed by Boosting and Bagging. With regard to variable importance, shipment characteristics, such as shipment distance, industry classification of the shipper and shipment size, are the most significant factors for freight mode choice decisions.
The evaluation of a plasma-based atomic layer etching (ALE) approach for native oxide surface removal from Si substrates is described. Objectives include removal of the native oxide while minimizing substrate damage, surface residues and substrate loss. Oxide thicknesses were measured using in situ ellipsometry and surface chemistry was analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The cyclic ALE approach when used for removal of native oxide SiO 2 from a Si substrate did not remove native oxide to the extent required. This is due to the high reactivity of the silicon substrate during the low-energy (<40 eV) ion bombardment phase of the cyclic ALE approach which leads to reoxidation of the silicon surface. A modified process, which used continuously biased Ar plasma with periodic CF 4 injection, achieved significant oxygen removal from the Si surface, with some residual carbon and fluorine. A subsequent H 2 /Ar plasma exposure successfully removed residual carbon and fluorine while passivating the silicon surface. The combined treatment reduced oxygen and carbon levels to about half compared to as received silicon surfaces. The downside of this process sequence is a net loss of about 40 Å of Si. A generic insight of this work is the importance of the substrate and final surface chemistry in addition to precise etch control of the target film for ALE processes. By a fluorocarbon-based ALE technique, thin SiO 2 layer removal at the Ångstrom level can be precisely performed from an inert substrate, e.g. a thick SiO 2 layer. However, from a reactive substrate, like Si, complete removal of the thin SiO 2 layer is prevented by the high reactivity of low energy Ar + ion bombarded Si. In conclusion, the Si surfaces are reoxidized during the ALE ion bombardment etch step, even for very clean and ultra-low O 2 process conditions.
Diverse industrial applications such as circuit breakers and wire arc spraying involve the interaction between an electric arc and a stream of gas impinging perpendicular to it, a configuration commonly referred to as the arc in crossflow. The arc in crossflow is simulated using a three-dimensional time-dependent two-temperature (heavy-species and electrons) plasma flow model to better capture plasma-gas interactions and deviations from Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE). The coupled fluid-electromagnetic flow model is solved in a monolithic manner using Variational Multiscale Finite Element Method. Simulation findings are validated with experimental findings and contrasted against results obtained with a LTE model. Results from the two-temperature model corroborate experimental observations while providing quantification of the deviation between heavy-species and electron temperatures. The model is used to characterize the arc in crossflow as a function of the Reynolds and Enthalpy dimensionless numbers, which encapsulate the inter-dependence among the main parameters total current, inflow velocity, and inter-electrode spacing. Furthermore, the characterization revealed the behavior of arc shape, voltage drop, arc power, the degree of nonequilibrium, as well as the characteristic plasma front thickness, with varying controlling parameters.
In this study, a vacuum compatible microfluidic device, system for analysis at the liquid vacuum interface, is integrated to hard x-ray absorption spectroscopy to obtain the local structure of K 3 [Fe(CN) 6 ] in aqueous solutions with three concentrations of 0.5 M, 0.05 M, and 0.005 M. The solutions were sealed in a microchannel 500 µm wide and 300 µm deep in a portable microfluidic device. The Fe K-edge x-ray absorption spectra indicate a presence of Fe(III) in the complex in water, with an octahedral geometry coordinated with 6 C atoms in the first shell with a distance of ~1.92 Å and 6 N atoms in the second shell with a distance of ~3.10 Å. Varying the concentration has no observable influence on the structure of K 3 [Fe(CN) 6 ]. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using microfluidic based liquid cells in large synchrotron facilities. Using portable microfludic reactors provides a viable approach to enable multifaceted measurements of liquids in the future.
The beam emission spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic is used to measure fluctuations of electron density in the edge and core of fusion plasmas, and is a key in understanding turbulence in a plasma reactor. A synthetic BES diagnostic for the turbulence simulation code XGC1 has been developed using a realistic neutral beam model and an optical system easily adaptable to different kinds of tokamaks. The beam is modeled using multiple beam energy components, each one with a fraction of the total energy and their own mass and energy (mono-energetic components). The optical system consists of a lens focusing a bundle of optical fibers and resulting in a 2D measurement. The synthetic diagnostic gives similar correlation functions and behaviour of the turbulences than the usual methods that do not take into account the full 3D optical effects. The results, based on a simulation of XGC1, contain an analysis of the correlation (in space and time), a comparison of different approximations possible and their importance in accurately modeling the BES diagnostic.
Pulsed inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) are widely deployed in the fabrication of semi-conductor devices. Pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) of up to tens of kHz are commonly used during plasma etching for the high power densities they generate during the pulse-on period, and for their unique chemistries during the pulse-off period. The use of highly attaching halogen gases produces low electron densities during the pulse-off period, and these low density can result in instabilities, E-H transitions and ignition delays when applying power on the next pulse. To mitigate these possibilities, a low-level power environment could be maintained during “pulse-off” to moderate the minimum plasma density, therefore reducing ignition delays and enhancing plasma stability. In this work, ICPs sustained by 5 kHz pulsed power using Ar/Cl 2 mixtures at 20 mTorr were computationally investigated. For these conditions, the computed electron temperature (T e ) reaches a quasi-steady state during both the high- and low-power excitation. The model predicts that within the electromagnetic skin-depth, T e spikes to a high value during a low-to-high power modulation, and to a low value during a high-to-low power modulation. At the same time, a few cm above the substrate, there is little modulation in T e , as electron power convected from the skin depth disperses in traversing the reactor. Finally, the positive and negative spikes, and convection of transients across the reactors, are functions of power ramping time and gas mixtures.
We search Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 3 imaging data for galaxy-galaxy strong gravitational lenses using convolutional neural networks. We generate 250 000 simulated lenses at redshifts > 0.8 from which we create a data set for training the neural networks with realistic seeing, sky and shot noise. Using the simulations as a guide, we build a catalogue of 1.1 million DES sources with 1.8 < g - i < 5, 0.6 < g - r < 3, r_mag > 19, g_mag > 20, and i_mag > 18.2. We train two ensembles of neural networks on training sets consisting of simulated lenses, simulated non-lenses, and real sources. We use the neural networks to score images of each of the sources in our catalogue with a value from 0 to 1, and select those with scores greater than a chosen threshold for visual inspection, resulting in a candidate set of 7301 galaxies. During visual inspection, we rate 84 as 'probably' or 'definitely' lenses. Four of these are previously known lenses or lens candidates. We inspect a further 9428 candidates with a different score threshold, and identify four new candidates. We present 84 new strong lens candidates, selected after a few hours of visual inspection by astronomers. This catalogue contains a comparable number of high-redshift lenses to that predicted by simulations. Based on simulations, we estimate our sample to contain most discoverable lenses in this imaging and at this redshift range.
Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (SXRF) presents a valuable opportunity to study the metallome of single cells because it simultaneously provides high-resolution subcellular distribution and quantitative cellular content of multiple elements. Different sample preparation techniques have been used to preserve cells for observations with SXRF, with a goal to maintain fidelity of the cellular metallome. In this case study, mouse pancreatic beta-cells have been preserved with optimized chemical fixation. We show that cell-to-cell variability is normal in the metallome of beta-cells due to heterogeneity and should be considered when interpreting SXRF data. Additionally, we determined the impact of several immunofluorescence (IF) protocols on metal distribution and quantification in chemically fixed beta-cells and found that the metallome of beta-cells was not well preserved for quantitative analysis. However, zinc and iron qualitative analysis could be performed after IF with certain limitations. To help minimize metal loss using samples that require IF, we describe a novel IF protocol that can be used with chemically fixed cells after the completion of SXRF.
Approximately half of all atomic nuclei heavier than iron are synthesized by the slow neutroncapture process. The weak component of this process is not well understood and the reaction rates of each isotope in the s-process path affect nucleosynthesis abundances downstream.
The photon strength function of 58 Fe has been extracted using both the Oslo and Shape methods from particle–γ coincidence data measured using the Detector Array for Photons, Protons, and Exotic Residues, which probes nuclei utilizing (d,p) reactions in inverse kinematics. Four particle–γ coincidence matrices, each constructed with different treatments of the γ–ray energies, are explored in order to observe the impact on the resulting nuclear level density and photon strength. The final photon strength function reported is found to agree well with previous Oslo measurements of other iron isotopes. Systematic uncertainties are included, using different model parameters and their reported errors to perform the Oslo method normalization. The model-independent Shape method is explored and the functional form of the photon strength function obtained is in agreement with the Oslo method results. A low-energy enhancement is not reported for 58 Fe in this work given possible subtraction issues originating from strongly populated states.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.