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DOE OSTI2021

The radioactive nuclei 26 Al and 60 Fe in the Cosmos and in the solar system

The cosmic evolution of the chemical elements from the Big Bang to the present time is driven by nuclear fusion reactions inside stars and stellar explosions. A cycle of matter recurrently re-processes metal-enriched stellar ejecta into the next generation of stars. The study of cosmic nucleosynthesis and this matter cycle requires the understanding of the physics of nuclear reactions, of the conditions at which the nuclear reactions are activated inside the stars and stellar explosions, of the stellar ejection mechanisms through winds and explosions, and of the transport of the ejecta towards the next cycle, from hot plasma to cold, star-forming gas. Due to the long timescales of stellar evolution, and because of the infrequent occurrence of stellar explosions, observational studies are challenging, as they have biases in time and space as well as different sensitivities related to the various astronomical methods. Here, we describe in detail the astrophysical and nuclear-physical processes involved in creating two radioactive isotopes useful in such studies, 26 Al and 60 Fe. Due to their radioactive lifetime of the order of a million years, these isotopes are suitable to characterise simultaneously the processes of nuclear fusion reactions and of interstellar transport. We describe and discuss the nuclear reactions involved in the production and destruction of 26 Al and 60 Fe, the key characteristics of the stellar sites of their nucleosynthesis and their interstellar journey after ejection from the nucleosynthesis sites. This allows us to connect the theoretical astrophysical aspects to the variety of astronomical messengers presented here, from stardust and cosmic-ray composition measurements, through observation of γ rays produced by radioactivity, to material deposited in deep-sea ocean crusts and to the inferred composition of the first solids that have formed in the Solar System. We show that considering measurements of the isotopic ratio of 26 Al to 60 Fe eliminate some of the unknowns when interpreting astronomical results, and discuss the lessons learned from these two isotopes on cosmic chemical evolution. This review paper has emerged from an ISSI-BJ Team project in 2017–2019, bringing together nuclear physicists, astronomers, and astrophysicists in this inter-disciplinary discussion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Astroparticle Detectors Array—An Educational Project in Cosmic Ray Physics

ADA, short for Astroparticle Detectors Array, is an educational project aiming to detect cosmic radiation and possibly high-energy particles known as ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) or even to spot a supernova event. Its working process is the same as that used in professional cosmic ray observatories: it consists of simple detectors spread over the entire Italian territory and beyond. The detectors are hosted among high schools, associations, and private astronomical observatories. ADA has been operating since 2013 and was brought about with the intention of promoting astroparticle physics to any given level of outreach. Furthermore, ADA is becoming an interesting tool not only for teachers but also for independent and keen scientists. Over the years, we have discovered the importance of having a long series of data for studying the relation between and among cosmic rays, weather, and space weather and to investigate the main cause of oscillations in cosmic ray data. In this paper, we show what we find to be the most compelling results, such as the beautiful symmetry of the behavior between muons and the atmospheric temperature and, likewise, the evident anti-correlation between the intensity of the muons at ground level compared with solar activity.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Foreshock Model for Interstellar Shocks of Solar Origin: Voyager 1 and 2 Observations

The Voyager 1 (V1) and Voyager 2 (V2) spacecraft were launched in 1977 on a mission to explore the outer planets and reach the heliopause, the boundary between the hot solar plasma and the relatively cool interstellar plasma. V1 reached the heliopause on 2012 August 25, at 121.6 au, and V2 reached the heliopause on 2018 November 5, at 119.0 au. One of their remarkable discoveries was the detection of shocks propagating into the interstellar plasma from energetic solar events. These shocks are typically preceded by electron plasma oscillations excited by electron beams streaming along interstellar magnetic field lines ahead of the shocks. The frequencies of the plasma oscillations have now provided radial electron density profiles in the outer heliosphere and in the interstellar medium to radial distances of more than 145 au. The oscillations are typically preceded by bursts of high-energy ∼5–100 MeV electrons. These electron bursts are interpreted as being due to the reflection (and acceleration) of cosmic-ray electrons by the shock at the time the shock first contacts the magnetic field line that passes through the spacecraft. Relative timing between the cosmic rays reflected by the shock and the onset of the plasma oscillations allow us, for the first time, to estimate the energy, ∼20–100 eV, of the electron beams responsible for the plasma oscillations. These observations are combined into a self-consistent model called the foreshock model that describes the interaction of shocks of solar origin with the interstellar plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Extraordinary March 2022 East Antarctica “Heat” Wave. Part II: Impacts on the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Abstract Between 15 and 19 March 2022, East Antarctica experienced an exceptional heat wave with widespread 30°–40°C temperature anomalies across the ice sheet. In Part I, we assessed the meteorological drivers that generated an intense atmospheric river (AR) that caused these record-shattering temperature anomalies. Here, we continue our large collaborative study by analyzing the widespread and diverse impacts driven by the AR landfall. These impacts included widespread rain and surface melt that was recorded along coastal areas, but this was outweighed by widespread high snowfall accumulations resulting in a largely positive surface mass balance contribution to the East Antarctic region. An analysis of the surface energy budget indicated that widespread downward longwave radiation anomalies caused by large cloud-liquid water contents along with some scattered solar radiation produced intense surface warming. Isotope measurements of the moisture were highly elevated, likely imprinting a strong signal for past climate reconstructions. The AR event attenuated cosmic ray measurements at Concordia, something previously never observed. Last, an extratropical cyclone west of the AR landfall likely triggered the final collapse of the critically unstable Conger Ice Shelf while further reducing an already record low sea ice extent. Significance Statement Using our diverse collective expertise, we explored the impacts from the March 2022 heat wave and atmospheric river across East Antarctica. One key takeaway is that the Antarctic cryosphere is highly sensitive to meteorological extremes originating from the midlatitudes and subtropics. Despite the large positive temperature anomalies driven from strong downward longwave radiation, this event led to huge amounts of snowfall across the Antarctic interior desert. The isotopes in this snow of warm airmass origin will likely be detectable in future ice cores and potentially distort past climate reconstructions. Even measurements of space activity were affected. Also, the swells generated from this storm helped to trigger the final collapse of an already critically unstable Conger Ice Shelf while further degrading sea ice coverage.

Wille, Jonathan D.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Modeling the Effect of the Heliospheric Magnetic Field on Cosmic Ray Muon Shadows

Shadows cast in the cosmic ray (CR) muon sky by the Sun were located using muon data from the MINOS far detector in Northern Minnesota. The shadows were observed independently across three time periods; near solar minimum, near solar maximum, and over the entire 13 year span of the data. A distribution of muon positions for each shadow was then sampled to simulate CR motions near the Sun using the Parker spiral model of the Heliospheric Magnetic Field (HMF) and a dipole model of the Geomagnetic Field (GMF). The resulting particle distributions were then compared to their position with respect to the Sun. Results show that the Parker spiral model is most consistent with the solar minimum shadow and least consistent with the solar maximum shadow, as expected. The simple Parker spiral is more consistent with the data for a harder CR spectrum than is actually present, indicating the need for a more detailed HMF model. Plausible modifications to the Parker spiral model which would affect the overall shift of the Sun's CR shadow are discussed.

Adamson, P. [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2021

Signatures of Recent Cosmic-Ray Acceleration in the High-latitude Gamma-Ray Sky

Cosmic-ray (CR) sources temporarily enhance the relativistic particle density in their vicinity over the background distribution accumulated from the Galaxy-wide past injection activity and propagation. If individual sources are close enough to the solar system, their localized enhancements may present as features in the measured spectra of the CRs and in the associated secondary electromagnetic emissions. Large-scale loop-like structures visible in the radio sky are possible signatures of such nearby CR sources. If so, these loops may also have counterparts in the high-latitude γ-ray sky. Using ~10 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, applying Bayesian analysis including Gaussian Processes, we search for extended enhanced emission associated with putative nearby CR sources in the energy range from 1 GeV to 1 TeV for the sky region |b| > 30°. We carefully control the systematic uncertainty due to imperfect knowledge of the interstellar gas distribution. Radio Loop IV is identified for the first time as a γ-ray emitter, and we also find significant emission from Loop I. Furthermore, strong evidence is found for asymmetric features about the Galactic l = 0° meridian that may be associated with parts of the so-called "Fermi Bubbles," and some evidence is also found for γ-ray emission from other radio loops. Implications for the CRs producing the features and possible locations of the sources of the emissions are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coordinated neutron and X-ray computed tomography of meteorites: Detection and distribution of hydrogen-bearing materials

The presence and distribution of hydrogen-bearing materials in meteorites are important constraints on processes in the early solar system, and the delivery of volatile constituents to growing planets. Here, in this paper, we show that coordinated neutron and X-ray computed tomography, NXCT, can reveal the presence and distributions of hydrogen-bearing materials in meteorites, and thus help constrain the presence and actions of water in the early solar system. NXCT is nearly nondestructive of meteorite samples. Neutron fluence in NXCT is approximately seven orders of magnitude less than in typical instrumental neutron activation analysis, and so produces little residual radioactivity and currently undetectable changes in isotope ratios. Heating during NXCT is minimal, but NXCT will overprint the record of cosmic ray exposure held in natural thermoluminescence. Two meteorites were examined. EET 87503 is a howardite, a regolith breccia inferred to be from the asteroid 4 Vesta, and contains fragments of eucrite basalt, diogenite pyroxenite, and H-rich carbonaceous chondrites. With NXCT, the chondrite fragments within the meteorite piece can be clearly located and characterized, in preparation for possible extraction and detailed analyses. Graves Nunataks (GRA) 06100 is a CR2 chondrite meteorite that contains abundant iron metal and H-bearing silicates from aqueous alteration. In NXCT, H-bearing altered material is clearly distinguished from metal, and its distribution in three dimensions is revealed as a constraint on the processes of alteration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sandblasting the r -process: Spallation of Ejecta from Neutron Star Mergers

Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are rapid neutron-capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis sites that expel matter at high velocities, from 0.1c to as high as 0.6c. Nuclei ejected at these speeds are sufficiently energetic to initiate spallation nuclear reactions with interstellar medium (ISM) particles. We adopt a thick-target model for the propagation of high-speed heavy nuclei in the ISM, similar to the transport of cosmic rays. We find that spallation may create observable perturbations to NSM isotopic abundances, particularly around the low-mass edges of the r-process peaks where neighboring nuclei have very different abundances. The extent to which spallation modifies the final NSM isotopic yields depends on: (1) the ejected abundances, which are determined by the NSM astrophysical conditions and the properties of nuclei far from stability, (2) the ejecta velocity distribution and propagation in interstellar matter, and (3) the spallation cross sections. Observed solar and stellar r-process yields could thus constrain the velocity distribution of ejected neutron star matter, assuming NSMs are the dominant r-process source. We suggest avenues for future work, including measurement of relevant cross sections.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

NASA’s first ground-based Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator: Enabling a new era in space radiobiology research

With exciting new NASA plans for a sustainable return to the moon, astronauts will once again leave Earth’s protective magnetosphere only to endure higher levels of radiation from galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and the possibility of a large solar particle event (SPE). Gateway, lunar landers, and surface habitats will be designed to protect crew against SPEs with vehicle optimization, storm shelter concepts, and/or active dosimetry; however, the ever penetrating GCR will continue to pose the most significant health risks especially as lunar missions increase in duration and as NASA sets its aspirations on Mars. The primary risks of concern include carcinogenesis, central nervous system (CNS) effects resulting in potential in-mission cognitive or behavioral impairment and/or late neurological disorders, degenerative tissue effects including circulatory and heart disease, as well as potential immune system decrements impacting multiple aspects of crew health. Characterization and mitigation of these risks requires a significant reduction in the large biological uncertainties of chronic (low-dose rate) heavy-ion exposures and the validation of countermeasures in a relevant space environment. Historically, most research on understanding space radiation-induced health risks has been performed using acute exposures of monoenergetic single-ion beams. However, the space radiation environment consists of a wide variety of ion species over a broad energy range. Using the fast beam switching and controls systems technology recently developed at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a new era in radiobiological research is possible. NASA has developed the “GCR Simulator” to generate a spectrum of ion beams that approximates the primary and secondary GCR field experienced at human organ locations within a deep-space vehicle. The majority of the dose is delivered from protons (approximately 65%–75%) and helium ions (approximately 10%–20%) with heavier ions (Z ≥ 3) contributing the remainder. The GCR simulator exposes state-of-the art cellular and animal model systems to 33 sequential beams including 4 proton energies plus degrader, 4 helium energies plus degrader, and the 5 heavy ions of C, O, Si, Ti, and Fe. A polyethylene degrader system is used with the 100 MeV/n H and He beams to provide a nearly continuous distribution of low-energy particles. A 500 mGy exposure, delivering doses from each of the 33 beams, requires approximately 75 minutes. To more closely simulate the low-dose rates found in space, sequential field exposures can be divided into daily fractions over 2 to 6 weeks, with individual beam fractions as low as 0.1 to 0.2 mGy. In the large beam configuration (60 × 60 cm 2 ), 54 special housing cages can accommodate 2 to 3 mice each for an approximately 75 min duration or 15 individually housed rats. On June 15, 2018, the NSRL made a significant achievement by completing the first operational run using the new GCR simulator. This paper discusses NASA’s innovative technology solution for a ground-based GCR simulator at the NSRL to accelerate our understanding and mitigation of health risks faced by astronauts. Ultimately, the GCR simulator will require validation across multiple radiogenic risks, endpoints, doses, and dose rates.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Study of the Cosmic Rays and Interstellar Medium in Local H I Clouds Using Fermi -LAT Gamma-Ray Observations

An accurate estimate of the interstellar gas density distribution is crucial to understanding the interstellar medium (ISM) and Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). To comprehend the ISM and CRs in a local environment, a study of the diffuse $γ$-ray emission in a midlatitude region of the third quadrant was performed. Specifically, the $γ$-ray data in the 0.1–25.6 GeV energy range of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and other interstellar gas tracers such as the HI4PI survey data and the Planck dust thermal emission model were used, and the northern and southern regions were analyzed separately. The variation of the dust emission D em with the total neutral gas column density N H was studied in high dust temperature areas, and the N H /D em ratio was calibrated using $γ$-ray data under the assumption of a uniform CR intensity in the studied regions. The measured integrated $γ$-ray emissivities above 100 MeV are (1.58 ± 0.04) x 10 -26 photons s -1 sr -1 H-atom-1 and (1.59 ± 0.02) x 10-26 photons s-1 sr-1 H-atom -1 in the northern and southern regions, respectively, supporting the existence of a uniform CR intensity in the vicinity of the solar system. While most of the gas can be interpreted to be H I with a spin temperature of T S = 125 K or higher, an area dominated by optically thick H I with T S ~ 40 K was identified.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

QuarkNet High School Cosmic Ray Projects

QuarkNet High School teachers and students perform experiments with cosmic ray muons. Their data is available to all on the i2u2.org site; enable measurements of muon flux, speed, and lifetime. The pandemic restricted access to many detectors, so QuarkNet provided virtual resources allowing users to carry out simpler experiments with already uploaded data. Some QuarkNet high school groups have also carried out more complex projects, e.g. Solar Eclipse 2017, MUSE at Fermilab, storm tracking, and g-2, that required assembling entire physics collaborations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory in México: The primary detector

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory is a second-generation continuously operated, wide field-of-view, TeV gamma-ray observatory. The HAWC observatory and its analysis techniques build on experience of the Milagro experiment in using ground-based water Cherenkov detectors for gamma-ray astronomy. HAWC is located on the Sierra Negra volcano in México at an elevation of 4100 meters above sea level. The completed HAWC observatory principal detector (HAWC) consists of 300 closely spaced water Cherenkov detectors, each equipped with four photomultiplier tubes to provide timing and charge information to reconstruct the extensive air shower energy and arrival direction. The HAWC observatory has been optimized to observe transient and steady emission from sources of gamma rays within an energy range from several hundred GeV to several hundred TeV. However, most of the air showers detected are initiated by cosmic rays, allowing studies of cosmic rays also to be performed. This paper describes the characteristics of the HAWC main array and its hardware.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Constraints on the Emission of Gamma-Rays from M31 with HAWC

Cosmic rays, along with stellar radiation and magnetic fields, are known to make up a significant fraction of the energy density of galaxies such as the Milky Way. When cosmic rays interact in the interstellar medium, they produce gamma-ray emission which provides an important indication of how the cosmic rays propagate. Gamma rays from the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), located 785 kpc away, provide a unique opportunity to study cosmic-ray acceleration and diffusion in a galaxy with a structure and evolution very similar to the Milky Way. Using 33 months of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory, we search for TeV gamma rays from the galactic plane of M31. We also investigate past and present evidence of galactic activity in M31 by searching for Fermi Bubble-like structures above and below the galactic nucleus. No significant gamma-ray emission is observed, so we use the null result to compute upper limits on the energy density of cosmic rays $>10$ TeV in M31. In conclusion, the computed upper limits are approximately ten times higher than expected from the extrapolation of the Fermi LAT results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measurement of muon-induced neutron yield at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory *

Abstract Solar, terrestrial, and supernova neutrino experiments are subject to muon-induced radioactive background. The China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL), with its unique advantage of a 2400 m rock coverage and long distance from nuclear power plants, is ideal for MeV-scale neutrino experiments. Using a 1-ton prototype detector of the Jinping Neutrino Experiment (JNE), we detected 343 high-energy cosmic-ray muons and (7.86 3.97) muon-induced neutrons from an 820.28-day dataset at the first phase of CJPL (CJPL-I). Based on the muon-induced neutrons, we measured the corresponding muon-induced neutron yield in a liquid scintillator to be μ −1 g −1 cm 2 at an average muon energy of 340 GeV. We provided the first study for such neutron background at CJPL. A global fit including this measurement shows a power-law coefficient of (0.75 0.02) for the dependence of the neutron yield at the liquid scintillator on muon energy.

Zhao, Lin↗
DOE OSTI2020

Tests of Dark MACHOs: lensing, accretion, and glow

Dark matter could take the form of dark massive compact halo objects (dMACHOs); i.e., composite objects that are made up of dark-sector elementary particles, that could have a macroscopic mass from the Planck scale to above the solar mass scale, and that also admit a wide range of energy densities and sizes. Concentrating on the gravitational interaction of dMACHOs with visible matter, we map out the mass-radius parameter space that is consistent with gravitational lensing experiments, as well as anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) based on the spherical accretion of matter onto a dMACHO in the hydrostatic approximation. For dMACHOs with a uniform-density mass profile and total mass in the range of ~ 10 -12 - 10 M , we find that a dMACHO could explain 100% of the dark matter if its radius is above ≈ 3 times the Einstein radius of the lensing system. For a larger mass above 10 M , a dMACHO with radius above ~ 1×10 8 cm×(M/100 M ) 9/2 is consistent with CMB observables. For a lighter dMACHO with mass below ~ 10 -12 M , there still is not a good experimental probe. Finally, we point out that heavier dMACHOs with masses ~ 0.1 M may be observed by X-ray and optical telescopes if they reside at rest in a large molecular cloud, nearby to our solar system, and accrete ordinary matter to emit photons.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

C{sub 2}N{sub 2} Vertical Profile in Titan’s Stratosphere

In this paper, we present the first measurements of the vertical distribution of cyanogen (C{sub 2}N{sub 2}) in Titan’s lower atmosphere at different latitudes and seasons, using Cassini’s Composite Infrared Spectrometer far-infrared data. We also study the vertical distribution of three other minor species detected in our data: methylacetylene (C{sub 3}H{sub 4}), diacetylene (C{sub 4}H{sub 2}), and H{sub 2}O, in order to compare them to C{sub 2}N{sub 2}, but also to get an overview of their seasonal and meridional variations in Titan’s lower stratosphere from 85 km to 225 km. We measured an average volume mixing ratio of C{sub 2}N{sub 2} of 6.2±0.8×10{sup −11} at 125 km at the equator, but poles exhibit a strong enrichment in C{sub 2}N{sub 2} (up to a factor 100 compared to the equator), greater than what was measured for C{sub 3}H{sub 4} or C{sub 4}H{sub 2}. Measuring C{sub 2}N{sub 2} profiles provides constraints on the processes controlling its distribution, such as bombardment by Galactic Cosmic Rays which seem to have a smaller influence on C{sub 2}N{sub 2} than predicted by photochemical models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Identification and reconstruction of low-energy electrons in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector

Measurements of electrons from 𝜈𝑒 interactions are crucial for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) neutrino oscillation program, as well as searches for physics beyond the standard model, supernova neutrino detection, and solar neutrino measurements. This article describes the selection and reconstruction of low-energy (Michel) electrons in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector. ProtoDUNE-SP is one of the prototypes for the DUNE far detector, built and operated at CERN as a charged particle test beam experiment. A sample of low-energy electrons produced by the decay of cosmic muons is selected with a purity of 95%. This sample is used to calibrate the low-energy electron energy scale with two techniques. An electron energy calibration based on a cosmic ray muon sample uses calibration constants derived from measured and simulated cosmic ray muon events. Another calibration technique makes use of the theoretically well-understood Michel electron energy spectrum to convert reconstructed charge to electron energy. In addition, the effects of detector response to low-energy electron energy scale and its resolution including readout electronics threshold effects are quantified. Finally, the relation between the theoretical and reconstructed low-energy electron energy spectra is derived, and the energy resolution is characterized. The low-energy electron selection presented here accounts for about 75% of the total electron deposited energy. After the addition of lost energy using a Monte Carlo simulation, the energy resolution improves from about 40% to 25% at 50 MeV. These results are used to validate the expected capabilities of the DUNE far detector to reconstruct low-energy electrons.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗