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At least 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Digital simulation of a communication link for Pioneer Saturn Uranus atmospheric entry probe, part 1

A digital simulation study is presented for a candidate modulator/demodulator design in an atmospheric scintillation environment with Doppler, Doppler rate, and signal attenuation typical of the conditions of an outer planet atmospheric probe. The simulation results indicate that the mean channel error rate with and without scintillation are similar to theoretical characterizations of the link. The simulation gives information for calculating other channel statistics and generates a quantized symbol stream on magnetic tape from which error correction decoding is analyzed. Results from the magnetic tape data analyses are also included. The receiver and bit synchronizer are modeled in the simulation at the level of hardware component parameters rather than at the loop equation level and individual hardware parameters are identified. The atmospheric scintillation amplitude and phase are modeled independently. Normal and log normal amplitude processes are studied. In each case the scintillations are low pass filtered. The receiver performance is given for a range of signal to noise ratios with and without the effects of scintillation. The performance is reviewed for critical reciever parameter variations.

Hinrichs, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Further analysis of a recent cosmic-ray antiproton experiment

Reference is made to the measurements of a cosmic ray antiproton flux at a few hundred MeV reported by Buffington et al. (1981), noting that one of the final background processes to be removed by the data analysis in that study was helium-induced events which satisfied the criteria for topology and timing. The response in the third scintillator S3 was used to identify and remove these events. For the top two scintillators S1 and S2, pulse size information was lost during the data-taking. A method is reported here for the partial retrieval of pulse size information for the scintillator S2. This is possible because a portion of this signal was subtracted from the Cerenkov response before trigger discrimination and data recording to remove scintillation from the Cerenkov response. For separating protons from more highly charged particles, the method is considered sufficient. It is pointed out that the sample of events identified as antiprotons, for which the method can be applied, has the expected unit charge in scintillator S2.

Buffington, A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Monopole search below the Parker limit with the MACRO detector at Gran Sasso

The MACRO detector approved for the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory in Italy will be the first capable of performing a definitive search for super-massive grand unified theory (GUT) monopoles at a level significantly below the Parker flux limit of 10 to the minus 15th power square centimeters Sr(-1) 5(-1). GUT monopoles will move at very low velocities (V approx. 0.001 c) relative to the Earth and a multifaceted detection technique is required to assume their unambiguous identification. Calculations of scintillator response to slow monopoles and measurements of scintillation efficiency for low energy protons have shown that bare monopoles and electrically charged monopoles moving at velocities as low as 5 x .0001 c will produce detectable scintillation signals. The time-of-flight between two thick (25 cm) liquid scintillation layers separated by 4.3m will be used in conjunction with waveform digitization of signals of extended duration in each thick scintillator to provide a redundant signature for slow penetrating particles. Limited streamer tubes filled with He and n-pentane will detect bare monopoles with velocities as low as 1 x 0.0001 c by exploiting monopole induced level mixing and the Penning effect.

Tarle, G.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Interiors of the giant planets

This theoretical/observational project constrains interior structure of Jovian planets through observational data. Researchers continue to concentrate on Neptune in support of the 1989 Voyager encounter. Occultations of stars by Neptune are observed from the Tucson area and from Chile to obtain information about Neptune's atmosphere and to continue to search for Neptune arcs. Occultations by other solar system objects are also observed as part of collaborative efforts from time to time. New results on the structure of scintillations in the central flash occultation by Neptune on 20 August 1985 were derived. Analysis shows that scintillations are present throughout the lightcurve, both near the half-intensity points (at a pressure of 1 microbar) and near the central flash (at 0.4 mbar). Near the planetary limb, the scintillations are extended parallel to the limb; near the shadow center, they are extended parallel to the limb; near the shadow center, they are extended in a radial direction. Researchers collaborated with Ramesh Narayan to derive a theory relating the scintillations to density fluctuations in Neptune's atmosphere. The theory will ultimately enable researchers to test whether the scintillations are caused by internal gravity waves in Neptune's upper atmosphere.

Hubbard, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The Galactic center radio source shines below the Compton limit

Absence of refractive scintillation of Sgr A*, the Galactic center radio source, at 1.3 and 0.8 mm wavelengths places an observational limit of brightness temperature of below 0.5 x 10 exp 12 K on the source. This is less than the maximum brightness of an incoherently synchrotron-emitting plasma, 10 exp 12 K, known as the Compton limit. The refractive scintillations expected, due to strong broadening of the source by the interstellar plasma, are observed by Zhao et al. at decimeter wavelengths. It has proven to be impossible to observe them at 1.3 and 0.8 mm wavelengths over time spans between 0.1 s and 24 hr. Such scintillations are quenched by source size greater than about 0.1 AU, or, equivalently, less than 0.5 x 10 exp 12 K for Sgr A*, at 0.8 mm wavelength. The scintilations would also require fluctuations with scale sizes of 0.1 AU in the scattering plasma, moving across the line of sight at velocities above about 100 km/s. The plasma that scatters Sgr A* satisfies the latter two conditions, and the absence of scintillations is due to the size of the source. This observation strengthens the identification of Sgr A* as a quiescent galactic nucleus.

Gwinn, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS2021

The NANOGrav 12.5 Year Data Set: Monitoring Interstellar Scattering Delays

We extract interstellar scintillation parameters for pulsars observed by the NANOGrav radio pulsar timing program. Dynamic spectra for the observing epochs of each pulsar were used to obtain estimates of scintillation timescales, scintillation bandwidths, and the corresponding scattering delays using a stretching algorithm to account for frequency-dependent scaling. We were able to measure scintillation bandwidths for 28 pulsars at1500 MHz and 15 pulsars at 820 MHz. We examine scaling behavior for 17 pulsars and find power-law indices ranging from−0.7 to−3.6, though these may be biased shallow due to insufficient frequency resolution at lower frequencies. We were also able to measure scintillation timescales for six pulsars at 1500 MHz and seven pulsars at820 MHz. There is fair agreement between our scattering delay measurements and electron-density model predictions for most pulsars. We derive interstellar scattering-based transverse velocities assuming isotropic scattering and a scattering screen halfway between the pulsar and Earth. We also estimate the location of the scattering screens assuming proper motion and interstellar scattering-derived transverse velocities are equal. We find no correlations between variations in scattering delay and either variations in dispersion measure or flux density. For most pulsars for which scattering delays are measurable, we find that time-of-arrival uncertainties for a given epoch are larger than our scattering delay measurements, indicating that variable scattering delays are currently subdominant in our overall noise budget but are important for achieving precisions of tens of nanoseconds or less.

Jacob E Turner↗
DOE OSTI2024

Large area position sensitive detector for thermal neutrons

Large area thermal neutron detectors are applied in many fields including industrial imaging, nuclear safeguarding, neutron scattering, and fundamental science. Historically, these detectors were based on 3 He gas proportional counters despite the limitations of 3 He detectors such as high cost, limited supply, non-uniform spatial resolution, and depth of absorption problems. Two alternatives to 3 He detectors are 6 Li-loaded glass scintillators, and powdered ZnS(Ag) scintillators mixed with 6LiF neutron converters. The 6 LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillator has advantages over 6 Li glass as it is less expensive and can be produced in larger areas, although its self-absorption presents a problem. In this work, we developed a large area thermal neutron detector based on 6 LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillator coupled with wavelength shifting fibers. The detector uses resistive charge divider-based position encoding. We further modified and improved the method by 2D segmentation of the detector using modular multichannel readout electronics. This segmentation approach allows for a combination of large detector area, improved spatial resolution, and increased count rate. Furthermore, spatial resolution can be variable across the detector area by adjusting the segment size.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impurity-enhanced core valence luminescence via Zn-doping in cesium magnesium chlorides

Scintillators with faster timing capabilities are currently in high demand for use in radiation detection systems in the fields of nuclear and medical physics. The limited number of suitable materials that meet the performance criteria of next generation detection systems presents an opportunity for discovery of new fast scintillator materials. In this work, the effects of doping several ultrafast core-valence luminescent (CVL) scintillators with divalent Zn is explored. Three compounds are investigated – CsMgCl 3 , Cs 2 MgCl 4 , and Cs 3 MgCl 5 – and single crystals of each doped with 5 mol% Zn are grown via the Bridgman method. Additionally, mixing across the full range of concentrations (from 0 % to 100 % Zn) is explored in the Cs 2 Mg 1-x Zn x Cl 4 and Cs 3 Mg 1-x Zn x Cl 5 systems. For low concentrations of Zn, light yields of all three compounds are enhanced (by up to ~60 %) compared to the pure crystals, achieving what we believe to be the brightest known CVL, CsMgCl 3 :Zn 5 % (3400 ± 170 ph/MeV light yield). More importantly, Zn doping does not affect the ultrafast timing properties, with each composition maintaining a single-component decay time around 1–3 ns. A sub-100 ps coincidence time resolution (CTR) is also achieved with CsMgCl 3 :Zn 5 %. The results of this work reveal a new avenue towards obtaining brighter CVL materials, which could open up possibilities for more advanced ultrafast scintillators to be discovered moving forward.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measuring Light Yield with Isolated Protons in MicroBooNE

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs) are precision detectors used extensively in neutrino physics. The MicroBooNE experiment at Fermilab is one of the experiments employing this technique and has collected 5 years of data from 2015-2021. The primary signal in LArTPCs is ionisation, but argon also emits large quantities of scintillation light, which can be used for calorimetry, timing and background rejection. Prompt scintillation light in MicroBooNE is recorded with an array of 32 PhotoMultiplier Tubes (PMTs). To enable the full use of scintillation light in the experiment, it is important to characterize the efficiency of light collection in the detector, i.e. the light yield. We present a new method of measuring the light yield using isolated proton interactions, which enables a position-dependent light yield measurement to map the response of the detector across its volume. This method can be used to calibrate the light response in large-scale LArTPC detectors as well as to test assumptions used in simulating scintillation light.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Track Matching in the DUNE Near Detectors

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international particle physics experiment looking answer some of the largest unanswered questions in neutrino physics. DUNE uses a high power neutrino beam produced at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), and consists of a near detector (ND) also located at Fermilab and a far detector (FD) 1300 km away at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. In the first phase of the experiment, the ND complex will contain a modular liquid argon TPC (ND-LAr) and a solid scintillator-based muon spectrometer (TMS), in addition to a beam monitoring detector (SAND) and systems for moving ND-LAr and TMS away from the neutrino beam axis (PRISM). A prototype of ND-LAr, the 2x2 demonstrator, alongside a solid scintillator muon tagger provided by repurposed MINERvA planes, has been built and taken data at Fermilab. For analyses with the ND, connecting particle tracks (such as muons) that exit the liquid argon active volume into the solid scintillator muon detector can improve particle identification and energy reconstruction, and alleviate pileup due to the intense beam. To match tracks between detectors during reconstruction, we have explored using Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to connect tracks segments between the liquid argon detector region and the solid scintillator detector planes. We have trained a GNN on reconstructed simulated data from the 2×2 demonstrator and repurposed MINERvA planes. We will evaluate its performance and then train a similar network on reconstructed ND-LAr and TMS simulations.

Xing, Daniel [U. Colorado, Boulder]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Digital Miniature Cathode Ray Magnetometer

In this study, we introduce the concept and construction of an innovative Digital Miniature Cathode Ray Magnetometer designed for the precise detection of magnetic fields. This device addresses several limitations inherent to magnetic probes such as D.C. offset, nonlinearity, temperature drift, sensor aging, and the need for frequent recalibration, while capable of operating in a wide range of magnetic fields. The core principle of this device involves the utilization of a charged particle beam as the sensitivity medium. The system leverages the interaction of an electron beam with a scintillator material, which then emits visible light that is captured by an imager. The emitted scintillation light is captured by a CMOS sensor. This sensor not only records the scintillation light but also accurately determines the position of the electron beam, providing invaluable spatial information crucial for magnetic field mapping. The key innovation lies in the combination of electron beam projection, CMOS imager scintillation-based detection, and digital image signal processing. By employing this synergy, the magnetometer achieves remarkable accuracy, sensitivity and dynamic range. The precise position registration enabled by the CMOS sensor further enhances the device’s utility in capturing complex magnetic field patterns, allowing for 2D field mapping. In this work, the optimization of the probe’s performance is tailored for applications related to the characterization of insertion devices in light sources, including undulators.

Turqueti, Marcos↗
NASA NTRS1978

The localized origin of equatorial F region irregularity patches

An intensive study of nighttime irregularities of electron density in the equatorial ionosphere was performed in October 1976 by making 50-MHz radar backscatter measurements at Jicamarca, Peru, and scintillation measurements of 249-MHz transmissions from Les 9 at two ground stations (Ancon and Huancayo, both in Peru) as well as by aircraft flying in the vicinity of the stations. The 137-MHz scintillations from the orbiting Wideband satellite were also recorded at Huancayo. The results of such measurements made on October 16-17, 1976, are discussed in this report. We find that on this particular night a large-scale irregularity patch evolved first in the west, as was detected by the radar at Jicamarca, and drifted eastward to cause successive onsets of scintillation activity on propagation paths from Ancon and Huancayo. The observations indicate the east-west dimension of the large-scale structure to be 400 km drifting eastward at a speed of approximately 100 m/s, having a lifetime of several hours, and containing a hierarchy of irregularity scale sizes in the range of kilometers to meters causing both scintillations at 249 MHz and radar backscatter at 50 MHz.

Aarons, J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Proportional counter for X-ray analysis of lunar and planetary surfaces

A position sensitive proportional scintillation detector was developed and evaluated for use in applications involving X-ray imaging as well as spectroscopy. Topics covered include limitations of the proportional scintillation counter for use in space; purification of the xenon gas in the detector, and the operation of the detector system. Results show that the light signal in a proportional scintillation detector remains well localized. With modest electric fields in xenon, the primary electrons from a photoelectric absorption of an X-ray can be brought a distance of a few millimeters to a higher field region without spreading more than a millimeter or so. Therefore, it is possible to make a proportional scintillation detector with good position sensitivity that could be used to calibrate out the difference in light collection over its sensitive volume.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

Cosmic ray detector for high energy iron nuclei

An experiment to directly measure the differential energy spectra of nuclei with charge between 15-28 inclusive with a balloon borne instrument is presented. A High Energy Gas Cerenkov Spectrometer (HEGCS) is described, and consists of a 3 m diam drum 4.5 m tall containing three light diffusion chambers. A hodoscopic array of scintillators emit light into the top and bottom light chambers which serve for track recordings of the trajectory and charge of incident cosmic rays. A center chamber pressure vessel, the HEGCS, has a 4.0 m sr and a threshold of 50 GeV/amu. The hexagonal array scintillators have 24 elements/array feeding photomultiplier tubes at the vertices between the scintillators, with other PMTs located around the top and bottom chambers to capture escaped scintillator light. The HEGCS is filled with freon-12, with reflective paint on the inner surface to convert UV Cerenkov photons into visible photons near 425 nm.

Streitmatter, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Neutron-induced 2.2 MeV background in gamma ray telescopes

Neutron-induced gamma ray production is an important source of background in Compton scatter gamma ray telescopes where organic scintillator material is used. Most important is deuteron formation when atmospheric albedo and locally produced neutrons are thermalized and subsequently absorbed in the hydrogenous material. The resulting 2.2 MeV gamma ray line radiation essentially represents a continuous isotropic source within the scintillator itself. Interestingly, using a scintillator material with a high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio to minimize the scintillator material with a high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio to minimize the neutron-induced 4.4 MeV carbon line favors the np reaction. The full problem of neutron-induced background in Compton scatter telescopes has been previously discussed. Results are presented of observations with the University of California balloon-borne Compton scatter telescope where the 2.2 MeV induced line emission is prominently seen.

Zanrosso, E. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Performance optimization for hard X-ray/soft gamma-ray detectors

This paper discusses the optimization of the performance of imaging scintillation detectors used in the hard X-ray/soft gamma-ray (20-300) keV region of the spectrum. In these devices, absorption of an incident gamma-ray within an alkali halide crystal induces a scintillation light distribution which is centroided by an imaging photomultiplier tube mounted to the crystal. The ultimate imaging resolution is strongly affected by the detailed propagation of the scintillation light within the crystal and at the interface between the crystal and the phototube face plate. A number of refined techniques for preparing the scintillation crystals so as to optimize the imaging resolution have been investigated. The results indicate very good agreement with relatively simple models of the light propagation. It is shown that it is possible to achieve resolution consistent with the most optimistic models.

Harrison, Fiona A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Breadboard activities for advanced protein crystal growth

The proposed work entails the design, assembly, testing, and delivery of a turn-key system for the semi-automated determination of protein solubilities as a function of temperature. The system will utilize optical scintillation as a means of detecting and monitoring nucleation and crystallite growth during temperature lowering (or raising, with retrograde solubility systems). The deliverables of this contract are: (1) turn-key scintillation system for the semi-automatic determination of protein solubilities as a function of temperature, (2) instructions and software package for the operation of the scintillation system, and (3) one semi-annual and one final report including the test results obtained for ovostatin with the above scintillation system.

Rosenberger, Franz↗
NASA NTRS2006

Impact of the Ionosphere on an L-band Space Based Radar

We have quantified the impact that the ionosphere would have on a L-band interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mission using a combination of simulation, modeling, Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected during the last solar maximum, and existing spaceborne SAR data. We conclude that, except for high latitude scintillation related effects, the ionosphere will not significantly impact the performance of an L-band InSAR mission in an appropriate orbit. We evaluated the strength of the ionospheric irregularities using GPS scintillation data collected at Fairbanks, Alaska and modeled the impact of these irregularities on azimuth resolution, azimuth displacement, peak sidelobe ratio (PSLR), and integrated sidelobe ratio (ISLR). Although we predict that less than 5% of auroral zone data would show scintillation related artifacts, certain sites imaged near the equinoxes could be effected up to 25% of the time because the frequency of occurrence of scintillation is a strong function of season and local time of day. Our examination of ionospheric artifacts observed in InSAR data has revealed that the artifacts occur primarily in the polar cap data, not auroral zone data as was previously thought.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) ionospheres↗