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Bridgman-growth ampoule has molybdenum-to-quartz feedthroughs at both ends. Ampoule is vacuum-tight, protects exposed areas of furnace from corrosive vapors emanating from sample and at same time prevents changes in composition of melt due to preferential vaporization of one of components.
The radiation degradation of poly(arylene ether sulfones) and related materials is studied. These basic studies are important both as a means to developing stronger, more stable matrix resins for composite materials, as well as to improve the data base in regard to chemical structure-physical property relationships. Thirty homo and copolymers were synthesized, at least partially characterized and, in several cases suitable film casting techniques were developed. Four samples were chosen for initial radiation degradation. Poly(dimethyl siloxane) soft bocks/segments can preferentially migrate to the surface of copolymer films. Since siloxanes are utilized as thermal control coatings, this form of 'molecular' coating is of interest. The chemistry for preparing such copolymers with any of the polymers described was demonstrated.
We present near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging of the compact steep-spectrum radio source 3C 318 which shows it to be a quasar at redshift z = 1.574 (the z = 0.752 value previously reported is incorrect). 3C 318 is an IRAS, ISO and SCUBA source so its new redshift makes it the most intrinsically luminous far-infrared (FIR) source in the 3C catalogue (there is no evidence of strong gravitational lensing effects). Its bolometric luminosity greatly exceeds the 10(exp 13) solar luminosity level above which an object is said to be hyperluminous. Its spectral energy distribution (SED) requires that the quasar heats the dust responsible for the FIR flux, as is believed to be the case in other hyperluminous galaxies, and contributes (at the greater than 10% level) to the heating of the CIA dust responsible for the sub-mm emission. We cannot determine whether a starburst makes an important contribution to the heating of the coolest dust, so evidence for a high star-formation rate is circumstantial being based on the high dust, and hence gas, C-1 mass required by its sub-mm detection. We show that the current sub-mm and FIR data available for the highest-redshift radio galaxies are consistent with SEDs similar to that of 3C 318. This indicates that at least some of this population may be detected in the sub-mm because of dust heated by the quasar nucleus, and that interpreting sub-mm detection as evidence for very high (approx. less than 1000 solar mass/yr) star-formation rates may not always be valid. We show that the 3C318 quasar is slightly reddened (A(sub v) approx. = 0.5), the most likely cause of which is SMC-type dust in the host galaxy. If very distant radio galaxies are reddened in a similar way then we show that only slightly greater amounts of dust could obscure the quasars in these sources. We speculate that the low fraction of quasars amongst the very high redshift (z approx. greater than 3) objects in low-frequency radio-selected samples is the result of such obscuration. The highest-z objects might be preferentially obscured because like 3C318 they are inevitably observed very shortly after the jet-triggering event, or because their host galaxies are richer in dust and gas at earlier cosmic epochs, or because of some combination of these two effects.
Many properties of CO3 chondrites have been shown previously to have resulted from thermal metamorphism; petrologic subtypes 3.0-3.7 have been assigned to members of the group. Additional properties that correlate with the metamorphic sequence but seem to have resulted from hydrothermal alteration include the modal abundance of amoeboid olivine inclusions (AOI), chondrule size, the types of refractory inclusions and whole rock O isotopic composition. The percentage of rimmed AOI increases with petrologic subtype. The rims most likely formed during hydrothermal alteration. The previously reported correlation between AOI abundance and chondrite subtype is probably an artifact due to the difficulty in recognizing small unrimmed AOI in the least metamorphosed CO3 chondrites. Because large (>=200 micron size) porphyritic chondrules have nearly the same mean size in all CO3 chondrites, it seems likely that the correlation between chondrule size and subtype is due to alteration of the smallest chondrules to the point of unrecognizability as complete objects in the more metamorphosed CO3 chondrites. The previously reported decrease in the proportion of melilite-rich refractory inclusions with increasing petrologic subtype may have resulted from more extensive hydrothermal alteration in CO3 .4-3.7 chondrites that converted primary melilite into Ca-pyroxene, andradite and nepheline. Alteration probably caused the preferential occurrence of O-16-poor oxygen isotopes in the more metamorphosed whole rock samples.
Natural and induced fractures are potential preferential pathways for migration of radioactive gases to earths surface from underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). This report documents X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) imaging on 26 samples of rock core that was collected to support the Underground Nuclear Explosion Signatures Experiment (UNESE) program. The XRCT datasets are intended to help fill a data gap on the three-dimensional (3D) characteristics of natural and/or induced fractures at the centimeter and smaller scale, which may strongly influence multiphase fluid flow and transport properties of preferential flow paths and interaction with the matrix of the surrounding host rock. Pre- and post-UNE rock samples were carefully chosen to enable comparison of fractures as a function of lithologic and petrophysical properties, as well as distance to the past UNEs. This report serves as documentation for the data, including an introduction with the research motivation, a methods and materials section, descriptions of the XRCT datasets without post-processing, and recommendations for 3D quantification via image analysis and digital rock physics.
This study deals with the corrosion of near stoichiometric mullite (3Al2O3-2SiO2) by pure dry hydrogen gas. Exposure of the mullite samples was at temperatures of 1050 and 1250 C for times up to 500 hours. Preferential attack of the alumino-silicate glass present in the grain boundaries of the mullite occurred after 125 hours at 1250 C. Hydrogen scrubbing of the SiO2 from the glassy grain boundaries and the mullite grains yielded a porous alumina-rich surface. The room temperature strength increased after short exposure times at 1250 C (up to 125 hours), then decreased by 53 percent after exposure for 500 hours. At 1050 C, all exposure times (25 to 500 hours) decreased the strength. After 500 hours in hydrogen at 1050 C, the room temperature strength of mullite decreased 22 percent. We also observed a rapid 25 percent strength loss after short exposure times at 1050 C. This is attributed to the calcium/hydrogen assisted crystallization of the glassy, grain-boundary phase.
A suite of isotope ratios of light elements in the present martian atmosphere (13C/12C, 15N/14N, 18O/16O, 38Ar/36Ar, and D/H) are all substantially enriched in the heavy element suggesting atmospheric loss to space over the past billions of years with preferential loss of the lighter isotope from each pair. In situ measurements from MSL's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument [e.g. 1,2,3] have considerably refined previous measurements from the Viking mass spectrometers [e.g. 4], from remote spectroscopic observations [e.g. 5,6], and from martian meteorite studies [e.g. 7,8]. The persistence of habitable environments such as the ancient Yellowknife Bay lake recently revealed by measurements from the Curiosity rover [9] depends on the surface temperatures and the duration of an atmosphere thicker than that at present. Current and planned measurements from orbit with the Mars Express and MAVEN missions respectively intend to study the processes of atmospheric escape including solar wind interaction, sputtering, thermal escape, and dissociative recombination, and determine or refine the current rate of atmospheric loss caused by these and other mechanisms. The goal of these programs is to understand the physical processes sufficiently well so that robust extrapolations over the past billions of years can be made D/H is measured by both the Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS) and the Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QMS) of the SAM suite. to predict the atmospheric and surface conditions on early Mars. However, the study of the history of martian atmospheric evolution will be greatly facilitated if we are able to also directly measure the isotopic composition of volatiles captured in rocks that are representative of the ancient atmosphere. To date, D/H is one of the most promising candidates for this study since water is the most abundant volatile thermally released from the Yellowknife Bay phylosilicates discovered by the SAM and CheMin experiments of MSL and its
A potential Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission could require robotic autonomous capture and manipulation of an Orbital Sample (OS) before returning the samples to Earth. In one scenario, an orbiter would capture the OS, manipulate to a preferential orientation, transition it through the steps required to break-the-chain with Mars, stowing it in a containment vessel or an Earth Entry Vehicle (EEV) and providing redundant containment to the OS (for example by closing and sealing the lid of the EEV). In this paper, we discuss the trade-space of concepts generated for both the individual aspects of capture and manipulation of the OS, as well as concepts for the end-to-end system. Notably, we discuss concepts for OS capture, manipulation of the OS to orient it to a preferred configuration, and steps for transitioning the OS between different stages of manipulation, ultimately securing it in a containment vessel or Earth Entry Vehicle.
A potential Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission could require robotic autonomous capture and manipulation of an Orbital Sample (OS) before returning the samples to Earth. In one scenario, an orbiter would capture the OS, manipulate to a preferential orientation, transition it through the steps required to break-the-chain with Mars, stowing it in a containment vessel or an Earth Entry Vehicle (EEV) and providing redundant containment to the OS (for example by closing and sealing the lid of the EEV). In this paper, we discuss the trade-space of concepts generated for both the individual aspects of capture and manipulation of the OS, as well as concepts for the end-to-end system. Notably, we discuss concepts for OS capture, manipulation of the OS to orient it to a preferred configuration, and steps for transitioning the OS between different stages of manipulation, ultimately securing it in a containment vessel or Earth Entry Vehicle.
Pine needles and tree cores from a tritium (T) contaminated phytoremediation forest at the Savannah River Site (SRS in Aiken, SC) Mixed Waste Management Facility (MWMF) were measured for total T and T speciation and compared to other locations at the SRS and the surrounding area. Tree core ages ranged from 9 to 14 years old, covering over half of the ~20-year on-going remediation efforts, while pine needles represent more recent time periods of 1-to-2-year increments. Remedial irrigation efforts at the MWMF are found to directly influence the pine needle T concentrations. The T content in the MWMF samples is higher than non-irrigated needle samples from other locations around the SRS. Furthermore, the different forms of organic bound T are preferentially stored in tree core tissue, compared to pine needles where tritiated water dominates.
Noble gases, C and S, are lost from Allende samples heated for 1 week at temperatures of 400-1000 C in a low pressure environment. In the extreme, losses of He-3 and He-4 are about 100 x while for C, S and Ne, Ar and Kr isotopes and Xe-132 these are less than or equal to 10 x. Except for He, these losses are less severe than those of Bi or Tl from samples heated in the same runs. Significant He, Ne and Ar isotopic fractionation during heating indicates preferential outgassing of specific reservoirs. Next to He, Ar-40 is the most labile of those species considered here but still less so than Bi or Tl. L-group (but not H- or LL-group) chondrites may have lost mobile elements like Tl while being outgassed after late impact-associated heating. A less likely alternative involving a collateral relation between condensation conditions and depth in a parent object may also explain the L-group trend.
Quartz vacuum ampoule confines corrosive sample wafer between two quartz plugs inserted in quartz tube. One quartz plug is window for measuring sample thermodynamic properties while laser pulse entering other quartz plug heats sample to molten state. Confinement of sample in vacuum prevents contamination of measurement system by hot corrosive vapors and any interference by preferential evaporation of melt.
Lunar meteorites (LMs) are rocks found on Earth that were ejected from the Moon by impact of an asteroidal meteoroid. Three factors make the LMs important to remote-sensing studies: (1) Most are breccias composed of regolith or fragmental material; (2) all are rocks that resided (or breccias composed of material that resided) in the upper few meters of the Moon prior to launch and (3) most apparently come from areas distant from the Apollo sites. How Many Lunar Locations? At this writing (June 1999), there are 18 known lunar meteorite specimens. When unambiguous cases of terrestrial pairing are considered, the number of actual LMs reduces to 13. (Terrestrial pairing is when a single piece of lunar rock entered Earth's atmosphere, but multiple fragments were produced because the meteoroid broke apart on entry, upon hitting the ground or ice, or while being transported through the ice.) We have no reason to believe that LMs preferentially derive from any specific region(s) of the Moon; i.e., we believe that they are samples from random locations. However, we do not know how many different locations are represented by the LMs; mathematically, it could be as few as 1 or as many as 13. The actual maximum is < 13 because in some cases a single impact appears to have yielded more than one LM. Yamato 793169 and Asuka 881757 are considered "source-crater paired" or "launch paired" because they are compositionally and petrographically similar to each other and distinct from the others, and both have similar cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) histories. The same can be said of QUE 94281 and Y 793274. Thus the 13 meteorites probably represent a maximum of 11 locations on the Moon. The minimum number of likely source craters is debated and in flux as new data for different isotopic systems are obtained. Conservatively, considering CRE data only, a minimum of about 5 impacts is required. Compositional and petrographic data offer only probabilistic constraints. An extreme, but not unreasonable viewpoint, is that such data offer no constraint. For example, if one were to cut up the Apollo 17 landing site (which was selected for its diversity) into softball-sized pieces, some of those pieces (e.g., sample 70135) would be crystalline mare basalts like Y 793169 whereas others (e.g., sample 73131 would be feldspathic regolith breccias like MAC 88104/ 88105. However, nature is not so devious. Warren argues that LMs come from craters of only a few kilometers in diameter. If so, even though CRE data allow, for example, that ALHA 81005 and Y 791197) were launched simultaneously from the same crater, the probability is nevertheless low because the two meteorites are compositionally and mineralogically distinct. Thus, within the allowed range (5-11) for the number of locations represented by the LMs, values at the high end of the range are probably more likely. Mare Meteorites: Three LMs consist almost entirely of mare basalt. Two, Y 793169 and Asuka 881757, are unbrecciated, low-Ti, crystalline rocks that are compositionally and mineralogically similar (but not identical) to each other; they probably derive from a single lunar-mare location. The third, EET 87521/96008, is a fragmental breccia consisting predominantly of VLT mare basalt. Thus, these LMs probably represent only two lunar mare locations. The basaltic LMs have mineral and bulk compositions distinct from Apollo mare basalts. The petrography of Calcalong Creek has not been described in detail, but compositionally it is unique in that it corresponds to a mixture (breccia) of about one-half feldspathic material (i.e., the mean composition of the feldspathic lunar meteorites, below), one-fourth KREEP norite, one-fourth VLT mare basalt (like EET 87521), and 1% CI chondrite. With 4 micro g/g Th and correspondingly high concentrations of other incompatible elements, it is the only lunar meteorite that is likely to have come from within the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT). Yamato 793274 and QUE 94281 are together distinct in being fragmental breccias containing subequal parts of feldspathic highland material and VLT mare basalt. Jolliff et al. estimate a mare to highland ratio of 54:46 for QUE 94281 and 62:38 for Y 793274; this difference is well within the range observed for soils collected only centimeters apart (in cores) at interface site like Apollo 15 and 17 [11]. Although the two meteorites were found on opposite sides of Antarctica, they are probably launch-paired. The strongest evidence is that the pyroclastic glass spherules that occur in both are of two compositional groups and the two groups are essentially the same in both meteorites. Yamato 791197 is nominally a feldspathic lunar meteorite (below), but among FLMs, it probably contains the highest abundance of clasts and glasses of mare derivation. As a consequence, its composition is at the high-Fe, low-Mg end of the range for FLMs and is not included in the FLM average of Table 1. Its composition is consistent with about 10% mare-derived material. Similarly, the two small (Y 82) pieces of Y 82192/82193186032 are more mafic than the large (Y 86) piece, probably as a result of about 7% mare-derived material. All Apollo missions went to areas in or near the PKT, and, consequently, all Apollo regolith samples are contaminated with Th-rich material from the PKT. At the nominally "typical" highland site, Apollo 16, about 30% of the regolith (<1-mm fines) is Th-rich ejecta from the Imbrium impact and about 6% is mare material probably derived from mare basins. Thus Apollo 16 regolith is not typical of the highlands. Among Apollo rocks, the compositions of the FLMs correspond most closely to the feldspathic granulitic breccias of Apollo 16 and 17. (Additional information is contained in original)
This study investigates the role of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) and microstructure on void nucleation and growth in wrought and additively manufactured (AM) tantalum subjected to high-strain rate loading. Multi-modal 3D data was collected using TriBeam tomography to calculate GND densities and their spatial relationship to voids. A microstructural comparison between the wrought and AM samples identified distinct void shapes and locations, with intragranular voids and more spherical voids frequently observed in the AM dataset. Results indicate that voids preferentially form at both high-angle grain boundaries and low-angle subgrain boundaries, the latter of which are frequently observed in the AM material. Through a radial distribution analysis of all voids in the datasets, significant GND localization to near-void-surface regions was observed in both samples. 3D crystal plasticity simulations were employed to extend the experimental observations, revealing higher void growth rates in [111] oriented grains when compared to [001] grains. The simulations also suggest that GNDs can be generated as part of the void growth process, with more GND accumulation for growth in a [111] grain than a [001] grain. These findings provide valuable insights into the links between nanoscale void nucleation, mesoscale void growth, and microstructural effects in dynamically loaded tantalum.
Groundwater dependent ecosystems in areas with industrial and military land use are at risk of direct exposure to a wide range of contaminants, including PFAS chemicals. Glaciated terrain often has mixed high and low permeability sediments coupled with groundwater flow-through lake features. These hydrogeologic attributes create highly complex ‘source to seep’ dynamics that make spatiotemporal contaminant transport patterns difficult to predict. We investigated one such system in detail using a suite of heat-tracing and chemical methods. Numerous (n=57) preferential groundwater discharge zones (vertical flux rates ranging 0.2 to 3.2 m/d) were identified across the upper Quashnet River stream-wetland system in Mashpee, MA, USA, adjacent to an Air Force Base with several known PFAS source areas. Surface-water and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed (n=145) for precursors and terminal PFAS compounds between March and September 2022. Samples were collected at identified seeps along the Quashnet River (n=59), from wells upgradient from the stream-wetland system (n= 44), from contributing flow-through kettle lakes (n=8), and at multiple locations along the Quashnet River (n=34). Samples from seeps and wells had measured PFAS concentrations ranging from non-detect to approximate 3,500 ng/L (mean= 1,650 ng/L), and a range of deuterium excess values (3.2 to 15.9 per mil) indicative of varying degrees of groundwater-lake interaction prior to emergence at the discharge zones. Groundwater-lake interaction along flowpaths that sourced the sampled seeps was farther supported by significant correlations (p < 0.01) between deuterium excess and %PFAS precursors, and between %PFAS precursors and multiple terminal PFAS compounds (e.g., PFPeS, PFBS, PFHxS). However, some sampled seeps contributing groundwater to the stream-wetland system had much higher total PFAS concentrations (>1000 ng/L) than the upgradient kettle lakes, despite showing lake (evaporative) isotopic signatures, indicating the potential for groundwater flowpath convergence at wetland discharge zones and the influence of lakebed PFAS precursor reactions. PFAS compounds and water isotopic composition at sampled multilevel groundwater wells, rivers, lakes, and seeps suggest that a complex mixture of source groundwater and flowpath characteristics are responsible for diverse observed PFAS mixtures at preferential discharge zones across the stream-wetland system. Further, total PFAS loading patterns to the Quashnet River via groundwater discharge remained remarkably similar from winter to summer to fall conditions, despite a regional dry period in late summer 2022 with the upper river channel completely drying. This work addresses gaps in the existing PFAS literature by demonstrating the importance of subsurface fate and transport on PFAS compound concentrations in controlling contaminant mass loading in preferential groundwater discharge zones and presents a transferrable field toolkit for efficient characterization of spatially preferential PFAS transport dynamics.
It is known that the release of volatiles on impact is an important controlling factor in cratering processes in carbonate terranes and in the mobility of chemical elements. In order to assess the nature and the role of carbon- and oxygen-bearing volatiles during impact-induced metamorphism of sedimentary rocks, the C-13/C-12 and O-18/O-16 ratios and carbonate contents were determined for 30 shocked clasts from the Haughton Crater polymict breccia as well as for some unshocked carbonates from the sedimentary cover adjacent to the crater. Shock-induced CO2 loss during decarbonation of calcite is known to be a function of peak pressure and ambient partial pressure of the volatile species. In our clast samples, shocked from 20 to 60 GPa, we expect about 20 to 100 percent CO2 loss and preferential depletion in C-13 and O-18 in the residual carbonate. Rayleigh model (progressive loss of CO2) and batch model (single-step loss of CO2) curves for this depletion are shown. The magnitudes of the C-13 and O-18 depletions increase with the increase of the CO2 loss. In addition, the isotopic depletions should be correlated with an enrichment in CaO and MgO in the residual solid.
The glaciers of the Three Sisters volcanoes in Cascadia have retreated dramatically over the past century. In order to understand ongoing chemical weathering and solute transport in the proglacial valleys, waters were sampled from glacier outwash streams, local snowmelt, and proglacial springs and lakes at Collier and Diller Glaciers. To understand weathering and transport processes in the proglacial plains, infrared orbital remote sensing data was used to map compositional variability and highlight weathering products, which were then ground-truthed with laboratory mineralogical and chemical analyses of sediments. The hydrochemistry is significantly affected by a sub- and proglacial mafic weathering system lacking carbonate minerals. Here we report major ion concentrations in meltwaters for the summer 2016 and 2017 melt seasons. Total cation concentrations range from 3 to 250 μeq/l and dissolved bicarbonate concentrations range from 2 to 200 μeq/l. Other dissolved anions are negligible compared to bicarbonate. Dissolved silica concentrations range from 2 to 260 μmol/l, comparable to total dissolved cation concentrations. The highest cation and silica concentrations were measured in moraine-sourced springs. Compositional remote sensing analysis identified alteration zones in the proglacial plains at both Collier and Diller indicating potential hydrated silica. This analysis is consistent with laboratory analysis of sediment samples, which indicate the presence of poorly crystalline phases weathering products, including hydrated silica. Weathered materials are preferentially deposited on moraines due to aeolian and glacial transport, as well as intra-moraine alteration, and at abandoned stream terraces due to fluvial transport. Geochemical measurements indicate that the predominant form of chemical weathering in these periglacial mafic systems is the carbonation of feldspar as well as reactive volcanic glass. The presence of poorly crystalline silicates, as indicated by remote sensing datasets and laboratory analysis, is consistent with rapid weathering of feldspars and glass and formation of Fe-Al-Si-bearing mineraloids in these proglacial valleys. This weathering regime has wide-ranging implications for atmospheric CO2 drawdown due to cold-climate volcanic rock weathering.