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DOE OSTI2021

Nuclear spin features relevant to ab initio nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering

Effective interactions for elastic nucleon-nucleus scattering from first principles require the use of the same nucleon-nucleon interaction in the structure and reaction calculations, as well as a consistent treatment of the relevant operators at each order. Previous work using these interactions has shown good agreement with available data. Here, we study the physical relevance of one of these operators, which involves the spin of the struck nucleon, and examine the interpretation of this quantity in a nuclear structure context. Using the framework of the spectator expansion and the underlying framework of the no-core shell model, we calculate and examine spin-projected, one-body momentum distributions required for effective nucleon-nucleus interactions in $J=0$ nuclear states. The calculated spin-projected, one-body momentum distributions for $^4$He, $^6$He, and $^8$He display characteristic behavior based on the occupation of protons and neutrons in single particle levels, with more nucleons of one type yielding momentum distributions with larger values. Additionally, we find this quantity is strongly correlated to the magnetic moment of the $2^+$ excited state in the ground state rotational band for each nucleus considered. In conclusion, we find that spin-projected, one-body momentum distributions can probe the spin content of a $J=0$ wave function. This feature may allow future ab initio nucleon-nucleus scattering studies to inform spin properties of the underlying nucleon-nucleon interactions. The observed correlation to the magnetic moment of excited states illustrates a previously unknown connection between reaction observables such as the analyzing power and structure observables like the magnetic moment.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

NASA NTRS2006

Quenching of Excited Na due to He Collisions

The quenching and elastic scattering of excited Sodium by collisions with Helium have been investigated for energies between 10(exp -13) eV and 10 eV. With the ab initio adiabatic potentials and nonadiabatic radial and rotational couplings obtained from multireference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction approach, we carried out scattering calculations by the quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling method. Cross sections for quenching reactions and elastic collisions are presented. Quenching and elastic collisional rate coefficients as a function of temperature between 1 micro-K and 10,000 K are also obtained. The results are relevant to modeling non-LTE effects on Na D absorption lines in extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs.

Lin, C. Y.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Assessment of Modeling and Nuclear Data Needs for Active Neutron Interrogation

This document is the primary deliverable for a scoping study proposed to DOE National Laboratory Announcement Number LAB 19-2114 in the NNSA research area. The study supports user applications employing active neutron interrogation by providing a science plan to improve the modeling capability and the nuclear data that radiation transport codes use. Users rely on the accuracy of the elastic scattering and non-elastic cross-sections spanning thermal energies to 14 MeV (and higher in some cases) for modeling the neutron transport through complex geometries of materials potentially composed of many elements. While the elastic scattering cross-section data are accepted for all commonly occurring elements, the non-elastic cross-section data and the associated emission data include reaction channels that require attention. The study focused on the non-elastic reactions that emit secondary, also known as prompt, gammas with the premise that many users would benefit from improved modeling of these reactions. Many users develop material assay technologies based upon gamma signatures from radiative capture, inelastic scattering, and reactions on low-Z isotopes emitting multiple particles, so the nuclear data gaps, modeling deficiencies, and recommendations for addressing the shortfalls were assessed for these reactions. Fission gammas were excluded from this study because there are other efforts underway to address known shortfalls. Follow-on efforts that successfully execute the recommendations will tangibly improve to the ability to model gamma signatures and backgrounds for user applications, such as controlled substance detection, oil-well logging, and space exploration.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Effective field theory analysis of 3 He–α scattering data

We treat low-energy 3 He–α elastic scattering in an effective field theory (EFT) that exploits the separation of scales in this reaction. We compute the amplitude up to next-to-next-to-leading order, developing a hierarchy of the effective-range parameters (ERPs) that contribute at various orders. We use the resulting formalism to analyse data for recent measurements at center-of-mass energies of 0.38–3.12 MeV using the scattering of nuclei in inverse kinematics (SONIK) gas target at TRIUMF as well as older data in this energy regime. We employ a likelihood function that incorporates the theoretical uncertainty due to truncation of the EFT and use Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling to obtain the resulting posterior probability distribution. We find that the inclusion of a small amount of data on the analysing power A y is crucial to determine the sign of the p-wave splitting in such an analysis. Here, the combination of A y and SONIK data constrains all ERPs up to O(p 4 ) in both s- and p-waves quite well. The asymptotic normalisation coefficients and s-wave scattering length are consistent with a recent EFT analysis of the capture reaction 3 He(α, γ) 7 Be.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Multi-group Examination of Nickel-Reflected HEU System [Slides]

Researchers noted an unusually large bias for 8-in. nickel reflected HEU sphere in HMF-003 between the 252- group library and the CE library in SCALE 6.2.4. The bias was investigated by reviewing reactions that $k_{eff}$ is sensitive to using TSUNAMI and collecting reaction rate data using tools within SCALE. For this system, bias is primarily due to the elastic scattering in nickel. Researchers compared new multigroup structures in SCALE 6.3. For this system, reduction in CE-to-MG bias seen in the 302-group and further improved in the 1597-group structure. When researchers compared ENDF/B-VIII.0 in SCALE 6.3, library showed improved results with new nickel evaluation. However, the MG-to-CE bias can still be large as large biases can occur in any system. This example highlights the importance of validating results with measured systems.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1972

The response of a 300 micron silicon detector to monoenergetic neutrons determined by the use of the Monte Carlo technique

The response of a 300 micron thick silicon detector to an incident monoenergetic neutron beam is evaluated by the Monte Carlo method for the cases of both a shielded and a bare detector. The result of Monte Carlo calculation, using elastic, inelastic, and absorption reactions indicates that the response of the silicon detector to neutrons is basically due to the elastic scattering. In addition, the gamma rays generated in the shield of the detector will result in a response which is 3 or 4 orders of magnitude smaller than response to incident photons. The response of a bare silicon detector is calculated for neutron energies up to 6 MeV and bias energies from 50 to 250 KeV. It is found that the maximum response for a 300 micron thick silicon detector is less than .004 c/n within this selected neutron and bias energy range. When the pulse height defect is introduced in the calculation the results at low energy neutrons were reduced.

Tahezadeh, M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Monte Carlo shock-like solutions to the Boltzmann equation with collective scattering

The results of Monte Carlo simulations of steady state shocks generated by a collision operator that isotropizes the particles by means of elastic scattering in some locally defined frame of reference are presented. The simulations include both the back reaction of accelerated particles on the inflowing plasma and the free escape of high-energy particles from finite shocks. Energetic particles are found to be naturally extracted out of the background plasma by the shock process with an efficiency in good quantitative agreement with an earlier analytic approximation (Eichler, 1983 and 1984) and observations (Gosling et al., 1981) of the entire particle spectrum at a quasi-parallel interplanetary shock. The analytic approximation, which allows a self-consistent determination of the effective adiabatic index of the shocked gas, is used to calculate the overall acceleration efficiency and particle spectrum for cases where ultrarelativistic energies are obtained. It is found that shocks of the strength necessary to produce galactic cosmic rays put approximately 15 percent of the shock energy into relativistic particles.

Ellison, D. C.↗

DOE OSTI2023

A portable and monoenergetic 24 keV neutron source based on 124Sb-9Be photoneutrons and an iron filter

A portable monoenergetic 24 keV neutron source based on the 124Sb-9Be photoneutron reaction and an iron filter has been constructed and characterized. The coincidence of the neutron energy from SbBe and the low interaction cross-section with iron (mean free path up to 29 cm) makes pure iron specially suited to shield against gamma rays from 124Sb decays while letting through the neutrons. To increase the 124Sb activity and thus the neutron flux, a >1 GBq 124Sb source was produced by irradiating a natural Sb metal pellet with a high flux of thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor. The design of the source shielding structure makes for easy transportation and deployment. A hydrogen gas proportional counter is used to characterize the neutrons emitted by the source and a NaI detector is used for gamma background characterization. At the exit opening of the neutron beam, the characterization determined the neutron flux in the energy range 20–25 keV to be 6.00±0.30 neutrons per cm2 per second and the total gamma flux to be 245±8 gammas per cm2 per second (numbers scaled to 1 GBq activity of the 124Sb source). A liquid scintillator detector is demonstrated to be sensitive to neutrons with incident kinetic energies from 8 to 17 keV, so it can be paired with the source as a backing detector for neutron scattering calibration experiments. This photoneutron source provides a good tool for in-situ low energy nuclear recoil calibration for dark matter experiments and coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering experiments.

Dark Matter detectors (WIMPs, axions, etc.)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Engineered selective biotoxin‐binding hydrogels for toxin sequestration

The development of synthetic selective membranes that separate materials of similar sizes, charges, and/or polarities remains a difficult challenge, and looking towards biology provides inspiration for new designs. In this work, a series of cholera toxin binding peptides (CTBPs) are identified, spanning a range of binding inhibitions, and integrated into chemically cross-linked cholera toxin binding gels (CTBGs) via thiol-Michael polycondensation reactions. All gels demonstrate rheological profiles consistent with elastic solids. The CTBGs are probed via small-angle neutron scattering and exhibit a correlation length, ξ, smaller than most proteins (1.3–2.5 nm). Thus, an effective entropic mesh is formed to block non-targeted proteins. However, the CTBGs have a dynamic mesh size, Ξ, that is larger than cholera toxin (CT) to allow the transport of target proteins. The CTBGs with the highest binding inhibitions both show high selectivity and permeation of CT, rejecting all other tested proteins. In total, two new highly selective CTBGs are synthesized and validated for use in cholera toxin remediation. Together, this platform demonstrates the wide applicability of selectively-diffusive materials for difficult separations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2025

Input to the European strategy for particle physics: strong-field quantum electrodynamics

This document sets out the intention of the strong-field QED community to carry out, both experimentally and numerically, high-statistics parametric studies of quantum electrodynamics in the non-perturbative regime, at fields approaching and exceeding the critical or ‘Schwinger’ field of QED (F qed ≈ m 2 c 3 / eh ≈ 1.3 x 10 18 V/m) in the rest frame of a charged particle. In this regime, several exotic and fascinating phenomena are predicted to occur that have never been directly observed in the laboratory. These include Breit–Wheeler pair production, vacuum birefringence, and quantum radiation reaction. This experimental programme will also serve as a stepping stone towards studies of elusive phenomena such as elastic scattering of real photons and the conjectured perturbative breakdown of QED at extreme fields. State-of-the-art high-power laser facilities in Europe and beyond are starting to offer unique opportunities to study this uncharted regime at the intensity frontier, which is highly relevant also for the design of future multi-TeV lepton colliders. A transition from qualitative observational experiments to quantitative and high-statistics measurements can only be performed with large-scale collaborations and with systematic experimental programmes devoted to the optimisation of several aspects of these complex experiments, including detector developments, stability and tolerances studies, and laser technology.

Sarri, G. [Queen’s University Belfast (United King↗

DOE OSTI2022

An iron evaluation story: from TALYS model parameters to validation on the ASPIS benchmark with the Monte-Carlo code TRIPOLI-4

Iron is a widespread structural material in nuclear applications. However some benchmark studies show that for many libraries, including TENDL-2019, producing good iron evaluations is still an open challenge. This work aims at improving TENDL-2019 {sup 56}Fe and {sup 54}Fe evaluations through feedbacks from experimental data and Monte Carlo results of the iron benchmark ASPIS. Part of the T6 code infrastructure was used to produce the evaluations. In the new evaluations, particular attention to resonance parameters and formalism was paid to address the importance of elastic scattering. The total inelastic scattering and inelastic continuum cross sections were shaped by modifying the input parameters of TALYS, one of the T6 codes. Additionally, it was necessary to normalise some reaction channels to those of JENDL-4.0. With the new files ASPIS results, obtained with the Monte Carlo code TRIPOLI-4, improved noticeably compared to TENDL 2019. The evaluations and parameter setting modifications are to be included into TENDL-2021. (authors)

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2020

Novel Nuclear Reactions Observed in Bremsstrahlung-Irradiated Deuterated Metals

d-D nuclear fusion events were observed in an electronscreened, deuterated metal lattice by reacting cold deuterons with hot deuterons (d*) produced by elastically scattered neutrons originating from bremsstrahlung photodissociation (where “d” and “D” denote 2H). Exposure of deuterated materials (ErD3 and TiD2) to photon energies in the range of 2.5 to 2.9 MeV resulted in photodissociation neutrons that were below 400 keV and also the 2.45-MeV neutrons, consistent with 2H(d, n)3He fusion. Additionally, neutron energies of approximately 4 and 5 MeV for TiD2 and ErD3 were measured, consistent with either boosted neutrons from kinetically heated deuterons or Oppenheimer-Phillips stripping reactions in the highly screened environment. Neutron spectroscopy was conducted using calibrated lead shielded liquid (EJ-309) and plastic (stilbene) scintillator detectors. The data support the theoretical analysis in a companion paper, predicting fusion reactions and subsequent reactions in the highly screened environment.

Bruce M Steinetz↗

DOE OSTI2021

Progress on Light-Element Standard Cross Sections at Los Alamos [Slides]

Presenters identified the following statuses of the light-element standards: Extension of N-N scattering analysis to 200 MeV will likely come in time for ENDF/B VIII.1 and new data are to be added even in the energy range up to 100 MeV; for n- 3 He, a more recent 4 He R-matrix analysis from which updated n+ 3 He cross sections could be obtained for ENDF/B VIII.1; for n- 6 Li, more work is required to get a reasonable fit to all data up to E n = 8 MeV. Of particular concern are the t+ 4 He scattering data at E t > 14 MeV. For n- 10 B, new work on the 11 B system has not yet been started and there is much new data to add for n+ 10 B reactions, and maybe also for &#945 + 7 Li reactions. The proliferation of excited-state channels will limit the upper neutron energy of the analysis to a few MeV. For n- 12 C, new elastic and inelastic scattering data from Vanhoy support the results of the present analysis. More work is needed to extend the fit successfully above 6.5 MeV.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Complete quantification of parametric uncertainties in ( d , p ) transfer reactions

Deuteron-induced transfer reactions are a popular probe in nuclear structure and nuclear astro physics studies. The interpretation of these transfer measurements relies on reaction theory that takes as input effective interactions between the nucleons and the target nucleus. Previous work quantified the uncertainty associated with the optical potentials between the nucleons and the target. In this study, we extend that work by also including the parameters of the mean field associated with the overlap function of the final bound state, thus obtaining the full parametric uncertainty on transfer observables. We use Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations to obtain parameter posterior distributions. We use elastic-scattering cross sections to constrain the optical potential parameters and use the asymptotic normalization coefficient of the final state to constrain the bound state interaction. We then propagate these posteriors to the transfer angular distributions and obtain confidence intervals for this observable. We study (d,p) reactions on 14 C, 16 O, and 48 Ca at energies in the range $E$ $d$ = 7 - 24 MeV. Our results show a strong reduction in uncertainty by using the asymptotic normalization coefficient as a constraint, particularly for those reactions most sensitive to ambiguities in the mean field. For those reactions, the importance of constraining the bound state interaction is equal to that of constraining the optical potentials. Furthermore, the case of 14 C is an outlier because the cross section is less sensitive to the nuclear interior. When minimal constraints are used on the parameters of the nucleon-target interaction, the 1σ uncertainties on the differential cross sections are large (~ 500-100%). However, if elastic-scattering data and the asymptotic normalization coefficient are used in the analysis, with an error of 10% (5%), this uncertainty reduces to ~ 30% (~ 15%).

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Thermal Equations of State of Magnesite: Implication for the Complex Mid‐Lower Mantle Seismic Scatterers

Abstract Magnesite (MgCO 3 ) entering the lower mantle together with the subducted oceanic crust is an important carbon carrier. The reaction between magnesite and mantle minerals has been documented, but its influence on the density and velocity profiles of lower mantle remains unexplored. To decipher the deep carbon transportation and its associated effect, here we determined the thermal equations of state of magnesite up to 120 GPa and 2600 K using X‐ray diffraction in laser‐heated diamond anvil cells. The obtained thermal elastic parameters of magnesite facilitated a comprehensive understanding on the influence of magnesite‐SiO 2 reaction, variation of carbon and SiO 2 content, and temperature on the origin of lower‐mantle scatterers at 1,000–1,800 km depth. Our modeling revealed that the depth of the lower‐mantleV S scatterers is mainly controlled by the Al 2 O 3 content in SiO 2 , while its magnitude depends on the SiO 2 content. Along normal geotherm, the magnesite‐SiO 2 reaction would occur before the post‐stishovite transition, consuming substantial SiO 2 in the subducted oceanic crust. Depending on the amount of residual SiO 2 , the post‐stishovite transition can produce a 2.5–5.2 (2)%V S reduction, compatible with the observed seismic scatterers in Izu‐Bonin and Mariana subduction zones. Along slab geotherm, this reaction occurs after the post‐stishovite transition, generating a greaterV S reduction of 4.4–6.4 (4)%. We thus propose that the reaction between sinking MgCO 3 and SiO 2 in the slab is one of the potential factors influencing the magnitude of the lower‐Vs scatterers at 1,000–1,900 km depth. Our results provide new insights into the deep‐mantle carbonate transportation influencing regional geophysics.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗

NASA NTRS1988

Eikonal solutions to optical model coupled-channel equations

Methods of solution are presented for the Eikonal form of the nucleus-nucleus coupled-channel scattering amplitudes. Analytic solutions are obtained for the second-order optical potential for elastic scattering. A numerical comparison is made between the first and second order optical model solutions for elastic and inelastic scattering of H-1 and He-4 on C-12. The effects of bound-state excitations on total and reaction cross sections are also estimated.

Cucinotta, Francis A.↗

DOE OSTI2022

QED medium effects in (anti)neutrino-nucleus and electron-nucleus scattering: Elastic scattering on nucleons

Interpretation of current and future neutrino oscillation and electron scattering experiments requires knowledge of lepton-nucleon and lepton-nucleus interactions at the percent level. We study the exchange of photons between charged particles and the nuclear medium for (anti)neutrino-, electron-, and muon-induced reactions inside a large nucleus. While quantum electrodynamics (QED)-medium contributions are formally suppressed by two powers of the electromagnetic coupling constant α when compared to the leading-order cross sections, low-energy modes and the nuclear size enhance the effect by orders of magnitude. They require a proper infrared regularization, which we implement as a screening of the electromagnetic interactions at atomic length scales or above. We provide approximate analytic expressions for the distortion of (anti)neutrino-nucleus and charged lepton-nucleus cross sections and evaluate the QED-medium effects for realistic values of the screening scale on the example of elastic scattering with nucleons inside the nucleus. We find new permille- to percent-level effects, which were not considered in either (anti)neutrino-nucleus or electron-nucleus scattering.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Intrinsic energy and time resolution of the Jefferson Lab Hall C Neutral Particle Spectrometer

The Neutral Particle Spectrometer (NPS) is an advanced calorimeter designed to measure neutral electro- magnetic particles with high precision in energy, time, and position, under conditions of high luminosity and significant background. Integrated into the experimental setup of Hall C at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the NPS plays a critical role in studies of nucleon structure through exclusive and semi- inclusive reaction channels. Here, this paper presents an assessment of the detector’s performance characteristics, specifically its energy and timing resolution, derived from elastic electron–proton scattering data. We report an energy resolution between 1.2% and 1.3% in the 4.5–7.3 GeV range, and an intrinsic timing resolution better than 200 ps for energies above 500 MeV. These results serve as a reference for current and future precision measurements in hadronic physics.

Detector performance↗