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Legacy surface change analyses of the 1993 Rock Valley earthquake sequence for direct comparison to planned NA-22 underground conventional high-explosive experiments (Source Physics Experiment 3 (SPE3) - RV/DC Task 1.3 FY22 Final Report)

Recent work under two previous phases of the NNSA NA-22 Source Physics Experiment (SPE) have shown that underground chemical high-explosive experiments can produce detectable surface changes that differ in spatial extent and vertical magnitude depending on the geologic media at the site (Schultz-Fellenz et al., 2018; 2020; Crawford et al., 2021). Neither of these two prior phases of SPE identified natural earthquake-related surface effects in the same region that occurred at a similar depth as the explosive experiments for direct comparison. While earthquakes can also produce surface changes that are detectable using remote sensing data analyses, it is expected that the pattern and spatial extent of surface changes would vary between earthquakes and explosions. However, no direct-observed surface-change signature comparison between earthquakes and explosions has ever been performed. The SPE Phase 3 Rock Valley/Direct Comparison (RV/DC) program presents a unique opportunity to investigate and characterize co-occurrence of both earthquakes and explosions. In this project, we worked to address five tasks in a workflow, as follows: 1. Identify and obtain existing high-resolution legacy satellite and aerial imagery as close in time before and after the 1993 Rock Valley earthquake sequence to temporally constrain the analyses. 2. Transform these pre-earthquake and post-earthquake datasets into digital elevation models (DEMs) using geospatial analysis software packages (e.g., ArcGIS, Agisoft Metashape, and Google Earth Engine). 3. Perform DEM differencing analyses to assess and quantify earthquake-related changes from the 1993 sequence, and develop map products that visualize these analyses. 4. Use the analyses from (3) to: (a) assess spatial distribution and magnitude of surface changes due to the 1993 Rock Valley earthquake sequence, and (b) determine parameters of forthcoming, planned explosion-related surface change data collection from sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., spatial extent of collection, design and density of survey control, sensors to deploy, forward speed and line spacing of UAV flight lines, flight altitude). 5. Develop a summary report on the analyses, including how the analyses define parameters and identify focus areas for any future surface change analytical field campaigns related to the explosive experiment. Analyzing these legacy data and identifying whether they can detect any surface changes related to the earthquake sequence facilitates opportunities for direct signature comparison of surface change from explosions at one location, which has never previously been performed. Comparing the surface change signatures from a co-located and depth-equivalent earthquake and an explosion could help to advance remote sensing event discrimination techniques. This report summarizes the work completed toward this ambitious goal.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Report on ISR-1 High-Altitude Balloon Flight

To test small technologies at lower cost for space science applications, LANL has developed a small high altitude balloon payload that could, in the future, be regularly and inexpensively launched from LANL. A neutron detector, NEMO, was integrated to evaluate its performance in a space-like mixed-radiation environment and collect neutron data in the atmosphere. In collaboration with EES-14, a high-altitude balloon payload was launched from LANL Technical Area 51 on February 27, 2023 and April 17, 2023. For real-time geolocation, a SAM-M8Q M8 GNSS module was used to get position and time, and an Iridium RockBLOCK 9603 was used to communicate with the ground using the Iridium satellite fleet. These modules were all controlled using an Iteaduino Mega microcontroller board. Finally, a High Altitude Science Eagle Flight Computer with a temperature pressure sensor ran independently, writing data to an SD card. All of these modules were powered by a 5 mAh lithium polymer battery. The battery was attached to the bottom of the payload while the remaining electronics were embedded in the underside of the top of the payload. These modules were wired as seen in Figure 1-2. The Iteaduino Mega microcontroller board was programmed to use the RockBLOCK to send a message once every 10 minutes containing neutron and GPS data read off the NEMO and SAM M8Q, respectively. Once the message send attempt finished, the RockBLOCK would be slept for the rest of the 10 minute interval. The Eagle Flight Computer ran continuously throughout the flight, taking data every 6 seconds. The RockBLOCK message data was set up to be delivered from the Iridium satellite fleet to a website, where it was stored and parsed to create live maps and plots for analysis and balloon retrieval. The RockBLOCK message data was additionally configured to be sent to an email as a fail-safe. The payload was ground-tested successfully for over 50 hours, with multiple revisions occurring to best prepare for conditions at altitude and improve the software and firmware to fix any issues that cropped up with the data pipeline. Additional to the balloon payload, the flight had an attached iMet-4 radiosonde and Garmin T5 GPS Dog Collar. The radiosonde provided GPS and meteorological data. The T5 dog collar is used along with a Garmin Astro 430 to track the balloon at a range of up to 9 miles for retrieval. The balloon itself was initially a 1600 g meteorological balloon with an attached High Altitude Science parachute, both of which can be seen in Figure 1-3. After the first flight, the EES team swapped to a Rocketman parachute.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Balancing Impedance and Controllability in Response Reconstruction with $\mathrm{TS-IMMAT}$

In a prior work the authors proposed a variant on the Impedance Matched Multi-Axis Test (IMMAT) in which a fixture is defined, called the Transmission Simulator (TS), and the desired environment is matched at a set of sensors on the TS. If the motion of the TS is matched then the response of the rest of the component will also match, provided that the attached component has the same dynamics as it did when the environment was measured. Hence, one would like the TS to be flexible so that it reproduces the boundary conditions that the component of interest experiences during flight, but the more flexible the TS, the more shakers might be needed to control its response. This work presents a derivation that gives expressions for these two potential error sources in TS-IMMAT. Then, various case studies are presented, both on simulated and real hardware, to understand the importance of each error term in practical testing. The theory explains the phenomena that were observed when using measurements from a component that flew on a sounding rocket. The environmental response was measured and then various fixtures were attached, each comprising more of the next assembly, or the hardware to which the component was attached in flight. MIMO testing was repeated with each fixture and the results were compared to seek to understand the role of the impedance match in this type of testing. Here the results show that the number of modes that are active in the transmission simulator is also very important, and so the best solution balances these two considerations. An improved method of simulating the MIMO test is then proposed, so simulations can be used to predict what fixture, or transmission simulator, will give the best results in a TS-IMMAT test.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Quantifying health benefits of sustainable aviation fuels: Modeling decreased ultrafine particle emissions and associated impacts on communities near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP, ≤100 nm) is an emerging health concern linked to premature mortality, with jet fuel combustion identified as a significant source of UFPs near airports. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption has the potential to reduce aviation-related UFPs and may particularly benefit populations who reside nearby. However, assessing aviation-specific impacts on health remains challenging due to the lack of tools capable of addressing: fine-scale exposure evaluation, novel ambient pollutants, and groups with increased exposure or susceptibility. We develop and apply a method to estimate reductions in mortality associated with aviation-related UFP reductions at the Seattle-Tacoma (SEA-TAC) International Airport under SAF adoption scenarios, with a focus on near-airport communities. Using UFP exposure surfaces generated from AERMOD modeling, flight count data, and UFP measurements, we evaluated UFP reductions under various control scenarios. We estimated mortality reductions by combining this with population data, baseline mortality, and a hazard ratio of 1.012 (95 % confidence interval: 1.010, 1.015) per interquartile range increment of 2723 particles/cm 3 . Our analysis included 412 census tracts representing almost 1.5 million adults. Baseline aviation-related UFP exposures averaged 1145 (SD: 277) particles/cm 3 . The highest baseline concentrations and subsequent reductions under SAF scenarios were near SEA-TAC. Mortality case reductions averaged between 3.1 (95 % range: 2.5–3.7) for a 5 % UFP reduction to 31.0 (24.6–37.4) for a 50 % reduction, with corresponding mortality rate reductions of 0.2 (0.2–0.3) to 2.1 (1.7–2.5) cases per 100,000 people per year. Mortality rate reductions were larger among populations residing closer to SEA-TAC, including those that were Hispanic or Latino, below-poverty, and did not identify as White. Reducing aviation-related UFPs through SAF adoption could lead to lower mortality, particularly in near-airport communities. This reproducible approach can be adapted to other settings to evaluate health benefits from aviation-related UFP reductions.

Aviation-related air pollution↗

Micromovements and discomfort associated with flight mission with helmet operation tasks with different levels of cognitive workload

When performing stationary tasks under elevated cognitive workload, individuals must perform continual muscle contractions to maintain stability of the body, resulting in fatigue of the postural muscles. When the muscles perform these contractions in a prolonged manner, the body potentially responds through small changes in body movements—micromovements that may lead to discomfort. The study purpose was to evaluate impact of cognitive load on micromovements. The micromovements were measured during three different cognitive workloads; low, medium, and high. The NASA-TLX score was used to evaluate the perceived mental workload and discomfort was assessed by visual analog scale. In total, 60 subjects (30 males and 30 females) were recruited and performed cognitive tasks that simulated flight operations such as changing the radio frequency based on air traffic control messages, balancing the fuel levels in simulated fuel tanks, and aiming a reticle in a designated moving target using the cyclic control. Cognitive load was defined by the frequency of events. Micromovements were defined by changes in the center of pressure (COP) of the seat pan and COP standard deviation. It was found that the high cognitive workloads had the highest NASA-TLX scores including mental demands, temporal demands, and effort. The neck area had the highest overall levels of discomfort followed by upper back. The highest standard deviation for COP shift and number of micromovements occurred for medium cognitive workloads. In conclusion, while there were some interesting trends, few trends reached a statistical significance due to high variability among subjects for the outcome variables.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Implosion shape control of high-velocity, large case-to-capsule ratio beryllium ablators at the National Ignition Facility

Experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) show that the implosion shape of inertial confinement fusion ablators is a key factor limiting performance. To achieve more predictable, shape tunable implosions, we have designed and fielded a large 4.2 case-to-capsule ratio target at the NIF using 6.72 mm diameter Au hohlraums and 1.6 mm diameter Cu-doped Be capsules. Simulations show that at these dimensions during a 10 ns 3-shock laser pulse reaching 275 eV hohlraum temperatures, the plasma flow from the hohlraum wall and ablator is not significant enough to impede beam propagation. Experiments measuring the shock symmetry and in-flight shell symmetry closely matched the simulations. Most notably, in two experiments, we demonstrated symmetry control from negative to positive Legendre P2 space by varying the inner to total laser power cone fraction by 5% below and above the predicted symmetric value. In conclusion, some discrepancies found in 1st shock arrival times that could affect agreement in late time implosion symmetry suggest hohlraum and capsule modeling uncertainties do remain, but this target design reduces sensitivities to them.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Balancing Impedance and Controllability in Response Reconstruction

One concept in smart dynamic testing is to match the impedance that a component experiences between test and the environment of interest, but this begs the question: how much of an impedance match is needed and could there be too much? In a prior work, the authors performed MIMO testing with a small component connected to various assemblies, each of which had a differing degree of similarity to the actual flight boundary conditions. The results showed that the fidelity of the response at locations away from the control accelerometers was highly sensitive to the impedance. This work presents further case studies to explore these ideas. Subsequent tests are presented for an assembly that presumably matched the impedance even better, and which was also much more flexible, and the results obtained are even worse than when no attention was given to the impedance. Hence, the work presented here suggests that one should seek a balance between 1.) matching the impedance and 2.) improving the controllability of the component of interest. The concepts are explored using both test data of a benchmark component, for which the environment of interest was recorded as the component flew on a sounding rocket.

Shaker Test, Operational Vibration Environment, Su↗

Correlation of rocket propulsion fuel properties with chemical composition using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry followed by partial least squares regression analysis

There is an increased need to more fully assess and control the composition of kerosene based rocket propulsion fuels, namely RP-1 and RP-2. In particular, it is crucial to be able to make better quantitative connections between the following three attributes: (a) fuel performance, (b) fuel properties (flash point, density, kinematic viscosity, net heat of combustion, hydrogen content, etc) and (c) the chemical composition of a given fuel (i.e., specific chemical compounds and compound classes present as a result of feedstock blending and processing). Indeed, recent efforts in predicting fuel performance through modeling put greater emphasis on detailed and accurate fuel properties and fuel compositional information. In this regard, advanced distillation curve (ADC) metrology provides improved data relative to classical boiling point and volatility curve techniques. Using ADC metrology, data obtained from RP-1 and RP-2 fuels provides compositional variation information that is directly relevant to predictive modeling of fuel performance. Often, in such studies, one-dimensional gas chromatography (GC) combined with mass spectrometry (MS) is typically employed to provide chemical composition information. Building on approaches using GC-MS, but to glean substantially more chemical composition information from these complex fuels, we have recently studied the use of comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC - TOFMS) to provide chemical composition data that is significantly richer than that provided by GC-MS methods. In this report, by applying multivariate data analysis techniques, referred to as chemometrics, we are able to readily model (correlate) the chemical compositional information from RP-1 and RP-2 fuels provided using GC × GC - TOFMS, to the fuel property information such as that provided by the ADC method and other specification properties. We anticipate that this new chemical analysis strategy will have broad implications for the development of high fidelity composition-property models, leading to an optimized approach to fuel formulation and specification for advanced engine cycles.

fuel↗

Maintaining low-mode symmetry control with extended pulse shapes for lower-adiabat Bigfoot implosions on the National Ignition Facility

The Bigfoot approach to indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion has been developed as a compromise trading high convergence and areal densities for high implosion velocities, large adiabats, and hydrodynamic stability. Shape control and predictability are maintained by using relatively short laser pulses and merging the shocks within the deuterium-tritium-ice layer. These design choices ultimately limit the theoretically achievable performance, and one strategy to increase the 1D performance is to reduce the shell adiabat by extending the pulse shape. However, this can result in the loss of low-mode symmetry control, as the hohlraum “bubble,” the high-Z material launched by the outer-cone beams during the early part of the laser pulse, has more time to expand and will eventually intercept inner-cone beams preventing them from reaching the hohlraum waist, thus losing an equatorial capsule drive. Experiments were performed to study the shape control and predictability with extended pulse shapes in Bigfoot implosions, reducing the adiabat from nominally α~4 to α~3 and otherwise very similar experimental parameters. Lastly, the implosion shape was measured both in-flight and at stagnation, with near-round implosions and low levels of P 2 asymmetry throughout, indicating a maintained symmetry control with extended pulse shapes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Multichannel Processing of Vibrational Response Measurements: An Application of Constrained Subspace Identification

Dynamic structural systems occur in a wide variety of applications such as autonomous ve-hicles employed militarily for battlefield management or non-military tasks like tracking awildfire in the hills of a drought-ridden area. Many such systems operating in the air or atsea employ a variety of subsystems ranging from airfoils for flight or machinery for propulsionor reactor components as simple as pipes carrying cooling for control.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Super Strypi HWIL 6DOF (Hardware-In-Loop six-degree-of-freedom) Rev. 2175

The Super Strypi HWIL is a six degree-of-freedom (6DOF) simulation for the Super Strypi Launch Vehicle. The simulation is used to test the NGC flight software including the navigation software. Aerodynamic and propulsive forces, mass properties, ACS (attitude control system) parameters are defined in input files. Output parameters are saved to a Matlab mat file.

Gilkey, Jeff C.↗

What Is the Limit of Quantification for the Minor Phase in Time-of-Flight Neutron Diffraction? A Case Study on Fe and Ni Powder Mixtures at VULCAN

A phase present in small quantities within materials may not simply serve as a secondary component; it can play a crucial role in determining the integrity, properties, and performance of the material. These minor but important phases usually draw attention in material design and processing for fundamental understanding as well as material quality control. Accurately quantifying a minor phase amid a majority phase, especially at extremely low fractions, remains a challenging task. Time-of-flight neutron diffraction, coupled with advanced pattern analysis techniques like Rietveld refinement, is a powerful tool for crystal structure identification and phase quantification. The deep penetrating capability of neutrons enables the detection and quantification of trace phases within materials. In this study, the quantification limits of time-of-flight neutron diffraction were explored using the VULCAN diffractometer at the Spallation Neutron Source, using Fe–Ni powder mixtures as a sample system. By comparing the refinement results to the known weighed values, it was determined that the reliable quantification of a minor Ni phase is achievable down to about 0.1 wt% while a Ni fraction as low as 0.02 wt% is difficult to trace. Effective control of the refinement parameters, especially the profile function parameters, are found to significantly influence the convergence of fittings and the accuracy of phase quantification.

Rietveld refinement↗

Detection system for high-resolution gamma radiation spectroscopy with neutron time-of-flight filtering

A .gamma.-radiation detection system that includes at least one semiconductor detector such as HPGe-Detector, a position-sensitive .alpha.-Detector, a TOF Controller, and a Digitizer/Integrator. The Digitizer/Integrator starts to process the energy signals of a .gamma.-radiation sent from the HPGe-Detector instantly when the HPGe-Detector detects the .gamma.-radiation. Subsequently, it is determined whether a coincidence exists between the .alpha.-particles and .gamma.-radiation signal, based on a determination of the time-of-flight of neutrons obtained from the .alpha.-Detector and the HPGe-Detector. If it is determined that the time-of-flight falls within a predetermined coincidence window, the Digitizer/Integrator is allowed to continue and complete the energy signal processing. If, however, there is no coincidence, the Digitizer/Integrator is instructed to be clear and reset its operation instantly.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Analysis, testing, and operation of the MAGI thermal control system

The Aerospace Corporation has completed the development of the Mineral and Gas Identifier (MAGI) sensor - an airborne multi-spectral infrared instrument that is designed to discriminate surface composition and to detect gas emissions from the environment. Sensor performance was demonstrated in a series of flights aboard a Twin Otter aircraft in December 2011 as a stepping stone to a future satellite sensor design. To meet sensor performance requirements the thermal control system was designed to operate the HgCdTe focal plane array (FPA) at 50 K with a 1.79 W heat rejection load to a 44.7 K sink and the optical assembly at 100 K with a 7.5 W heat load to a 82.3 K sink. Two commercial off-theshelf (COTS) Sunpower Stirling cryocoolers were used to meet the instrument’s cooling requirements. A thermal model constructed in Thermal Desktop was used to run parametric studies that guided the mechanical design and sized the two cryocoolers. This paper discusses the development, validation, and operation of the MAGI thermal control system. Detailed energy balances and temperature predictions are presented for various test cases to demonstrate the utility and accuracy of the thermal model. Model inputs included measured values of heat lift as a function of input power and cold tip temperature for the two cryocoolers. These measurements were also used to make predictions of the cool-down behavior from ambient conditions. Advanced heater software was developed to meet unique requirements for both sensor cool-down rate and stability at the set point temperatures.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Purpose-Built UAVs for Physical Sampling of Trace Contamination at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant - 17331

The sampling of trace amounts of contamination, particularly of low-energy byproducts such as americium, presents a challenge for non-contact sensing. In many cases, such as determining the need for cleaning inside the exhaust shaft of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant or sampling the walls of the enormous Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Portsmouth, it may be desirable to take physical swab samples at carefully distributed sample locations for analysis by mass spectrometry. Because of the danger posed to human workers in such scenarios, including risk of falls from lethal heights and exposure to low levels of radiation and the hassle of donning and doffing PPE, a low-cost robotic solution is desired. The inaccessibility of the heights involved suggest Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) solutions, rather than Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) solutions, but conventional quadrotor UAVs are ill-suited to precise physical interaction with their surroundings. Quadrotors are under-actuated, rendering them non-holonomic and preventing the dexterous application of arbitrary generalized force/torques in interaction with the environment. At Purdue University, the authors have developed a number of novel UAV platforms suitable for dexterous interaction with the environment, making them ideal for such applications. These platforms can independently control forces in all directions, allowing for controlled application of the swab to the surface. Because of the scale of these structures (over 2 km in the case of the Gaseous Diffusion Plant), flight efficiency is of supreme importance. The Purdue team is took a variety of vehicles to the Gaseous Diffusion Plant for field trials on site in August, 2016. (With results available prior to the meeting.) The Purdue Dexterous Hexrotor is a fully-actuated Hexrotor capable of exerting forces in all six directions of force and torque. Operating alone or in swarms, the Dexterous Hexrotor can fly in free space, transition to contact through impact control, and sample the surface through force control. The Purdue I-BoomCopter is a tri-copter with an extra horizontal propeller that enables long-distance flight without pitching and the ability to apply closed-loop forces horizontally. Finally, the Purdue Tiltrotor VTOL is an under-actuated hybrid UAV that combines tilting rotors for vertical takeoff and landing, with a fixed-wing, flying-body design that is ultra-efficient for long-distance flight. The Dexterous Hexrotor provided two demonstrations of physical sampling of walls and crane rails. In sampling the large open sections of the inside of the plant, a small swarm of three UAVs is commanded to sample three distinct points on an internal map of the building. Human-supervised autonomy permits the UAVs to take off by themselves, find a clear elevation at which to fly through uncluttered space, navigate to their designated sampling points, and pause for confirmation by the human supervisor. The supervisor is presented with a video image of the intended sampling spot, which, if confirmed, the UAV will automatically approach and sample. The UAVs then autonomously return to the take-off spot. The second demo involved a single UAV searching upwards, then transitioning into 3-D SLAM mode to wait for a safe sampling spot on the 3-D scan to acquire the sample from the crane rail. The human supervisor, in this case, is responsible for ensuring the absence of cables and other obstacles. I-BoomCopter demonstrated its high-speed, long-distance coverage ability by making a few fast passes before homing in on a mock-up electrical panel with door, which it opened and closed. The dexterity of the I-BoomCopter results from its large propellers, which allow for controlled hovering and the horizontal thruster for applying forces of significant magnitude. Finally, the Tiltrotor VTOL is highly efficient in fixed-wing mode, but the tilt-rotor is under-actuated in hover. The tilt-rotor will take off vertically, then transition to high-speed, long-distance flight to make a number of passes inside the facility. The significance of these demos is the low-cost implementation of physical sampling over prescribable locations in difficult-to-reach areas of potentially contaminate facilities. To make this tractable over very large facilities, the demonstration of combinations of dexterous hovering ability and long-distance/high-speed flight is also in evidence. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Evaluation of stochastic particle dispersion modeling in turbulent round jets

ODT (one-dimensional turbulence) simulations of particle-carrier gas interactions are performed in the jet flow configuration. Particles with different diameters are injected onto the centerline of a turbulent air jet. The particles are passive and do not impact the fluid phase. Their radial dispersion and axial velocities are obtained as functions of axial position. The time and length scales of the jet are varied through control of the jet exit velocity and nozzle diameter. Dispersion data at long times of flight for the nozzle diameter (7 mm), particle diameters (60 and 90 µm), and Reynolds numbers (10, 000–30, 000) are analyzed to obtain the Lagrangian particle dispersivity. Flow statistics of the ODT particle model are compared to experimental measurements. It is shown that the particle tracking method is capable of yielding Lagrangian prediction of the dispersive transport of particles in a round jet. In this study, three particle-eddy interaction models (Type-I, -C, and -IC) are presented to examine the details of particle dispersion and particle-eddy interaction in jet flow.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

ToF-SIMS depth profiling of altered glass

Glass and mineral corrosion usually leads to the formation of morphologically and compositionally complex surface layers that can be characterized by various analytical techniques to infer rate control mechanisms. In this study, we investigate the capabilities and limitations of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to better understand chemical processes of glass corrosion. In particular, we focus on the potential impact of the ToF-SIMS ion beam on the distribution of several elements of interest in alteration layers formed on International Simple Glass, a six-oxide reference glass altered in a solution enriched in alkalis and spiked with H 2 18 O. A thin flake of glass partially altered on both sides is analyzed entirely from one side to the other to determine whether atoms weakly bonded to the solid are displaced by the beams. We highlight the beam effect on cations weakly bonded to the silicate network (Li, Na, K, and B, Ca, Cs to a lesser extent) affecting the profile shape of these elements. No impact is observed on 18 O and H, but it is demonstrated that quantification of isotopic ratios is possible only for a limited range of isotopic enrichment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Asymptotic scaling laws for the stagnation conditions of Z-pinch implosions

Implosions of magnetically driven annular shells (Z pinches) are studied in the laboratory to produce high-energy-density plasmas. Such plasmas have a wide-range of applications including x-ray generation, controlled thermonuclear fusion, and astrophysics studies. In this work, we theoretically investigate the in-flight dynamics of a magnetically driven, imploding cylindrical shell that stagnates onto itself upon collision on axis. The converging flow of the Z-pinch is analyzed by considering the implosion trajectory in the (A, M) parametric plane, where A is the in-flight aspect ratio and M is the implosion Mach number. For an ideal implosion in the absence of instabilities and in the limit of A ≫ 1, we derive asymptotic scaling laws for hydrodynamic quantities evaluated at stagnation (e.g., density, temperature, and pressure) and for performance metrics (e.g., soft x-ray emission, K-shell x-ray emission, and neutron yield) as functions of target-design parameters.

Ruiz, D. E. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM)↗