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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Roadmap to MaRIE March 2015

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s proposed MaRIE facility is slated to introduce the world’s highest energy hard x-ray free electron laser (XFEL). As the light source for the Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes experimental facility (MaRIE), the 42-keV XFEL, with bursts of x-ray pulses at gigahertz repetition for studying fast dynamical processes, will help accelerate discovery and design of the advanced materials needed to meet 21st-century national security and energy security challenges. Yet the science of free-electron lasers has a long and distinguished history at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where for nearly four decades Los Alamos scientists have been performing research, design, development, and collaboration work in FEL science. The work at Los Alamos has evolved from low-gain amplifier and oscillator FEL development to highbrightness photoinjector development, and later, self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) and high-gain amplifier FEL development.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

A commentary on thallium radiochemistry in conjunction with OPEX23

Thallium radiochemistry was developed as a routine analytical capability at Los Alamos, dating from some of its earliest history after WWII. The first post-war compilation of radiochemical procedures published by the Radiochemistry Group J-11 is dated February 1953 as Los Alamos report LA-1566. The thallium radiochemistry procedure was authored by René J. Prestwood, and the details of the method as documented in 1953 are nearly identical to the thallium procedure contained in the most recent Collected Radiochemical and Geochemical Procedures (Fifth Edition) contained in Los Alamos report LA-1721 issued May 1990. René was a talented and well-respected member of the Radiochemistry Group. He first came to the lab in 1943 as an undergraduate student from UC Berkeley to join the Manhattan Project. After the war, René earned his PhD in Nuclear Chemistry with Art Wahl at Washington University in St. Louis. He then returned to Los Alamos as a technical staff member and retired in 1984. René passed away at the age of 92 on December 21, 2012.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2012

Air Monitoring of Emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi Reactor

In response to the disasters in Japan on March 11, 2011, and the subsequent emissions from Fukushima-Daiichi, we monitored the air near Los Alamos using four air-monitoring systems: the standard AIRNET samplers, the standard rad-NESHAP samplers, the NEWNET system, and high-volume air samplers. Each of these systems has advantages and disadvantages. In combination, they provide a comprehensive set of measurements of airborne radionuclides near Los Alamos during the weeks following March 11. We report air-monitoring measurements of the fission products released from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear-power-plant accident in 2011. Clear gamma-spectrometry peaks were observed from Cs-134, Cs-136, Cs-137, I-131, I132, Te-132, and Te-129m. These data, together with measurements of other radionuclides, are adequate for an assessment and assure us that radionuclides from Fukushima Daiichi did not present a threat to human health at or near Los Alamos. The data demonstrate the capabilities of the Los Alamos air-monitoring systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Replacement of Wooden Wing Walls and Deteriorated Concrete Pad at Manhattan Project Era Magazine TA-16-58

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Field Office (Field Office) proposes to replace missing and broken asbestos shingles, reconstruct deteriorated wooden wing walls, and remove and replace a concrete pad on Building 58 in Technical Area (TA) 16 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Building TA-16-58 is a Manhattan Project Era magazine that was evaluated and determined eligible, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office (June 5, 2003 and June 22, 2003, respectively), for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (Register) in ESA Division’s Five-Year Plan: Consolidation and Revitalization at Technical Areas 3, 8, 11, and 16 and in Sentinels of the Atomic Dawn: A Multiple -Property Evaluation of the Remaining Manhattan Project Properties at Los Alamos (1942–1946) (McGehee et al. 2003a, 2003b). The building is a LANL candidate for preservation as identified in A Plan for the Management of the Cultural Heritage at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico (LANL 2017a ). It is also eligible for inclusion in the Manhattan Project National Historical Park (i.e., identified in the Park legislation), and is located within the TA-16 potential Cold War historic district (McGeh ee 1995a, 1995b; LANL 2012,).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fielding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests at the National Security Research Center

For staff at the Lab’s National Security Research Center, fulfilling requests for information can sometimes be a bit otherworldly. Some of these requests are made under the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA, which are submitted to NNSA by the public and directed to LANL for records search and review. The topics of these requests range from technical reports to records on unidentified flying objects. “Fulfilling FOIA requests is an important part of what we do here,” said NSRC senior archivist Daniel Alcazar (WRS-NSRCMS). “It’s critical to our mission to ensure the public has access to information it has the right to see.” Congress passed the FOIA in 1967, giving any person the right to request access to federal agency records so they can better understand the U.S. Government’s operations and activities. Federal agencies are required to disclose information requested under the FOIA, unless it falls under one or more of nine exemptions protecting interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. Often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about the government, the FOIA is a vital part of U.S. democracy. The Laboratory’s FOIA program works with over a hundred requests for records each year. As the Lab’s classified research and technical library dedicated to information stewardship and education, the National Security Research Center (NSRC) regularly assists with these requests– as many as 45 per year. Public queries cover a spectrum of topics, but most common include requests for Manhattan Project era documents and memoranda, Los Alamos technical reports, Los Alamos-produced historical and scientific motion picture film and videos, as well as those seeking any documents or files pertaining to a former scientist, engineer or employee. While less common, Alcazar estimates that he receives a few FOIA requests a year related to unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2018

SUMO Maximum Assimilation

The Los Alamos Survival–Mortality experiment (SUMO) is located on Frijoles Mesa near Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, at an elevation of 2150 m. This was a tree manipulation study that investigated the relative impacts of drought and warming on plant function and reveals how trees adapt to drought and heat in semi-arid regions. The study factored the role of tree hydraulic acclimation to both precipitation and temperature and separated their effects.The experiment is located in a pinon-juniper woodland near the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest ecotone. Maximum assimilation rate measured monthly for each target tree. See SUMO Target Tree Information data package (doi:10.15485/1440544) for additional information. Data released by Los Alamos National Lab for public use under LA-UR-18-23656.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

SUMO Micrometeorology

The Los Alamos Survival–Mortality experiment (SUMO) is located on Frijoles Mesa near Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, at an elevation of 2150 m. This was a tree manipulation study that investigated the relative impacts of drought and warming on plant function and reveals how trees adapt to drought and heat in semi-arid regions. The study factored the role of tree hydraulic acclimation to both precipitation and temperature and separated their effects.The experiment is located in a pinon-juniper woodland near the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest ecotone. Daily average ambient micrometeorological conditions at the SUMO site. See SUMO Target Tree Information data package (doi:10.15485/1440544) for additional information. Data released by Los Alamos National Lab for public use under LA-UR-18-23656.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

SUMO Leaf Water Potential

The Los Alamos Survival–Mortality experiment (SUMO) is located on Frijoles Mesa near Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, at an elevation of 2150 m. This was a tree manipulation study that investigated the relative impacts of drought and warming on plant function and reveals how trees adapt to drought and heat in semi-arid regions. The study factored the role of tree hydraulic acclimation to both precipitation and temperature and separated their effects.The experiment is located in a pinon-juniper woodland near the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest ecotone. Monthly pre-dawn and midday shoot water potentials for each target tree. See SUMO Target Tree Information data package (doi:10.15485/1440544) for additional information. Data released by Los Alamos National Lab for public use under LA-UR-18-23656.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

SUMO Chamber Conditions

The Los Alamos Survival–Mortality experiment (SUMO) is located on Frijoles Mesa near Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, at an elevation of 2150 m. This was a tree manipulation study that investigated the relative impacts of drought and warming on plant function and reveals how trees adapt to drought and heat in semi-arid regions. The study factored the role of tree hydraulic acclimation to both precipitation and temperature and separated their effects.The experiment is located in a pinon-juniper woodland near the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest ecotone. Chamber conditions (temperature, relative humidity, vapor pressure deficit) for SUMO Open Top Chambers (OTCs) used to control air temperatures surrounding heated and control chamber trees. See SUMO Target Tree Information data package (doi:10.15485/1440544) for additional information. Data released by Los Alamos National Lab for public use under LA-UR-18-23656.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

SUMO Nitrogen Labeling Experiment and Soil Biogeochemistry

The Los Alamos Survival–Mortality experiment (SUMO) is located on Frijoles Mesa near Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, at an elevation of 2150 m. This was a tree manipulation study that investigated the relative impacts of drought and warming on plant function and reveals how trees adapt to drought and heat in semi-arid regions. The study factored the role of tree hydraulic acclimation to both precipitation and temperature and separated their effects.The experiment is located in a pinon-juniper woodland near the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest ecotone. In a semi-arid woodland, adult trees (piñon and juniper) were exposed to chronic warming (+4 °C) and precipitation reduction (-45 %). After five years of continuous treatment exposure, soil and plant nitrogen isotopic composition were measured to assess plant nitrogen allocation. See SUMO Target Tree Information data package (doi:10.15485/1440544) for additional information. Data released by Los Alamos National Lab for public use under LA-UR-18-23656.

15N isotopic composition↗
DOE OSTI2021

Promoting a Rapid Deployment of New Services for Remote Reference at a National Laboratory

Libraries around the world use Springshare library products to expand their reference and information literacy services. The scholarly literature primarily addresses the use of Springshare’s LibGuides and LibChat in academic libraries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual reference became the norm at all types of libraries, many turning to new tools to serve their patrons. This article describes the implementation and marketing of LibGuides and LibChat applications at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Research Library at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). These Springshare tools helped the LANL Research Library close service gaps during the COVID-19 work from home initiative at LANL.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

NM 502 Road Safety Audit Report

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory - Parking and Transportation Services (LANL) have been working in close collaboration to seek solutions for parking, traffic operations, traffic safety, and transit issues facing LANL. NM 502 is a main route for employee traffic entering the lab as well as traffic in and out of the Los Alamos Townsite. The section of roadway in the vicinity of Camino Entrada is of particular interest as it was the site of two very serious crashes involving the extended LANL family, and it is also the entry point onto NM 502 for Los Alamos County Operations to include the school district and transit vehicles.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Workshop on laser-driven neutron sources held at LANSCE

A workshop on laser-driven neutron sources was held at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), Los Alamos, New Mexico USA, on August 16th, 2017. The workshop brought together experts in plasma physics, high intensity lasers, laser target fabrication, spallation physics, and applications for intense pulsed neutron sources.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Measurement of the 65 Cu(η, γ) cross section using the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments at LANL

Improving our understanding of the origin of the elements in the observable universe as well as the nature of the environments responsible for their production has been of paramount importance to the nuclear physics community. More than half of the isotopes of these elements are created via neutron-capture processes, and thus accurate measurements of the salient underlying nuclear physics, such as neutron-capture cross sections, masses, and β-decay half-lives are crucial. Of particular signifcance to the synthesis of isotopes in the mass range of A ≈ 60 to A ≈ 90, via the weak s process, are the neutron-capture cross sections of 63,65 Cu, where large discrepancies between measurements exist. Recent measurements have addressed these discrepancies for 63 Cu [Weigand et al., Phys. Rev. C 95, 015808 (2017)], but questions still remain for 65 Cu. Here, we report a new measurement of the 65Cu(n, γ ) cross section performed using the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments located at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Maxwellian-averaged cross section (MACS) for 65 Cu(η, γ) at $kT$ = 30 keV deduced from this work is (37.0 ± 0.3 stat. ± 3.3 sys. ) mb. The impact on weak s-process nucleosynthesis of new MACS values, calculated over the range of kT = 5 to 100 keV, for 65 Cu, combined with the updated MACS for 63 Cu [Weigand et al., Phys. Rev. C 95, 015808 (2017)] and 63 Ni [Weigand et al., Phys. Rev. C 92, 045810 (2015)], were investigated. Findings of this investigation show an increase of predicted nucleosynthesis yields of elements of Zn to Zr by as much as 20%.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Pajarito Fault System Paleoseismic Trenching Project: Phase 1 Report

The Pajarito fault system (PFS) is a late Quaternary, 50-km-long fault system that bounds the western margin of the Rio Grande rift and crosses the western margin of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, NM. As currently interpreted, the PFS is the largest contributing seismic source to ground motion hazard at LANL (Wong et al., 2007). Thus, understanding the fault system’s paleoseismic history is important for characterizing seismic hazard at LANL. The PFS consists of several distinct fault sections, from south to north, the Pajarito fault (PF), Guaje Mountain fault (GMF), Rendija Canyon fault (RCF) and Santa Clara Canyon fault (SCCF) (Wong et al., 2007). In the 2007 seismic source model for the LANL PSHA (Wong et al., 2007), the PFS is interpreted to be a single segmented rupture source. An earthquake recurrence model for the PFS was developed for the PSHA based primarily on the results of previous paleoseismic studies performed on the PF, RCF, and GMF (no detailed paleoseismic studies have been performed on the SCCF). LANL’s 2007 updated probabilistic seismic hazard analysis heavily favored the three Holocene event paleoearthquake model, despite having no single subsurface trenching investigation yield evidence for multiple earthquakes in the Holocene. Sensitivity analyses from the most recent PSHA update (Wong et al., 2007) and subsequent review by the LANL Update Steering Committee (USC, 2013) show that the recurrence of earthquakes within the Holocene epoch (~11,700 years ago to the present) along the PFS is significant to hazard. The USC (2013) recommended additional paleoseismic information be collected on the Pajarito fault section of the PFS to test recurrence models presented by Wong et al. (2007) and Lewis et al. (2009). To address the USC (2013) recommendations, a multi-year paleoseismic investigation of the PFS was conceived consisting of several field phases to evaluate the Holocene earthquake history of the PFS. This report presents the results from the initial Phase 1 paleoseismic investigation of the Pajarito fault. Phase 1 included the excavation and interpretation of six paleoseismic trenches, two each at three separate locations on the Pajarito fault - Sites A, B, and C. Sites B and C were located on the primary trace of the Pajarito fault, and Site A was located on an antithetic trace of the Pajarito fault east of the main fault.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Traditional Forensic Examinations on Bulk Special Nuclear Material

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia is responsible for the forensic examination of radiological evidence and evidence contaminated with radioactive materials. Due to these unique hazards and the necessary specialized safety protocols, the FBI has developed a network of Partner Laboratories (PLs) across the United States of America to support conventional forensic examinations of radiological evidence and evidence contaminated with radioactive materials. In support of this, the FBI Laboratory has established the Hazardous Evidence Analysis Team (HEAT), a group of qualified forensic examiners, scientists, technicians, and photographers who can deploy to laboratories outside of the FBI Laboratory at Quantico, VA to perform conventional forensics on evidence containing/contaminated with hazardous materials. One of the FBI’s PLs, the United States Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in Los Alamos, New Mexico, has unique facilities, personnel, and procedures to secure, safely handle, and process significant quantities of special nuclear material (SNM). While LANL’s procedures for working with SNM are well established, working with SNM under evidentiary controls is not. Close cooperation between LANL and FBI HEAT is required due to FBI policies on evidence handling, as well as the challenges associated with the exploitation and preservation of conventional forensics (fingerprints, trace evidence, and photography) on SNM evidence.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2021

Remote Density Measurements of Molten Salts via Neutron Radiography

With an increased interest in the use of molten salts in both nuclear and non-nuclear systems, measuring important thermophysical properties of specific salt mixtures becomes critical in understanding salt performance and behavior. One of the more basic and significant thermophysical properties of a given salt system is density as a function of temperature. With this in mind, this work aims to present and layout a novel approach to measuring densities of molten salt systems using neutron radiography. This work was performed on Flight Path 5 at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In order to benchmark this initial work, three salt mixtures were measured, NaCl, LiCl (58.2 mol%) + KCl (41.8 mol%), and MgCl2 (32 mol%) + KCl (68 mol%). Resulting densities as a function of temperature for each sample from this work were then compared to previous works employing traditional techniques. Results from this work match well with previous literature values for all salt mixtures measured, establishing that neutron radiography is a viable technique to measure density as a function of temperature in molten salt systems. Finally, advantages of using neutron radiography over other methods are discussed and future work in improving this technique is covered.

Long, Alexander M. (ORCID:0000000343009454)↗