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At least 1,009 records · Page 56

Effects of line-of-sight velocity on spaced-antenna measurements, part 3.5A

Horizontal wind velocities in the upper atmosphere, particularly the mesosphere, have been measured using a multitude of different techniques. Most techniques are based on stated or unstated assumptions about the wind field that may or may not be true. Some problems with the spaced antenna drifts (SAD) technique that usually appear to be overlooked are investigated. These problems are not unique to the SAD technique; very similar considerations apply to measurement of horizontal wind using multiple-beam Doppler radars as well. Simply stated, the SAD technique relies on scattering from multiple scatterers within an antenna beam of fairly large beam width. The combination of signals with random phase gives rise to an interference pattern on the ground. This pattern will drift across the ground with a velocity twice that of the ionospheric irregularities from which the radar signals are scattered. By using spaced receivers and measuring time delays of the signal fading in different antennas, it is possible to estimate the horizontal drift velocities.

Royrvik, O.↗

SU-E-T-540: MCNPX Simulation of Proton Dose Distributions in a Water Phantom

Purpose: In this study, fluence and energy deposition of proton and proton by-products and dose distributions were simulated. Lateral dose distributions were also been discussed to understand the difference between Monte Carlo simulations and pencil beam algorithm. Methods: MCNPX codes were used to build a water phantom by using “repeated structures” technique and the doses and fluences in each cell was recorded by mesh tally. This study includes, proton equilibrium and proton disequilibrium case. For the proton equilibrium case, the doses difference between proton and proton by-products were studied. A 160 MeV proton pencil beam was perpendicularly incident into a 40 × 40 × 50 cm{sup 3} water phantom and the scoring volume was 20 × 20 × 0.2 cm{sup 3}. Energy deposition and fluence were calculated from MCNPX with (1) proton only; and (2) proton and secondary particles. For the proton disequilibrium case, the dose distribution variation using different multiple Coulomb scattering were studied. A 70 MeV proton pencil beam was perpendicularly incident into a 40 × 40 × 10 cm{sup 3} water phantom and two scoring voxel sizes of 0.1 × 0.1 × 0.05 cm{sup 3} and 0.01 × 0.01 × 0.05 cm{sup 3} were used for the depth dose distribution, and 0.01 × 0.01 × 0.05 cm{sup 3} for the lateral profile distribution simulations. Results: In the water phantom, proton fluence and dose in depths beyond the Bragg peak were slightly perturbed by the choice of the simulated particle types. The dose from secondary particles was about three orders smaller, but its simulation consumed significant computing time. The depth dose distributions and lateral dose distributions of 70 MeV proton pencil beam obtained from MCNPX, GEANT4, and the pencil beam algorithm showed the significant deviations, probably caused by multiple Coulomb scattering. Conclusion: Multiple Coulomb scattering is critical when there is in proton disequilibrium.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Thresholds of absolute two-plasmon-decay and stimulated Raman scattering instabilities driven by multiple broadband lasers

Here, thresholds for the absolute stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and two-plasma decay (TPD) instabilities driven by multiple broadband laser beams are evaluated using 3-D simulations at conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion experiments. Multibeam TPD and SRS backscatter are found to be easier to mitigate with bandwidth than the corresponding single-beam instabilities. A relative bandwidth of 1% increases the threshold for absolute SRS backscatter by a factor of 4 at conditions relevant to ongoing National Ignition Facility experiments and should be sufficient to keep all of the absolute instabilities below threshold in experiments with similar conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Proton Lateral Broadening Distribution Comparisons Between GRNTRN, MCNPX, and Laboratory Beam Measurements

Recent developments in NASA s deterministic High charge (Z) and Energy TRaNsport (HZETRN) code have included lateral broadening of primary ion beams due to small-angle multiple Coulomb scattering, and coupling of the ion-nuclear scattering interactions with energy loss and straggling. This new version of HZETRN is based on Green function methods, called GRNTRN, and is suitable for modeling transport with both space environment and laboratory boundary conditions. Multiple scattering processes are a necessary extension to GRNTRN in order to accurately model ion beam experiments, to simulate the physical and biological-effective radiation dose, and to develop new methods and strategies for light ion radiation therapy. In this paper we compare GRNTRN simulations of proton lateral broadening distributions with beam measurements taken at Loma Linda University Proton Therapy Facility. The simulated and measured lateral broadening distributions are compared for a 250 MeV proton beam on aluminum, polyethylene, polystyrene, bone substitute, iron, and lead target materials. The GRNTRN results are also compared to simulations from the Monte Carlo MCNPX code for the same projectile-target combinations described above.

Mertens, Christopher J.↗

Advanced Modeling and Simulations for Evaluation of Thermal Neutron Scattering Materials [Slides]

In this presentation, researchers detail tradeoffs between two simulation suites for thermal neutron scattering data. OXLIMAX + MCViNE provide a more accurate elastic peak shape and NJOY + MCNP have more accurate spectra between phonon mode peaks (most likely due to multiple neutron scattering). Additionally, some outstanding issues with MCViNE are noted, including multiple neutron scattering and non-uniform (Q,E) grid for data.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

HST Multicolor (255-1042 nm) Photometry of Saturn's Main Rings: Radial Profiles, Phase and Opening Angle Variations, and Regional Spectra - 1

The main rings of Saturn were observed with the Planetary Camera of the WFPC2 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) from September 1996 to August 2000 as the'ring opening angle to Earth and Sun increased from 4 deg to 24 deg, with a spread of phase angles between 0.3 deg and 6 deg at each opening angle. The rings were routinely observed in the five HST wideband UBVRI filters (F336W, F439W, F555W, F675W, and F814W) and occasionally in the F255W, F785LP, and F1042M filters. The emphasis in this series of papers will be on radial color (implying compositional) variations. In this first paper we describe the analysis technique and calibration procedure, note revisions in a previously published Voyager ring color data analysis, and present new results based on over 100 HST images. In the 300-600 nm spectral range where the rings are red, the 555nm/336nm ratio increases by about 14% as the phase angle increases from 0.3 deg to 6 deg. This effect, never reported previously for the rings, is significantly larger than the phase reddening which characterizes other icy objects, primarily because of the redness of the rings. However, there is no discernible tendency for color to vary with ring opening angle at a given phase angle, and there is no phase variation of color where the spectrum is flat. We infer from this combination of facts that multiple intraparticle scattering, either in a regolith or between facets of an unusually rough surface, is important in these geometries, but that multiple interparticle scattering in a vertically extended layer is not. Voyager color ratios at a phase angle of 14 deg are compatible with this trend, but calibration uncertainties prevent their use in quantitative modeling. Overall ring-average spectra are compatible with those of earlier work within calibration uncertainties, but ring spectra vary noticeably with region. We refine and subdivide the regions previously defined by others. The variation seen between radial profiles of ratios between different wavelength suggests the presence of multiple compositional components with different radial distributions. We present new radial profiles of far UV color ratio (F336W/F255W) showing, substantial global variations having a different radial structure than seen between 555 and 336nm. We also find evidence for absorption in the 850nm spectral range (a feature previously only weakly indicated in ring-averaged spectra) primarily through its radial variation; it is located primarily in the C ring, where the particles are known to have lower albedo, and is consistent with "interplanetary pollution" of the rings.

Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.↗

Improved opacity expansion for medium-induced parton splitting

We present a new expansion scheme to compute the rate for parton splittings in dense and finite QCD media. In contrast to the standard opacity expansion, our expansion is performed around the harmonic oscillator whose characteristic frequency depends on the typical transverse momentum scale generated in the splitting. The first two orders account for the high frequency regime that is dominated by single hard scatterings together with the regime of multiple soft scatterings at low frequency. This work generalizes the findings of Ref. [1] beyond the leading logarithmic approximation allowing to account also for the Bethe-Heitler regime and compare to the full numerical results from [2]. We investigate the sensitivity of our results to varying the separation scale that defines the leading order. Finally, the application to Monte Carlo event generators is discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Density scaling approximation for Monte-Carlo simulations of radioactive plumes

The release of radioactive gas into the atmosphere can diffuse into large volumes of air downwind from the point of release. The extent of radioactivity can cover thousands of cubic meters of air. For such large volumes, the weather models used to predict the down-wind distribution of the plume and the radiation transport models used to predict the radiation reaching ground-level from the plume can take tens of hours of computer time on multi-node institutional High-Performance Computing facilities. In this paper we focus on the radiation transport aspect of plume modeling. Here, we describe a phenomenological method for approximating the amounts of radiation that reach ground level from large volumes of a static radioactive plume that can be calculated on a stand-alone personal computer in much shorter computation times than those usually needed for such large volume evaluations. We refer to this method as the Density Scaling Approximation (DSA). Its ability to approximate ground-level count rates of large plumes comes from using a small-plume volume with a scaled-up value of air density to simulate the same number of scatterings that occur during transport in larger plume volumes at normal air density. We demonstrate the DSA by using a 100 m-diameter air-filled hemispherical dome geometry with a uniform volumetric activity of 135 Xe gas throughout the air-filled volume. The DSA for a larger dome diameter is obtained by evaluating the 100 m dome with an air density scaled up by the linear ratio of the larger diameter to the 100 m diameter. We find that this approximation works well for dome diameters up to 1200 m – the largest diameter studied and a size more than sufficient for accounting for all the radiation from 135 Xe. Moreover, most of our DSA results can be calculated over 500 times faster than corresponding full-sized geometry with normal air density. To help evaluate the accuracy of the DSA and gain insight into how well it can reproduce different regions of the spectra, we use three, easily understood regions of interest to compare the DSA results to the full-sized geometry at normal air density results. These regions are the full-energy peak, the region of single-Compton scattering, and the region of multiple-Compton scattering. We show how the dominance of the Compton scattering mechanism determines this division and thus provides insight into how Compton scattering is manifested in spectra from photon scattering through air in general, and how well the DSA approximation works.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Quantitative Characterization of the Nanoscale Local Lattice Strain Induced by Sr Dopants in La 1.92 Sr 0.08 CuO 4

Here, the nanometer scale lattice deformation brought about by the dopants in the high temperature superconducting cuprate La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 (x = 0.08) was investigated by measuring the associated x-ray diffuse scattering around multiple Bragg peaks. A characteristic diffuse scattering pattern was observed, which can be well described by continuum elastic theory. With the fitted dipole force parameters, the acoustic-type lattice deformation pattern was reconstructed and found to be of similar size to lattice thermal vibration at 7 K. Our results address the long-term concern of dopant introduced local lattice inhomogeneity, and show that the associated nanometer scale lattice deformation is marginal and cannot, alone, be responsible for the patched variation in the spectral gaps observed with scanning tunneling microscopy in the cuprates.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

SU-E-T-120: Analytic Dose Verification for Patient-Specific Proton Pencil Beam Scanning Plans

Purpose: To independently verify the QA dose of proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) plans using an analytic dose calculation model. Methods: An independent proton dose calculation engine is created using the same commissioning measurements as those employed to build our commercially available treatment planning system (TPS). Each proton PBS plan is exported from the TPS in DICOM format and calculated by this independent dose engine in a standard 40 x 40 x 40 cm water tank. This three-dimensional dose grid is then compared with the QA dose calculated by the commercial TPS, using standard Gamma criterion. A total of 18 measured pristine Bragg peaks, ranging from 100 to 226 MeV, are used in the model. Intermediate proton energies are interpolated. Similarly, optical properties of the spots are measured in air over 15 cm upstream and downstream, and fitted to a second-order polynomial. Multiple Coulomb scattering in water is approximated analytically using Preston and Kohler formula for faster calculation. The effect of range shifters on spot size is modeled with generalized Highland formula. Note that the above formulation approximates multiple Coulomb scattering in water and we therefore chose not use the full Moliere/Hanson form. Results: Initial examination of 3 patient-specific prostate PBS plans shows that agreement exists between 3D dose distributions calculated by the TPS and the independent proton PBS dose calculation engine. Both calculated dose distributions are compared with actual measurements at three different depths per beam and good agreements are again observed. Conclusion: Results here showed that 3D dose distributions calculated by this independent proton PBS dose engine are in good agreement with both TPS calculations and actual measurements. This tool can potentially be used to reduce the amount of different measurement depths required for patient-specific proton PBS QA.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

High order magnetic optics for high dynamic range proton radiography at a kinetic energy of 800 MeV

Flash radiography with 800 MeV kinetic energy protons at Los Alamos National Laboratory is an important experimental tool for investigations of dynamic material behavior driven by high explosives or pulsed power. The extraction of quantitative information about density fields in a dynamic experiment from proton generated images requires a high fidelity model of the proton imaging process. It is shown that accurate calculations of the transmission through the magnetic lens system require terms beyond second order for protons far from the tune energy. The approach used integrates the correlated multiple Coulomb scattering distribution simultaneously over the collimator and the image plane. Comparison with a series of static calibration images demonstrates the model’s accurate reproduction of both the transmission and blur over a wide range of tune energies in an inverse identity lens that consists of four quadrupole electromagnets.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Microgravity Foam Structure and Rheology

To exploit rheological and multiple-light scattering techniques, and ultimately microgravity conditions, in order to quantify and elucidate the unusual elastic character of foams in terms of their underlying microscopic structure and dynamics. Special interest is in determining how this elastic character vanishes, i.e. how the foam melts into a simple viscous liquid, as a function of both increasing liquid content and shear strain rate. The unusual elastic character of foams will be quantified macroscopically by measurement of the shear stress as a function of static shear strain, shear strain rate, and time following a step strain; such data will be analyzed in terms of a yield stress, a static shear modulus, and dynamical time scales. Microscopic information about bubble packing and rearrangement dynamics, from which these macroscopic non-Newtonian properties presumably arise, will be obtained non-invasively by novel multiple-light scattering diagnostics such as Diffusing-Wave Spectroscopy (DWS). Quantitative trends with materials parameters, such as average bubble size, and liquid content, will be sought in order to elucidate the fundamental connection between the microscopic structure and dynamics and the macroscopic rheology.

Durian, Douglas J.↗

Right-handed neutrino production rate at T>160 GeV

The production rate of right-handed neutrinos from a Standard Model plasma at a temperature above a hundred GeV has previously been evaluated up to NLO in Standard Model couplings (g∼2/3) in relativistic (M∼πT) and non-relativistic regimes (M≫πT), and up to LO in an ultrarelativistic regime (M≲gT). The last result necessitates an all-orders resummation of the loop expansion, accounting for multiple soft scatterings of the nearly light-like particles participating in 1↔2 reactions. In this paper we suggest how the regimes can be interpolated into a result applicable for any right-handed neutrino mass and at all temperatures above 160 GeV. The results can also be used for determining the lepton number washout rate in models containing right-handed neutrinos. Numerical results are given in a tabulated form permitting for their incorporation into leptogenesis codes. We note that due to effects from soft Higgs bosons there is a narrow intermediate regime around M∼g{sup 1/2}T in which our interpolation is phenomenological and a more precise study would be welcome.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Improved opacity expansion at NNLO for medium induced gluon radiation

When an energetic parton propagates in a hot and dense QCD medium it loses energy by elastic scatterings or by medium-induced gluon radiation. The gluon radiation spectrum is suppressed at high frequency due to the LPM effect and encompasses two regimes that are known analytically: at high frequencies &#x03C9;<!-- ω --> > &#x03C9;<!-- ω --> c = q &#x005E;<!-- ^ --> L 2 , where q &#x005E;<!-- ^ --> is the jet quenching transport coefficient and L the length of the medium, the spectrum is dominated by a single hard scattering, whereas the regime ω < ωc is dominated by multiple low momentum transfers. In this paper, we extend a recent approach (dubbed the Improved Opacity Expansion (IOE)), which allows an analytic (and systematic) treatment beyond the multiple soft scattering approximation, matching this result with the single hard emission spectrum. We calculate in particular the NNLO correction analytically and numerically and show that it is strongly suppressed compared to the NLO indicating a fast convergence of the IOE scheme and thus, we conclude that it is sufficient to truncate the series at NLO. We also propose a prescription to compare the GW and the HTL potentials and relate their parameters for future phenomenological works.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Extracting Non-propagating Oscillatory Fields in Concrete to Detect Distributed Cracking

We introduce work to find and locate distributed subsurface cracks in concrete by extracting non-propagating oscillatory fields. The medium of interest is concrete, but the approach also applies to other types of inhomogeneous media. The theoretical basis of the work is first presented through a one-dimensional point-scatterer model that considers the wavefield set up by multiple distinct scatterers. More complex scattering scenarios are then investigated using numerical simulation. The numerical models consider two types of scatterers: elliptic large-scale particles distributed throughout a medium and small-sized cracks localized within a damage zone. The theoretical and numerical analyses show that forward propagating waves undergo distinct scattering behavior within the crack damaged zone: non-propagating resonance-like oscillatory fields are set up within the cracked zone that are distinct from the scatter caused by the large-scale particles. We employ frequency-wavenumber (f-k) domain analysis to extract the energy of non-propagating oscillatory fields and thus to detect and locate zones of distributed cracking. The proposed approach is evaluated using numerical simulation and experimental data collected from concrete specimens that contain simulated distributed cracks. The results reflect the location of distributed crack zones in discrete random media such as concrete can be successfully detected.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase Portrait of a Scattered Charged-Particle Bunch

The distribution function of a moving charge experiencing multiple Coulomb scattering has been used to derive relationships for the scattered beam parameters through the parameters of a beam incident on a target. The notion of a beam consistent with a target has been introduced, and a formula has been derived that relates the emittances of the incident and scattered beams.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗