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Physics and Modeling of Quasi-Steady and Forced Shock Trains

The dual-mode scramjet is a propulsive concept for contemporary hypersonic vehicles promising flight cruise speeds upwards of Mach 5. Despite decades of development and a recent resurgence in interest, such engines are not routinely deployed for commercial or military purposes. Instead, they have been confined to the realm of ground-test research and limited one-off flight test missions. One of the key stumbling blocks on the critical path to deployment of a dual-mode scramjet is the optimal design and stable operation of the isolator, a typically constant area duct that separates the scramjet inlet from the combustor. During ramjet mode at Mach numbers from 3 to 5 and during the transition to scramjet mode at higher Mach numbers, the isolator contains the pseudo-shock. Necessary to meet the back-pressure in the combustor, the pseudo-shock is typically divided into a shock dominated shock train region followed by a turbulence driven mixing region. Fluctuations in combustor pressure due to vehicle maneuvering, throttling, or combustion instabilities drive the shock train to shift streamwise within the isolator. In response to sharp pressure fluctuations, the shock train is unable to stabilize within the isolator, and the scramjet unstarts by ejecting the shock train out the inlet. This work addresses three key gaps in understanding of the isolator pseudo-shock. The phenomenon is studied in three experimental facilities to investigate the quasi-steady and unsteady fluid dynamics of the shock train in fueled and un-fueled test conditions. The strong link between boundary layer morphology and shock train structure is studied in detail and used as a tool to evaluate the state-of-the-art definitions and models of the pseudo-shock. Identifying the limitations of these models, a new process driven flux-conserved pseudo-shock model is proposed. This provides a computationally efficient model grounded in the fluid dynamic mechanisms of the pseudo-shock with better predictive capability than the current state-of-the-art across all facilities tested. The unsteady behavior of the shock train is further investigated to identify and understand two distinct forced dynamic modes: mechanically induced, low-rate forcing and high-rate combustion driven unsteadiness that sheds upstream propagating shocks. The proposed process driven model is found to be effective in the the limiting case of high-rate combustion driven unsteadiness by evaluating the model in a shock stationary reference frame. Further analysis identifies the approximately rigid chain motion of the shock train structure to mechanically induced forcing. The time delay between the onset of forced dynamics is found to saturate to a constant value and maximum shock train speed along the isolator with respect to the perturbation rate of change. The result of this work provides dual-mode scramjet designers with improved tools and physical understanding to develop more efficient, robust, and capable propulsion systems for hypersonic vehicles.

JAXA↗
DOE OSTI2017

Emission from quantum-dot high-β microcavities: transition from spontaneous emission to lasing and the effects of superradiant emitter coupling

Measured and calculated results are presented for the emission properties of a new class of emitters operating in the cavity quantum electrodynamics regime. The structures are based on high-finesse GaAs/AlAs micropillar cavities, each with an active medium consisting of a layer of InGaAs quantum dots (QDs) and the distinguishing feature of having a substantial fraction of spontaneous emission channeled into one cavity mode (high β-factor). This paper demonstrates that the usual criterion for lasing with a conventional (low β-factor) cavity, that is, a sharp non-linearity in the input–output curve accompanied by noticeable linewidth narrowing, has to be reinforced by the equal-time second-order photon autocorrelation function to confirm lasing. The article also shows that the equal-time second-order photon autocorrelation function is useful for recognizing superradiance, a manifestation of the correlations possible in high-β microcavities operating with QDs. In terms of consolidating the collected data and identifying the physics underlying laser action, both theory and experiment suggest a sole dependence on intracavity photon number. Evidence for this assertion comes from all our measured and calculated data on emission coherence and fluctuation, for devices ranging from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and cavity-enhanced LEDs to lasers, lying on the same two curves: one for linewidth narrowing versus intracavity photon number and the other for g( 2 )(0) versus intracavity photon number.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1985

Experimental study of disturbances produced in a pre-transitional laminar boundary layer by weak freestream turbulence

The high-amplitude, low-frequency, disturbances generated in a Blasius boundary layer by grid-produced freestream turbulence were studied by means of hot-wire anemometry and by flow visualization. Emphasis was placed on determining the cause and nature of these, and on their effect upon the mean flow profile. It was found that the motion in the layer was intrinsically three-dimensional, according to which the fronts, of Tollmien-Schlichting waves became warped. Evidence of streamwise vorticity was noted. At Reynolds numbers near 1.6 million, the maximum attained, sharp velocity gradients appeared locally. With increase of grid size, there appeared turbulent spots which were wider than the coherence scale of the background motion.

Kendall, J. M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Learning protocols for the fast and efficient control of active matter

Exact analytic calculation shows that optimal control protocols for passive molecular systems often involve rapid variations and discontinuities. However, similar analytic baselines are not generally available for active-matter systems, because it is more difficult to treat active systems exactly. Here we use machine learning to derive efficient control protocols for active-matter systems, and find that they are characterized by sharp features similar to those seen in passive systems. We show that it is possible to learn protocols that effect fast and efficient state-to-state transformations in simulation models of active particles by encoding the protocol in the form of a neural network. We use evolutionary methods to identify protocols that take active particles from one steady state to another, as quickly as possible or with as little energy expended as possible. Our results show that protocols identified by a flexible neural-network ansatz, which allows the optimization of multiple control parameters and the emergence of sharp features, are more efficient than protocols derived recently by constrained analytical methods. Our learning scheme is straightforward to use in experiment, suggesting a way of designing protocols for the efficient manipulation of active matter in the laboratory.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Excitation of helium atoms in collisions with plasma electrons in an electric field

The rate constants are evaluated for excitation of helium atoms in metastable states by electron impact if ionized helium is located in an external electric field and is supported by it, such that a typical electron energy is small compared to the atomic excitation energy. Under these conditions, atomic excitation is determined both by the electron traveling in the space of electron energies toward the excitation threshold and by the subsequent atomic excitation, which is a self-consistent process because it leads to a sharp decrease in the energy distribution function of electrons, which in turn determines the excitation rate. The excitation rate constant is calculated for the regimes of low and high electron densities, and in the last case, it is small compared to the equilibrium rate constant where the Maxwell distribution function is realized including its tail. Quenching of metastable atomic states by electron impact results in excitation of higher excited states, rather than transition to the ground electron state for the electric field strengths under consideration. Therefore, at restricted electron number densities, the rate of emission of resonant photons of the wavelength 58 nm, which results from the transition from the 2{sup 1}P state of the helium atom to the ground state, is close to the excitation rate of metastable atomic states. The efficiency of atomic excitation in ionized helium, i.e., the part of energy of an electric field injected in ionized helium that is spent on atomic excitation, is evaluated. The results exhibit the importance of electron kinetics for an ionized gas located in an electric field.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1997

Breccia Formation at a Complex Impact Crater: Slate Islands, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada

The Slate Islands impact structure is the eroded remnant of a approximately 30-32 km-diameter complex impact structure located in northern Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada. Target rocks are Archean supracrustal and igneous rocks and Proterozoic metavolcanics, metasediments, and diabase. A wide variety of breccias occurs on the islands, many of which contain fragments exhibiting shock metamorphic features. Aphanitic, narrow and inclusion-poor pseudotachylite veins, commonly with more or less parallel boundaries and apophyses branching off them, represent the earliest breccias formed during the compression stage of the impact process. Coarse-grained, polymictic elastic matrix breccias form small to very large, inclusion-rich dikes and irregularly shaped bodies that may contain altered glass fragments. These breccias have sharp contacts with their host rocks and include a wide range of fragment types some of which were transported over minimum distances of approximately 2 km away from the center of the structure. They cut across pseudotachylite veins and contain inclusions of them. Field and petrographic evidence indicate that these polymictic breccias formed predominantly during the excavation and central uplift stages of the impact process. Monomictic breccias, characterized by angular fragments and transitional contacts with their host rocks, occur in parautochthonous target rocks, mainly on the outlying islands of the Slate Islands archipelago. A few contain fragmented and disrupted, coarse-grained, polymictic clastic matrix breccia dikes. This is an indication that at least some of these monomictic breccias formed late in the impact process and that they are probably related to a late crater modification stage. A small number of relatively large occurrences of glass-poor, suevitic breccias occur at the flanks of the central uplift and along the inner flank of the outer ring of the Slate Islands complex crater. A coarse, glass-free, allogenic breccia, containing shatter-coned fragments derived from Proterozoic target rocks (upper target strata), observed at two locations may be analogous to the 'Bunt Breccia' of the Ries crater in Germany. At one of these locations this breccia lies close to a crater suevite deposit. At the other, it overlies parautochthonous, monomictic breccia. The State Islands impact breccias are superbly exposed, much better than breccias in most other terrestrial impact structures. Observations, including those indicative of multiple and and sequential processes, provide insight on how impact breccias form and how they relate to the various phases of the impact process. Eventually they will lead to an improved understanding of planetary impact processes.

Dressler, B. O.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Scattering of helium nozzle beams from LiF/001/ and NaCl/001/ crystal surfaces. I - Elastic and inelastic transitions

Nozzle-type atomic beams and time-of-flight detection methods are employed in studies of the scattering of thermal-energy He-4 atoms from LiF (001) and NaCl (001) surfaces under conditions where diffraction is observed and where substantial inelastic scattering occurs. Intensity and speed-distribution measurements are obtained for the portion of the scattering within the plane of incidence. For these measurements, incident-beam orientation with respect to target (polar angle and azimuth), incident-beam de Broglie wavelength (0.38-0.60 A), and crystal temperature (300-1000 K) are varied. For LiF, the measured intensity distributions exhibit sharp peaks comprised essentially of elastically scattered atoms and corresponding to up to third-order diffraction, inelastic scattering in the form of local dispersion about each of the elastic peaks, and a component of nominally diffuse scattering distributed below and between the peaks. For NaCl, the same general types of scattering are observed, with elastic scattering less prevalent, intensity peaks not as sharp, and dispersions of inelastic scattering harder to resolve.

Bledsoe, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The structure of separated flow regions occurring near the leading edge of airfoils, including transition

Data was obtained for the NACA 663-018 airfoil in order to assess the advantages of tripping the boundary layer very near the leading edge for chord Reynolds numbers between 40,000 and 200,000. Single element trips were made from tape 2.5 mm wide and 0.15 mm thick. The unmodified tape trip in five thicknesses was placed across the span at 1.1% chord and the results of lift and drag measurements compared with the smooth airfoil case. Saw tooth geometry trips were also cut from tape and studied using five thicknesses. The saw tooth trips were placed across the span with the sharp points facing upstream at 1.1% chord and with the valley of the teeth at the 2.5% chord position. A large number of bumps and wiggles were produced in the lift coefficient versus angle of attack curves with various combinations of Reynolds number, thickness, and type of trips. The main result in the drag coefficient was an increase in C sub d min with increase in trip thickness.

Mueller, T. J.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Facile synthesis of ZnO nanostructures and investigation of structural and optical properties

ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by chemical bath deposition method, using zinc nitrate [Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}] and hexa-methylene-tetra-amine [(HMT),C(H{sub 2}){sub 6}N{sub 4}] as precursors. Controlled size and shape evolution of ZnO nanostructures were achieved by changing the HMT concentration from 0.025 M to 0.1 M, whereas Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} concentration kept constant. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman study confirmed the formation of single crystalline, hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure. Sharp peaks in Raman spectra, corresponding to E{sub 2}(low) and E{sub 2}(high) referred to wurtzite structure with higher order of crystallinity. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the shape and size of the nanostructures reduced, with increasing concentration of HMT. Further, effect of structure's size was observed in the band gap (shift). Photoluminescence study showed two peaks at ∼ 380 nm and ∼ 540 nm corresponding to the band to band transition and defect transitions. Modifications of properties are explained in detail on the basis of shape and size change of the structures and possible mechanism is discussed. - Highlights: • ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by chemical bath deposition method. • Particle’s shape and sizes were controlled by varying the HMT concentrations. • Effect of particle’s sizes was observed in the band gap (shift) and photoluminescence. • HMT is an effective suppressor of ZnO directional growth. • Shape evolution of ZnO particles can be tailored by varying the HMT concentrations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Advances and Achievements in In Situ Analysis of Corrosion and Structure–Property Relationship in Mg Alloys

Every year, TMS Magnesium Committee carefully selects a special topic in magnesium (Mg) related research and development not only having the hottest subject from both academic and industrial perspectives but also demonstrating major achievements within this subject. Following last year’s topic on Mg microallying [1], this year’s focus is on in-situ methods and associated techniques in their broad definition spanning from laboratory- to large- scale facilities to process monitoring. The applications of in-situ techniques have a wide spectrum from the analysis of melts and liquid-solid transitions to solid-state phenomena during thermo-mechanical processing and heat treatments to surface interactions with various environments. Therefore, such works are of significant interest to scientists working in the area of Mg alloy development as well as to a much broader audience from both academia and industry. This interest is primarily caused by challenges in the analysis of structure-property relationship in Mg alloys, and even cursory glance of literature reveals sharp increase of publications relevant to this topic recently. For instance, very high reactivity of Mg as well as its well-known propensity to substantially alter structure upon unloading in mechanical testing makes it difficult to understand and thus to simulate correlation between microstructures observed in post-mortem analysis and physical processes during testing or fabrication. However, recent advances in in-situ analysis based on large-scale research facilities such as neutron scattering and synchrotron radiation sources as well as microscopy-based, acoustic emission, and other more traditional techniques allowed significant achievements. Apart from apparent development of relevant experimental techniques, a significant part of this success should also be attributed to increasing accessibility of the facilities and simplification of their use from a user perspective. The selection of articles in this special topic is quite far from comprehensive review covering all aspects of in-situ methods available for metallic materials development. However, this was not the purpose in any case. Instead, this selection is intended to present several studies on Mg alloys and Mg-based composites with the use of in-situ techniques. In addition, it overviews two techniques, ‘Acoustic Emission’ (AE) and ‘Ambient-Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy’ (AP-XPS), that are rather novel to the Mg community. These studies are supposed to give readers representative examples of such techniques potential and to help in navigating the spectrum of modern state-of-the-art analytical methods facilitating the development of Mg alloys. These articles are organized in the order corresponding to typical Mg alloy lifecycle from material preparation and solidification to thermo-mechanical processing and product fabrication to degradation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Coincidence site lattice boundary mechanism for the preferred growth of Goss and Cube grains during annealing in an Al-Cu-Mg alloy

Highlights: • Both Goss and Cube grains are recrystallized out of Brass matrix. • Boundary character between Brass and Goss grains was Σ9, and that between Brass and Cube was Σ5. • Σ9 and Σ5 boundaries only transitionally appeared during recrystallization. • Temperature had decisive effect on the formation and mobility of CSL boundaries. • Σ9 and Σ5 boundaries with high index planes were highly mobile. - Abstract: The formation mechanism of recrystallized textures in an Al-Cu-Mg alloy was investigated by means of three dimensional orientation distribution functions (ODFs) and in-situ electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). The results showed that in the hot-rolled alloy with a very sharp Brass texture but weak Copper and S orientations, both Goss and Cube grains were recrystallized out of parent Brass matrix. In-situ EBSD analysis revealed that characteristic boundary between Brass and Goss grains to be Σ9, while that between Brass and Cube grains to be Σ5. Frequency of Σ9 and Σ5 boundaries increased quickly at early stage and then reduced gradually with the process of recrystallization. Annealing at a higher temperature (320 °C) was found to be beneficial for the formation of Σ9 boundary, while at lower one (300 °C), Σ5 boundary became dominant. Besides, with temperature decreasing from 320 to 300 °C, the mobility of Σ9 boundaries was greatly degraded, but relatively, Σ5 boundaries still behaved highly mobile. Principally, the preferred growth of recrystallized Goss and Cube grains was respectively attributed to the high mobility of Σ9 and Σ5 boundaries with high index planes that the square sum of plane index was larger than 3.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Understanding resonant tunnel transport in non-identical and non-aligned clusters as applied to disordered carbon systems

We study the conductance spectra and the corresponding current-voltage characteristics of a set of three impurity clusters of different sizes arranged in the form of a scalene triangle and compare with the transport of their horizontal and vertical configurations. The tuning capability of resonant tunnelling features in a quantum dot device made of these non-aligned impurity clusters is demonstrated by re-distributing their diameters and inter-cluster distances in a systematic manner. By manipulating the inter-cluster coupling for a scalene triangular configuration, the transition of current-voltage curves from a step-like feature to a negative differential resistance can be produced. This process also yields conductance features for triangular configurations, which can be compared to the quantum dot structures perfectly aligned to the direction of the propagating wavevector. The strength of inter-cluster coupling or order parameter for these configurations is analysed from the relative variation of the width and the energy difference of the sharp and broad peaks observed in the density of states spectra. Based on the relative change of the inter-cluster coupling with the cluster configurations, a transport model applicable to structurally inhomogeneous systems is proposed in order to explain the experimentally observed variation of the energy band gap with the disorder parameters.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1991

Applying state diagrams to food processing and development

The physical state of food components affects their properties during processing, storage, and consumption. Removal of water by evaporation or by freezing often results in formation of an amorphous state (Parks et al., 1928; Troy and Sharp, 1930; Kauzmann, 1948; Bushill et al., 1965; White and Cakebread, 1966; Slade and Levine, 1991). Amorphous foods are also produced from carbohydrate melts by rapid cooling after extrusion or in the manufacturing of hard sugar candies and coatings (Herrington and Branfield, 1984). Formation of the amorphous state and its relation to equilibrium conditions are shown in Fig. 1 [see text]. The most important change, characteristic of the amorphous state, is noticed at the glass transition temperature (Tg), which involves transition from a solid "glassy" to a liquid-like "rubbery" state. The main consequence of glass transition is an increase of molecular mobility and free volume above Tg, which may result in physical and physico-chemical deteriorative changes (White and Cakebread, 1966; Slade and Levine, 1991). We have conducted studies on phase transitions of amorphous food materials and related Tg to composition, viscosity, stickiness, collapse, recrystallization, and ice formation. We have also proposed that some diffusion-limited deteriorative reactions are controlled by the physical state in the vicinity of Tg (Roos and Karel, 1990, 1991a, b, c). The results are summarized in this article, with state diagrams based on experimental and calculated data to characterize the relevant water content, temperature, and time-dependent phenomena of amorphous food components.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2023

Strain-tunable Berry curvature in quasi-two-dimensional chromium telluride

Magnetic transition metal chalcogenides form an emerging platform for exploring spin-orbit driven Berry phase phenomena owing to the nontrivial interplay between topology and magnetism. Here we show that the anomalous Hall effect in pristine Cr 2 Te 3 thin films manifests a unique temperature-dependent sign reversal at nonzero magnetization, resulting from the momentum-space Berry curvature as established by first-principles simulations. The sign change is strain tunable, enabled by the sharp and well-defined substrate/film interface in the quasi-two-dimensional Cr 2 Te 3 epitaxial films, revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and depth-sensitive polarized neutron reflectometry. This Berry phase effect further introduces hump-shaped Hall peaks in pristine Cr 2 Te 3 near the coercive field during the magnetization switching process, owing to the presence of strain-modulated magnetic layers/domains. The versatile interface tunability of Berry curvature in Cr 2 Te 3 thin films offers new opportunities for topological electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structural, magnetic and thermal study of Cr doped iron-tungsten-oxygen system (Fe{sub 2}WO{sub 6})

The structural, magnetic and thermal properties of Cr doped polycrystalline Fe{sub 2}WO{sub 6} have been investigated. The Cr doped sample shows tetragonal space group of P4{sub 2}/mnm and crystallizes with inverse trirutile structure. All Cr doped samples shows antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition (T{sub N}), with increasing Cr percentage the T{sub N} is decreasing to low temperature and finally stable at Cr{sub 2}WO{sub 6} antiferromagnetic phase (43 K). The magnetic momentum increases with Cr doping and the strength of antiferromagnetic interaction is decreases due to the decreasing the percentage of half-filled Fe{sup 3+}(3d{sup 5}) e{sub g} orbitals. The heat capacity study on Cr doped samples shows fairly sharp λ-like peak near the ordering temperature indicates the existence of long range antiferromagnetic ordering in the present samples.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electronically- and crystal-structure-driven magnetic structures and physical properties of RScSb (R = rare earth) compounds. A neutron diffraction, magnetization and heat capacity study

The synthesis of the new equiatomic RScSb ( R = La-Nd, Sm, Gd-Tm, Lu, Y) compounds has been recently reported. These rare earth compounds crystallize in two different crystal structures, adopting the CeScSi-type ( I 4/ mmm) for the lighter R (La-Nd, Sm) and the CeFeSi-type (P4 /nmm) structure for the heavier R ( R = Gd-Tm, Lu, Y). Here we report the results of neutron diffraction, magnetization and heat capacity measurements on some of these compounds ( R = Ce, Pr, Nd, Gd and Tb). Band structure calculations have also been performed on CeScSb and GdScGe (CeScSi-type), and on GdScSb and TbScSb (CeFeSi-type) to compare and understand the exchange interactions in CeScSi and CeFeSi structure types. The neutron diffraction investigation shows that all five compounds order magnetically, with the highest transition temperature of 66 K in TbScSb and the lowest of about 9 K in CeScSb. The magnetic ground state is simple ferromagnetic (τ = [0 0 0]) in CeScSb, as well in NdScSb for 32 >T > 22 K. Below 22 K a second magnetic transition, with propagation vector τ = [¼ ¼ 0], appears in NdScSb. PrScSb has a magnetic structure within, determined by mostly ferromagnetic interactions and antiferromagnetic alignment of the Pr-sites connected through the I-centering ( τ = [1 0 0]). A cycloidal spiral structure with a temperature dependent propagation vector τ = [δ δ ½] is found in TbScSb. The results of magnetization and heat capacity lend support to the main conclusions derived from neutron diffraction. As inferred from a sharp peak in magnetization, GdScSb orders antiferromagnetically at 56 K. First principles calculations show lateral shift of spin split bands towards lower energy from the Fermi level as the CeScSi-type structure changes to the CeFeSi-type structure. This rigid shift may force the system to transform from exchange split ferromagnetic state to the antiferromagnetic state in RScSb compounds (as seen for example in GdScSb and TbScSb) and is proposed to explain the change-over from a ferromagnetic structure as found in the CeScSi-type compounds CeScSb and NdScSb to the antiferromagnetic state as found in TbScSb and GdScSb.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Fuel Cycle System Analysis Implications of Sodium-Cooled Metal-Fueled Fast Reactor Transuranic Conversion Ratio

If advanced fuel cycles are to include a large number of fast reactors (FRs), what should be the transuranic (TRU) conversion ratio (CR)? The nuclear energy era started with the assumption that they should be breeder reactors (CR > 1), but the full range of possible CRs eventually received attention. For example, during the recent U.S. Global Nuclear Energy Partnership program, the proposal was burner reactors (CR < 1). Yet, more recently, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's "Future of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle" proposed CR [approximately] 1. Meanwhile, the French company EDF remains focused on breeders. At least one of the reasons for the differences of approach is different fuel cycle objectives. To clarify matters, this paper analyzes the impact of TRU CR on many parameters relevant to fuel cycle systems and therefore spans a broad range of topic areas. The analyses are based on a FR physics parameter scan of TRU CR from 0 to [approximately]1.8 in a sodium-cooled metal-fueled FR (SMFR), in which the fuel from uranium-oxide-fueled light water reactors (LWRs) is recycled directly to FRs and FRs displace LWRs in the fleet. In this instance, the FRs are sodium cooled and metal fueled. Generally, it is assumed that all TRU elements are recycled, which maximizes uranium ore utilization for a given TRU CR and waste radiotoxicity reduction and is consistent with the assumption of used metal fuel separated by electrochemical means. In these analyses, the fuel burnup was constrained by imposing a neutron fluence limit to fuel cladding to the same constant value. This paper first presents static, time-independent measures of performance for the LWR [right arrow] FR fuel cycle, including mass, heat, gamma emission, radiotoxicity, and the two figures of merit for materials for weapon attractiveness developed by C. Bathke et al. No new fuel cycle will achieve a static equilibrium in the foreseeable future. Therefore, additional analyses are shown with dynamic, time-dependent measures of performance including uranium usage, TRU inventory, and radiotoxicity to evaluate the complex impacts of transition from the current uranium-fueled LWR system, and other more realistic impacts that may not be intuited from the time-independent steady-state conditions of the end-state fuel cycle. These analyses were performed using the Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation Model VISION. Compared with static calculations, dynamic results paint a different picture of option space and the urgency of starting a FR fleet. For example, in a static analysis, there is a sharp increase in uranium utilization as CR exceeds 1.0 (burner versus breeder). However, in dynamic analyses that examine uranium use over the next 1 to 2 centuries, behavior as CR crosses the 1.0 threshold is smooth, and other parameters such as the time required outside of reactors to recycle fuel become important. Overall, we find that there is no unambiguously superior value of TRU CR; preferences depend on the relative importance of different fuel cycle system objectives.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Abrupt structural transition in exotic molybdenum isotopes unveils an isospin-symmetric island of inversion

Like electrons in atoms, protons and neutrons in nuclei occupy orbitals in a shell structure with energy gaps at magic numbers. Radioactive-beam experiments revealed the disappearance of magic numbers in some neutron-rich isotopes. In these nuclei, configurations involving particles excited across the shell gap gain correlation energy, becoming the ground state. Neutron-rich regions of the nuclear chart that exhibit this property are known as “Islands of Inversion”. Here we present the lifetime measurement of the first 2 + states in 84 Mo (N = Z) and 86 Mo (N = Z + 2) revealing an unexpected sharp structural change between them defining the edge of the region of deformation around 80 Zr. Similarly to the neutron-rich N = 40 Island of Inversion near 64 Cr where cross-shell excitations dominate, we identify this region as an Island of Inversion with symmetrical proton and neutron excitations that we term “Isospin-Symmetric Island of Inversion”. Three-nucleon forces are suggested to drive Mo isotope structural changes.

experimental nuclear physics↗