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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Accurate Dosimetry for Radiobiology

Accurate radiation dose is required to ensure reproducibility in establishing the radiobiological effect in biological systems among institutions. The dose should be the most precise and accurate parameter of the entire process. The goal is a system to provide uniform radiation dose verification among institutions that is traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through an Accredited Dosimetry Calibration Laboratory.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Laser ablation molecular isotopic spectrometry of carbon isotopes

Quantitative determination of carbon isotopes using Laser Ablation Molecular Isotopic Spectrometry (LAMIS) is described. Optical emission of diatomic molecules CN and C 2 is used in these measurements. Two quantification approaches are presented:empirical calibration of spectra using a set of reference standards and numerical fitting of a simulated spectrum to the experimental one. Formation mechanisms of C 2 and CN in laser ablation plasma are briefly reviewed to provide insights for implementation of LAMIS measurements. A simulated spectrum of the 12 C 2 Swan system was synthesized using four constituents within 473.5–476.5 nm. Simulation included three branches of 12 C 2 (1-0), branches R(0-0) and R(1-1), and branch P(9-8) of 12 C 2 . Spectral positions of the tail lines in R(0-0) and R(1-1) were experimentally measured, since they were not accurately known before. The Swan band (1-0) of the isotopologue 13 C 12 C was also simulated. Fitting to the experimental spectrumyielded the ratio 13 C/ 12 C = 1.08% in a good agreement with measurements by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. LAMIS promises to be useful in coal, oil and shale exploration, carbon sequestration monitoring, and agronomy studies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

DARK STARS: IMPROVED MODELS AND FIRST PULSATION RESULTS

We use the stellar evolution code MESA to study dark stars (DSs). DSs, which are powered by dark matter (DM) self-annihilation rather than by nuclear fusion, may be the first stars to form in the universe. We compute stellar models for accreting DSs with masses up to 10{sup 6} M {sub ☉}. The heating due to DM annihilation is self-consistently included, assuming extended adiabatic contraction of DM within the minihalos in which DSs form. We find remarkably good overall agreement with previous models, which assumed polytropic interiors. There are some differences in the details, with positive implications for observability. We found that, in the mass range of 10{sup 4}-10{sup 5} M {sub ☉}, our DSs are hotter by a factor of 1.5 than those in Freese et al., are smaller in radius by a factor of 0.6, denser by a factor of three to four, and more luminous by a factor of two. Our models also confirm previous results, according to which supermassive DSs are very well approximated by (n = 3)-polytropes. We also perform a first study of DS pulsations. Our DS models have pulsation modes with timescales ranging from less than a day to more than two years in their rest frames, at z ∼ 15, depending on DM particle mass and overtone number. Such pulsations may someday be used to identify bright, cool objects uniquely as DSs; if properly calibrated, they might, in principle, also supply novel standard candles for cosmological studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter in pp collisions at √$_{s}$ = 13 TeV

The operation and performance of the Compact Muon Solenoid(CMS) electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) are presented, based ondata collected in pp collisions at√$_{s}$ =13 TeV at the CERN LHC, in the years from 2015 to 2018(LHC Run 2), corresponding to an integrated luminosity of151 fb$^{-1}$. The CMS ECAL is a scintillating lead-tungstatecrystal calorimeter, with a silicon strip preshower detector in theforward region that provides precise measurements of the energy andthe time-of-arrival of electrons and photons. The successfuloperation of the ECAL is crucial for a broad range of physics goals,ranging from observing the Higgs boson and measuring its properties,to other standard model measurements and searches for newphenomena. Precise calibration, alignment, and monitoring of theECAL response are important ingredients to achieve these goals. Toface the challenges posed by the higher luminosity, whichcharacterized the operation of the LHC in Run 2, the proceduresestablished during the 2011–2012 run of the LHC have been revisitedand new methods have been developed for the energy measurement andfor the ECAL calibration. The energy resolution of the calorimeter,for electrons from Z boson decays reaching theECAL without significant loss of energy by bremsstrahlung, wasbetter than 1.8%, 3.0%, and 4.5% in the |η| intervals[0.0,0.8], [0.8,1.5], [1.5, 2.5], respectively. This resultingperformance is similar to that achieved during Run 1 in 2011–2012,in spite of the more severe running conditions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

TU-F-18A-03: Improving Tissue Segmentation for Monte Carlo Dose Calculation Using DECT Data

Purpose: To develop a new segmentation technique using dual energy CT (DECT) to overcome limitations related to segmentation from a standard Hounsfield unit (HU) to electron density (ED) calibration curve. Both methods are compared with a Monte Carlo analysis of dose distribution. Methods: DECT allows a direct calculation of both ED and effective atomic number (EAN) within a given voxel. The EAN is here defined as a function of the total electron cross-section of a medium. These values can be effectively acquired using a calibrated method from scans at two different energies. A prior stoichiometric calibration on a Gammex RMI phantom allows us to find the parameters to calculate EAN and ED within a voxel. Scans from a Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash dual source system provided the data for our study. A Monte Carlo analysis compares dose distribution simulated by dosxyz-nrc, considering a head phantom defined by both segmentation techniques. Results: Results from depth dose and dose profile calculations show that materials with different atomic compositions but similar EAN present differences of less than 1%. Therefore, it is possible to define a short list of basis materials from which density can be adapted to imitate interaction behavior of any tissue. Comparison of the dose distributions on both segmentations shows a difference of 50% in dose in areas surrounding bone at low energy. Conclusion: The presented segmentation technique allows a more accurate medium definition in each voxel, especially in areas of tissue transition. Since the behavior of human tissues is highly sensitive at low energies, this reduces the errors on calculated dose distribution. This method could be further developed to optimize the tissue characterization based on anatomic site.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evaluating the purity of a {sup 57}Co flood source by PET

Purpose: Flood sources of {sup 57}Co are commonly used for quality control of gamma cameras. Flood uniformity may be affected by the contaminants {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co, which emit higher energy photons. Although vendors specify a maximum combined {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co activity, a convenient test for flood source purity that is feasible in a clinical environment would be desirable. Methods: Both {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co emit positrons with branching 19.6% and 14.9%, respectively. As is known from {sup 90}Y imaging, a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner is capable of quantitatively imaging very weak positron emission in a high single-photon background. To evaluate this approach, two {sup 57}Co flood sources were scanned with a clinical PET/CT multiple times over a period of months. The {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co activity was clearly visible in the reconstructed PET images. Total impurity activity was quantified from the PET images after background subtraction of prompt gamma coincidences. Results: Time-of-flight PET reconstruction was highly beneficial for accurate image quantification. Repeated measurements of the positron-emitting impurities showed excellent agreement with an exponential decay model. For both flood sources studied, the fit parameters indicated a zero intercept and a decay half-life consistent with a mixture of {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co. The total impurity activity at the reference date was estimated to be 0.06% and 0.07% for the two sources, which was consistent with the vendor’s specification of <0.12%. Conclusions: The robustness of the repeated measurements and a thorough analysis of the detector corrections and physics suggest that the accuracy is acceptable and that the technique is feasible. Further work is needed to validate the accuracy of this technique with a calibrated high resolution gamma spectrometer as a gold standard, which was not available for this study, and for other PET detector models.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

MO-FG-CAMPUS-IeP3-01: Evaluation of Specific Absorption Rate and Temperature Increase Induced by Artificial Medical Implants During MRI Scan

Purpose: Heating of patients or burning of biological tissues around medical implants by RF power during MRI scan is a significant patient safety concern. The purpose of this study is to not only measure SAR values, but also RF-induced temperature elevation due to artificial hip joints during MRI scans. Methods: SAR measurement experiment was performed on three discrete manufacturers at 1.5 and 3T. Three MRI RF sequences (T1w TSE, T2w inversion recovery, and T2w TSE) with imaging parameters were selected. A gelled saline phantom mimicking human body tissue was made (Fig.1). FDTD method was utilized to calculate the SAR distribution using Sim4Life software. Based on the results of the simulation, 4 electrical field (E-field) sensors were located around two artificial hip joints inside the phantom. 56 Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) temperature sensors (28 sensors on each artificial hip joint) were located on both left and right artificial hip joints to measure temperature change during MRI scan (Fig.1). Both E-field and FBG temperature sensors were calibrated with traceability at Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). Results: Simulation shows that high SAR values occur in the head and tail of the implanted artificial hip joints (Fig.1 lower right). 3T MRI scanner shows that the local averaged-SAR values measured by probe 1, 2, and 3 are 2.30, 2.77, and 1.68 W/kg, compared to MRI scanner-reported whole body SAR value (≤1.5 W/kg) for T1w TSE and T2w-IR (Table 1). The maximum temperature elevation measured by FBG sensors is 1.49°C at 1.5 T, 2.0°C at 3 T, and 2.56°C at 3 T for T1w TSE, respectively (Table 2). Conclusion: It is essential to assess the safety of MRI system for patient with medical implant by measuring not only accurate SAR deposited in the body, but also temperature elevation due to the deposited SAR during clinical MRI.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Intensity-Value Corrections for Integrating Sphere Measurements of Solid Samples Measured Behind Glass

Accurate and calibrated directional-hemispherical reflectance spectra of solids are important for both in situ and remote sensing. Many solids are in the form of powders or granules and to measure their diffuse reflectance spectra in the laboratory, it is often necessary to place the samples behind a transparent medium such as glass for the ultraviolet (UV), visible, or near-infrared spectral regions. Using both experimental methods and a simple optical model, we demonstrate that glass (fused quartz in our case) leads to artifacts in the reflectance values. We report our observations that the measured reflectance values, for both hemispherical and diffuse reflectance, are distorted by the additional reflections arising at the air–quartz and sample–quartz interfaces. The values are dependent on the sample reflectance and are offset in intensity in the hemispherical case, leading to measured values up to ~6% too high for a 2% reflectance surface, ~3.8% too high for 10% reflecting surfaces, approximately correct for 40–60% diffuse-reflecting surfaces, and ~1.5% too low for 99% reflecting Spectralon® surfaces. For the case of diffuse-only reflectance, the measured values are uniformly too low due to the polished glass, with differences of nearly 6% for a 99% reflecting matte surface. The deviations arise from the added reflections from the quartz surfaces, as verified by both theory and experiment, and depend on sphere design. Finally, empirical correction factors were implemented into post-processing software to redress the artifact for hemispherical and diffuse reflectance data across the 300–2300 nm range.

Visible near-infrared spectroscopy, integrating sp↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fabrication of TREAT Fuel with Increased Graphite Loading

As part of the feasibility study exploring the replacement of the HEU fuel core of the TREAT reactor at Idaho National Laboratory with LEU fuel, this study demonstrates that it is possible to increase the graphite content of extruded fuel by reformulation. The extrusion process was use to fabricate the “upgrade” core1 for the TREAT reactor. The graphite content achieved is determined by calculation and has not been measured by any analytical method. In conjunction, a technique, Raman Spectroscopy, has been investigated for measuring the graphite content. This method shows some promise in differentiating between carbon and graphite; however, standards that would allow the technique to be calibrated to quantify the graphite concentration have yet to be fabricated. Continued research into Raman Spectroscopy is on going. As part of this study, cracking of graphite extrusions due to volatile evolution during heat treatment has been largely eliminated. Continued research to optimize this extrusion method is required.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1971

Hydrogen slush density reference system

A hydrogen slush density reference system was designed for calibration of field-type instruments and/or transfer standards. The device is based on the buoyancy principle of Archimedes. The solids are weighed in a low-mass container so arranged that solids and container are buoyed by triple-point liquid hydrogen during the weighing process. Several types of hydrogen slush density transducers were developed and tested for possible use as transfer standards. The most successful transducers found were those which depend on change in dielectric constant, after which the Clausius-Mossotti function is used to relate dielectric constant and density.

Weitzel, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Metabolic, respiratory, and cardiological measurements during exercise and rest

Low concentration effects of CO2 on metabolic respiration and circulation were measured during work and at rest. The relationship between heart rate and metabolic rate is examined, as well as calibration procedures, and rate measurement during submaximal and standard exercise tests. Alterations in acid base and electrolytes were found during exhaustive exercise, including changes in ECG and metabolic alkalosis effects.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1972

Planetary observations at millimeter wavelengths

Observations of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were made at 3.1 mm and 8.6 mm wavelengths with a 16-foot radio telescope between March and August, 1971. Absolute brightness temperature data are given. All errors are one standard deviation and include uncertainties in antenna gain calibration. The solar and lunar temperatures are in excellent agreement with published observations. The planetary measurements at 3.1 mm are consistently higher than previous results. The implications of higher temperatures with respect to existing atmospheric and surface models are discussed.

Ulich, B. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

An extreme ultraviolet photometer for solar observations from the Atmosphere Explorer satellites

A broadband photometer experiment is being fabricated for the Atmosphere Explorer C, D and E missions to record the solar irradiance in the 40 to 1250 A region with seven distinct passbands. The experiment consists principally of four spinal electron multipliers located behind a moving eight position filter wheel. Six metallic filters are used to spectrally isolate the solar irradiance. In addition three Al2O3 diodes, two with filters, are being used to record the solar irradiance over the range of orbital altitudes from perigee through apogee. A principal goal of the experiment will be to measure time dependence of the solar irradiance with respect to a storage ring synchrotron light source which has been calibrated in terms of the best currently available standards of irradiance.

Heath, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Design and performance characteristics of the Vertical Temperature Profile Radiometer /VTPR/ for atmospheric temperature soundings.

Description of the design and operation of a radiometer which derives atmospheric temperature profiles on the basis of spectral measurements in eight optical filter channels. The radiometer achieves its eight-channel capability by sequentially viewing the eight optical filters mounted in a rotating filter wheel, with a single IR detector and electronic amplification channel processing the signal for all the filters. The advantages and disadvantages of this sequential approach as compared to eight 'parallel' radiometric channels are discussed. The proposed radiometer provides a relative calibration accuracy between seven out of the eight channels of better than 0.1% rms of the full dynamic range. The absolute accuracy achievable between in-flight calibrations of six minutes, or between two-hour calibrations using optical temperature correction factors, is better than an rms value of 0.15% of full scale. The radiometric correlation between the in-flight calibration source of the instrument and a reference standard blackbody is better than an rms value of 0.5% of full scale.

Falbel, G.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The TIROS-N high resolution infrared radiation sounder

The high-resolution infrared radiation sounder (HIRS/2) was developed and flown on the Television and Infrared Observation Satellite, N Series (TIROS-N) as one means of obtaining atmospheric vertical profile information. The HIRS/2 receives visible and infrared spectrum radiation through a single telescope and selects 20 narrow spectral channels by means of a rotating filter wheel. A passive radiant cooler provides an operating temperature of 106.7K for the HgCdTe and InSb detectors while the visible detector operates at instrument frame temperature. Low noise amplifiers and digital processing provide 13 bit data for spacecraft data multiplexing and transmission. The qualities of system performance that determine sounding capability are the dynamic range of data collection, the noise equivalent radiance of the system, the registration of the air columns sampled in each channel, and the ability to upgrade the calibration of the instrument to maintain the performance standard throughout life. The basic performance of the instrument in test is described. Early orbital information from the TIROS-N launched on October 13, 1978 are given and some observations on system quality are made.

Koenig, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Performance of the HIRS/2 instrument on TIROS-N

The High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS/2) was developed and flown on the TIROS-N satellite as one means of obtaining atmospheric vertical profile information. The HIRS/2 receives visible and infrared spectrum radiation through a single telescope and selects 20 narrow radiation channels by means of a rotating filter wheel. A passive radiant cooler provides an operating temperature of 106.7 K for the HgCdTe and InSb detectors while the visible detector operates at instrument frame temperature. Low noise amplifiers and digital processing provide 13 bit data for spacecraft data multiplexing and transmission. The qualities of system performance that determine sounding capability are the dynamic range of data collection, the noise equivalent radiance of the system, the registration of the air columns sampled in each channel and the ability to upgrade the calibration of the instrument to maintain the performance standard throughout life. The basic features, operating characteristics and performance of the instrument in test are described. Early orbital information from the TIROS-N launched on October 13, 1978 is given and some observations on system quality are made.

Koenig, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Results of the 1982 NASA/JPL balloon flight solar cell calibration program

The 1982 solar cell calibration balloon flight was successfully completed on July 21, meeting all objectives of the program. Twenty-eight modules were carried to an altitude of 36.0 kilometers. The calibrated cells can now be used as reference standards in simulator testing of cells and arrays.

Downing, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Results of the 1984 NASA/JPL balloon flight solar cell calibration program

The 1984 solar cell calibration balloon flight was successfully completed on July 19, meeting all objectives of the program. Thirty-six modules were carried to an altitude of 36.0 kilometers. The calibrated cells can now be used as reference standards in simulator testing of cells and arrays.

Downing, R. G.↗