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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Automated Reconstruction, Signal Processing and Particle Identification in DUNE

Liquid Argon TPC (LArTPC) technology is increasingly prevalent in large-scale detectors de- signed to observe neutrino scattering events induced by accelerators or by natural sources. LArTPCs consist of a very high fraction of active detector material with spatial resolutions on the order of a few millimeters. Three-dimensional interactions are imaged in multiple two- dimensional views by the process of projection onto planes of wires. The goal of automated reconstruction is to correctly classify each neutrino scattering event by the flavor of the incoming neutrino, to separate charged-current events from neutral-current and other backgrounds, and to measure the energies of the incoming neutrinos. Detection of neutrinos from supernova bursts and also searching for nucleon decay are important uses of automated reconstruction algorithms. Be- cause the amount of spatial detail is high and the amount of scattering is high, this reconstruction presents many challenges that are now being investigated with sophisticated techniques. Signal processing, track and shower identification, particle identification, and event classification by a variety of innovative algorithms are reviewed

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Apparent Monte Carlo Source Convergence Problem with BWR Fuel Depleted with Partial Control Blade Insertion

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have initiated a multiyear project to investigate application of burnup credit (BUC) to boiling-water reactor (BWR) fuel in storage and transportation casks and spent fuel pools (SFPs). Ideally, a single combination of all operating parameters including moderator density and axial burnup profiles, control blade exposure, and others can be identified to allow a simple, bounding approach to BWR BUC. One aspect of this investigation involves examining the effect of control blade insertion during operation on discharged assembly reactivity. In the course of these calculations, an apparent source convergence problem was discovered for fuel that has experienced partial blade insertion for the entire lifetime of the assembly. The source convergence problem appears not to impact k{sub eff}, but it manifests in predictions of the axial fission density profile. This phenomenon is of interest in identifying areas of concern with BWR BUC since it has not been studied as thoroughly as BUC for pressurized-water (PWR) reactor fuel. There may also be interest in this configuration for further study of a realistic source Monte Carlo convergence problem as opposed to some earlier manufactured source convergence problems through careful selection of initial conditions. This summary presents the depletion conditions used to generate the problem, a description of the models, a background based on well-behaved calculations, the identification of the problem, and attempts made to resolve the problem. Only a brief description of the depletion conditions and models is possible within the limited scope of this summary. Finally, conclusions are presented. This summary identifies a source convergence problem in the process of investigating BUC for BWR spent fuel. The depletion scenario which created the depleted fuel and burnable absorber compositions included a control blade inserted in the bottom 14 nodes throughout the entire depletion. This insertion is slightly over half the length of the assembly, and it appears to create two regions of nearly equal reactivity. As expected, one region is near the top of the assembly, and the other region is near the middle of the assembly. This node includes significant {sup 239}Pu generation as a result of rodded operation, but it is also the top node of the full lattice zone. While the calculated k{sub eff} values appear to be statistically equivalent, the axial neutron production profile varies significantly among independent simulations of the same model. A range of standard approaches has been used to attempt to resolve the source convergence problem and determine the true axial neutron production profile. This profile is of interest in cask criticality safety analysis because it influences the interaction among assemblies loaded in the cask. The forthcoming SCALE 6.2 release will include source convergence testing based on Shannon entropy, which may assist in identifying these types of problems in the future. It should be noted that this source convergence problem results from the depletion conditions and the final distribution of fissile and absorber material within the discharged fuel assembly. The results, while entirely generated within the SCALE code system, are representative of any Monte Carlo program attempting to calculate k{sub eff} for such a system. The most important conclusion of this work is that the BUC criticality safety community must be aware of the potential for this type of source convergence problem. Analysts must approach such partially rodded scenarios with caution and critically examine the results. Fortunately, it is extremely unlikely that BWR assemblies would experience the bladed operation necessary to create this particular source convergence problem. These results may also have some bearing on the analysis of PWR BUC for new plant designs such as AP1000 that incorporate significant rodded operations. In a broader context, the source convergence problem identified here could have been magnified if it had occurred in a Monte Carlo depletion simulation. It may be possible to identify this type of problem in a depletion calculation by comparing the apparently converged fluxes between steps to ensure that no oscillations or other serious shifts are occurring. The depletion calculations performed in this work were performed with a two-dimensional deterministic code and are therefore not subject to this problem. These results may also raise questions about the validity of 2D depletion models with extruded geometry in the 3D k{sub eff} calculation. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

TropiRoot 1.0: Database of tropical root characteristics across environments

Tropical ecosystems contain the world's largest biodiversity of vascular plants. Yet, our understanding of tropical functional diversity and its contribution to global diversity patterns is constrained by data availability. This discrepancy underscores an urgent need to bridge data gaps by incorporating comprehensive tropical root data into global datasets. Here, we provide a database of tropical root characteristics. This new database, TropiRoot 1.0, will be instrumental in evaluating an array of hypotheses pertaining to root functional ecology and plant biogeography, both within the tropics and relative to other global biomes. The data compilation was conducted by the TropiRoot Initiative, in partnership with the Fine-Root Ecology Database (FRED) and the Global Root Trait (GRooT) database, Colorado State University (CSU) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Literature search and data extraction were conducted between 2020 and 2024. Literature was identified using Web of Science, Scopus, and complemented using the expert knowledge of members of TropiRoot. To provide broad environmental and geographical distributions, literature searches included root characteristics (traits) across global change drivers, natural gradients, and from different continents. We adopted FRED standardized data columns and streamlined the format to enhance accessibility for data extraction across various user groups. This optimized framework resulted in a smaller, yet comprehensive datasheet. To make the database compatible with other global root trait initiatives, column identification was standardized following the codes provided by FRED. These efforts culminated in data extracted from 104 new sources, resulting in more than 8000 rows of data (either species or community data). Most of the data in TropiRoot 1.0 include root characteristics such as root biomass, morphology, root dynamics, mass fraction, architecture, anatomy, physiology, and root chemistry. This initiative represents a 30% increase in the currently available data for tropical roots in FRED. TropiRoot 1.0 contains root characteristics from 25 different countries, where seven are located in Asia, six in South America, five in Central America and the Caribbean, four in Africa, two in North America, and 1 in Oceania. Due to the volume of data, when ancillary data were available, including soil data, these data were either extracted and included in the database or its availability was recorded in an additional column. Multiple contributors checked the entries for outliers during the collation process to ensure data quality. For text-based observations, we examined all cells to ensure that their content relates to their specific categories. For numerical observations, we ordered each numerical value from least to greatest and plotted the values, checking apparent outliers against the data in their respective sources and correcting or removing incorrect or impossible values. Some data (soil and aboveground) have different columns for the same variable presented in different units, including originally published units, but root characteristics data had units converted to match those reported in FRED. By filling a gap from global databases, TropiRoot 1.0 expands our knowledge of otherwise so far underrepresented regions and our ability to assess global trends. This advancement can be used to improve tropical forest representation in vegetation models. The data are freely available and should be cited when used.

FRED↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mu2e straw tube tracker gas flow quality control

Here, we present a tracker gas flow quality control method developed for the Mu2e straw tube tracker. Using time-dependent current measurements, we quantify the onset time of ionization gain induced by an 55 F source during gas exchange, which is correlated to the gas conductance in the straw. This allows for the identification of channels with inadequate flow. This approach is broadly applicable to other gaseous detectors that require high-channel-count screening.

Flow↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the origin of high-energy cosmic neutrinos

Recently, the IceCube collaboration made a big announcement of the first discovery of high-energy cosmic neutrinos. Their origin is a new interesting mystery in astroparticle physics, but the present data may give us hints of connection to cosmic-ray and/or gamma-ray sources. We will look over possible scenarios for the cosmic neutrino signal, and emphasize the importance of multimessenger approaches in order to identify the PeV neutrino sources and get crucial clues to the cosmic-ray origin. We also discuss some possibilities to study neutrino properties and probe new physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The host galaxies and narrow-line regions of four double-peaked [OIII] AGNs

Major gas-rich mergers of galaxies are expected to play an important role in triggering and fueling luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The mechanism of AGN fueling during mergers, however, remains poorly understood. We present deep multi-band (u/r/z) imaging and long-slit spectroscopy of four double-peaked [OIII] emitting AGNs. This class of object is likely associated with either kiloparsec-separated binary AGNs or final stage major mergers, although AGNs with complex narrow-line regions (NLRs) are known contaminants. Such objects are of interest since they represent the onset of AGN activity during the merger process. Three of the four double-peaked [OIII] emitters studied have been confirmed as major mergers using near-infrared imaging and one is a confirmed X-ray binary AGN. All AGNs are luminous, radio-quiet to radio-intermediate, and have redshifts of 0.1<z<0.4. Deep r-band images show that a majority (3/4) of the sources have disturbed host morphologies and tidal features, while the remaining source is morphologically undisturbed down to low surface brightness limits (∼27 mag arcsec{sup −2} in r). The lack of morphological disturbances in this galaxy despite the fact that it is a close binary AGN suggests that the merger of a binary black hole can take longer than 1 Gyr. All AGNs hosted by merging galaxies have companions at distances ⩽150 kpc. The NLRs have large sizes (10 kpc < r < 100 kpc) and consist of compact clumps with considerable relative velocities between components (∼200–650 km s{sup −1}). We detect broad, predominantly blue, wings with velocities up to ∼1500 km s{sup −1} in [OIII], indicative of powerful outflows. The outflows are compact (<5 kpc) and co-spatial with nuclear regions showing considerable reddening, consistent with enhanced star formation. One source shows an offset between gas and stellar kinematics, consistent with either a bipolar flow or a counter-rotating gas disk. In all other sources, the ionized gas generally follows the stars. We are not able to unambiguously identify the sources as binary AGNs using our data; X-ray or radio data are required for an unambiguous identification. However, the data still yield interesting results for merger triggering of AGNs and timescales of binary black hole mergers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

GRB 130427A AND SN 2013cq: A MULTI-WAVELENGTH ANALYSIS OF AN INDUCED GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE EVENT

We performed a data analysis of the observations by the Swift, NuStar, and Fermi satellites in order to probe the induced gravitational collapse (IGC) paradigm for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) associated with supernovae (SNe) in the terra incognita of GRB 130427A. We compare our data analysis with those in the literature. We have verified that GRB 130427A conforms to the IGC paradigm by examining the power law behavior of the luminosity in the early 10{sup 4} s of the XRT observations. This has led to the identification of the four different episodes of the binary driven hypernovae (BdHNe) and to the prediction, on 2013 May 2, of the occurrence of SN 2013cq, which was also observed in the optical band on 2013 May 13. The exceptional quality of the data has allowed the identification of novel features in Episode 3 including: (1) the confirmation and the extension of the existence of the recently discovered nested structure in the late X-ray luminosity in GRB 130427A, as well as the identification of a spiky structure at 10{sup 2} s in the cosmological rest-frame of the source; (2) a power law emission of the GeV luminosity light curve and its onset at the end of Episode 2; and (3) different Lorentz Γ factors for the emitting regions of the X-ray and GeV emissions in this Episode 3. These results make it possible to test the details of the physical and astrophysical regimes at work in the BdHNe: (1) a newly born neutron star and the supernova ejecta, originating in Episode 1; (2) a newly formed black hole originating in Episode 2; and (3) the possible interaction among these components, observable in the standard features of Episode 3.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Investigating the Effectiveness of P/S Amplitude Ratios for Local Distance Event Discrimination

The ability to discriminate between underground explosions and earthquakes is an important operation for global security and test-ban-treaty monitoring, and seismology plays a key role in this endeavor. The use of seismic P- to S-wave amplitude ratios has been demonstrated to be an effective discriminant at regional distances for a variety of emplacement conditions and test sites around the world. Increasing interest in detecting and discriminating smaller events, both for purposes of nuclear monitoring and seismic hazard estimation, requires the use of data with shorter event-to-station paths. At these local distances (≤ 200 km), the use of P/S ratios for event discrimination is poorly studied compared with regional distances (200-1500 km). The path averaging that allows for relatively simple corrections to P/S ratios to remove bias from along-path structural differences at regional distances may be insufficient to remove enough scatter from the ratios to allow for accurate event identification at local distances. We use data from a series of chemical explosions detonated as part of the Source Physics Experiment at the Nevada National Security Site in southern Nevada and surrounding seismicity to investigate the discrimination performance of P/S ratios at local distances. We find that discrimination at individual stations is highly variable, regardless of frequency. Network averaging of ratios improves discrimination performance above 6 Hz, as a result of the reduction of scatter among the earthquake ratios. Furthermore, azimuthal and distance–limited averaging suggests that explosion ratios are affected by a complicated source and path relationship that may lead to substantial variability in local P/S ratios at different locations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

SITCOMTN-163: Source Selection for Abell 360 in LSSTComCam Data Preview 1

We cover the source selection done for the Abell 360 LSSTComCam cluster study focusing on color and photo-z cuts. Identification of cluster members via the red sequence and photo-z offers a science focused validation of photometry with LSSTComCam. We are able to cross-match with DESI spectroscopic redshifts to offer an independent validation suite on photo-z estimates. We make various color and photo-z cuts to generate N(z)s and shear profiles. We find that both cuts are quite robust to various choices made and can produce a shear profile for Abell 360. Both methods should be applicable to generating a consistent mass estimate for the cluster.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1971

Tranquillity Base map.

A comparison of the qualities of photographs taken by astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin from Tranquillity Base and of photographs taken from the Lunar Module window, in terms of valuable information. The latter, found to be more reliable than the former, are used as the primary source in compiling the Tranquillity Base Surface and Experiment Locations Map. The former are rated as excellent for identification purposes and are used in locating supplemental details. However, the geometry obtained on most of these latter frames is believed to be less reliable because of large changes in vertical angles.

Arant, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Directory of aerospace safety specialized information sources, volume 2

A handbook of organizations and experts in specific and well-defined areas of safety technology is presented. It is designed for the safety specialist as an aid for locating both information sources and individual points of contact (experts) in engineering related fields. The file covers sources of data in aerospace design, tests, and operations, as well as information on hazard and failure cause identification, accident analysis, and materials characteristics. Other related areas include the handling and transportation of hazardous chemicals, radioactive isotopes, and liquified natural gases.

Rubinstein, R. I.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Advanced designs for fluid flow visualization

Research was carried out on existing and new designs for minimally intrusive measurement of flow fields in the Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell and the proposed Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment. The following topics are discussed: (1) identification and removal of foreign particles, (2) search for higher dielectric photochromic solutions, (3) selection of uv light source, (4) analysis of refractive techniques and (5) examination of fresnel lens applicability.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

Discovery of a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud

A near infrared search of the H II region/molecular cloud complex N159 in the Large Magellanic Cloud has revealed a very red (H-K = 2.1, K-L-prime = 2.7) compact object. The location, brightness, color and 2.1-2.4 micron spectrum of this source suggest that it is very young, and similar to the galactic infrared protostars. This is the first identification of an infrared protostar in an external galaxy. Its discovery provides direct evidence of current star formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and suggests that regions of star formation in external galaxies will appear similar to those in the Milky Way.

Gatley, I.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The exciting stars of Herbig-Haro objects

Accurate astrometry and infrared photometry are presented for 16 objects that are believed to represent the exciting stars for Herbig-Haro (HH) objects in their vicinities. These identifications are made on the bases of steeply rising energy distributions, proper motions of HH objects, alignment of sources with HH objects, or far-infrared emission. Exciting stars for the following HH objects are newly discovered or recognized: HH 17; HH 31; HH 32; HH 33 and 40; HH 34; HH 38 and 43; HH group 14 in NGC 2264; RNO 40; RNO 43; and GGD 33a, 33b, and 35. Geometrical alignments of some sources with HH objects support the view that young stars are capable of channeling kinetic energy into small solid angles, as does the fact that some sources are slightly displaced from the apices of fan nebulae (HH 17, R Mon, Haro 6-10). These exciting stars span a wide range of bolometric luminosity, although all are likely to be very young.

Cohen, M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A survey by HEAO 1 of clusters of galaxies. III - The complete Abell catalog

A catalog of 128 X-ray emitting clusters, including the Virgo Cluster, is presented. Ninety-one of these are new identifications. The catalog was obtained by searching the HEAO 1 survey observations for coincidences of X-ray sources with Abell clusters. The distribution of these sources in the sky has been examined in search of associations with other Abell clusters, with a null result. The X-ray luminosity has been correlated with cluster richness, but no association with Bautz-Morgan class has been found. The cluster luminosity function has been evaluated, and using this function the contribution of clusters to the diffuse X-ray background radiation has been estimated. It amounts to less than 15% at 2 keV and 3% at 6 keV.

Johnson, M. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Infrared images of merging galaxies

Infrared imaging of interacting galaxies is especially interesting because their optical appearance is often so chaotic due to extinction by dust and emission from star formation regions, that it is impossible to locate the nuclei or determine the true stellar distribution. However, at near-infrared wavelengths extinction is considerably reduced, and most of the flux from galaxies originates from red giant stars that comprise the dominant stellar component by mass. Thus near infrared images offer the opportunity to study directly components of galactic structure which are otherwise inaccessible. Such images may ultimately provide the framework in which to understand the activity taking place in many of the mergers with high Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) luminosities. Infrared images have been useful in identifying double structures in the nuclei of interacting galaxies which have not even been hinted at by optical observations. A striking example of this is given by the K images of Arp 220. Graham et al. (1990) have used high resolution imaging to show that it has a double nucleus coincident with the radio sources in the middle of the dust lane. The results suggest that caution should be applied in the identification of optical bright spots as multiple nuclei in the absence of other evidence. They also illustrate the advantages of using infrared imaging to study the underlying structure in merging galaxies. The authors have begun a program to take near infrared images of galaxies which are believed to be mergers of disk galaxies because they have tidal tails and filaments. In many of these the merger is thought to have induced exceptionally luminous infrared emission (cf. Joseph and Wright 1985, Sanders et al. 1988). Although the optical images of the galaxies show spectacular dust lanes and filaments, the K images all have a very smooth distribution of light with an apparently single nucleus.

Wright, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Herschel and the Molecular Universe

Over the next decade, space-based missions will open up the universe to high spatial and spectral resolution studies at infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. This will allow us to study, in much greater detail, the composition and the origin and evolution of molecules in space. Moreover, molecular transitions in these spectral ranges provide a sensitive probe of the dynamics and the physical and chemical conditions in a wide range of objects at scales ranging from budding planetary systems to galactic and extragalactic sizes. Hence, these missions provide us with the tools to study key astrophysical and astrochemical processes involved in the formation and evolution of planets, stars, and galaxies. These new missions can be expected to lead to the detection of many thousands of new spectral features. Identification, analysis and interpretation of these features in terms of the physical and chemical characteristics of the astronomical sources will require detailed astronomical modeling tools supported by laboratory measurements and theoretical studies of chemical reactions and collisional excitation rates on species of astrophysical relevance. These data will have to be made easily accessible to the scientific community through web-based data archives. In this paper, we will review the Herschel mission and its expected impact on our understanding of the molecular universe.

Tielens, A. G. G. M.↗