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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

Portable Distortion Free Large Solid Angle Coverage Detector

Neutron single crystal diffractometers require large solid angle coverage for optimum performance. This can be achieved by tiling flat detectors in a cylindrical or spherical geometry, but results in large gaps in detector coverage and parallax distortion. The detector edges exhibit degraded resolution, distortion, and gamma rejection. Since the detector edge regions are a significant fraction of the detector active area, they must be removed from the experimental data set, requiring extra beam time to collect enough analysis data. A spherical detector with a continuous surface would effectively address this issue while eliminating most boundary ‘dead’ areas. Here we report on the development of a novel hemispherical shaped neutron detector using seamlessly tiled readout modules to form the desired shape. The heart of the detector is a specially developed curved neutron scintillator coupled to high resolution silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) Anger cameras via custom made fiber optic tapers (FOTs). The detector has been assembled and initial tests have been conducted at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) beamlines at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Here, in this work, we describe details of the scintillator design, fabrication and characterization, evaluation of individual detector modules, the details of the detector design implementation, and evaluation of the assembled detector at ORNL beamlines.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Directly Observing Micelle Fusion and Growth in Solution by Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy

Amphiphilic small molecules and polymers form commonplace nanoscale macromolecular compartments and bilayers, and as such are truly essential components in all cells and in many cellular processes. The nature of these architectures, including their formation, phase changes, and stimuli-response behaviors, is necessary for the most basic functions of life, and over the past half-century, these natural micellar structures have inspired a vast diversity of industrial products, from biomedicines to detergents, lubricants, and coatings. The importance of these materials and their ubiquity have made them the subject of intense investigation regarding their nanoscale dynamics with increasing interest in obtaining sufficient temporal and spatial resolution to directly observe nanoscale processes. However, the vast majority of experimental methods involve either bulk-averaging techniques including light, neutron, and X-ray scattering, or are static in nature including even the most advanced cryogenic transmission electron microscopy techniques. Here, we employ in situ liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) to directly observe the evolution of individual amphiphilic block copolymer micellar nanoparticles in solution, in real time with nanometer spatial resolution. These observations, made on a proof-of-concept bioconjugate polymer amphiphile, revealed growth and evolution occurring by unimer addition processes and by particle-particle collision-and-fusion events. In conclusion, the experimental approach, combining direct LCTEM observation, quantitative analysis of LCTEM data, and correlated in silico simulations, provides a unique view of solvated soft matter nanoassemblies as they morph and evolve in time and space, enabling us to capture these phenomena in solution.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

UO 2 2+ -mediated ring contraction of pyrihexaphyrin: synthesis of a contracted expanded porphyrin-uranyl complex

A new mixed hexaphyrin, pyrihexaphyrin (0.1.0.0.1.0) (1), was prepared via an acid catalyzed cyclization between 5,5'-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)bis(pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde) (2) and terpyrrole (3). This expanded porphyrin undergoes a ring contraction upon metallation with uranyl silylamide [UO 2 [N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ] 2 ] under anaerobic conditions followed by purification over basic aluminum oxide exposed to air. The uranyl-contracted pyrihexaphyrin (0.0.0.0.1.0) complex (4) produced as a result contains a unique structural architecture and possesses a formally 22 π-electron globally aromatic periphery, as inferred from NMR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and computational analyses. Support for the proposed contraction mechanism came from experimental data and DFT calculations. Proton NMR and mass spectroscopic analysis provided the first insight into expanded porphyrin-mediated activation of the uranyl dication (UO 2 2+ ).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Status of the Muon G − 2 Experiment

The Muon g−2 Experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory was designed to measure the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, aµ, with a precision of 140 parts-per-billion; a four-fold improvement over the former BNL measurement. The Fermilab experiment was motivated by the about 3.5 standard deviation between the experiment and the Standard Model calculation of aµ which could be a hint of new physics. The experiment at Fermilab relies on the well-established storage ring technique using magic momentum muons but employs new detector systems and a higher rate of muons per injection cycle to achieve the significant improvement in precision. A first result from the Run-1 data taking period has achieved an uncertainty of 0.46 parts-per-million and confirmed the BNL discrepancy, further increasing the tension with the Standard Model to 4.2 σ. The experimental technique, key aspects of the measurement, and the data analysis of Run-1 will be summarized.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

A diffusion-limited reaction model for self-propagating Al/Pt multilayers with quench limits

A diffusion-limited reaction model was calibrated for Al/Pt multilayers ignited on oxidized silicon, sapphire, and tungsten substrates, as well as for some Al/Pt multilayers ignited as free-standing foils. The model was implemented in a finite element analysis code and used to match experimental burn front velocity data collected from several years of testing at Sandia National Laboratories. Moreover, both the simulations and experiments reveal well-defined quench limits in the total Al + Pt layer (i.e., bilayer) thickness. At these limits, the heat generated from atomic diffusion is insufficient to support a self-propagating wave front on top of the substrates. Quench limits for reactive multilayers are seldom reported and are found to depend on the thermal properties of the individual layers. Here, the diffusion-limited reaction model is generalized to allow for temperature- and composition-dependent material properties, phase change, and anisotropic thermal conductivity. Utilizing this increase in model fidelity, excellent overall agreement is shown between the simulations and experimental results with a single calibrated parameter set. However, the burn front velocities of Al/Pt multilayers ignited on tungsten substrates are over-predicted. Finally, possible sources of error are discussed and a higher activation energy (from 41.9 kJ/mol.at. to 47.5 kJ/mol.at.) is shown to bring the simulations into agreement with the velocity data observed on tungsten substrates. Finally, this higher activation energy suggests an inhibited diffusion mechanism present at lower heating rates.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Analysis of core asymmetries in inertial confinement fusion implosions using three-dimensional hot-spot reconstruction

Three-dimensional effects play a crucial role during the hot-spot formation in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions. A data analysis technique for 3D hot-spot reconstruction from experimental observables has been developed to characterize the effects of low modes on 3D hot-spot formations. In nuclear measurements, the effective flow direction, governed by the maximum eigenvalue in the velocity variance of apparent ion temperatures, has been found to agree with the measured hot-spot flows for implosions dominated by mode ℓ = 1. Asymmetries in areal-density (ρR) measurements were found to be characterized by a unique cosine variation along the hot-spot flow axis. In x-ray images, a 3D hot-spot x-ray emission tomography method was developed to reconstruct the 3D hot-spot plasma emissivity using a generalized spherical-harmonic Gaussian function. The gradient-descent algorithm was used to optimize the mapping between the projections from the 3D hot-spot emission model and the measured x-ray images along multiple views. Furthermore, this work establishes a platform to analyze 3D low-mode core asymmetries in ICF.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Dissecting subcycle interference in photoelectron holography

Multipath holographic interference in strong-field quantum tunnel ionization is key to revealing subangstrom attosecond dynamics for molecular movies. This critical subcycle motion is often obscured by longer timescale effects such as ring-shaped patterns that appear in above-threshold ionization (ATI). In the present work, we overcome this problem by combining two techniques in theory and experimental analysis: unit-cell averaging and time-filtering data and simulations. Together these suppress ATI rings and enable an unprecedented highly detailed quantitative match between strong-field ionization experiments in argon and the Coulomb-quantum orbit strong-field approximation (CQSFA) theory. Velocity map images reveal fine modulations on the holographic spiderlike interference fringes that form near the polarization axis. CQSFA theory traces this to the interference of three types of electron pathways. The level of agreement between experiment and theory allows sensitive determination of quantum phase differences and symmetries, providing an important tool for quantitative dynamical imaging in quantum systems.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Ionization yield measurement in a germanium CDMSlite detector using photo-neutron sources

Two photo-neutron sources, Y 88 Be 9 and Sb 124 Be 9 , have been used to investigate the ionization yield of nuclear recoils in the CDMSlite germanium detectors by the SuperCDMS collaboration. In this study, we evaluate the yield for nuclear recoil energies between 1 and 7 keV at a temperature of ~ 50 mK . We use a geant4 simulation to model the neutron spectrum assuming a charge yield model that is a generalization of the standard Lindhard model and consists of two energy dependent parameters. We perform a likelihood analysis using the simulated neutron spectrum, modeled background, and experimental data to obtain the best fit values of the yield model. The ionization yield between recoil energies of 1 and 7 keV is shown to be significantly lower than predicted by the standard Lindhard model for germanium. There is a general lack of agreement among different experiments using a variety of techniques studying the low energy range of the nuclear recoil yield, which is most critical for interpretation of direct dark matter searches. This suggests complexity in the physical process that many direct detection experiments use to model their primary signal detection mechanism and highlights the need for further studies to clarify underlying systematic effects that have not been well understood up to this point.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The study of the structure of the electronic states of the FeGa{sub 3} and RuGa{sub 3} compounds by optical spectroscopy method

Investigations of the optical properties of intermetallic compounds FeGa{sub 3} and RuGa{sub 3} in the wavelength range of 0.22−14 μm have been conducted. The spectra of the interband light absorption are interpreted based on comparative analysis of calculated and experimental dispersion dependences of optical conductivity. Experimental data confirm the existence of the energy gaps at the Fermi level with a width of ~0.6 eV in the density of states of these materials, which was previously predicted in the band calculations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Recovering the phase and amplitude of X-ray FEL pulses using neural networks and differentiable models

Dynamics experiments are an important use-case for X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), but time-domain measurements of the X-ray pulses themselves remain a challenge. Shot-by-shot X-ray diagnostics could enable a new class of simpler and potentially higher-resolution pump-probe experiments. Here, we report training neural networks to combine low-resolution measurements in both the time and frequency domains to recover X-ray pulses at high-resolution. Critically, we also recover the phase, opening the door to coherent-control experiments with XFELs. The model-based generative neural-network architecture can be trained directly on unlabeled experimental data and is fast enough for real-time analysis on the new generation of MHz XFELs.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article: Status Report for FY2019

The Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) is a facility that will be used to develop sodium components and instrumentation as well as acquire experimental data for validation of reactor thermal hydraulic and safety analysis codes. The facility will simulate nominal conditions as well as protected/unprotected loss of flow accidents in an SFR. High fidelity distributed temperature profiles of the developed flow field will be acquired with Rayleigh backscatter based optical fiber temperature sensors. The facility is being designed in partnership with systems code experts to tailor the experiment to ensure the most relevant and highest quality data for code validation. Figure 1 illustrates the main components of the primary system. THETA will be installed in the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) with the primary system in the 28 inch Test Vessel #4, the secondary system in the 18-inch Test Vessel #6, and its sodium-to-air heat exchanger will occupy the location for 18-inch Test Vessel #5 (Test Vessel #5 will not be installed), Figure 2. The design work for the facility has been completed and is currently in the procurement, manufacturing and initial testing stage. The THETA primary system, including the redan, inlet and outlet plenum, 38 kW electric core simulant heater, submerged flowmeter, pump, and all instrumentation has either been procured or is currently being tested at Argonne. The secondary sodium system for cooling the tube-side sodium of the intermediate heat exchanger has all been analyzed according to ASME code and is in the final development stages before procurement.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article - Status Report for FY2019 (Rev. 1)

The Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) is a facility that will be used to develop sodium components and instrumentation as well as acquire experimental data for validation of reactor thermal hydraulic and safety analysis codes. The facility will simulate nominal conditions as well as protected/unprotected loss of flow accidents in an SFR. High fidelity distributed temperature profiles of the developed flow field will be acquired with Rayleigh backscatter based optical fiber temperature sensors. The facility is being designed in partnership with systems code experts to tailor the experiment to ensure the most relevant and highest quality data for code validation. The design work for the facility has been completed and is currently in the procurement, manufacturing and initial testing stage. The THETA primary system, including the redan, inlet and outlet plenum, 38 kW electric core simulant heater, submerged flowmeter, pump, and all instrumentation has either been procured or is currently being tested at Argonne. The secondary sodium system for cooling the tube-side sodium of the intermediate heat exchanger has all been analyzed according to ASME code and is in the final development stages before procurement.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

High Fidelity Interface Modeling to Enable Enhanced Electromagnetics ModSim Capabilities

Years of work by 1350 and others has shown that the phenomenology behind EM penetration of joints and seams is a major driver in the shielding effectiveness of ND systems. Via analysis of a canonical cylindrical geometry and comparison against experimental data, we will provide evidence supporting the theory that proper treatment of contact phenomenology including joint deformation, asperity-induced contact impedance, and appropriate treatment of machining tolerance values is required to match electromagnetics modeling and simulation results to experimental data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (FY2020 Status Report)

The Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) is a facility that will be used to develop sodium components and instrumentation as well as acquire experimental data for validation of reactor thermal hydraulic and safety analysis codes. The facility will simulate nominal conditions as well as protected/unprotected loss of flow accidents in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). High fidelity distributed temperature profiles of the developed flow field will be acquired with Rayleigh backscatter based optical fiber temperature sensors. The facility is being designed in partnership with systems code experts to tailor the experiment to ensure the most relevant and highest quality data for code validation. THETA is comprised of a traditional primary and secondary system. The primary system is submerged in the pool of sodium and consists of a pump, electrically heated core, intermediate heat exchanger, and connected piping and thermal barriers (redan). The secondary system, located outside of the sodium pool, consists of a pump, sodium to air heat exchanger, and connected piping and valves. Figure 1 illustrates the main components of the primary system. THETA will be installed in the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) with the primary system in the 28 inch Test Vessel #4, Figure 2. The design work for the facility has been completed. Since the FY19 THETA status report, the THETA primary system components have been assembled and tested using de-ionized water. Some results of this testing at select Richardson and Reynolds numbers are included herein. The custom THETA sodium flowmeter (permanent magnet submersible sodium flowmeter) has been built and calibrated using sodium in an auxiliary facility against a NIST traceable vortex shedder type flowmeter. The permanent magnet flowmeter showed excellent performance, following the theoretical equation for measured voltage quite well, with an error < 3.5% at flow rates ranging from 3-24 GPM at temperatures up to 400 °C. The secondary sodium system for heat rejection from intermediate heat exchanger has been analyzed according to ASME code. All secondary side piping, fittings and a U-stamped air-to-sodium heat exchanger have been procured.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article - Report of THETA Commissioning for METL Testing

The Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) is a facility that will be used to develop sodium components and instrumentation as well as acquire experimental data for validation of reactor thermal hydraulic and safety analysis codes. The facility will simulate nominal conditions as well as protected/unprotected loss of flow accidents in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). High fidelity distributed temperature profiles of the developed flow field will be acquired with Rayleigh backscatter based optical fiber temperature sensors. The facility is being designed in partnership with systems code experts to tailor the experiment to ensure the most relevant and highest quality data for code validation. THETA is comprised of a traditional primary and secondary system. The primary system is submerged in the pool of sodium and consists of a pump, electrically heated core, intermediate heat exchanger, and connected piping and thermal barriers (redan). The secondary system, located outside of the sodium pool, consists of a pump, sodium to air heat exchanger, and connected piping and valves. Figure 1 illustrates the main components of the primary system. THETA has been installed in the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) with the primary system in the 28 inch Test Vessel #4, Figure 2 and Figure 3. Since the FY20 THETA status report, [1], further water shakedown testing was performed, some final welding modifications were performed, all system components were sanitized, dry assembled, and commissioned before installing into METL test vessel #4. The THETA submersible electromagnetic flowmeter was welded closed to hermetically seal internal components from sodium followed by a helium leak check for the final time

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (FY21 Final Report)

The Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) is a facility that will be used to develop sodium components and instrumentation as well as acquire experimental data for validation of reactor thermal hydraulic and safety analysis codes. The facility will simulate nominal conditions as well as protected/unprotected loss of flow accidents in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). High fidelity distributed temperature profiles of the developed flow field will be acquired with Rayleigh backscatter based optical fiber temperature sensors. The facility is being designed in partnership with systems code experts to tailor the experiment to ensure the most relevant and highest quality data for code validation. THETA is comprised of a traditional primary and secondary system. The primary system is submerged in the pool of sodium and consists of a pump, electrically heated core, intermediate heat exchanger, and connected piping and thermal barriers (redan). The secondary system, located outside of the sodium pool, consists of a pump, sodium to air heat exchanger, and connected piping and valves. Figure 1 illustrates the main components of the primary system. THETA has been installed in the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) with the primary system in the 28 inch Test Vessel #4, Figure 2 and Figure 3. Since the FY20 THETA status report, further water shakedown testing was performed, some final welding modifications were performed, all system components were sanitized, dry assembled, and commissioned. The THETA submersible electromagnetic flowmeter was welded closed to hermetically seal internal components from sodium followed by a helium leak check for the final time. Following installation of THETA into vessel #4, all data acquisition and control systems were brought online and commissioned at room temperature in the argon gas space of the empty vessel. The vessel zone 1 heaters were reinstalled and the flange was then insulated. The vessel 4 heaters were brought to a temperature of 100 °C and the THETA pump was jogged at 600 RPM to ensure it was functioning correctly. The secondary, AC Conduction based electromagnetic pump from CMI Novacast (product number CA-15) was ordered and will be delivered in late calendar year 2021. The custom designed permanent magnet based secondary flowmeter was designed, a drawing package and manufacturing specification created and quote requested from a machine shop. The intermediate heat exchanger design was completed and a drawing package is currently in progress. During the middle of calendar year 2021 the Building 308 sodium scrubber system was shut down in order to replaced some corroded piping and facilitate improvements on the system, thus requiring the sodium in METL to remain frozen. This has imposed a delay in filling vessel 4 with sodium to begin THETA testing. Sodium testing is expected to begin in early fiscal year 2022 as all THETA primary systems are operational.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article - Status Report FY20 Q2

The Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) is a facility that will be used to develop sodium components and instrumentation as well as acquire experimental data for validation of reactor thermal hydraulic and safety analysis codes. The facility will simulate nominal conditions as well as protected/unprotected loss of flow accidents in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). High fidelity distributed temperature profiles of the developed flow field will be acquired with Rayleigh backscatter based optical fiber temperature sensors. The facility is being designed in partnership with systems code experts to tailor the experiment to ensure the most relevant and highest quality data for code validation. THETA is comprised of a traditional primary and secondary system. The primary system is submerged in the pool of sodium and consists of a pump, electrically heated core, intermediate heat exchanger, and connected piping and thermal barriers (like a redan). The secondary system, located outside of the sodium pool, consists of a pump, sodium to air heat exchanger, and connected piping and valves. Figure 1 illustrates the main components of the primary system. THETA will be installed in the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) with the primary system in the 28 inch Test Vessel #4, Figure 2. The design work for the facility has been completed, most primary component have been fabricated, primary components are being assembled in preparation for initial testing, and procurement is continuing with the secondary system components. Since the FY19 THETA status report, The THETA primary system components are at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and have been dry assembled. The secondary sodium system for heat rejection from intermediate heat exchanger has all been analyzed according to ASME code. All secondary side piping, fittings and a U-stamped air-to-sodium heat exchanger has been procured.

42 ENGINEERING↗