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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9

A review of cladding failure thresholds in RIA conditions based on transient reactor test data and the need for continued testing

Transient reactor experiments on light water reactor (LWR) fuel pins had been conducted since the beginning of the nuclear era to help determine core coolability and cladding failure thresholds. During one such test in November of 1993 at the CABRI transient test reactor on a test involving a high burnup fuel rod with a corroded Zircaloy-4 cladding it was first observed that cladding failures could occur prior to a departure from nucleate boiling (pre-DNB) at lower-than-expected peak radial average enthalpies. This paper will present an independent review of the publicly available transient reactor test database on higher burnup LWR pins conducted at the CABRI and NSRR reactors as well as review of a selection of published out of pile mechanical testing methods. The purpose of the review is to determine how well the new regulatory limits are supported by experimental data. The review will identify if additional transient reactor tests could provide additional support for the NRC guidance or identify the need for revisions. The evaluation will consider how far the existing database can be extrapolated when considering low hydrogen zirconium alloy claddings (with and without protective coatings) containing very high burnup (> 70 MWd/kgU) UO2 fuel pellets. Finally, the authors will suggest how out of pile mechanical tests can be used in conjunction with a limited number of transient reactor tests to develop cladding specific failure thresholds in RIA type transients.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

J/psi photoproduction close to threshold at GlueX

Close-to-threshold photoproduction probes small-size gluon configurations in the proton. Under certain assumptions it allows us to study the proton properties, as gluonic GPDs, anomalous contribution to the mass of the proton, gravitational form factors, and the mass radius of the proton. A careful comparison of the experimental data with the theoretical predictions would help us to verify the validity of those assumptions. The first cross-section measurements of near-threshold reaction by the GlueX Collaboration (Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 072001 (2019)) has attracted a considerable theoretical interest. Along with the relation to the gluonic properties of the proton, the measurement exploited a possibility of the LHCb Pentaquark production in the s-channel of the observed reaction, placing a limit of the decay probability . Here we present new GlueX results based on a four-times larger data set. The higher statistics along with the full acceptance of the GlueX spectrometer allow us to measure the differential cross section in several energy ranges and compare the results with several theoretical calculations.

Chudakov, Eugene↗

Near-threshold photoproduction of J/ of a proton with the CLAS12 experiment

The photo-production of vector mesons off the proton has long been established as an important tool to access the gluon content of the nucleon. In particular, the photo-production of J/Psi near the threshold energy has been related to the Gravitational Form Factors of the gluons which provide information about the mass and the force distributions in the nucleon. In this talk, I will present results on the near-threshold photoproduction of J/Psi using data taken in 2018 and 2019 by the CLAS12 detector at Jefferson Lab, with an electron beam impinging on a liquid-hydrogen target. This measurement is expected to provide direct insight on the gluons distribution inside the proton.

Chatagnon, Pierre↗

Bypassing Fast Time Scales of the Hodgkin-Huxley Neuron Model via a Thresholded Hard Reset

We propose a modification to the Hodgkin-Huxley model to reduce the numerical stiffness of the equations by introducing an explicit voltage threshold. When this threshold is crossed, the voltage and the gating variables are reset to constant values. It is found that, for all of the current stimuli considered, the proposed model accurately reproduces the behavior of the baseline Hodgkin-Huxley model while bypassing the fast dynamics of spiking. Specifically, the model accurately reproduces the spike times and, between spikes, the time courses of the membrane potential and gating variables.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Design and Characterization of a Phonon-Mediated Cryogenic Particle Detector with an eV-Scale Threshold and 100 keV-Scale Dynamic Range

We present the design and characterization of a cryogenic phonon-sensitive Si detector exploiting the Neganov-Trofimov-Luke effect to detect single-charge excitations. This device achieved 2.65(2) eV phonon energy resolution when operated without a voltage bias across the crystal and a corresponding charge resolution of 0.03 electron-hole pairs at 100 V bias. With a continuous-readout data acquisition system and an offline optimum-filter trigger, we obtain a 9.2 eV threshold with a trigger rate of the order of 20 Hz. The detector's energy scale is calibrated up to 120 keV using an energy estimator based on the pulse area. The high performance of this device allows its application to different fields where excellent energy resolution, low threshold, and large dynamic range are required, including dark matter searches, precision measurements of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, and ionization yield measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Innovative solutions to improve laser damage thresholds of optical structures

Optical structures, including thin film designs and components with topography, are provided that achieve significantly improved laser damage thresholds and/or ultra-low-loss. These advances may be achieved by utilizing a bulk window including a material having a band gap that is at least 5.0 eV and a thickness. The bulk window can be configured to increase the laser induced damage threshold of the underlying optical structure.

Nguyen, Hoang T.↗

Corrosion of rebar in concrete. Part III: Artificial Neural Network analysis of chloride threshold data

Active corrosion of carbon steel in reinforced concrete occurs when the chloride ion concentration exceeds the chloride threshold (CT). CT is affected by many physical and chemical parameters including primary variables (pH, corrosion potential, breakdown potential, and temperature) and secondary variables (cemenet composition, concreete porosity, and water/cement ratio). A Kohonen-self organized map (KSOM) and regression artificial neural network (ANN) coupled methodology was developed to find the missing values of independent variables in the sparse database and for quantitatively evaluating the effects of these variables on CT values that are expressed in %TotalCl/cem (or %FreeCl/cem), and [Cl - ]/[OH - ].

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Corrosion of rebar in concrete. Part II: Literature survey and statistical analysis of existing data on chloride threshold

The literature is reviewed with respect to defining, measuring, and interpreting the chloride threshold (CT). CT was defined with a strong fundamental basis in the Point Defect Model. which also dictates the nature of the statistical analysis of surveyed CT values. A database of CT for various primary and secondary independent variables has been established. Statistical analyses reveal that CT is lognormally distributed, in accordance with the PDM, with most probable values being 0.85, 0.69, and 1.19 for %total Cl/cem, %free Cl/cem, and [Cl - ]/[OH - ], respectively. The breakdown and corrosion potentials follow normal distributions with means of 0.056 and -0.322 V SCE , respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Corrosion of rebar in concrete. Part IV. On the theoretical basis of the chloride threshold

A theory is developed for calculating the chloride threshold (CT) from the Point Defect Model (PDM). CT is defined as the ratio [Cl - ]/[OH - ] at which the passivity breakdown voltage (E b ) equals the corrosion potential, ECP. CT is sensitive to the T, ECP, pH, and E b , because all four appear in the exponent X in CT = 10 X . Small uncertainties in these parameters translate into a large uncertainty in CT, emphasizing the need for accurate T, ECP, pH, and E b data. We demonstrate the theory by successfully calculating CT using data for selected systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Low-threshold sapphire detector for rare event searches

Low mass nuclear recoil dark matter and coherent-elastic-neutrino-nucleus-scattering (CE$v$NS) searches confront similar challenges in choosing ultra-low threshold and large-mass detectors. Here, we report experimental results from a 100 g single-crystal sapphire detector design with a diameter of 76 mm and thickness of 4 mm instrumented with transition edge sensors (TES). Sapphire is a crystal of aluminum oxide (Al 2 O) and has been found to be a good candidate for light mass dark matter search experiments due to its lower atomic mass compared to other detector materials such as germanium and silicon. This new phonon-assisted sapphire detector was characterized to yield a baseline recoil energy resolution of 28.4 ± 0.4 eV. The detector is designed to be sensitive to low-energy rare interactions with an intention to investigate the low-mass region of dark matter phase-space and search for CE$v$NS at the reactor site.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

How threshold effects in spectroscopic factors influence heavy-ion knockout reactions

A two-decade-old puzzle in heavy-ion one-nucleon knockout reactions is the strong correlation between the reduction factor R S = σ exp /σ t h and the Fermi surface asymmetry ΔS. Theoretical cross sections typically rely on spectroscopic factors (SFs) from shell model (SM) calculations, which neglect continuum coupling effects. Here, we employ the Gamow shell model (GSM), which explicitly incorporates continuum coupling, to compute SFs for p-shell nuclei and predict corresponding theoretical cross sections. Systematic calculations demonstrate that using GSM-derived SFs substantially reduces discrepancies between theoretical and experimental results. This improvement is particularly significant for deeply bound nucleon knockout in nuclei near the dripline, where traditional SM-based calculations fall short. As a result, using GSM SFs, the ratio R s exhibits no pronounced dependence on ΔS. Furthermore, both the ratio of GSM SFs to SM SFs and their corresponding reaction cross sections ratios exhibit a strong ΔS dependence. We have also compared GSM SFs and cross sections with those from the no-core shell model calculations, giving a similar pronounced sensitivity to ΔS. Detailed analysis attributes these correlations to threshold effects for SFs in weakly bound systems. Overall, incorporating continuum coupling via GSM enhances the reliability of SF predictions for exotic, weakly bound nuclei and provides key insights toward resolving the enduring puzzle in heavy-ion knockout reactions from a nuclear structure perspective.

Gamow shell model↗

Above-threshold multiphoton photoemission from noble metal surfaces

Exciting solids with intense femtosecond laser pulses prompts electrons of the interrogated material to respond in a highly nonlinear manner, as is evident in the emission of high-order harmonic radiation and photoelectrons with kinetic energies well above that of the driving photons. Such high-field interactions can be resolved, for example, in above-threshold multiphoton photoemission (ATP) spectroscopy. In this work, we interrogate the nonlinear photoelectric responses of the pristine copper, silver, and gold noble metal surfaces in (111) and (100) crystal orientations in the perturbative regime. Using multiphoton photoemission spectroscopy (mPP) excited by finely tuned optical fields, we characterize enhancement of the mPP and ATP yields from (111) surfaces in selected k||-momentum ranges when the occupied Shockley surface (SS) states are (near-)resonantly coupled by multiphoton transitions to image potential (IP) intermediate states in the excitation process. The ATP signal from the IP states of (111) surfaces is largely defined by their formation through polarization of SS electrons; this observation is contrasted with ATP experiments from the Ag(100) surface, for which the SS becomes an unoccupied resonance and the IP states can only be excited from bands with significantly more bulk character. In addition, based on the optical power and nonlinear order-dependent mPP spectra, we provide evidence for ATP being a one-step, rather than a sequential process, as previously postulated.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

The Effects of Threshold Voltage and Number of Fins per Transistor on the TID Response of GF 12LP Technology

This abstract presents a comprehensive analysis of total ionizing dose (TID) response in GlobalFoundries’ 12LP 12nm bulk FinFET technology using 10keV X-rays. Devices with higher threshold voltages (VTs) demonstrated lower increases in off-state leakage current (IDS,OFF) post-irradiation, highlighting the mitigating role of high VT in TID response. Our data shows that transistors with fewer fins exhibit superior TID resistance, implying lower susceptibility to radiation effects. Our study also probed two bias conditions, "Gate-On" and "Pass-Gate," with the former displaying more severe TID degradation. Interestingly, p-type devices displayed negligible degradation, underscoring their inherent resilience to TID effects. Additionally, medium thick n-type devices echoed the fin-count-dependent TID response observed in other transistor types, further strengthening our findings. These results underscore the importance of strategic transistor selection and design for enhancing the TID resilience of future CMOS FinFET architectures, particularly critical in radiation-intense environments.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Using intrahost single nucleotide variant data to predict SARS-CoV-2 detection cycle threshold values

Over the last four years, each successive wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been caused by variants with mutations that improve the transmissibility of the virus. Despite this, we still lack tools for predicting clinically important features of the virus. In this study, we show that it is possible to predict the PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values from clinical detection assays using sequence data. Ct values often correspond with patient viral load and the epidemiological trajectory of the pandemic. Using a collection of 36,335 high quality genomes, we built models from SARS-CoV-2 intrahost single nucleotide variant (iSNV) data, computing XGBoost models from the frequencies of A, T, G, C, insertions, and deletions at each position relative to the Wuhan-Hu-1 reference genome. Our best model had an R 2 of 0.604 [0.593–0.616, 95% confidence interval] and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 5.247 [5.156–5.337], demonstrating modest predictive power. Overall, we show that the results are stable relative to an external holdout set of genomes selected from SRA and are robust to patient status and the detection instruments that were used. This study highlights the importance of developing modeling strategies that can be applied to publicly available genome sequence data for use in disease prevention and control.

COVID19↗

Threshold progressions in covering and packing contexts

Here, using standard methods (due to Janson, Stein–Chen, and Talagrand) from probabilistic combinatorics, we explore the following general theme: As one progresses from each member of a family of objects $\mathcal{A}$ being “covered” by at most one object in a random collection $\mathcal{C}$, to being covered at most λ times, to being covered at least once, to being covered at least λ times, a hierarchy of thresholds emerge. We will use examples from extremal set theory, combinatorics, and additive number theory to see how these results vary according to the context, and level of dependence introduced.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Increased Static Charge–Induced Threshold Voltage Shifts and Memristor Activity in Pentacene OFETs Comprising Polystyrene–Based Gate Dielectrics Containing Electroactive Small Molecule Crystallites

Top-contact bottom-gate pentacene OFETs are fabricated with single layer dielectrics comprised of either polystyrene (PS), poly(4-methylstyrene) (P4MS), or poly(4-tert-butylstyrene) (P4TBS). The polystyrenes are blended with varying concentrations of two different small molecules, dibenzotetrathiafulvalene (DBTTF) and 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene (diF-TES-ADT), to form small, separated crystallites contained throughout the polymer dielectric layer. The OFET characteristics of these devices are investigated and their threshold voltage shifts are measured after –70 V static charging for 5 min. Two-terminal measurements are conducted using multiple different gate biases in the range of –50 to +50 V to investigate memristor behavior in the devices. OFETs containing DBTTF exhibited ΔVth increases as large as 330% relative to control OFETs containing no DBTTF, while OFETs containing at least 7.5 wt.% DBTTF exhibited memristor activity, with currents ranging from 20 nA to 44 µA depending on the applied bias. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that including small, separated crystallites in polymer dielectrics enhances their charge storage ability and can be promising for creating nonbinary memory devices for data processing. Additionally, the observed memristor activity indicates the OFETs in this work can be used in development of neuromorphic systems that aim to mimic the synaptic behavior of the human nervous system.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Enhanced Laser Damage Threshold in Optically Addressable Light Valves via Aluminum Nitride Photoconductors

Abstract Optically addressable light valves (OALVs) are specialized optical components utilized for spatial beam shaping in various laser‐based applications, including optics damage mitigation, and enhanced functionality in diode‐based additive manufacturing requiring high intensities. Current state‐of‐the‐art OALVs employ photoconductors such as Bismuth Silicon Oxide (BSO) or Bismuth Germanium Oxide (BGO), which suffer from limited laser‐induced damage thresholds (LiDT) and inadequate thermal conductivities, thus restricting their use in high peak and average power applications. Aluminum nitride (AlN), an emerging ultra‐wide band gap (UWBG) III–V semiconductor, offers promising optoelectronic properties and superior thermal conductivity (>300 Wm −1 K −1 at 298° K, compared to BSO's 3.29 Wm −1 K −1 ). In this study, the first AlN‐based OALVs are designed, fabricated, and experimentally demonstrated using commercially available single‐crystal AlN substrates. These AlN‐based OALVs have shown clear superiority over BSO and BGO‐based devices. Design considerations for OALVs incorporating UWBG photoconductors are discussed, and the photoresponsivity from defect‐mediated sub‐bandgap absorption in AlN crystals is verified as sufficient for OALVs operating under high light fluences. The optimum driving voltage for the AlN‐based OALV is determined to be ≈ 45 V pp at 100 Hz, achieving a transmittance of 91.3%, an extinction ratio (ER) of more than 100, and a 51:1 image contrast.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

MgSiP 2 : An Infrared Nonlinear Optical Crystal with a Large Non‐Resonant Phase‐Matchable Second Harmonic Coefficient and High Laser Damage Threshold

Superior infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals are in urgent demand in the development of lasers and optical technologies for communications and computing. The critical challenge is to find a crystal with large non‐resonant phase‐matchable NLO coefficients and high laser damage threshold (LDTs) simultaneously, which however scale inversely. This work reports such a material, MgSiP 2, that exhibits a large second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficient of d 14 ≈ d 36 = 89 ± 5 pm V −1 at 1550 nm fundamental wavelength, surpassing the commercial NLO crystals AgGaS 2 , AgGaSe 2 , and ZnGeP 2 . First principles theory reveals the polarizability and geometric arrangement of the [SiP 4 ] tetrahedral units as the origin of this large nonlinear response. Remarkably, it also exhibits a high LDT value of 684 GW cm −2 , which is six times larger than ZnGeP 2 and three times larger than CdSiP 2 . It has a wide transparency window of 0.53–10.35 µm, allowing broadband tunability. Further, it is Type I and Type II phase‐matchable with large effective SHG coefficients of d eff,I ≈80.2 pm V −1 and d eff,II ≈73.4 pm V −1 . The outstanding properties of MgSiP 2 make it a highly attractive candidate for optical frequency conversion in the infrared.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗