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Results for “nuclear induced nuclear reactions”

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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Nuclear reactions induced by high-energy alpha particles

Experimental and theoretical studies of nuclear reactions induced by high energy protons and heavier ions are included. Fundamental data needed in the shielding, dosimetry, and radiobiology of high energy particles produced by accelerators were generated, along with data on cosmic ray interaction with matter. The mechanism of high energy nucleon-nucleus reactions is also examined, especially for light target nuclei of mass number comparable to that of biological tissue.

Shen, B. S. P.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Depth and size effects on cosmogenic nuclide production in meteorites

The galactic cosmic particle radiation (GCR) can cause changes in condensed extraterrestrial matter in different ways. It can lose energy via ionization processes of induced nuclear reactions which lead to a wide variety of stable and radioactive cosmogenic nuclides. Heavy particles incur radiation damage in minerals such as olivine and pyroxene. Light particles predominantly tend to induce nuclear reactions, causing the development of a secondary particle cascade of neutrons, protons, pions and gamma-rays and the production of cosmogenic nuclides. Such processes are described by various models, which predict the depth and size dependent production of cosmogenic nuclides.

Englert, P.↗
NASA NTRS2020

NASA GRC Hosts Lattice Confinement Fusion Virtual Workshop

For several years (since 2014) the Advanced Energy Conversion (AEC) Project has examined novel nuclear reactions in materials that absorb large quantities of deuterium fuel tightly held in a lattice. These experiments culminated in a bremsstrahlung irradiation campaign that repeatedly induced nuclear reactions in deuterated metals.

Theresa L Benyo↗
NASA NTRS2002

CEM2k and LAQGSM Codes as Event-Generators for Space Radiation Shield and Cosmic Rays Propagation Applications

Space radiation shield applications and studies of cosmic ray propagation in the Galaxy require reliable cross sections to calculate spectra of secondary particles and yields of the isotopes produced in nuclear reactions induced both by particles and nuclei at energies from threshold to hundreds of GeV per nucleon. Since the data often exist in a very limited energy range or sometimes not at all, the only way to obtain an estimate of the production cross sections is to use theoretical models and codes. Recently, we have developed improved versions of the Cascade-Exciton Model (CEM) of nuclear reactions: the codes CEM97 and CEM2k for description of particle-nucleus reactions at energies up to about 5 GeV. In addition, we have developed a LANL version of the Quark-Gluon String Model (LAQGSM) to describe reactions induced both by particles and nuclei at energies up to hundreds of GeVhucleon. We have tested and benchmarked the CEM and LAQGSM codes against a large variety of experimental data and have compared their results with predictions by other currently available models and codes. Our benchmarks show that CEM and LAQGSM codes have predictive powers no worse than other currently used codes and describe many reactions better than other codes; therefore both our codes can be used as reliable event-generators for space radiation shield and cosmic ray propagation applications. The CEM2k code is being incorporated into the transport code MCNPX (and several other transport codes), and we plan to incorporate LAQGSM into MCNPX in the near future. Here, we present the current status of the CEM2k and LAQGSM codes, and show results and applications to studies of cosmic ray propagation in the Galaxy.

Mashnik, S. G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Charged particle activation studies on the surface of LDEF spacecraft

High energy proton induced nuclear reaction products are examined using seven elements, namely: Al, Si, Ni, Co, Zr, Ta, and W. Activities were detected due to Na-22 from Al, Co-56 from Ni, Co-58 from Cu, and Y-88 from Zr targets. No induced activity was observed in Si, Ta, and W, most probably due to the long cooling times. Only Zr sample contained a weak Be-7 peak, although Ta and W were also located at the leading edge of the spacecraft. Gamma rays of individual isotopes were measured using high resolution Ge(Li) solid state detector coupled to 4096 multichannel analyzer. Activities were calculated for Co-56 (846 keV) and Co-57 (122 and 136 keV's) at the time of the entry of the spacecraft and found to be 0.014 + or - c/sec g, 0.018 + or - 0.002 c/sec g, and 0.0024 + or - 0.0007 c/sec g, respectively.

Olmez, Ilhan↗
NASA NTRS1992

Charged particle activation studies on the surface of LDEF spacecraft

High energy proton induced nuclear reaction products are examined using seven elements, namely: aluminum, silicon, nickel, copper, zirconium, tantalum, and tungsten. We detected activities due to Na-22 from Al, Co-56 and Co-57 from Ni, Co-58 from Cu, and Y-88 from Zr targets. No induced activity was observed in Si, Ta, and W, most probably due to the long cooling times. Only the Zr sample contained a weak Be-7 peak, although Ta and W were also located at the leading edge of the spacecraft. Gamma-rays of individual isotopes were measured using a high-resolution Ge(Li) solid state detector coupled to a 4096-multichannel analyzer. Activities were calculated for Co-56 (846 keV) and Co-57 (122 and 136 keV's) at the time of the entry of the spacecraft and found to be 0.014 +/- 0.005 c/s-g, 0.018 +/- 0.002 c/s-g, and 0.0024 +/- 0.0007 c/s-g, respectively.

Olmez, Ilhan↗
NASA NTRS2015

Practical Applications of Cosmic Ray Science: Spacecraft, Aircraft, Ground-Based Computation and Control Systems, Exploration, and Human Health and Safety

In this presentation a review of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) effects on microelectronic systems and human health and safety is given. The methods used to evaluate and mitigate unwanted cosmic ray effects in ground-based, atmospheric flight, and space flight environments are also reviewed. However not all GCR effects are undesirable. We will also briefly review how observation and analysis of GCR interactions with planetary atmospheres and surfaces and reveal important compositional and geophysical data on earth and elsewhere. About 1000 GCR particles enter every square meter of Earth’s upper atmosphere every second, roughly the same number striking every square meter of the International Space Station (ISS) and every other low- Earth orbit spacecraft. GCR particles are high energy ionized atomic nuclei (90% protons, 9% alpha particles, 1% heavier nuclei) traveling very close to the speed of light. The GCR particle flux is even higher in interplanetary space because the geomagnetic field provides some limited magnetic shielding. Collisions of GCR particles with atomic nuclei in planetary atmospheres and/or regolith as well as spacecraft materials produce nuclear reactions and energetic/highly penetrating secondary particle showers. Three twentieth century technology developments have driven an ongoing evolution of basic cosmic ray science into a set of practical engineering tools needed to design, test, and verify the safety and reliability of modern complex technological systems and assess effects on human health and safety effects. The key technology developments are: 1) high altitude commercial and military aircraft; 2) manned and unmanned spacecraft; and 3) increasingly complex and sensitive solid state micro-electronics systems. Space and geophysical exploration needs drove the development of the instruments and analytical tools needed to recover compositional and structural data from GCR induced nuclear reactions and secondary particle showers. Finally, the possible role of GCR secondary particle showers in addressing an important homeland security problem, finding nuclear contraband and weapons, will be briefly reviewed.

Koontz, Steve↗
NASA NTRS1993

Charged particle activation studies on the surface of LDEF spacecraft

High energy proton induced nuclear reaction products are examined using seven elements, namely, Aluminum, Silicon, Nickel, Copper, Zirconium, Tantalum, and Tungsten. The samples were in the form of plates, 2 x 2 x 1/8 inches. Activities due to Na-22 from Al, Co-56 and Co-57 from Ni, Co-58 from Cu, and Y-88 from Zr targets were detected. No induced activity was observed in Si, Ta, and W, most probably due to the long cooling times. Only the Zr sample contained a weak Be-7 peak, although Ta and W were also located at the leading edge of the spacecraft. Gamma-rays of individual isotopes were measured using high-resolution Ge(Li) solid state detector coupled to 4096-multichannel analyzer. Activities were calculated for Co-56 (846 keV) and Co-57 (122 and 136 keV's) at the time of the entry of the spacecraft and found to be 0.014 plus or minus 0.005 c/sec. g, 0.018 plus or minus 0.002 c/sec. g, and 0.0024 plus or minus 0.0007 c/sec. g, respectively.

Olmez, Ilhan↗
NASA NTRS1978

Gamma ray astronomy and the origin of the light nuclei

Nuclear reactions induced by the collisions of the protons and alphas of the galactic cosmic ray with heavy nuclei of the interstellar gas are responsible for the continuous production of the light elements lithium, beryllium, and boron in the galaxy. To better than one order of magnitude, the observed ratios of these abundances to hydrogen abundance and the nuclidic abundance ratios between themselves are accounted for by simply considering the effect of fast protons and alphas with a flux and an energy spectrum as observed in galactic cosmic rays, for a period comparable with the life of our galaxy. The role of gamma ray astronomy in solving problems that occur when accurate agreement is sought with increasingly accurate data is discussed.

Reeves, H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Ion-beam analysis of meteoritic and lunar samples

Charged particle-induced nuclear reactions were used in the following problems: the determination of elemental abundances of boron and fluorine in carbonaceous chondritic meteorites; the identification of products of lunar vulcanism; and the study of solar wind-implanted atoms in lunar materials. The technique was seen as an important supplement to other methods of elemental and isotopic analysis. This was especially true for cases involving light elements at very low concentrations or where high resolution depth distribution information was needed in non-destructive analysis.

Tombrello, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Lunar radionuclide records of average solar-cosmic-ray fluxes over the last ten million years

The use of cosmogenic radionuclides in lunar materials as indicators of solar cosmic ray fluxes and thus solar activity over the past 10 million years is discussed. The nature of solar and galactic cosmic ray particles and their interactions with matter are reviewed, with particular emphasis on nuclide production by cosmic-ray-induced nuclear reactions. Evidence of galactic cosmic ray flux variations from measurements of radionuclide activities in meteorites is considered which has indicated changes of less than about 25-50% over the last few million years. Measurements of radionuclide activities in lunar materials which are used to determine solar cosmic ray fluxes are then examined together with direct proton measurements indicating variations in solar fluxes with different solar cycles. It is noted that whereas average solar proton fluxes determined for the last 1-10 million years from Al-26 and Mn-53 data show little variation and are similar to recent values, lunar C-14 and Kr-81 activities indicate average solar proton fluxes several times greater over the past 10,000 to 100,000 years.

Reedy, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Solar-Cosmic-Ray-Produced Nuclides in Extraterrestrial Matter

There are two main types of cosmic rays that have sufficient energy to induce nuclear reactions -- the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar cosmic rays (also called solar energetic particles). Both types of particles can have production rates and production ratios in the small objects often found in cold and hot deserts that are different from those seen for most meteorites, which typically have radii of approx. 10-100 centimeters. GCR production rates are often lower than those for most meteorites. GCR production ratios, such as Ne-22/Ne-21, are also often different in small objects. Smaller meteoroids also are more likely to have nuclides made by solar-cosmic-ray (SCR) particles than typically-sized meteorites. The very small meteorite Salem had large amounts of SCR-produced radionuclides. Meteorites recovered in Antarctica are more likely to contain SCR-produced nuclides than other meteorites. Martian and lunar meteorites are also likely to have SCR-produced nuclides. Production rates and profiles for SCR-produced nuclides in meteoroids have been calculated previously. However, the cross sections for the nuclear reactions making many SCR-produced nuclides, such as Be-10 were not well measured then. New rates and profiles are calculated here using good cross sections for the reactions making these nuclides.

Reedy, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Solar-Cosmic-Ray-Produced Nuclides in Extraterrestrial Matter

There are two main types of cosmic rays that have sufficient energy to induce nuclear reactions -- the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar cosmic rays (also called solar energetic particles). Both types of particles can have production rates and production ratios in the small objects often found in cold and hot deserts that are different from those seen for most meteorites, which typically have radii of approx.10-100 centimeters. GCR production rates are often lower than those for most meteorites. GCR production ratios, such as Ne-22/Ne-21, are also often different in small objects. Smaller meteoroids also are more likely to have nuclides made by solar-cosmic-ray (SCR) particles than typically-sized meteorites. The very small meteorite Salem had large amounts of SCR-produced radionuclides. Meteorites recovered in Antarctica are more likely to contain SCR-produced nuclides than other meteorites. Martian and lunar meteorites are also likely to have SCR-produced nuclides. Production rates and profiles for SCR-produced nuclides in meteoroids have been calculated previously. However, the cross sections for the nuclear reactions making many SCR-produced nuclides, such as Be-10, were not well measured then. New rates and profiles are calculated here using good cross sections for the reactions making these nuclides.

Reedy, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Time-Resolved Data Acquisition for In Situ Subsurface Planetary Geochemistry

The current gamma-ray/neutron instrumentation development effort at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center aims to extend the use of active pulsed neutron interrogation techniques to probe the subsurface geochemistry of planetary bodies in situ. All previous NASA planetary science missions, that used neutron and/or gamma-ray spectroscopy instruments, have relied on a constant neutron source produced from galactic cosmic rays. One of the distinguishing features of this effort is the inclusion of a high intensity 14.1 MeV pulsed neutron generator synchronized with a custom data acquisition system to time each event relative to the pulse. With usually only one opportunity to collect data, it is difficult to set a priori time-gating windows to obtain the best possible results. Acquiring time-tagged, event-by-event data from nuclear induced reactions provides raw data sets containing channel/energy, and event time for each gamma ray or neutron detected. The resulting data set can be plotted as a function of time or energy using optimized analysis windows after the data are acquired. Time windows can now be chosen to produce energy spectra that yield the most statistically significant and accurate elemental composition results that can be derived from the complete data set. The advantages of post-processing gamma-ray time-tagged event-by-event data in experimental tests using our prototype instrument will be demonstrated.

Bodnarik, Julia Gates↗
NASA NTRS2013

Time-resolved Neutron-gamma-ray Data Acquisition for in Situ Subsurface Planetary Geochemistry

The current gamma-ray/neutron instrumentation development effort at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center aims to extend the use of active pulsed neutron interrogation techniques to probe the subsurface elemental composition of planetary bodies in situ. Previous NASA planetary science missions, that used neutron and/or gamma-ray spectroscopy instruments, have relied on neutrons produced from galactic cosmic rays. One of the distinguishing features of this effort is the inclusion of a high intensity 14.1 MeV pulsed neutron generator synchronized with a custom data acquisition system to time each event relative to the pulse. With usually only one opportunity to collect data, it is difficult to set a priori time-gating windows to obtain the best possible results. Acquiring time-tagged, event-by-event data from nuclear induced reactions provides raw data sets containing channel/energy, and event time for each gamma ray or neutron detected. The resulting data set can be plotted as a function of time or energy using optimized analysis windows after the data are acquired. Time windows can now be chosen to produce energy spectra that yield the most statistically significant and accurate elemental composition results that can be derived from the complete data set. The advantages of post-processing gamma-ray time-tagged event-by-event data in experimental tests using our prototype instrument will be demonstrated.

Pulsed neutrongenerator↗
NASA NTRS2017

Measuring Surface Bulk Elemental Composition on Venus

The extreme surface environment (462 C, 93 bars pressure) of Venus makes subsurface measurements of its bulk elemental composition extremely challenging. Instruments landed on the surface of Venus must be enclosed in a pressure vessel. The high surface temperatures also require a thermal control system to keep the instrumentation temperatures within their operational range for as long as possible. Since Venus surface probes can currently operate for only a few hours, it is crucial that the lander instrumentation be able to make statistically significant measurements in a short time. An instrument is described that can achieve such a measurement over a volume of thousands of cubic centimeters of material by using high energy penetrating neutron and gamma radiation. The instrument consists of a Pulsed Neutron Generator (PNG) and a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS). The PNG emits isotropic pulses of 14.1 MeV neutrons that penetrate the pressure vessel walls, the dense atmosphere and the surface rock. The neutrons induce nuclear reactions in the rock to produce gamma rays with energies specific to the element and nuclear process involved. Thus the energies of the detected gamma rays identify the elements present and their intensities provide the abundance of each element. The GRS spectra are analyzed to determine the Venus elemental composition from the spectral signature of individual major, minor, and trace radioactive elements. As a test of such an instrument, a Schlumberger Litho Scanner oil well logging tool was used in a series of experiments at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The Litho Scanner tool was mounted above large (1.8 m x 1.8 m x.9 m) granite and basalt monuments and made a series of one-hour elemental composition measurements in a planar geometry more similar to a planetary lander measurement. Initial analysis of the results shows good agreement with target elemental assays

Venus↗
NASA NTRS2018

Instability and Target Design in a Z-Pinch Driven Pulsed Fission / Fusion Engine

Advanced forms of propulsion are required to drastically improve upon the limits of existing technology and enable deep space exploration. Nuclear reactors, both fission and fusion, have great potential as systems with high energy density for spacecraft propulsion. There are a variety of nuclear propulsion concepts that have been proposed over the last several decades. Some of these rely on the confinement of plasmas by both magnetic and inertial means. When discussing the plasma confinement one must consider the stability of the system. The conditions of the plasma dictate the burn rate of the nuclear fuel; therefore, the plasma must maintain a minimum set of conditions in order to achieve an adequate burn. Instabilities limit plasma confinement through growing fluctuations in density and pressure. This results in turbulent mixing and loss of confinement. Thus it is desirable to find ways of managing the impact of instabilities that arise in order for a sufficient burn of the fuel such that surplus energy can be converted into a propulsive force. Note that the same instabilities plague the confinement of plasmas for terrestrial power generation. Over the last several years there has been research relating to the development of a Pulsed Fission-Fusion Engine (PuFF) conducted by the authors and others at their respective institutions. The propulsion system concept centers on the use of a z-pinch to compress a plasma in order to induce nuclear reactions. The plasma along with the additional energy released by the fission and fusion processes is expanded with a magnetic nozzle to produce thrust. The concept, if developed, is expected to have an improvement in specific impulse of several orders of magnitude in comparison with chemical propulsion systems. The z-pinch has been explored in the past as a method to confine a plasma via magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) for power generation. It suffers; however, from instabilities that so far have prevented break even conditions.

Taylor, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1974

Quantitative multielement analysis using high energy particle bombardment

Charged particles ranging in energy from 0.8 to 4.0 MeV are used to induce resonant nuclear reactions, Coulomb excitation (gamma X-rays), and X-ray emission in both thick and thin targets. Quantitative analysis is possible for elements from Li to Pb in complex environmental samples, although the matrix can severely reduce the sensitivity. It is necessary to use a comparator technique for the gamma-rays, while for X-rays an internal standard can be used. A USGS standard rock is analyzed for a total of 28 elements. Water samples can be analyzed either by nebulizing the sample doped with Cs or Y onto a thin formvar film or by extracting the sample (with or without an internal standard) onto ion exchange resin which is pressed into a pellet.

Clark, P. J.↗