Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Lee, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Lee, J..

At least 109 records · Page 6

Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay of $^{136}Xe$

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will enable a neutrinoless double β decay search in parallel to the main science goal of discovering dark matter particle interactions. We report the expected LZ sensitivity to Xe136 neutrinoless double β decay, taking advantage of the significant (>600 kg) Xe136 mass contained within the active volume of LZ without isotopic enrichment. After 1000 live-days, the median exclusion sensitivity to the half-life of Xe136 is projected to be 1.06×1026 years (90% confidence level), similar to existing constraints. We also report the expected sensitivity of a possible subsequent dedicated exposure using 90% enrichment with Xe136 at 1.06×1027 years.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Persistent compositions of non-stoichiometric compounds with low bulk diffusivity: A theory and application to Nb3Sn superconductors

Non-stoichiometric compounds may develop a composition gradient when they are formed by reactive diffusional processes. This paper reports an interesting phenomenon that in compounds with low bulk diffusivities, which rely mainly on grain boundary diffusion for their growth, the final bulk compositions may be far from equilibrium, with a very low bulk diffusivity leading to fixed (persistent) compositions – one such example is Nb 3 Sn, a superconductor. We investigated the microchemistry at the reactive interface using atom probe tomography to clarify the diffusion reaction mechanism for this low-bulk-diffusivity case and thus propose a theory for what determines the compound composition, using Nb 3 Sn as an example for concreteness. Using certain approximations, we derive an explicit analytical equation that illustrates what factors determine its composition profile. We compare our model with the known facts of Nb 3 Sn and see good agreement. In particular, this model predicts that internal oxidation may lead to higher Sn contents than conventional, non-oxidized Nb 3 Sn. Our measurements show that this is indeed true, and that the internally-oxidized Nb 3 Sn also has higher upper critical fields, achieving up to 28.2 T at 4.2 K. We discuss the general applicability of this model to non-stoichiometric compounds with low bulk diffusivity, and propose it as a tool to help in the design and processing of such materials for compositional control.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Microbial and Geochemical Dynamics of an Aquifer Stimulated for Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP)

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is an alternative to existing soil stabilization techniques for construction and erosion. As with any biologically induced process in soils or aquifers, it is important to track changes in the microbial communities that occur as a result of the treatment. Our research assessed how native microbial communities developed in response to injections of reactants (dilute molasses as a carbon source; urea as a source of nitrogen and alkalinity) that promoted MICP in a shallow aquifer. Microbial community composition (16S rRNA gene) and ureolytic potential (ureC gene copy numbers) were also measured in groundwater and artificial sediment. Aquifer geochemistry showed evidence of sulfate reduction, nitrification, denitrification, ureolysis, and iron reduction during the treatment. The observed changes in geochemistry corresponded to microbial community succession in the groundwater and this matched parallel geophysical and mineralogical evidence of calcite precipitation in the aquifer. We detected an increase in the number of ureC genes in the microbial communities at the end of the injection period, suggesting an increase in the abundance of microbes possessing this gene as needed to hydrolyze urea and stimulate MICP. We identify geochemical and biological markers that highlight the microbial community response that can be used along with geophysical and geotechnical evidence to assess progress of MICP.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Performance of prototype GE1/1 chambers for the CMS muon spectrometer upgrade

The high-luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will result in ten times higher particle background than measured during the first phase of LHC operation. In order to fully exploit the highly-demanding operating conditions during HL-LHC, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Collaboration will use Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector technology. The technology will be integrated into the innermost region of the forward muon spectrometer of CMS as an additional muon station called GE1/1. The primary purpose of this auxiliary station is to help in muon reconstruction and to control level-1 muon trigger rates in the pseudo-rapidity region 1.6 ≤ |η| ≤ 2.2. The new station will contain trapezoidal-shaped GEM detectors called GE1/1 chambers. The design of these chambers is finalized, and the installation is in progress during the Long Shutdown phase two (LS-2) that started in 2019. Several full-size prototypes were built and operated successfully in various test beams at CERN. Here, we describe performance measurements such as gain, efficiency, and time resolution of these prototype chambers, developed after years of R&D, and summarize their behavior in different gas compositions as a function of the applied voltage.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Analysis of MHD stability and active mode control on KSTAR for high confinement, disruption-free plasma

Long-pulse plasma operation at high normalized beta, $β_N$, above the $\textit{n}$= 1 ideal MHD no-wall stability limit in KSTAR is presently limited by tearing instabilities rather than resistive wall modes. H-mode plasma operation during the recent KSTAR device campaign produced discharges having strong $\textit{m/n}$= 2/1 tearing instabilities at $β_N$ lower than the ideal MHD no-wall beta limit. The unstable tearing mode consequently reduced plasma confinement and toroidal plasma rotation significantly. We report the experiment confirmed that an extended duration of electron cyclotron heating (ECH) at the initial phase of the discharge plays a critical role in mode destabilization. To study destabilizing mechanisms that affect the mode growth, the stability of the observed tearing modes from plasmas with significantly different $β_N$ is computed by using the resistive DCON code and the M3D-C 1 code. Equilibrium reconstructions that include constraints from internal profile diagnostics, and computed fast particle pressure are used as input for reliable computation of stability. The classical tearing stability index, Δ', from resistive DCON is computed to be unstable when the island is fully saturated with large amplitude, while the unstable mode is not computed by M3D-C 1 . The modified Rutherford equation (MRE) describing the evolution of the island width has been constructed for KSTAR plasmas by using plasma parameters computed by the TRANSP code. The MRE model estimates a saturated island width corresponding to ~10% of the plasma minor radius for equilibrium at high $β_N$ 3 having a stable Δ' from the resistive DCON. In preparation for long-pulse plasma operation at higher beta utilizing increased plasma heating power, a resistive wall mode (RWM) active feedback control algorithm has been completed and enabled on KSTAR. To accurately determine the $\textit{n}$= 1component produced by RWMs, an algorithm has been developed that includes magnetic sensor compensation of the prompt applied field and the field from the induced current on the passive conductors. Use of multiple toroidal sensor arrays is enabled by modifying the sensor toroidal angles assumed in mode decomposition to include the effect of varied mode helicities in the outboard region where the mode measurement is made. This analysis on stability, transport, and control provides the required foundation for disruption prediction and avoidance research on KSTAR.

resistive wall mode (RWM)↗

Projected WIMP sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment

LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a next generation dark matter direct detection experiment that will operate 4850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, USA. Using a two-phase xenon detector with an active mass of 7 tonnes, LZ will search primarily for low-energy interactions with Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), which are hypothesized to make up the dark matter in our galactic halo. In this paper, the projected WIMP sensitivity of LZ is presented based on the latest background estimates and simulations of the detector. For a 1000 live day run using a 5.6 tonne fiducial mass, LZ is projected to exclude at 90% confidence level spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross sections above $1.6 \times 10^{-48}$ cm$^{2}$ for a 40 $\mathrm{GeV}/c^{2}$ mass WIMP. Additionally, a $5\sigma$ discovery potential is projected reaching cross sections below the existing and projected exclusion limits of similar experiments that are currently operating. For spin-dependent WIMP-neutron(-proton) scattering, a sensitivity of $2.7 \times 10^{-43}$ cm$^{2}$ ($8.1 \times 10^{-42}$ cm$^{2}$) for a 40 $\mathrm{GeV}/c^{2}$ mass WIMP is expected. With underground installation well underway, LZ is on track for commissioning at SURF in 2020.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Measurement of the gamma ray background in the Davis cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are affected by backgrounds from γ -rays emitted by 40 K and the 238 U and 232 Th decay chains in the surrounding rock. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a liquid xenon TPC located within the Davis campus at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, at the 4850-foot level. In order to characterise the cavern background, in-situ γ -ray measurements were taken with a sodium iodide detector in various locations and with lead shielding. The integral count rates (0–3300 keV) varied from 596 Hz to 1355 Hz for unshielded measurements, corresponding to a total flux from the cavern walls of 1.9 ± 0.4 γ cm −2 s −1 . The resulting activity in the walls of the cavern can be characterised as 220 ± 60 Bq/kg of 40 K, 29 ± 15 Bq/kg of 238 U, and 13 ± 3 Bq/kg of 232 Th.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Combined spectroscopic imaging STM and ARPES study of different gaps measured in the cuprate phase diagram

A comparative study of the gaps measured in two techniques, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, is presented herein. In particular the study focuses on the more overdoped region of the cuprate phase diagram in the superconducting state. While the total densities of states measured in the two techniques agree very well, it is shown that the peak in the density of states, Δ DOS , is consistently displaced to higher energies relative to the maximal superconducting gap, Δ 0 , determined in photoemission. The difference between the two gaps is more evident for the less doped samples reflecting increased normalization of bands. This observation will clearly influence the boundaries in the phase diagrams of the cuprates defined by these two techniques.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Constraining the symmetry energy with heavy-ion collisions and Bayesian analyses

Efficiency corrected single ratios of neutron and proton spectra in central Sn 112 + 112 Sn and Sn 124 + 124 Sn collisions at 120 MeV/u are combined with double ratios to provide constraints on the density and momentum dependencies of the isovector mean-field potential. Bayesian analyses of these data reveal that the isoscalar and isovector nucleon effective masses, m s ⁎ − m v ⁎ are strongly correlated. The linear correlation observed in m s ⁎ − m v ⁎ yields a nearly independent constraint on the effective mass splitting Δ m n p ⁎ = ( m n ⁎ − m p ⁎ ) / m N = − 0.05 − 0.09 + 0.09 δ . The correlated constraint on the standard symmetry energy, $S_0$ and the slope, L at saturation density yields the values of symmetry energy S ( ρ s ) = 16.8 − 1.2 + 1.2 MeV at a sensitive density of ρ s / ρ 0 = 0.43 − 0.05 + 0.05 .

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

A high precision calibration of the nonlinear energy response at Daya Bay

A high precision calibration of the nonlinearity in the energy response of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment’s antineutrino detectors is observed. The energy nonlinearity originates from the particle-dependent light yield of the scintillator and charge-dependent electronics response. The nonlinearity model is constrained by γ calibration points from deployed and naturally occurring radioactive sources, the β spectrum from 12 B decays, and a direct measurement of the electronics nonlinearity with a new flash analog-to-digital converter readout system. With this beind said, less than 0.5% uncertainty in the energy nonlinearity calibration is achieved for positrons of kinetic energies greater than 1 MeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗