Autonomous ground-based robotic system for Preparatory Consequence Management radiation mapping and forensic studies
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73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Explosives Detection”
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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Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XXI
This volume contains 12 sessions, 28 papers and 26 presentations on the following topics: Photonic Integrated Circuits and Plasmonic Sensing; Advancs in CBE Signature Modeling and Sensor Algorithms I; Standoff Sensing of CBRNE Hazards I; Standoff Sensing of CBRNE Hazards II; Advances in CBE Signature Modeling and Sensor Algorithms II; Biological Hazard Sensing; Chemical Hazard Sensing; Joint Session with Conferences 11390 and 11416: Spectroscopy for CBRNE Detection and Warning; Radiological and Nuclear Sensing; Explosive Material Sensing; Poster Session.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
SEDONA SpEctroscopic Detection Of Nerve Agents
Although the threat of a liquid explosive attack on a passenger aircraft has been mitigated by limiting the size of carry-on bottles, highly potent chemicals (e.g., nerve agents) are a very serious threat. A single travel bottle full of such chemicals would cause great harm to many people and create a national security incident disrupting civilian air travel. Current screening methods to detect highly potent chemicals require opening a closed bottle. Experts at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed SEDONA, a low magnetic field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to detect chemical threats through unopened bottles.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
The Rapidly Moving Telescope: an Instrument for the Precise Study of Optical Transients
The development of a small telescope with a very rapid pointing capability is described whose purpose is to search for and study fast optical transients that may be associated with gamma-ray bursts and other phenomena. The primary motivation for this search is the discovery of the existence of a transient optical event from the known location of a gamma-ray bursts. The telescope has the capability of rapidly acquiring any target in the night sky within 0.7 second and locating the object's position with + or - 1 arcsec accuracy. The initial detection of the event is accomplished by the MIT explosive transient camera or ETC. This provides rough pointing coordinates to the RMT on the average within approximately 1 second after the detection of the event.
Teegarden, B. J.↗
Infrasound Detection, Geolocation, and Yield Estimate of the May 2026 Blue Origin New Glenn Static-Fire Explosion
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Silber, Elizabeth Allaryce [Sandia National Labora↗
Non-Contact Vapor Detection of Illicit Drugs via Atmospheric Flow Tube-Mass Spectrometry
Real-time, non-contact detection of illicit drugs is a desirable goal for the interdiction of these controlled substances, but the relatively low vapor pressures of such species present a challenge for trace vapor detection technologies. The introduction of atmospheric flow tube-mass spectrometry (AFT-MS), which has previously been demonstrated to detect gas-phase analytes at low parts-per-quadrillion levels for explosives and organophosphorus compounds, also enables the potential for non-contact drug detection. With AFT-MS, direct vapor detection of cocaine and methamphetamine from ~5 µg residues at room temperature is demonstrated herein. Furthermore, thermal desorption of low- to sub-picogram levels of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin is observed via AFT-MS using a carrier flow rate of several L/min of air. These low levels can permit non-contact sampling through collection of vapor, effectively preconcentrating the analyte before desorption and analysis. Quantitative evaluation of the thermal desorption approach has yielded limits of detection (LODs) on order of 10 fg for cocaine and fentanyl, 100 fg for methamphetamine, and 1.6 pg for heroin. The LOD for heroin was lowered to 200 fg by using tributyl phosphate as a dopant to form a proton-bound heterodimer with heroin. When used with AFT-MS, the intentional formation of specific drug-dopant adducts has the potential to enhance detection limits and selectivity of additional drug species. Species that are prone to form adducts present a challenge to analysis, but that difficulty can be overcome by the intentional addition of a dopant. Molecules unlikely to form adducts will remain essentially unimpacted, but the adduct-forming species will interact with the dopant to compress the analyte signal into a single peak. This approach would be valuable in the application of non-contact screening for illicit substances via vapor collection followed by thermal desorption for analysis.
methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, atmosp↗
Gamma-ray constraints on supernova nucleosynthesis
Gamma-ray spectroscopy holds great promise for probing nucleosynthesis in individual supernova explosions via short-lived radioactivity, and for measuring current global Galactic supernova nucleosynthesis with longer-lived radioactivity. It was somewhat surprising that the former case was realized first for a Type II supernova, when both Co-56 and Co-57 were detected in SN 1987A. These provide unprecedented constraints on models of Type II explosions and nucleosynthesis. Live Al-26 in the Galaxy might come from Type II supernovae, and if it is eventually shown to be so, can constrain massive star evolution, supernova nucleosynthesis, and the Galactic Type II supernova rate. Type Ia supernovae, thought to be thermonuclear explosions, have not yet been detected in gamma-rays. This is somewhat surprising given current models and recent Co-56 detection attempts. Ultimately, gamma-ray measurements can confirm their thermonuclear nature, probe the nuclear burning conditions, and help evaluate their contributions to Galactic nucleosynthesis. Type Ib/c supernovae are poorly understood. Whether they are core collapse or thermonuclear events might be ultimately settled by gamma-ray observations. Depending on details of the nuclear processing, any of these supernova types might contribute to a detectable diffuse glow of Fe-60 gamma-ray lines. Previous attempts at detection have come very close to expected emission levels. Remnants of any type of age less that a few centuries might be detectable as individual spots of Ti-44 gamma-ray line emission. It is in fact quite surprising that previous surveys have not discovered such spots, and the constraints on the combination of nucleosynthesis yields and supernova rates are very interesting. All of these interesting limits and possibilities mean that the next mission, International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), if it has sufficient sensitivity, is very likely to lead to the realization of much of the great potential of gamma-ray spectroscopy for understanding supernovae.
Leising, Mark D.↗
Codes for "Shallow Soil Response to a Buried Chemical Explosion with Geophones and Distributed Acoustic Sensing" DAG - 01101646
The codes reproduce the figures of the manuscript entitled "Shallow Soil Response to a Buried Chemical Explosion with Geophones and Distributed Acoustic Sensing" submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth. Geophone data and Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data recorded during the Phase II of the The Source Physics Experiment (SPE) along a fiber-optic cable offshore were processed to understand the response of the shallow subsurface to an explosion. This Ground-based Nuclear Detonation Detection (GNDD), Low Yield Nuclear Monitoring (LYNM), and Source Physics Experiment (SPE) research was funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration, Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development (NNSA DNN R&D).
Viens, Loic↗
Quantitative Risk Assessment for Hydrogen-Powered Locomotive Refueling
Hydrogen powered locomotives are being explored to reduce emissions in rail applications. The risks of operations like refueling should be understood to ensure safe environments for workers and members of the public. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using HyRAM+ to identify major drivers of risk and compare effects of system parameters on individual risk. The consequences of jet fires from full-bore leaks dominated the risk, compared to explosions or smaller leaks. Pipe size, leak detection capability, and leak frequencies of system components greatly affected risk while overpressure modeling parameters and ambient conditions had little effect. The effects of personal protective equipment (PPE) materials on individual risk were quantified by reducing the individual’s exposure time or absorbed thermal dose. PPE only showed a risk reduction in low-risk cases. This study highlighted target areas for risk mitigation, including leak detection equipment and component maintenance, and indicated that the minimal effects of other parameters on risk may not justify prescriptive requirements for refueling operators.
08 HYDROGEN↗
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES GENERATED BY THE JULY 9, 1962, NUCLEAR WEAPONS TEST AS OBSERVED AT COLLEGE, ALASKA
Detection of hydromagnetic waves, generated by nuclear explosions, by a rubidium vapor magnetometer
MAGNETOMETRY↗
Electric field measurements during the Condor critical velocity experiment
The instrumentation of the Condor critical velocity Ba experiment (Wescott et al., 1986) for the measurements of the energetic particles and the electric field associated with a Ba explosion is described. The Ba explosion created a complex electric field pulse detected in situ by a single-axis double electric-field probe on a separate spacecraft. The measurements provide evidence of several important links in the critical-velocity chain, and are consistent with two hypotheses. The first hypothesis involves the creation of large polarization electric field due to charge separation; the second hypothesis implies a polarization of the beam by currents flowing across it. The chain of physical processes inferred from the observations is in agreement with most theories for the Alfven process.
Kelley, M. C.↗
Theoretical infrared spectra of SN 1987A
A simple model for the ejecta of SN 1987A is used to show that the expected fluxes in infared fine structure lines from nickel, cobalt, iron, argon, sulfur, silicon, and neon are likely to be detectable for several years following the supernova explosion. Energy sources due to radioactive decay and a central pulsar are considered separately. Most of the mass of heavy elements resides in the inner, pure metal shells of the ejecta, so that the infrared lines will probe the temperature, ejecta masses, and dynamics of this region and not the overlying, hydrogen-rich envelope.
Colgan, Sean W. J.↗
The 1997 JANNAF Propellant Development and Characterization Subcommittee and Safety and Environmental Protection Subcommittee Joint Meeting
In the Propellant Development and Characterization Subcommittee (PDCS) meeting, topics included: the analysis, characterization, and processing of propellants and propellant ingredients; chemical reactivity; liquid propellants; test methods; rheology; surveillance and aging; and process engineering. In the Safety and Environmental Protection Subcommittee (S&EPS) meeting, topics covered included: hydrazine propellant vapor detection methods; toxicity of propellants and propellants; explosives safety; atmospheric modeling and risk assessment of toxic releases; reclamation, disposal, and demilitarization methods; and remediation of explosives or propellant contaminated sites.
Cocchiaro, James E.↗
The Type II superluminous SN 2008es at late times: near-infrared excess and circumstellar interaction
SN 2008es is one of the rare cases of a Type II superluminous supernova (SLSN), showing no narrow features in its early-time spectra, and therefore, its powering mechanism is under debate between circumstellar interaction (CSI) and magnetar spin-down. Late-time data are required for better constraints. We present optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometry obtained from Gemini, Keck, and Palomar Observatories from 192 to 554 d after explosion. Only broad H α emission is detected in a Gemini spectrum at 288 d. The line profile exhibits red-wing attenuation relative to the early-time spectrum. In addition to the cooling SN photosphere, an NIR excess with blackbody temperature ∼1500 K and radius ∼1016 cm is observed. This evidence supports dust condensation in the cool dense shell being responsible for the spectral evolution and NIR excess. We favour CSI, with ∼2–3 Mꙩ of circumstellar material (CSM) and ∼10–20 Mꙩ of ejecta, as the powering mechanism, which still dominates at our late-time epochs. Both models of uniform density and steady wind fit the data equally well, with an effective CSM radius ∼1015 cm, supporting the efficient conversion of shock energy to radiation by CSI. A low amount (≲0.4 Mꙩ) of 56Ni is possible but cannot be verified yet, since the light curve is dominated by CSI. The magnetar spin-down powering mechanism cannot be ruled out, but is less favoured because it overpredicts the late-time fluxes and may be inconsistent with the presence of dust.
Kornpob Bhirombhakdi↗
Fireworks on Weather Radar and Camera
High-sensitivity weather radars easily detect nonmeteorological phenomena characterized by weak radar returns. Fireworks are the example presented here. To understand radar observations, an experiment was conducted in which the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)’s research (3-cm wavelength) dual-polarization radar and a video camera were located at 1 km from fireworks in Norman, Oklahoma. The fireworks from the 4 July 2017 celebration were recorded by both instruments. The experiment is described. Few bursts recorded by the camera are analyzed to obtain the height of the explosion, its maximum diameter, number of stars, and the duration of the visible image. Radar volume scans are examined to characterize the height of the observation, the maximum reflectivity, and its distribution with height. The fireworks location is close to the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) that operates in single polarization at a 5-cm wavelength and monitors hazardous weather over the Oklahoma City airport. A third radar with data from the event is the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) located in Norman. It has a wavelength of 10 cm and supports technical developments at the Radar Operation Center. Reflectivity factors measured by the three radars are compared to infer the size of dominant scatterers. The polarimetric characteristics of fireworks returns are analyzed. Although these differ from those of precipitation, they are indistinguishable from insect returns. Radar observation of larger fireworks in Fort Worth, Texas, with a WSR-88D is included and compared with the observations of the smaller fireworks in Norman. We expect the detectability of explosions would be similar as of fireworks. Pinpointing locations would be useful to first responders, or air quality forecasters. We note a benefit of fireworks recognition in weather radar data is that it can prevent contamination of precipitation accumulations.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
A flow-through gamma detection system for sub-surface radioxenon tracer measurements in LYNM PE1
A continuous flow-through, real-time radioxenon sensor array has been designed to monitor either 127 Xe or 133 Xe tracer gas as part of a series of underground chemical explosions in the Low-Yield Nuclear Monitoring (LYNM) Physics Experiment 1 (PE1). The sensors are pairs of shielded thallium-doped sodium iodide gamma-ray detectors that surround a gas measurement chamber. Each measurement chamber is connected to a sampling location in the geology surrounding the chemical explosion or in the access tunnel. The first experiment in the series, PE1 A, occurred in 2023 and the system quantified the 127 Xe tracer gas in the gas sampling lines for four weeks following the experiment execution. The array generated a set of radioxenon concentration time series with a 15-minute resolution that will be used to refine subsurface gas transport models.
Gamma-ray coincidence detection↗
Analysis of degradation products in thermally treated TATB
Delineating the chemical composition of TATB (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene) residues produced from the exposure to abnormal thermal environments should lead to a better understanding of the decomposition paths. Identifying and quantifying each compound in thermally produced residues, monitors which compounds are degrading or forming along the decomposition route, as well as providing input for the kinetic models of those pathways. Here, in this paper, we report the methodology of isolating, identifying, and where possible, quantifying soluble compounds present in solid residues of thermally treated TATB (330 °C for tens of minutes). Samples were extracted with DMSO, separated using chromatography, and quantified using their absorption at 354 nm. Identification of unknown compounds was accomplished using high resolution mass spectrometry. TATB, F1 (diamino-dinitro-benzofurazan), HO-TATB (2,4,6-triamino-1-hydroxyl-3,5-dinitrobenzene), and T4A (1-chloro-3,5-dinitro-2,4,6-triaminobenzene) were trace compounds detected in the unreacted TATB. Ten more compounds that formed in the residues were structurally identified including F2 (amino-nitro-difurazan). Several more compounds were observed but not completely identified. We propose possible structures for the unknowns. Of the compounds formed, F1 was the most abundant compound reaching 4.5 % by weight of the degraded solid sample. Other degradation compounds were estimated to sum to trace levels, well below 1 %. Most compounds were new, having not been detected and identified in previous studies of production grade and thermally aged TATB. Many compounds only reached detectable concentrations after several min of thermal exposure.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Ultrasonic Characterization of Fatigue Cracks in Composite Materials
Microcracking in composite structures due to combined fatigue and cryogenic loading can cause leakage and failure of the structure and can be difficult to detect in-service. In aerospace systems, these leaks may lead to loss of pressure/propellant, increased risk of explosion and possible cryo-pumping. The success of nondestructive evaluation to detect intra-ply microcracking in unlined pressure vessels fabricated from composite materials is critical to the use of composite structures in future space systems. The work presented herein characterizes measurements of intraply fatigue cracking through the thickness of laminated composite material by means of correlation with ultrasonic resonance. Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy provides measurements which are sensitive to both the microscopic and macroscopic properties of the test article. Elastic moduli, acoustic attenuation, and geometry can all be probed. The approach is based on the premise of half-wavelength resonance. The method injects a broadband ultrasonic wave into the test structure using a swept frequency technique. This method provides dramatically increased energy input into the test article, as compared to conventional pulsed ultrasonics. This relative energy increase improves the ability to measure finer details in the materials characterization, such as microcracking and porosity. As the microcrack density increases, more interactions occur with the higher frequency (small wavelength) components of the signal train causing the spectrum to shift toward lower frequencies. Several methods are under investigation to correlate the degree of microcracking from resonance ultrasound measurements on composite test articles including self organizing neural networks, chemometric techniques used in optical spectroscopy and other clustering algorithms.
Workman, Gary L.↗