Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Total Cross Section”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Free-Free Transitions of e-H System Inside a Dense Plasma Irradiated by a Laser Field at Very Low Incident Electron Energies

The free-free transition is studied for an electron-hydrogen in the ground state at low incident energies in the presence of an external homogenous, monochromatic, and linearly polarized laser-field inside a hot dense plasma.The effect of plasma screening is considered in the Debye-Huckel approximation. The calculations are performed in the soft photon limit, assuming that the plasma frequency is much higher than the laser frequency. The incident electron is considered to be dressed by the laser field in a nonperturbative manner by choosing the Volkov solutions in both the initial and final channels. The space part of the scattering wave function for the electron is solved numerically by taking into account the electron exchange. The laser-assisted differential and total cross sections are calculated for single-photon absorption /emission and no photon exchange in the soft photon limit, the laser intensity being much less than the atomic field intensity. The calculations have been carried out for various values of Debye parameter, ranging from 0.005 to 0.12. A strong suppression is noted in the laser-assisted cross sections as compared to the field-free situation. A significant difference is noted for the singlet and triplet cross sections. The suppression is much more in the triplet states.

Bhatia, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Free-Free Transitions of the e-H System Inside a Dense Plasma Irradiated by a Laser Field at Very Low Incident-Electron Energies

The free-free transition is studied for an electron-hydrogen atom in ground state when a low-energy electron (external) is injected into hydrogenic plasma in the presence of an external homogenous, monochromatic, and linearly polarized laser field. The effect of plasma screening is considered in the Debye-Huckel approximation. The calculations are performed in the soft photon limit. The incident electron is considered to be dressed by the laser field in a nonperturbative manner by choosing the Volkov solutions in both the initial and final channels. The space part of the scattering wave function for the electron is solved numerically by taking into account the electron exchange. The laser-assisted differential and total cross sections are calculated for single-photon absorption or emission and no-photon exchange in the soft photon limit, the laser intensity being much less than the atomic field intensity. The calculations have been carried out for various values of Debye parameter, ranging from 0.005 to 0.12. A strong suppression is noted in the laser-assisted cross sections as compared to the field-free situation. A significant difference is noted for the singlet and triplet cross sections. The suppression is much more in the triplet states.

Bhatia, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS2016

A FDTD Solution of Scattering of Laser Beam with Orbital Angular Momentum by Dielectric Particles: Far-Field Characteristics

Electromagnetic (EM) beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) may have great potential applications in communication technology and in remote sensing of the Earth-atmosphere system and outer planets. Study of their interaction with optical lenses and dielectric or metallic objects, or scattering of them by particles in the Earth-atmosphere system, is a necessary step to explore the advantage of the OAM EM beams. In this study, the 3-dimensional (3D) scattered-field (SF) finite-difference time domain (FDTD) technique with the convolutional perfectly matched layer (CPML) absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) is applied to calculate the scattering of the purely azimuthal (the radial mode number is assumed to be zero) Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beams with the OAM by dielectric particles. We found that for OAM beam׳s interaction with dielectric particles, the forward-scattering peak in the conventional phase function (P11) disappears, and light scattering peak occurs at a scattering angle of ~15° to 45°. The disappearance of forward-scattering peak means that, in laser communications most of the particle-scattered noise cannot enter the receiver, thus the received light is optimally the original OAM-encoded signal. This feature of the OAM beam also implies that in lidar remote sensing of the atmospheric particulates, most of the multiple-scattering energy will be off lidar sensors, and this may result in an accurate profiling of particle layers in the atmosphere or in the oceans by lidar, or even in the ground when a ground penetration radar (GPR) with the OAM is applied. This far-field characteristics of the scattered OAM light also imply that the optical theorem, which is derived from plane-parallel wave scattering case and relates the forward scattering amplitude to the total cross section of the scatterer, is invalid for the scattering of OAM beams by dielectric particles.

Electromagnetic beams↗
DOE OSTI2022

Assessing the theory-data tension in neutrino-induced charged pion production: the effect of final-state nucleon distortion

Pion production on nuclei constitutes a significant part of the total cross section in experiments involving few-GeV neutrinos. Combined analyses of data on deuterium and heavier nuclei points to tensions between the bubble chamber data and the data of the MINER$\nu$A experiment, which are often ascribed to unspecified nuclear effects. To understand the origin of these tensions, a microscopic quantum mechanical framework is needed to compute nuclear matrix elements. We use the local approximation to the relativistic distorted wave impulse approximation (RDWIA) to assess the role of final-state nucleon distortion. To perform this comparison under conditions relevant to neutrino experiments, we compute cross sections for the MINER$\nu$A and T2K charged pion production datasets. The inclusion of nucleon distortion leads to a reduction of the cross section up to 10%, but to no significant change in shape of the flux-averaged cross sections. Results with and without distortion compare favorably to experimental data, with the exception of the low-$Q^2$ MINER$\nu$A $\pi^+$ data. We point out that hydrogen target data from BEBC is also overpredicted at low-$Q^2$, and that the discrepancy is similar in shape and magnitude to what is found in comparison to MINER$\nu$A data. Including nucleon distortion alone cannot explain the overprediction of low-$Q^2$ cross sections measured by MINER$\nu$A. The similar overprediction of BEBC data on hydrogen means that it is impossible to ascribe this discrepancy solely to a nuclear effect. Axial couplings and their $Q^2$ dependence should ideally be derived from more precise data on hydrogen and deuterium.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advancements in Validation of TSLs through Inelastic Neutron Scattering and Transmission Measurements [Abstract]

Historically, the free gas approximation has been used to treat the thermal scattering of neutrons with energies below a few electron-volts (eV) in unevaluated materials. However, this method inadequately reproduces neutron scattering at these energies. Until recently, only a limited number of materials had available thermal scattering law (TSL) files/libraries in the ENDF nuclear data libraries in this energy range. With advancements in atomistic modeling techniques, such as molecular dynamics, ab-initio molecular dynamics, and density functional theory, TSL libraries have become available for many more materials. This is particularly relevant due to the rising interest in several advanced reactor systems that require novel moderator and reflector materials. While quasi-integral and integral benchmarks have been designed to validate historically important moderator materials (such as light water and polyethylene), there is currently a lack of standard validation methods for TSLs, especially when multiple conflicting TSLs exist. To address this issue, the Oak Ridge National Lab Nuclear Data group has been working on utilizing inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements combined with transmission (i.e., total cross section) measurements to evaluate and validate TSLs for different materials. We plan to demonstrate how this method has worked on materials such as polyethylene, lucite, and polystyrene. In addition, we will compare the newly created libraries to ENDF libraries for these materials and explain why integral benchmarks should not be used for validation when multiple TSLs exist.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Baryon–Antibaryon Photoproduction off the Proton

The GlueX Experiment at Jefferson Lab uses linearly polarized photon beam to study the photoproduction of light mesons and baryons off a proton target with unprecedented precision. We have observed p¯p photoproduction and, for the first time, ?¯? photoproduction from thresholds up to E = 11.6 GeV. We reproduce the observed kinematic distributions with a phenomenological model that includes t-channel Regge exchange and double Regge exchange. The model uses few parameters to match all the kinematic spectra via an optimization algorithm developed specifically for this purpose. We report the total cross sections of the two reactions, as well as differential cross sections with respect to various momentum transfers and invariant mass spectra of p¯p, ?¯?, p¯? systems which show enhancements right above production thresholds. Furthermore, the beam asymmetries of the p¯p system are extracted from the GlueX data to further probe the nature of the t-channel Regge exchanges. We also report preliminary measurements of the spin polarizations of the individual hyperons. No prominent resonance structure was found in these reaction channels, but the angular distributions and the correlation of longitudinal momenta indicate the existence of multiple production mechanisms. Besides a dominant forward peak in the polar angle of the baryon-antibaryon pair in t-channel production, we see wide-angle antibaryon distributions different from that of the baryon. In the hyperon channel, we see a clear separation between the photoproduction of the ?¯?, p¯? systems.

Li, Hao↗
DOE OSTI2024

Embedding Neural Thermal Scattering (NeTS) Modules in SERPENT for Higher Fidelity Advanced Reactor Analysis

When a neutron born in fission thermalizes to the order of $k$ $B$ $T$, it’s de-Broglie wavelength and energy approach the order of inter-atomic spacing and elementary lattice oscillations, respectively. $S$($a,β,t$) or the scattering law, uuantify these temperature-dependent crystallographic contributions to total cross section (or reaction rate). In a Monte Carlo analysis, cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) of $S$($a,β,t$) are loaded to memory from “A Compact ENDF” (ACE) files for stochastically selecting thermal scattered neutron trajectories. In this work, novel neural thermal scattering (NeTS) modules for $S$($a,β,t$) CDFs are designed, trained, serialized and embedded within SERPENT using Python’s limited C-API for on-the-fly deployment of crystalline graphite $S$($a,β,t$) sampling. Torchscript tracing and Numba just-in-time (JIT) compilation streamline neural inference on NVIDIA GPUs with CUDA libraries. Demonstrations of bare sphere thermalization of fast and thermal sources show excellent agreement between embedded NeTS in SERPENT and MCNP. With an explicit model of the reactor, NeTS can predict on-the-fly changes in TREAT neutron spectra as a function of local temperature, which can serve to improve transient and accident predictions in a multiphysics analysis framework. This framework can be further extended to account on-the-fly for changes in local graphitic microstructure to scattering cross sections, and outlines a novel coupling of modern machine learning with state-of-the-art reactor physics methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1983

Heavy-ion total and absorption cross sections above 25 MeV/nucleon

Within the context of a double-folding optical potential approximation to the exact nucleus-nucleus multiple-scattering series, eikonal scattering theory is used to generate tables of heavy ion total and absorption cross sections at incident kinetic energies above 25 MeV/nucleon for use in cosmic ray high-energy heavy ion transport and shielding studies. Comparisons of predictions with nucleus-nucleus experimental data show excellent agreement except at the lowest energies, where the eikonal approximation may not be completely valid. Even at the lowest energies, however, agreement is typically within 20 percent.

Townsend, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Mass spectrometric determination of partial and total electron impact ionization cross sections of SO2 from threshold up to 200 eV

The partial and total ionization cross section for the formation of O(+), S(+), SO(+) and SO2(+) from the impact ionization of SO2 are reported, extending the electron impact energies to 200 eV. The relative flow technique is used to determine the cross section values. The threshold potentials for the products are 23.5 eV for O(+), 16.5 eV for S(+), 16.5 eV for SO(+), and 12.5 eV for SO2(+). Good agreement with the literature is found for SO(+) and SO2(+).

Orient, O. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Nucleon and heavy-ion total and absorption cross section for selected nuclei

Approximate solutions of the coupled-channel equations for high-energy composite particle scattering are obtained and are applied to the nuclear scattering problem. Relationships between several approximation procedures are established and discussed. The eikonal formalism is used with a small-angle approximation to calculate the coherent elastic scattered amplitude from which total and absorption cross sections are derived. Detailed comparisons with nucleon-nucleus experiments show agreement within 5 percent except at lower energies where the eikonal approximation is of questionable accuracy. Even at these lower energies, agreement is within 15 percent. Tables of cross sections required for cosmic heavy-ion transport and shielding studies are presented.

Wilson, J. W.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Ratio method for estimating uncertainty in calculated gamma cascades

The assessment of uncertainty on deduced quantities obtained through both measurement and modeling must include contributions from both components. There are several methods to estimate the uncertainty due to modeling, such as the parametric uncertainty and that stemming from model bias. However, in the case where experimental data exists for partial cross sections, such as discrete gammas emitted in the de-excitation of the product nucleus following the reaction, the discrepancy between the measured and modeled gamma cascades provides more information and allows for uncertainty estimation that can account for all types of model and data uncertainty. This work presents a method for estimating that uncertainty, using ratios of gammas to get a measure of the accuracy of different parts of the modeled gamma cascade. The gamma with the lowest intensity uncertainty is shown to be the best for determining the channel cross section with realistic uncertainties, indicating that it should be used rather than the most intense gamma or a sum of gammas. In conclusion, this method provides both a simple procedure for calculating realistic uncertainties and identifies the best gamma for use in converting a set of measured partial gamma cross sections to the deduced total channel cross section.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1985

A T-matrix theory of galactic heavy-ion fragmentation

The theory of galactic heavy ion fragmentation is furthered by incorporating a T matrix approach into the description of the three step process of abrasion, ablation, and final state interations. The connection between this T matrix and the interaction potential is derived. For resonant states, the substitution of complex energies for real energies in the transition rate is formerly justified for up to third order processes. The previously developed abrasion-ablation fragmentation theory is rederived from first principles and is shown to result from time ordering, classical probability, and zero width resonance approximations. Improvements in the accuracy of the total fragmentation cross sections require an alternative to the latter two approximations. A Lorentz invariant differential abrasion-ablation cross section is derived which explicitly includes the previously derived abrasion total cross sections. It is demonstrated that spectral and angular distributions can be obtained from the general Lorentz invariant form.

Norbury, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Target correlation effects on neutron-nucleus total, absorption, and abrasion cross sections

Second order optical model solutions to the elastic scattering amplitude were used to evaluate total, absorption, and abrasion cross sections for neutron nucleus scattering. Improved agreement with experimental data for total and absorption cross sections is found when compared with first order (coherent approximation) solutions, especially below several hundred MeV. At higher energies, the first and second order solutions are similar. There are also large differences in abrasion cross section calculations; these differences indicate a crucial role for cluster knockout in the abrasion step.

Cucinotta, Francis A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Temperature dependence of ozone absorption cross section, 280 to 330 nm

A description is presented of the results of an analysis of the presently available data on the variation of the ozone absorption cross section and the O(1D) yield with temperature. The data used in the analysis of the total ozone cross section were obtained by Inn and Tanaka (1953), Vigroux (1953), and Simons et al. (1973). The O(1D) yield data examined include those of Moortgat et al. (1977), Arnold et al. (1977), and Brock and Watson (1980). For the purposes of the analysis the yield measurements were converted to partial cross sections by multiplying the published yield by the published total cross section.

Hudson, R. D.↗
DOE OSTI2022

First near-threshold measurements of the 13 C($α, n$ 1 ) 16 O reaction for low-background-environment characterization

The modeling of background sources in large volume detection systems requires accurate nuclear cross sections for a variety of reactions. Among the most important are (α,n) on light nuclei, where α particles, up to ≈9 MeV, are produced from the decay of actinides present in trace amounts in detection and structural material. In order to model the neutron energy spectra and production of other secondary particles, the partial cross sections are needed. Yet very little experimental data exists for these partial cross sections because past measurements, hampered by the experimental challenges of neutron detection, have focused mostly on total reaction cross section measurements. Here, in this paper, the partial cross section of the 13 C(α,n 1 ) 16 O reaction is reported for the first time. The measurements were made near the reaction threshold using a high energy resolution helium spectrometer. The measurements show a rapidly increasing cross section, which quickly becomes a significant fraction of the total reaction cross section. Measurements are compared with previous theory estimates and differences of more than an order of magnitude are found. A comparison is made with new total cross section measurements and the current level of consistency is demonstrated.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Total electron scattering and electronic state excitations cross sections for O2, CO, and CH4

Available electron collision cross section data concerning total and elastic scattering, vibrational excitation, and ionization for O2, CO, and CH4 have been critically reviewed, and a set of cross sections for modeling of planetary atmospheric behavior is recommended. Utilizing these recommended cross sections, we derived total electronic state excitation cross sections and upper limits for dissociation cross sections, which in the case of CH4 should very closely equal the actual dissociation cross section.

Kanik, I.↗
DOE OSTI2022

The importance of phonon spectrum measurements for accurate prediction of thermal scattering laws [Slides]

Although approximate phonon spectra (e.g. Debye model) are sufficient to reproduce integral quantities (e.g. total INS cross section) in reasonable agreement with the measured data, more accurate phonon spectra are needed to achieve agreement with the differential data. SANS component is essential for reproducing the total scattering cross section; this is the case for nanodiamonds and other materials where SANS components are present (such as porous materials like nuclear graphite). A format proposal for SANS data in ENDF or GNDS is needed. Therefore, differential (e.g. phonon spectrum) and integral (e.g. total cross section) measurements are necessary in the process of creating an ENDF evaluation. We have successfully developed a method by which ENDF evaluations can be directly compared to the relevant experimentally measured quantities. INS experiments at SNS, ILL, ISIS, and, in the future, ESS, as well as total cross section measurements at the VESUVIO instrument at ISIS, are accessible through user programs.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗