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At least 289 records · Page 16

Laboratory Measurements of the K-Shell Transition Energies in L-Shell Ions of Si and S

We have measured the energies of the strongest 1s-2 ℓ (azimuthal quantum number) (ℓ = s, p (s, p are angular momentum states)) transitions in He- through Ne-like silicon and sulfur ions to an accuracy of less than 1 electronvolt using the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's electron beam ion traps, EBIT-I and SuperEBIT, and the NASA/GSFC EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS). We identify and measure the energies of 18 and 21 X-ray features from silicon and sulfur, respectively. The results are compared to new Flexible Atomic Code calculations and to semi-relativistic Hartree-Fock calculations by Palmeri et al. (2008). These results will be especially useful for wind diagnostics in high-mass X-ray binaries, such as Vela X-1 and Cygnus X-1, where high-resolution spectral measurements using Chandraʼs high-energy transmission grating has made it possible to measure Doppler shifts of 100 kilometers per second. The accuracy of our measurements is consistent with that needed to analyze Chandra observations, exceeding Chandraʼs 100 kilometers per second limit. Hence, the results presented here not only provide benchmarks for theory, but also accurate rest energies that can be used to determine the bulk motion of material in astrophysical sources. We show the usefulness of our results by applying them to redetermine Doppler shifts from Chandra observations of Vela X-1.

atomic data↗

Proton-proton bremsstrahlung: Consequences of different on-shell-point conditions

Background: Proton-proton bremsstrahlung (pp{gamma}) is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The pp{gamma} amplitudes can be classified according to the number and location of on-shell points at which they are evaluated. Quantitative understanding of the effect on the pp{gamma} cross section of using different on-shell-point conditions is lacking, but it is essential to identifying the photon emission mechanism governing the pp{gamma} process. Method: Four different pp{gamma} amplitudes, which include four-on-shell-point amplitudes and one-on-shell-point amplitude, are generated from a realistic one-boson-exchange (ROBE) model for pp scattering. These ROBE amplitudes are used to investigate the consequence of using different on-shell-point conditions in calculating the pp{gamma} cross sections. Purpose: We verify the validity of the ROBE pp{gamma} amplitudes. We explore similarities between the four-on-shell-point ROBE and two-u-two-t special (TuTts) soft-photon pp{gamma} amplitudes and important differences with the one-on-shell-point ROBE and Low pp{gamma} amplitudes. We demonstrate that the precision Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut (KVI) data can only be described by the four-on-shell-point (ROBE or TuTts) amplitude. We use the ROBE four-on-shell-point amplitude and one-on-shell-point amplitude to investigate systematically the effect of using different on-shell-point conditions to calculate the pp{gamma} cross section. Furthermore, we identify a general principle that governs the process. This general principle is also applicable to other bremsstrahlung processes involving the scattering of two identical nucleons. Results: (i) The four-on-shell-point ROBE (or TuTts) amplitude describes the high-precision KVI data much better than does the one-on-shell-point ROBE (or Low) amplitude. Although the contribution from the anomalous magnetic moment of the proton is very significant, it does not completely dominate the KVI pp{gamma} cross sections. (ii) The four-on-shell-point ROBE (or TuTts) amplitude describes the TRIUMF data better than does the one-on-shell-point ROBE (or Low) amplitude. (iii) The effect on the pp{gamma} cross section of using different on-shell-point conditions is significant in the hard-photon region, i.e., for small proton scattering angles {theta} (={theta}{sub 3}={theta}{sub 4}, symmetric scattering angles) far from the elastic limit ({theta}{yields}45 deg.); in contrast, the effect becomes insignificant in the vicinity of the elastic limit. Near the limit as {theta} tends to 45 deg. (or as the photon energy K approaches zero), the four-on-shell-point and one-on-shell-point amplitudes approach one another, a general principle applicable to all bremsstrahlung processes because only kinematics is involved. Conclusion: The four-on-shell-point ROBE amplitude provides a quantitative description of pp{gamma} cross sections. The anomalous magnetic moment is an important component of the photon emission mechanism. The four-on-shell-point property of the full ROBE amplitude is essential to properly describing the complete range of the precision KVI data and the TRIUMF data, although the one-on-shell-point ROBE amplitude is adequate in the region near the elastic limit.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Advanced Pt-Based Core–Shell Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cell Cathodes

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are highly efficient energy storage and conversion devices. Thus, the platinum group metal (PGM)-based catalysts which are the dominant choice for the PEMFCs have received extensive interest during the past couple of decades. However, the drawbacks in the existing PGM-based catalysts (i.e., high cost, slow kinetics, poor stability, etc.) still limit their applications in fuel cells. The Pt-based core–shell catalysts potentially alleviate these issues through the low Pt loading with the associated low cost and the high corrosion resistance and further improve the oxygen reduction reaction’s (ORR’s) activity and stability. This Account focuses on the synthetic strategies, catalytic mechanisms, factors influencing enhanced ORR performance, and applications in PEMFCs for the Pt-based core–shell catalysts. We first highlight the synthetic strategies for Pt-based core–shell catalysts including the galvanic displacement of an underpotentially deposited non-noble metal monolayer, thermal annealing, and dealloying methods, which can be scaled-up to meet the requirements of fuel cell operations. Subsequently, catalytic mechanisms such as the self-healing mechanism in the Pt monolayer on Pd core catalysts, the pinning effect of nitrogen (N) dopants in N-doped PtNi core–shell catalysts, and the ligand effect of the ordered intermetallic structure in L10-Pt/CoPt core–shell catalysts and their synergistic effects in N-doped L10-PtNi catalysts are described in detail. Additionally, the core–shell structure in the Pt-based catalysts have two main effects for enhanced ORR performance: (i) the interaction between Pt shells and core substrates can tune the electronic state of the surface Pt, thus boosting the ORR activity and stability, and (ii) the outer Pt shell with modest thickness can enhance the oxidation and dissolution resistance of the core, resulting in improved durability. We then review the recent attempts to optimize the ORR performance of the Pt-based core–shell catalysts by considering the shape, composition, surface orientation, and shell thickness. The factors influencing the ORR performance can be grouped into two categories: the effect of the core and the effect of the shell. In the former, PtM core–shell catalysts which use different non-PGM element cores (M) are summarized, and in the latter, Pt-based core–shell catalysts with different shell structures and compositions are described. The modifications of the core and/or shell structure can not only optimize the intermediate-binding energetics on the Pt surface through tuning the strain of the surface Pt, which increases the intrinsic activity and stability, but also offer a significantly decreased catalyst cost. Finally, we discuss the membrane electrode assembly performance of Pt-based core–shell catalysts in fuel cell cathodes and evaluate their potential in real PEMFCs for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicle applications. Even though some challenges to the activity and lifetime in the fuel cells remain, the Pt-based core–shell catalysts are expected to be promising for many practical PEMFC applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

High-Fidelity Nonlinear Analysis of Compression-Loaded Composite Shells

The results of an experimental and analytical study of the effects of initial imperfections on the buckling and postbuckling response of unstiffened thin-walled compression-loaded graphite-epoxy cylindrical shells are presented. The shells considered in the study have four different shell-wall laminates and two different shell-radius-to-thickness ratios. The shell-wall laminates include two different orthotropic laminates and two different quasi-isotropic laminates. The shell-radius-to-thickness ratios include shell-radius-to-thickness ratios equal to 100 and 200. The results identify the effects of traditional and nontraditional initial imperfections on the nonlinear response characteristics and buckling loads of the shells. The traditional imperfections include the geometric shell-wall mid-surface imperfections that are commonly discussed in the literature on thin shell buckling. The nontraditional imperfections include shell-wall thickness variations, local shell-wall ply-gaps associated with the fabrication process, shell-end geometric imperfections, nonuniform applied end loads, and variations in the boundary conditions including the effects of elastic boundary conditions. A high-fidelity nonlinear shell analysis procedure that accurately accounts for the effects of these traditional and nontraditional imperfections on the nonlinear response characteristics and buckling loads of the shells is described. The analysis procedure includes a nonlinear static analysis that predicts the stable response characteristics of the shells, and a nonlinear transient analysis that predicts the unstable response characteristics. The results of a local shell-wall stress analysis used to estimate failure stresses are also described.

Hilburger, Mark W.↗

Finite Element Analysis of Geodesically Stiffened Cylindrical Composite Shells Using a Layerwise Theory

Layerwise finite element analyses of geodesically stiffened cylindrical shells are presented. The layerwise laminate theory of Reddy (LWTR) is developed and adapted to circular cylindrical shells. The Ritz variational method is used to develop an analytical approach for studying the buckling of simply supported geodesically stiffened shells with discrete stiffeners. This method utilizes a Lagrange multiplier technique to attach the stiffeners to the shell. The development of the layerwise shells couples a one-dimensional finite element through the thickness with a Navier solution that satisfies the boundary conditions. The buckling results from the Ritz discrete analytical method are compared with smeared buckling results and with NASA Testbed finite element results. The development of layerwise shell and beam finite elements is presented and these elements are used to perform the displacement field, stress, and first-ply failure analyses. The layerwise shell elements are used to model the shell skin and the layerwise beam elements are used to model the stiffeners. This arrangement allows the beam stiffeners to be assembled directly into the global stiffness matrix. A series of analytical studies are made to compare the response of geodesically stiffened shells as a function of loading, shell geometry, shell radii, shell laminate thickness, stiffener height, and geometric nonlinearity. Comparisons of the structural response of geodesically stiffened shells, axial and ring stiffened shells, and unstiffened shells are provided. In addition, interlaminar stress results near the stiffener intersection are presented. First-ply failure analyses for geodesically stiffened shells utilizing the Tsai-Wu failure criterion are presented for a few selected cases.

Gerhard, Craig Steven↗

Sound Transmission through Two Concentric Cylindrical Sandwich Shells

This paper solves the problem of sound transmission through a system of two infinite concentric cylindrical sandwich shells. The shells are surrounded by external and internal fluid media and there is fluid (air) in the annular space between them. An oblique plane sound wave is incident upon the surface of the outer shell. A uniform flow is moving with a constant velocity in the external fluid medium. Classical thin shell theory is applied to the inner shell and first-order shear deformation theory is applied to the outer shell. A closed form for transmission loss is derived based on modal analysis. Investigations have been made for the impedance of both shells and the transmission loss through the shells from the exterior into the interior. Results are compared for double sandwich shells and single sandwich shells. This study shows that: (1) the impedance of the inner shell is much smaller than that of the outer shell so that the transmission loss is almost the same in both the annular space and the interior cavity of the shells; (2) the two concentric sandwich shells can produce an appreciable increase of transmission loss over single sandwich shells especially in the high frequency range; and (3) design guidelines may be derived with respect to the noise reduction requirement and the pressure in the annular space at a mid-frequency range.

Tang, Yvette Y.↗

Experimental study of energy transfer in double shell implosions

Advances in target fabrication have made double shell capsule implosions a viable platform to study burning fusion plasmas. Central to the double shell capsule is a high-Z (e.g., Au) metal pusher that accesses the volume-burn regime by reducing radiative losses through radiation trapping and compressing a uniform fuel volume at reduced velocities. A double shell implosion relies on a series of energy transfer processes starting from x-ray absorption by the outer shell, followed by transfer of kinetic energy to an inner shell, and finally conversion of kinetic energy to fuel internal energy. We present simulation and experimental results on momentum transfer to different layers in a double shell. We also present the details of the development of the NIF cylindrical hohlraum double shell platform including an imaging shell design with a mid-Z inner shell necessary for imaging the inner shell shape and the trajectory with the current 2DConA platform capability. We examine 1D energy transfer between shell layers using trajectory measurements from a series of surrogate targets; the series builds to a complete double shell layer by layer, isolating the physics of each step of the energy transfer process. Here, the measured energy transfer to the foam cushion and the inner shell suggests that our radiation-hydrodynamics simulations capture most of the relevant collision physics. With a 1 MJ laser drive, the experimental data indicate that 22% ± 3% of the ablator kinetic energy couples into inner shell KE, compared to a 27% ± 2% coupling in our xRAGE simulations. Thus, our xRAGE simulations match experimental energy transfer to ~5%, without inclusion of higher order 2D and 3D effects.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Type I Shell Galaxies as a Test of Gravity Models

Shell galaxies are understood to form through the collision of a dwarf galaxy with an elliptical galaxy. Shell structures and kinematics have been noted to be independent tools to measure the gravitational potential of the shell galaxies. We compare theoretically the formation of shells in Type I shell galaxies in different gravity theories in this work because this is so far missing in the literature. We include Newtonian plus dark halo gravity, and two non-Newtonian gravity models, MOG and MOND, in identical initial systems. We investigate the effect of dynamical friction, which by slowing down the dwarf galaxy in the dark halo models limits the range of shell radii to low values. Under the same initial conditions, shells appear on a shorter timescale and over a smaller range of distances in the presence of dark matter than in the corresponding non-Newtonian gravity models. If galaxies are embedded in a dark matter halo, then the merging time may be too rapid to allow multi-generation shell formation as required by observed systems because of the large dynamical friction effect. Starting from the same initial state, the observation of small bright shells in the dark halo model should be accompanied by large faint ones, while for the case of MOG, the next shell generation patterns iterate with a specific time delay. The first shell generation pattern shows a degeneracy with the age of the shells and in different theories, but the relative distance of the shells and the shell expansion velocity can break this degeneracy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Single and multi-layered core-shell structures based on ZnO nanorods obtained by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition

Core–shell nanorod structures were prepared by a sequential synthesis using an aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. Several samples consisting of ZnO nanorods were initially grown over TiO{sub 2} film-coated borosilicate glass substrates, following the synthesis conditions reported elsewhere. Later on, a uniform layer consisting of individual Al, Ni, Ti or Fe oxides was grown onto ZnO nanorod samples forming the so-called single MO{sub x}/ZnO nanorod core–shell structures, where MO{sub x} was the metal oxide shell. Additionally, a three-layer core–shell sample was developed by growing Fe, Ti and Fe oxides alternately, onto the ZnO nanorods. The microstructure of the core–shell materials was characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was employed to corroborate the formation of different metal oxides. X-ray diffraction outcomes for single core–shell structures showed solely the presence of ZnO as wurtzite and TiO{sub 2} as anatase. For the multi-layered shell sample, the existence of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} as hematite was also detected. Morphological observations suggested the existence of an outer material grown onto the nanorods and further microstructural analysis by HR-STEM confirmed the development of core–shell structures in all cases. These studies also showed that the individual Al, Fe, Ni and Ti oxide layers are amorphous; an observation that matched with X-ray diffraction analysis where no apparent extra oxides were detected. For the multi-layered sample, the development of a shell consisting of three different oxide layers onto the nanorods was found. Overall results showed that no alteration in the primary ZnO core was produced during the growth of the shells, indicating that the deposition technique used herein was and it is suitable for the synthesis of homogeneous and complex nanomaterials high in quality and purity. In addition, materials absorptance determined from the total transmittance and reflectance spectra revealed a broader absorption interval including visible light, indicating potential uses of these nanostructures on solar energy appliances. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • Uniform ZnO nanorods (core)–metal oxide (shell) were obtained sequentially by AACVD. • Shells were structured of homogeneous single or multi-layered non-mixed metal oxides. • ZnO nanorod core was preserved during the shell synthesis. • Optical absorptance revealed visible interval absorption for FeO{sub x} shell samples. • Materials can be suitable for photocatalytic or photovoltaic applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Increasing the K-shell yield of line radiation in Z-pinch implosions using alloyed Al/Mg wire-arrays

The variation of the K-shell yield of pure aluminum wire-array Z-pinch implosions with load parameters is discussed. The mechanism and the efficiency of increasing the K-shell yield using alloyed Al/Mg wire-arrays are numerically investigated. It has been shown that the maximum K-shell yield from a pure aluminum wire-array Z-pinch implosion can be obtained at an optimal load mass for a given generator and at a fixed initial wire-array radius. This optimal load mass is determined by the load energy coupling with the generator, the capability of Z-pinch plasmas to emit the K-shell radiation, and the self absorption of K-shell lines. For different generators, the optimal load mass increases as the drive current increases, and the line absorption limits the further increase of K-shell radiation. The coupled energy per ion is likely decreasing with increased mass, so the plasma might not be able to ionize into the K-shell. Also, the ability of the plasma to radiatively cool can increase with mass, thus, making it difficult for the plasma to ionize into and remain in the K-shell during the stagnation phase of the implosion. Alloyed Al/Mg wire-arrays were thus suggested to be used to decrease the opacity of K-shell lines and to increase the overall K-shell yield. In this paper, we show that using alloyed Al/Mg wire-arrays will decrease the opacity and increase the K-shell yield remarkably if the plasma is optically thick. We will also show that the efficiency of increasing the K-shell yield with alloyed Al/Mg wire-arrays cannot increase indefinitely. The ratio of K-shell yield from an alloyed Al/Mg wire-array to that from a pure aluminum wire-array reaches a limit. For example, we show that when the mass share of magnesium is 10% then this limit is 1.2, and for a 50% mass share, the limit is 1.3.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗