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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Low-Background Gamma Spectrometry for the International Monitoring System

PNNL has developed two very low-background gamma detectors housed in a new shallow underground laboratory. This new capability significantly improves our ability to detect trace amounts of airborne particulate that may be present in samples from the IMS field stations. The detectors were custom ordered to be fabricated using very low background materials. The combination of cosmic veto panels, dry nitrogen gas to reduce radon, low background shielding, and the shallow underground laboratory results in a reduction of the background count rate by a factor of 100 compared to an off –the-shelf commercial gamma detector operating above ground at our laboratory. Detection limits are thus reduced an order of magnitude.

gamma specgtroscopy, lo↗
DOE OSTI2016

Beam-induced and cosmic-ray backgrounds observed in the ATLAS detector during the LHC 2012 proton-proton running period

This paper discusses various observations on beam-induced and cosmic-ray backgrounds in the ATLAS detector during the LHC 2012 proton-proton run. Building on published results based on 2011 data, the correlations between background and residual pressure of the beam vacuum are revisited. Ghost charge evolution over 2012 and its role for backgrounds are evaluated. New methods to monitor ghost charge with beam-gas rates are presented and observations of LHC abort gap population by ghost charge are discussed in detail. Fake jets from colliding bunches and from ghost charge are analysed with improved methods, showing that ghost charge in individual radio-frequency buckets of the LHC can be resolved. Some results of two short periods of dedicated cosmic-ray background data-taking are shown; in particular cosmic-ray muon induced fake jet rates are compared to Monte Carlo simulations and to the fake jet rates from beam background. A thorough analysis of a particular LHC fill, where abnormally high background was observed, is presented. Correlations between backgrounds and beam intensity losses in special fills with very high β* are studied.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Background Model for the Majorana Demonstrator

The Majorana Collaboration is constructing a prototype system containing 40 kg of HPGe detectors to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of a future tonne-scale experiment to search for neutrinoless double-beta (0v BB) decay in 76Ge. In view of the requirement that the next generation of tonne-scale Ge-based 0vBB-decay experiment be capable of probing the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region, a major goal of theMajorana Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. This goal is pursued through a combination of a significant reduction of radioactive impurities in construction materials with analytical methods for background rejection, for example using powerful pulse shape analysis techniques profiting from the p-type point contact HPGe detectors technology. The effectiveness of these methods is assessed using Geant4 simulations of the different background components whose purity levels are constrained from radioassay measurements.

Cuesta, C.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Calibration of an ultra-low-background proportional counter for measuring {sup 37}Ar

An ultra-low-background proportional counter design has been developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) using clean materials, primarily electro-chemically-purified copper. This detector, along with an ultra-low-background counting system (ULBCS), was developed to complement a new shallow underground laboratory (30 meters water-equivalent) at PNNL. The ULBCS design includes passive neutron and gamma shielding, along with an active cosmic-veto system. This system provides a capability for making ultra-sensitive measurements to support applications like age-dating soil hydrocarbons with {sup 14}C/{sup 3}H, age-dating of groundwater with {sup 39}Ar, and soil-gas assay for {sup 37}Ar to support On-Site Inspection (OSI). On-Site Inspection is a key component of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Measurements of radionuclides created by an underground nuclear explosion are valuable signatures of a Treaty violation. For OSI, the 35-day half-life of {sup 37}Ar, produced from neutron interactions with calcium in soil, provides both high specific activity and sufficient time for inspection before decay limits sensitivity. This work describes the calibration techniques and analysis methods developed to enable quantitative measurements of {sup 37}Ar samples over a broad range of proportional counter operating pressures. These efforts, along with parallel work in progress on gas chemistry separation, are expected to provide a significant new capability for {sup 37}Ar soil gas background studies.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Signal and background considerations for the MRSt on the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

A Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRSt) has been conceptually designed for time-resolved measurements of the neutron spectrum at the National Ignition Facility. Using the MRSt, the goals are to measure the time-evolution of the spectrum with a time resolution of ∼20-ps and absolute accuracy better than 5%. To meet these goals, a detailed understanding and optimization of the signal and background characteristics are required. Through ion-optics, MCNP simulations, and detector-response calculations, it is demonstrated that the goals and a signal-to background >5–10 for the down-scattered neutron measurement are met if the background, consisting of ambient neutrons and gammas, at the MRSt is reduced 50–100 times.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Measurement Background and the Sediment Age-Dating Reach of 32Si

Silicon-32 has been identified as an isotope that fills the sediment geochronology gap created between Pb-210 at <150 years and C-14 at >1000 years. However, detector sensitivity and chemical isolation challenges of radiometric Si-32 for age dating have resulted in a fairly limited number of applications of this technique to real-world sediment studies. The significance of targeting the intermediate age bracket is to provide accurate geochronological reconstructions of paleoindicators that identify human and large-scale, climate-induced shifts in coastal areas. Therefore, we targeted Puget Sound, Washington, United States, to demonstrate the application of Si-32 age dating to determine the relative importance of climate cycles versus human activities in an in-land sea. The enhanced reconstructions will be achieved through the design of new detectors, chemical separation of biogenic silica from kilogram-scale sediment samples, and demonstration of the viable age-dating reach of Si-32. Implications of detector background on the duration of required measurements and the age-dating reach are considered. The design of a low-background, gas-proportional beta counter for measurement of the daughter isotope P-32 is discussed; detector background goals for these new detectors are based on the sensitivity study.

Keillor, Martin E.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Measurements of the chiral magnetic effect with background isolation in 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at STAR

Using two novel methods, pair invariant mass (m inv ) and comparative measurements with respect to reaction plane (Ψ RP ) and participant plane (Ψ PP ), we isolate the possible chiral magnetic effect (CME) from backgrounds in 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at STAR. The invariant mass method identifies the resonance background contributions, coupled with the elliptic flow (ν 2 ), to the charge correlator CME observable (Δγ). At high mass (m inv > 1.5 GeV/c 2 ) where resonance contribution is small, we obtain the average Δγ magnitude. In the low mass region (m inv > 1.5 GeV/c 2 ), resonance peaks are observed in Δγ(m inv ). An event shape engineering (ESE) method is used to model the background shape in m inv to extract the potential CME signal at low m inv . In the comparative method, the Ψ RP is assessed by spectator neutrons measured by the ZDCs, and the Ψ PP by the 2 nd -harmonic event plane measured by the TPC. The ν 2 is stronger along Ψ PP and weaker along Ψ RP ; in contrast, the magnetic field, mainly from spectator protons, is weaker along Ψ PP and stronger along Ψ RP . As a result, the Δγ measured with respect to Ψ RP and Ψ PP contain different amounts of CME and background, and can thus determine these two contributions. It is found that the possible CME signals with background isolation by these two novel methods are small, on the order of a few percent of the inclusive Δγ measurements.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Multi-component background learning automates signal detection for spectroscopic data

Abstract Automated experimentation has yielded data acquisition rates that supersede human processing capabilities. Artificial Intelligence offers new possibilities for automating data interpretation to generate large, high-quality datasets. Background subtraction is a long-standing challenge, particularly in settings where multiple sources of the background signal coexist, and automatic extraction of signals of interest from measured signals accelerates data interpretation. Herein, we present an unsupervised probabilistic learning approach that analyzes large data collections to identify multiple background sources and establish the probability that any given data point contains a signal of interest. The approach is demonstrated on X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy data and is suitable to any type of data where the signal of interest is a positive addition to the background signals. While the model can incorporate prior knowledge, it does not require knowledge of the signals since the shapes of the background signals, the noise levels, and the signal of interest are simultaneously learned via a probabilistic matrix factorization framework. Automated identification of interpretable signals by unsupervised probabilistic learning avoids the injection of human bias and expedites signal extraction in large datasets, a transformative capability with many applications in the physical sciences and beyond.

Ament, Sebastian E.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Neutrino physics from the cosmic microwave background and large scale structure

This is a report on the status and prospects of the quantification of neutrino properties through the cosmological neutrino background for the Cosmic Frontier of the Division of Particles and Fields Community Summer Study long-term planning exercise. Experiments planned and underway are prepared to study the cosmological neutrino background in detail via its influence on distance-redshift relations and the growth of structure. The program for the next decade described in this document, including upcoming spectroscopic galaxy surveys eBOSS and DESI and a new Stage-IV CMB polarization experiment CMB-S4, will achieve σ (σmν)(σmν) = 16 meV and σ (Neff)(Neff) = 0.020. Such a mass measurement will produce a high significance detection of non-zero σmνσmν, whose lower bound derived from atmospheric and solar neutrino oscillation data is about 58 meV. If neutrinos have a minimal normal mass hierarchy, this measurement will definitively rule out the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy, shedding light on one of the most puzzling aspects of the Standard Model of particle physics — the origin of mass. This precise a measurement of NeffNeff will allow for high sensitivity to any light and dark degrees of freedom produced in the big bang and a precision test of the standard cosmological model prediction that View the MathML sourceNeff=3.046.

Cosmic microwave background↗
DOE OSTI2015

A MEASUREMENT OF SECONDARY COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND ANISOTROPIES FROM THE 2500 SQUARE-DEGREE SPT-SZ SURVEY

We present measurements of secondary cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies and cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations using data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) covering the complete 2540 deg{sup 2} SPT-SZ survey area. Data in the three SPT-SZ frequency bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz, are used to produce six angular power spectra (three single-frequency auto-spectra and three cross-spectra) covering the multipole range 2000 < ℓ < 11, 000 (angular scales 5' ≳ θ ≳ 1'). These are the most precise measurements of the angular power spectra at ℓ > 2500 at these frequencies. The main contributors to the power spectra at these angular scales and frequencies are the primary CMB, CIB, thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects (tSZ and kSZ), and radio galaxies. We include a constraint on the tSZ power from a measurement of the tSZ bispectrum from 800 deg{sup 2} of the SPT-SZ survey. We measure the tSZ power at 143 GHz to be D{sub 3000}{sup tSZ}=4.08{sub −0.67}{sup +0.58} μK{sup 2} and the kSZ power to be D{sub 3000}{sup kSZ}=2.9±1.3 μK{sup 2}. The data prefer positive kSZ power at 98.1% CL. We measure a correlation coefficient of ξ=0.113{sub −0.054}{sup +0.057} between sources of tSZ and CIB power, with ξ < 0 disfavored at a confidence level of 99.0%. The constraint on kSZ power can be interpreted as an upper limit on the duration of reionization. When the post-reionization homogeneous kSZ signal is accounted for, we find an upper limit on the duration Δz < 5.4 at 95% CL.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Simultaneous measurement of tritium and radiocarbon by ultra-low-background proportional counting

Use of ultra-low-background capabilities at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provide enhanced sensitivity for measurement of low-activity sources of tritium and radiocarbon using proportional counters. Tritium levels are nearly back to pre-nuclear test backgrounds (~2-8 TU in rainwater), which can complicate their dual measurement with radiocarbon due to overlap in the isotope’s respective energy spectra. This activity makes direct dual-isotope measurements challenging without additional chemistry to concentrate the tritium in a sample. We present results of single-isotope proportional counter measurements used to analyze a dual-isotope methane sample synthesized from ~120 mg of H2O and present sensitivity results.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

A shallow underground laboratory for low-background radiation measurements and materials development

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently commissioned a new shallow underground laboratory, located at a depth of approximately 30 meters-water-equivalent. This new addition to the small class of radiation measurement laboratories located at modest underground depths houses the latest generation of custom-made, high-efficiency, low-background gamma-ray spectrometers and gas proportional counters. This paper describes the unique capabilities present in the shallow underground laboratory; these include large-scale ultra-pure materials production and a suite of radiation detection systems. Reported data characterize the degree of background reduction achieved through a combination of underground location, graded shielding, and rejection of cosmic-ray events. We conclude by presenting measurement targets and future opportunities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Mini Astrophysical MeV Background Observatory (MAMBO): A CubeSat for Measuring the MeV Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background

The origin of Extragalactic Background (EGB) light in the 300 keV - 30 MeV energy range is an unsolved question that has persisted for more than 40 years. MAMBO (Mini Astrophysical MeV Background Observatory) is a CubeSat mission concept motivated by the realization that an instrument purpose-built for measuring the MeV EGB from a CubeSat can provide quality measurements that exceed the best that are currently available. There are two key reasons for this: (1) the EGB is so bright at MeV energies that it only requires an instrument with a small effective area and (2) the best existing measurements are compromised by instrumental background, which scales with the mass of the spacecraft/instrument. Here, small is beautiful. We present a design for a gamma-ray spectrometer capable of both providing quality measurements of the spectrum and angular distribution of the MeV EGB and meeting the tight Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints imposed by deployment on a 6U CubeSat. During a two year baseline mission, MAMBO will be able to collect measurements of the MeV EGB background that are superior to the best currently available and place important constraints on MeV EGB origin.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The NuSTAR extragalactic surveys: the number counts of active galactic nuclei and the resolved fraction of the cosmic X-ray background

We present the 3–8 keV and 8–24 keV number counts of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) identified in the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) extragalactic surveys. NuSTAR has now resolved 33%–39% of the X-ray background in the 8–24 keV band, directly identifying AGNs with obscuring columns up to ∼10{sup 25} cm{sup −2}. In the softer 3–8 keV band the number counts are in general agreement with those measured by XMM-Newton and Chandra over the flux range 5×10{sup −15} ≲ S(3–8 keV)/erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2} ≲ 10{sup −12} probed by NuSTAR. In the hard 8–24 keV band NuSTAR probes fluxes over the range 2×10{sup −14} ≲ S(8–24 keV)/erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2} ≲ 10{sup −12}, a factor ∼100 fainter than previous measurements. The 8–24 keV number counts match predictions from AGN population synthesis models, directly confirming the existence of a population of obscured and/or hard X-ray sources inferred from the shape of the integrated cosmic X-ray background. The measured NuSTAR counts lie significantly above simple extrapolation with a Euclidian slope to low flux of the Swift/BAT 15–55 keV number counts measured at higher fluxes (S(15–55 keV) ≳ 10{sup −11} erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2}), reflecting the evolution of the AGN population between the Swift/BAT local (z<0.1) sample and NuSTAR’s z∼1 sample. CXB synthesis models, which account for AGN evolution, lie above the Swift/BAT measurements, suggesting that they do not fully capture the evolution of obscured AGNs at low redshifts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Measurements of the Cross-spectra of the Cosmic Infrared and Microwave Backgrounds from 95 to 1200 GHz

We present measurements of the power spectra of cosmic infrared background (CIB) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuations in six frequency bands. Maps at the lower three frequency bands, 95, 150, and 220 GHz (3330, 2000, and 1360 μm) are from the South Pole Telescope, while the upper three frequency bands, 600, 857, and 1200 GHz (500, 350, 250 μm) are observed with Herschel/SPIRE. From these data, we produce 21 angular power spectra (6 auto- and 15 cross-frequency) spanning the multipole range 600 ≤ ℓ ≤ 11,000. Our measurements are the first to cross-correlate measurements near the peak of the CIB spectrum with maps at 95 GHz, complementing and extending the measurements from Planck Collaboration et al. at 143–857 GHz. The observed fluctuations originate largely from clustered, infrared-emitting, dusty star-forming galaxies, the CMB, and to a lesser extent radio galaxies, active galactic nuclei, and the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect.

cosmic background radiation↗