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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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At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of Results from Recent NNSA and CEA Measurements of the 239 Pu(n, f) Prompt Fission Neutron Spectrum

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)/DP French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)/DAM agreement on cooperation on fundamental science is a U.S.-French collaborative effort to combine intellectual and experimental resources and further the relevant nuclear science. Recently, both the NNSA and CEA experimental teams performed high-statistics measurements of the 239 Pu(n, f) prompt fission neutron spectrum (PFNS) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, both of which were recently published in the journal Physical Review C. These separate measurements used the same experimental area and a common neutron detector array, but differ in many aspects, including background assessments, data acquisition systems and philosophies, fission detectors, and PFNS extraction techniques. Hence, some aspects of the experimental methods and associated uncertainties are highly correlated while others are independent. The results from both measurements broke new ground for PFNS measurements given their higher accuracy and more detailed study of corrections necessary for the measured quantity compared to existing literature measurements, and both will significantly impact PFNS nuclear data evaluations for the foreseeable future. Here, the focus of this work is to document a comparison of the results from these distinct measurements in terms of the acquired data, the PFNS results, and the measured average PFNS energies. While systematic differences between the PFNS results are present on the 1–3% level, the acquired data relative to each respective measurement at low incident neutron energies are in remarkable agreement, as are the conclusions regarding the magnitude and position of features in the PFNS relating to second-chance fission, third-chance fission, and pre-equilibrium neutron emission.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bayesian averaging for ground state masses of atomic nuclei in a Machine Learning approach

We present global predictions of the ground state mass of atomic nuclei based on a novel Machine Learning algorithm. We combine precision nuclear experimental measurements together with theoretical predictions of unmeasured nuclei. This hybrid data set is used to train a probabilistic neural network. In addition to training on this data, a physics-based loss function is employed to help refine the solutions. The resultant Bayesian averaged predictions have excellent performance compared to the testing set and come with well-quantified uncertainties which are critical for contemporary scientific applications. We assess extrapolations of the model’s predictions and estimate the growth of uncertainties in the region far from measurements.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Deimos: HALEU TRISO Heated Critical Experiment Data

Deimos was the first critical experiment using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRistructural ISOtropic (TRISO) fuel in over 40 years. HALEU TRISO is the desired fuel form for many of the advanced reactor designs in development; however, very little experimental data are available for this fuel type. Deimos was designed to utilize existing HALEU TRISO fuel in a large graphite moderator to obtain nuclear and reactor physics data to fill the gaps surrounding this fuel type and enrichment. In addition to cold critical data, three separate heated experiments were conducted to measure the temperature reactivity coefficient for this type of system. These measured coefficients were then compared to simulated coefficients to a first level order of fidelity. This comparison showed very good agreement for the experiment where only the inner core was heated and good agreement for the other two configurations, which included heating portions of the outer core. Less agreement when the outer core was heated is attributed to potential heating in the beryllium reflector, which has a positive temperature reactivity coefficient and was unaccounted for in the first-order models. Future heated experiments with Deimos will include temperature monitoring of the beryllium reflector to account for beryllium heating in the simulations.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Experimental demonstration and modeling of a robotic neutron detector with spectral and directional sensitivity for treaty verification

International safeguards and arms control agreements often require labor-intensive, intrusive onsite inspections to perform verification tasks. The ability to localize a neutron source and/or characterize a neutron field may be imperative for identifying anomalies. We are interested in the role of autonomous mobile robots, which, if designed properly, may be more effective and efficient and less intrusive than their human counterparts. Toward developing such a capability, we, for this study, have constructed the N-SpecDir Bot, comprised of three boron-coated straw detectors azimuthally-distributed within a cylinder of high-density polyethylene, which is mounted on an omni-directional robotic platform. Our N-SpecDir Bot is specifically designed to provide spectral and directional sensitivity, in addition to gross counts, by utilizing the signals from the three detectors. The detection system has been extensively characterized by MCNP modeling, which has been benchmarked to experiments conducted at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. We demonstrate the spectral and directional sensitivity experimentally and in simulation, and provide a simple yet robust method for directional measurements.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2022

Testing Lepton Flavor Universality with Pion, Kaon, Tau, and Beta Decays

We present an overview of searches for violation of lepton flavor universality with a focus on low energy precision probes using π, K, τ, and nuclear beta decays. We review the current experimental results, summarize the theoretical status within the context of the Standard Model, and discuss future prospects (both experimental and theoretical). We review the implications of these measurements for physics beyond the Standard Model by performing a global model-independent fit to modified W couplings to leptons and four-fermion operators. We also discuss new physics in the context of simplified models and review Standard Model extensions with a focus on those that can explain a possible deviation from unitarity of the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa quark mixing matrix.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electromagnetic observables of open-shell nuclei from coupled-cluster theory

Here we develop a new method to describe electromagnetic observables of open-shell nuclei with two nucleons outside a closed shell. This approach combines the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method for such systems and the Lorentz integral transform technique, expanding the applicability of coupled-cluster theory for electromagnetic observables beyond closed-(sub)shell nuclei. To validate this new approach, we compute the non-energy-weighted dipole sum rule and the dipole polarizability of 16,24 ⁢O in both the closed-(sub)shell and the new equation-of-motion coupled-cluster frameworks, finding agreement within error bars. We then analyze the evolution of the dipole polarizability along the oxygen and calcium isotopic chains. Our predictions agree well with available experimental data and other available theoretical calculations for the closed-(sub)shell 16,22 ⁢O and the open-shell 18 O. In the calcium isotopes, we observe that our dipole polarizability predictions for open-shell nuclei are lower than those of closed-(sub)shell nuclei. We expect that our predictions for 24 O and 54,56 ⁢Ca will motivate future experimental studies at the drip line.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ab Initio Computation of the Longitudinal Response Function in 40 Ca

In this work, we present a consistent ab initio computation of the longitudinal response function RL in 40 Ca using the coupled-cluster and Lorentz integral transform methods starting from chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions. We validate our approach by comparing our results for R L in 4 He and the Coulomb sum rule in 40 Ca against experimental data and other calculations. For R L in 40 Ca we obtain a very good agreement with experiment in the quasielastic peak up to intermediate momentum transfers, and we find that final state interactions are essential for an accurate description of the data. This work presents a milestone towards ab initio computations of neutrino-nucleus cross sections relevant for experimental long-baseline neutrino programs.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Light meson parton distribution functions from basis light-front quantization and QCD evolution

Here, we investigate the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the pion and kaon from the eigenstates of a light-front effective Hamiltonian in the constituent quark-antiquark representation suitable for low-momentum scale applications. By taking these scales as the only free parameters, the valence quark distribution functions of the pion, after QCD evolving, are consistent with the E615 experiment at Fermilab. In addition, the ratio of the up quark distribution in the kaon to that in the pion also agrees with the NA3 experimental result at CERN.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Three-dimensional imaging of proton in basis light-front quantization

Here, we employ an effective Hamiltonian that includes the transverse and longitudinal confinement and the one-gluon exchange interaction with fixed coupling constant. By solving the eigenvalue equation in basis light-front quantization (BLFQ), we generate the light-front wavefunctions (LFWFs) for the nucleon in the valence quark Fock space. Fitting the model parameters, we obtain high quality descriptions of electromagnetic form factors and radius for proton while the results deviate somewhat from experimental data for neutron.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Polarized target nuclear magnetic resonance measurements with deep neural networks

Continuous-wave Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CW-NMR) operated in constant-current mode has served as a foundational technique for polarization measurement in solid-state dynamically polarized targets within nuclear and high-energy physics experiments for several decades, and it remains an essential tool. Conventional Q-meter-based phase-sensitive detection is critical for precise real-time determination of target polarization during scattering runs. However, the accuracy and reliability of these measurements are frequently compromised by elevated noise levels, baseline drift, and systematic uncertainties arising from signal isolation and fitting, ultimately degrading the overall experimental figure of merit. In this work, we report the first successful application of neural network architectures to continuous-wave NMR polarization metrology. By leveraging advanced machine learning techniques for signal extraction and denoising, we achieve a substantial reduction of fitting uncertainties under a variety of realistic simulated and experimental conditions. These improvements translate directly into more robust real-time (online) polarization monitoring and higher precision in subsequent offline analysis. By reducing analysis-induced uncertainty, the resulting methodology can improve the effective figure of merit for scattering experiments employing dynamically polarized targets and provides a new toolset for NMR-based polarimetry in high-energy and nuclear physics.

Metrology↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electron beam characterization via quantum coherent optical magnetometry

We present a quantum optics-based detection method for determining the position and current of an electron beam. As electrons pass through a dilute vapor of rubidium atoms, their magnetic field perturbs the atomic spin's quantum state and causes polarization rotation of a laser resonant with an optical transition of the atoms. By measuring the polarization rotation angle across the laser beam, we recreate a 2D projection of the magnetic field and use it to determine the e-beam position, size, and total current. We tested this method for an e-beam with currents ranging from 30 to 110 μA. Our approach is insensitive to electron kinetic energy, and we confirmed that experimentally between 10 and 20 keV. In conclusion, this technique offers a unique platform for noninvasive characterization of charged particle beams used in accelerators for particle and nuclear physics research.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapon Physics (ALDX) [Slides]

ALDX is one of seven technical Directorates at the Laboratory and resides within the Weapons Program. The Weapons Physics Directorate stewards a number of critical capabilities to meet its mission. Our mission is to sustain the resilience of the US nuclear stockpile and help shape a globalized nuclear world. Sustaining the aging stockpile poses scientific challenges to assess and certify the stockpile without testing. We are helping to solve major technical challenges in the nuclear global security regime. Geopolitical realities demand the Laboratory’s excellence in providing solutions to national security problems. High Performance Computing at Los Alamos opens the doors to many sophisticated modeling techniques. We use many experimental facilities to probe weapons physics. The diverse skill set required to execute ALDX’s mission has benefited greatly from the Postdoc program.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2022

The physics potential of a reactor neutrino experiment with Skipper-CCDs: searching for new physics with light mediators

In this work, we explore the sensitivity to new physics of the recently proposed vIOLETA experiment: a 10 kg Skipper Charged Coupled Device detector deployed 12 meters away from a commercial nuclear reactor core. We investigate two broad classes of models which benefit from the very low energy recoil threshold of these detectors, namely neutrino magnetic moments and light mediators coupled to neutrinos and quarks or electrons. We find that this experimental setup is very sensitive to light, weakly coupled new physics, and in particular that it could probe potential explanations of the event excess observed in XENON1T. We also provide a detailed study on the dependence of the sensitivity on the experimental setup assumptions and on the neutrino flux systematic uncertainties.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A thermodynamics-based damage model for the non-linear mechanical behavior of SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites in irradiation and thermal environments

A damage model is developed and validated with experimental data for the non-linear mechanical behavior of SiC/SiC composite materials in nuclear applications. Cyclic thermal and mechanical loading associated with neutron irradiation effects of these composites leads to wide-spread and progressive micro-cracking that leads to loss of thermal conductivity and further enhancement of thermo-mechanical damage. A physics-based model of wide-spread micro-cracking is developed within the thermodynamic framework of continuum damage mechanics. Evolution equations for damage parameters that describe the growth of continuum damage are developed, where the material variables are obtained from experiments. The model novelty is in coupling mechanical, thermal, and irradiation damage through a consistent thermodynamic framework, including loss of thermal conductivity due to the evolution of mechanically induced micro-cracks. A number of thermo-mechanical experiments were conducted to confirm model assumptions. The model is shown to be validated with out-of-pile experiments, and then implemented using commercial finite element code COMSOL to the fuel cladding problem with normal and high radiation dose cases.

Materials Science↗
DOE OSTI2023

Prompt fission neutron multiplicity in the 239 Pu(n, f) reaction and its energy dependence

Measuring prompt fission neutrons to high precision is an experimental challenge, especially for radioactive fissioning nuclides. However, accurate average multiplicities, $\overline{v}_{p}$, and kinetic energy distributions of prompt fission neutrons are essential for fundamental and applied nuclear physics. We present here a recent measurement of the 239 Pu (n,f) $\overline{v}_{p}$ as a function of the incident-neutron energy, over the range 1-700 MeV. The measurement was performed with a cutting-edge setup and an innovative technique, which allowed to minimize and account for the main sources of bias. An unprecedented precision was therefore achieved. Our data are compared to GEF predictions as well as to evaluated libraries. For the first time, at low energies, the ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data evaluation is validated with an independent measurement and the evaluated uncertainty reduced by up to 60%. This work paves the way to precisely measure prompt fission neutron multiplicities on highly radioactive nuclei.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1989

Nuclear cross sections for estimating secondary radiations produced in spacecraft

The physical theory underlying calculations of nuclear absorption and fragmentation cross sections and EM dissociation cross sections is reviewed; typical results are presented in graphs; and the adequacy of the experimental data bases for each type of cross section are discussed. The emphasis is on computations applicable to the estimation of secondary radiation in shielded spacecraft.

Townsend, L. W.↗