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At least 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Methods of Fabricating Scintillators with Radioisotopes for Beta Battery Applications

Technology has been developed for a class of self-contained, long-duration power sources called beta batteries, which harvest the energy contained in the radioactive emissions from beta decay isotopes. The new battery is a significant improvement over the conventional phosphor/solar cell concept for converting this energy in three ways. First, the thin phosphor is replaced with a thick scintillator that is transparent to its own emissions. By using a scintillator sufficiently thick to completely stop all the beta particles, efficiency is greatly improved. Second, since the energy of the beta particles is absorbed in the scintillator, the semiconductor photodetector is shielded from radiation damage that presently limits the performance and lifetime of traditional phosphor converters. Finally, instead of a thin film of beta-emitting material, the isotopes are incorporated into the entire volume of the thick scintillator crystal allowing more activity to be included in the converter without self-absorption. There is no chemical difference between radioactive and stable strontium beta emitters such as Sr-90, so the beta emitter can be uniformly distributed throughout a strontium based scintillator crystal. When beta emitter material is applied as a foil or thin film to the surface of a solar cell or even to the surface of a scintillator, much of the radiation escapes due to the geometry, and some is absorbed within the layer itself, leading to inefficient harvesting of the energy. In contrast, if the emitting atoms are incorporated within the scintillator, the geometry allows for the capture and efficient conversion of the energy of particles emitted in any direction. Any gamma rays associated with secondary decays or Bremsstrahlung photons may also be absorbed within the scintillator, and converted to lower energy photons, which will in turn be captured by the photocell or photodiode. Some energy will be lost in this two-stage conversion process (high-energy particle to low-energy photons to electric current). The geometric advantage partially offsets this as well, since the absorption depth of high-energy beta radiation is much larger than the depth of a p-n junction. Thus, in a p-n junction device, much of the radiation is absorbed far away from the junction, and the electron- hole pairs are not all effectively collected. In contrast, with a transparent scintillator the radiation can be converted to light in a larger volume, and all of the light can be collected in the active region of the photodiode. Finally, the new device is more practical because it can be used at much higher power levels without unduly shortening its lifetime. While the crystal structure of scintillators is also subject to radiation damage, their performance is far more tolerant of defects than that of semiconductor junctions. This allows the scintillator- based approach to use both higher energy isotopes and larger quantities of the isotopes. It is projected that this technology has the potential to produce a radioisotope battery with up to twice the efficiency of presently used systems.

Rensing, Noa M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

The impact of r -process heating on the dynamics of neutron star merger accretion disc winds and their electromagnetic radiation

Neutron star merger accretion discs can launch neutron-rich winds of >10 -2 M⊙. This ejecta is a prime site for r-process nucleosynthesis, which will produce a range of radioactive heavy nuclei. The decay of these nuclei releases enough energy to accelerate portions of the wind by ~0.1c. Here, we investigate the effect of r-process heating on the dynamical evolution of disc winds. We extract the wind from a 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a disc from a post-merger system. This is used to create inner boundary conditions for 2D hydrodynamic simulations that continue the original 3D simulation. We perform two such simulations: one that includes the r-process heating, and another one that does not. We follow the hydrodynamic simulations until the winds reach homology (60 s). Using time-dependent multifrequency multidimensional Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, we then calculate the kilonova light curves from the winds with and without dynamical r-process heating. We find that the r-process heating can substantially alter the velocity distribution of the wind, shifting the mass-weighted median velocity from 0.06c to 0.12c. The inclusion of the dynamical r-process heating makes the light curve brighter and bluer at $\sim 1\, \mathrm{d}$ post-merger. However, the high-velocity tail of the ejecta distribution and the early ($\lesssim 1\, \mathrm{d}$) light curves are largely unaffected.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1972

A Study of Heavy Trans-Iron Primary Cosmic Rays (Z More than or Equal to 55) with a Fast Film Cerenkov Detector

The detection and measurement of the cosmic ray charge spectrum for nuclei heavier than iron (Fe, Z = 26) are discussed. These trans-iron nuclei are of great interest for several reasons. They promise to be one of the more sensitive clocks for use in determining the age of cosmic rays. The discovery of radioactive nuclides and their decay products in the primary flux, will allow an estimation of the elapsed time since these cosmic rays were synthesized. In addition, the relatively short interaction length of the very heavy trans-iron particles makes their relative abundance a source of information regarding the amount of interstellar matter that they had to traverse to reach the earth. A study of the trans-iron cosmic rays may provide clues as to the very processes of nucleosyntheses by which the bulk of the trans-iron nuclei in the universe are produced. This in turn may shed light on the mechanics of the supernova, which is postulated to be the major source of all cosmic rays. Finally, trans-iron cosmic ray experiments may demonstrate the existence of the recently postulated super-heavy nuclei.

Pinsky, L. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Detection of radon emission at the edges of lunar maria with the Apollo alpha-particle spectrometer

The distribution of radioactive polonium-210, a decay product of radon-222, shows enhanced concentrations at the edges of lunar maria. Enhancements are seen at the edges of Mare Fecunditatis, Mare Crisium, Mare Smythii, Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Nubium, Mare Cognitum, and Oceanus Procellarum. The observation is indicative of the transient emission of radon gas from the perimeters of lunar maria.

Gorenstein, P.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Anomalous Xenon in the Precambrian Nuclear Reactor in Okelobondo (Gabon): A Possible Connection to the Fission Component in the Terrestrial Atmosphere

Some CFF-Xe (Chemically Fractionated Fission Xenon), whose isotopic composition is established by simultaneous decay and migration of radioactive fission products, is probably present in the Earth's lithosphere, a conclusion based on available Xe data from various crustal and mantle rocks . Our recent isotopic analysis of Xe in alumophosphate from zone 13 of Okelobondo (southern extension of Oklo), along with the independent estimation of the isotopic composition of atmospheric fission Xe , supports the hypothesis that CFF-Xe was produced on a planetary scale. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Meshik, A. P.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Measurement of the bulk radioactive contamination of detector-grade silicon with DAMIC at SNOLAB

We present measurements of bulk radiocontaminants in the high-resistivity silicon CCDs from the DAMIC experiment at SNOLAB. We utilize the exquisite spatial resolution of CCDs to discriminate between α and β decays, and to search with high efficiency for the spatially-correlated decays of various radioisotope sequences. Using spatially-correlated β decays, we measure a bulk radioactive contamination of 32 Si in the CCDs of 140 ± 30 μBq/kg, and place an upper limit on bulk 210 Pb of < 160 μBq/kg. Using similar analyses of spatially-correlated α and β decays, we set upper limits of < 11 μBq/kg (0.9 ppt) on 238 U and < 7.3 μBq/kg (1.8 ppt) on 232 Th in the bulk silicon. The ability of DAMIC CCDs to identify and reject spatially-coincident backgrounds, particularly from 32 Si, has significant implications for the next generation of silicon-based dark matter experiments, where β's from 32 Si decay will likely be a dominant background.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2004

Meteoritical Astrophysics: A New Subdiscipline

A recent remarkable discovery by Katharina Lodders showed that the abundances of extinct radioactivities (relative to reference nuclei) in chondrites, achondrites, and irons are proportional to the squares of their mean lives, whereas no such abundance-mean life relationship is apparent for the data of calcium-aluminum rich inclusions (CAIs) and a variety of other inclusion types. In this talk I shall interpret these results in terms of galactic and solar nebula processes. The first step in organizing the data for interpretation is to require that both the abundance of the extinct radioactivity (as measured by its decay product abundance) and that of the reference nuclide should have the same nucleosynthesis history, or else that a correction to the ratio be made to compensate for the ratio of the two different production processes. The striking feature of this diagram is that the lower edge of the data (the Lodders Line) is remarkably straight; most of the data are derived from chondrites; and its slope on the log-log diagram is two. So the extinct radioactivities are present in proportion to the square of their mean lives. All the other data lie above the Lodders line in this diagram; the sources of that data are in general somewhat larger particles than those that have contributed to the Lodders Line. A straight relationship between abundances of extinct radioactivities

Cameron, A. G. W.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Isomeric and beta-decay spectroscopy of 173,174 Ho

β-decay spectroscopy of 173,174 Ho (Z = 67, N = 106,107) was conducted at Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory at RIKEN by using in-flight fission of a 345-MeV/u 238 U primary beam. A previously unreported isomeric state at 405 keV with half-life of 3.7(12) μs and a spin and parity of (3/2 + ) is identified in 173 Ho. Moreover, a new state with a spin and parity of 9 - was discovered in 174 Er. The experimental log ft values of 5.84(20) and 5.25(18) suggest an allowed-hindered β decay from the ground state of 174 Ho to the K π = 8 - isomeric state in 174 Er. Configuration-constrained potential energy surface (PES) calculations were performed and the predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

150 ≤ A ≤ 189↗
DOE OSTI2020

Harvesting 62 Zn from an aqueous cocktail at the NSCL

“Isotope harvesting” is a technique that offers access to exotic radionuclides created as by-products during nuclear science research. Ongoing exploratory work at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) is directed towards the production and extraction of rare radionuclides from a flowing-water target and intends to pave the way for future harvesting efforts at the upcoming Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). Here in this paper, we present the collection of 62 Zn from an aqueous matrix irradiated with a 150 MeV/nucleon 78Kr beam, while synergistically capturing other gaseous reaction products. In addition to the production rate for 62 Zn (9.08(30)E-5 62 Zn per incoming 78 Kr), the rates of formation for several other radionuclides were determined as well. The purification of 62 Zn from a large number of co-produced radionuclides was performed by anion exchange chromatography, allowing the isolation of 80.5(5.2) % of the generated 62 Zn. With the decay of 62 Zn the radioactive daughter 62 Cu is generated, and with the isolation of pure 62 Cu eluate, the principle of a medical radionuclide generator could be demonstrated. To illustrate the applicability of the obtained 62 Zn, the isolated product was used in free and DTPA-labelled form in a proof of principle plant uptake study with garden cress employing phosphor imaging for visualization.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

First principles calculations in support of Pu aging: calculating the effects of lattice imperfections on thermodynamics

Plutonium (Pu) has, in theory, well defined crystal structures: its atoms are arranged in regular spatial patterns. But Pu is radioactive, and as its nuclei decay those regular spatial patterns are interrupted. The interruptions are lattice imperfections, which are known to affect how materials respond to their environment. To adequately model Pu, we need to know which lattice imperfections are present, how they interact with each other, and how they affect the material’s response to its environment. The work presented here aims to use density functional theory (DFT) calculations to begin to answer the latter, in particular, how individual lattice imperfections affect measurable effects including thermal expansion (the change in volume in response to a change in temperature), heat capacity (the amount of thermal energy needed to change a material’s temperature), and elastic moduli (a material’s resistance to applied stresses). Pu poses many computational challenges. The $\textit{f}$ electrons require special attention. Of all the elements, Pu has the largest number of electrons that must be included in the calculations. Thermal effects require calculating the phonons (the lattice vibrations), which for systems containing lattice imperfections demand large, complex computational cells - but computational resources limit the size and complexity. With careful restructuring of how the calculations are performed, all these challenges have been met to enable calculations that provide insight into how lattice imperfections affect Pu’s response to its environment. Reported here are the computational challenges and the advances developed to meet them, along with the first results showing the strong effect that one prototype lattice imperfection (an interstitial Pu atom in a delta-phase Pu lattice) has on Pu’s response to its environment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1985

Short-lived nuclei in the early solar system

An overview is given of the existence and abundance of short-lived nuclei that were present in the early solar system. It is shown that there are excesses of certain isotopes that may be assigned to the decay of short-lived radioactive nuclei corresponding to an abundance of about 0.0001 relative to a neighboring stable isotope. This abundance is roughly similar to the level of general nonlinear isotopic anomalies present in meteoritic material (excluding oxygen) which are not attributable to short-lived nuclei. If these results are representative of the bulk solar system, they indicate that about 0.0001 solar mass of freshly synthesized material of peculiar composition was added to the protosolar nebula as it was formed from the interstellar medium. This material must have been synthesized about three million yr before the formation of the solar system.

Wasserburg, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Gamma-ray observations of NGC 253 and M82 with OSSE

Gamma-ray observations of the nearby starburst galaxies NGC 253 and M82 over the energy range (0.05-10) MeV have been obtained with the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) spectrometer on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO). The priority of these galaxies as OSSE targets had been established on the grounds that the average supernova rate may be high in starbursts as indicated by infrared and radio observations, and at distances of approximately 3 Mpc a significant chance of supernova gamm-ray line detection exists. NGC 253 was detected in continuum emission up to 165 keV with a total significance of 4.4 sigma and an estimated luminosity of 3 x 10(exp 40) ergs/s. The spectrum is best fit by a power law of photon index approximately 2.5. We consider the possible contribution of different emission mechanisms, including inverse Compton scattering, bremsstrahlung, discrete sources, and Type Ia/Ib supernova continuum to the measured flux. No significant continuum flux was observed from M82. A search for the gamma-ray line from the decay of the most abundant radioactive element produced in supernovae (Ni-56 yields Co-56 yields Fe-56) yielded no significant detection: the 3 sigma upper limits to the line fluxes at 0.158, 0.812, 0.847, and 1.238 MeV for both galaxies are obtained.

Bhattacharya, D.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Processes in Early Planetesimals: Evidence from Ureilite Meteorites

Ureilites are primitive ultramafic achondrites composed largely of olivine and pigeonite, with minor augite, carbon, sulphide and metal. They represent very early material in the history of the Solar System and form a bridge between undifferentiated chondrites and fully differentiated asteroids. They show a mixture of chemical characteristics, some of which are considered to be nebula-derived (e.g. a negative correlation between Mg/Fe and Delta O-17 that resembles that of the ordinary chondrites but at lower Delta O-17 values) whereas others have been imposed by asteroidal differentiation. Carbon isotope data show a striking negative correlation of delta C-13 values with mg# in olivine. delta C-13 also correlates positively with Delta O-17, and therefore this isotopic variation was probably also nebula-derived. Thus, oxygen and carbon isotope compositions and Fe-Mg systematics of each monomict ureilite were established before differentiation processes began. Heated by decay of short-lived radioactive isotopes, the ureilite asteroid started to melt. Metal and sulphide would have melted first, forming a Fe-S eutectic liquid, which removed chalcophile elements and incompatible siderophile elements, and basaltic melts that removed Al, Ca and the LREE. Several elements show different abundances and/or correlations with Fo content in olivine, e.g. carbon shows a positive correlation in ferroan ureilites, and a weak or even negative correlation in more magnesian compositions. HSE such as Os and Ir also show different distributions, i.e. ureilites with Fo < 82 have very scattered Os and Ir concentrations, which reach high values, whereas ureilites with Fo > 82 tend to have much less scattered and overall lower Os and Ir abundances. A similar change in elemental behaviour is shown by the Fe-Mn relations in ureilitic olivines: those with Fo contents < 85 show a good negative correlation, whereas those with Fo > 85 show much greater scatter. This suggests that a major change affected the parent body at a time when melting had reached relatively magnesian bulk compositions. We consider that this event may have been a hit and run collision in which the ureilite parent body collided with a larger object. During the collision, the ureilite mantle broke up catastrophically but re-accreted in a jumbled state around the still-intact core. Mg-rich basaltic melts that were in the process of being formed at the time of break-up were retained in part as melt clasts that re-accreted to the regolith and are found in polymict ureilites.

Mittlefehldt, David W.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Aqueous Alteration

A secondary process whereby liquid water modified the nature of anhydrous primary nebular components. In general, this process induced decomposition and changed the structures and compositions of primary minerals and formed secondary minerals in their place. This process occurred in the early history of meteorite parent bodies that contained water ice. The most effective heat source is considered to be the decay of short-lived radioactive nuclide such as Aluminium-26, but other causes have been suggested. The degree of aqueous alteration of meteorites is categorized as type 1 (most altered) to type 3 (least altered), according to mineralogy and petrology.

Kebukawa, Yoko↗