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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Dual-shell silicate and alumina coating for long lasting and high capacity lithium ion batteries

In this work we demonstrate a theory-driven, novel dual-shell coating system of Li 2 SrSiO 4 and Al 2 O 3 , achieved via a facile and scalable sol-gel technique on LiCoO 2 electrode particles. The optimal thickness of each coating can lead to increased specific capacity (~185 mAh/g at 0.5 C-rate) at a cut-off potential of 4.5 V, and greater cycling stability at very high C rates (up to 10 C) in half-cells with lithium metal. The mechanism of this superior performance was investigated using a combination of X-ray and electron characterization methods. It shows that the results of this investigation can inform future studies to identify still better dual-shell coating schemes, achieved by such industrially feasible techniques, for application on similar, nickel-rich cathode materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

CODEX weak lensing mass catalogue and implications on the mass–richness relation

The COnstrain Dark Energy with X-ray clusters (CODEX) sample contains the largest flux limited sample of X-ray clusters at 0.35 < z < 0.65. It was selected from ROSAT data in the 10 000 square degrees of overlap with BOSS, mapping a total number of 2770 high-z galaxy clusters. We present here the full results of the CFHT CODEX programme on cluster mass measurement, including a reanalysis of CFHTLS Wide data, with 25 individual lensing-constrained cluster masses. We employ lensfit shape measurement and perform a conservative colour–space selection and weighting of background galaxies. Using the combination of shape noise and an analytic covariance for intrinsic variations of cluster profiles at fixed mass due to large-scale structure, miscentring, and variations in concentration and ellipticity, we determine the likelihood of the observed shear signal as a function of true mass for each cluster. We combine 25 individual cluster mass likelihoods in a Bayesian hierarchical scheme with the inclusion of optical and X-ray selection functions to derive constraints on the slope α, normalization β, and scatter σln λ|μ of our richness–mass scaling relation model in log-space: ${\langle {\rm In}\,\, \lambda\!\!\mid\!\!\mu\rangle = \alpha\mu + \beta,} $ with μ = ln (M 200c /M piv ), and M piv = 10 14.81 M ⊙ . We find a slope $\alpha = 0.49^{+0.20}_{-0.15}$, normalization $\exp (\beta) = 84.0^{+9.2}_{-14.8}$, and $\sigma _{\ln \lambda | \mu } = 0.17^{+0.13}_{-0.09}$ using CFHT richness estimates. In comparison to other weak lensing richness–mass relations, we find the normalization of the richness statistically agreeing with the normalization of other scaling relations from a broad redshift range (0.0 < z < 0.65) and with different cluster selection (X-ray, Sunyaev–Zeldovich, and optical).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Organic matter sulfurization and organic carbon burial in the Mesoproterozoic

Throughout the Proterozoic Era, sedimentary organic carbon burial helped set the pace of global oxygenation and acted as a major modulator of atmospheric CO 2 and climate. Although Proterozoic rocks generally contain low concentrations of organic matter (OM), there are key exceptions to this rule, including the relatively OM-rich Arctic Bay shales from Baffin Island, Canada (Bylot Supergroup, Borden Basin, ~1.05 Ga). The mechanisms driving elevated OM concentrations in these and other Proterozoic shales remain poorly understood. In the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, organic matter sulfurization can be a major driver of enhanced OM burial across a range of redox conditions comparable to those inferred for many Proterozoic environments. Therefore, in this study, we evaluate the role of sulfurization in driving OM preservation in the Mesoproterozoic Borden Basin and discuss its relevance to Proterozoic systems in general. We present the first evidence for syngenetic-to-early-diagenetic OM sulfurization in a Proterozoic basin, which begins to fill a several-billion-year gap in our record of organic S across Earth history. We find that OM sulfurization was particularly extensive in shales from a relatively shallow-water section (Alpha River) but less extensive in shales deposited in deeper water (Shale Valley), which is consistent with models that infer sulfidic ‘wedges’ or O 2 -minimum-zone-type structures on shelf margins at least intermittently at this time. At the shallower site, organic S and pyrite are similarly 34 S-depleted and thus likely formed at roughly the same time near the sediment–water interface under conditions previously interpreted to have been ferruginous to intermittently sulfidic. In contrast, at the deeper-water site, large S-isotope differences between pyrite and organic S along with low apparent OM sulfurization intensities indicate that pyrite formation was favored over OM sulfurization during early sedimentation under variable but primarily ferruginous conditions. Although Mesoproterozoic biomass can be substantially sulfurized, indicators of sulfurization intensity are not correlated with OM concentrations, and therefore sulfurization does not appear to have been the primary driver of enhanced OM concentrations in Arctic Bay Formation shales. The link between sulfurization and total OM preservation may have been modulated during the deposition of Arctic Bay Formation shales by differences in iron availability, nutrient cycling, and particle dynamics in the Mesoproterozoic.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

The electroweak precision constraints of the 2HDM+S

The 2HDM+S is the singlet extension of the Two-Higgs-Doublets Model (2HDM). The singlet field and its mixing with the 2HDM Higgs sector lead to new contributions to the electroweak precision observables, in particular, the oblique parameters. In this paper, we performed a systematic study of the impacts of each mixing angle to the oblique parameters. We adopted the mixing angles and physical Higgs masses as our parameters, which allows a mapping when specific symmetry structure of the Higgs potential and various theoretical considerations are taken into account. We identify five benchmark cases, where at most one mixing angle is nonzero and analyze the 95\% C.L. allowed parameter space by the oblique parameters. In the alignment limit of the 2HDM, we find that other than the usual mass relations of $m_H\sim m_{H^\pm}$ or $m_A\sim m_{H^\pm}$, electroweak precision measurements also impose an upper limit on the neutral Higgs masses. In the cases with nonzero singlet mixing with the 2HDM Higgses $H$ or $A$, we find approximate mass relations of $c^2_{\alpha_{HS}} m_{H} + s^2_{\alpha_{HS}}m_{h_S} = m_{H^\pm}$ or $c^2_{\alpha_{AS}} m_{A} + s^2_{\alpha_{AS}}m_{A_S} = m_{H^\pm}$. Those relations are universal to the 2HDM+S models, with or without further symmetry assumption. We also study the non-alignment limit of the 2HDM+S, which typically has tighter constraints on the masses and mixing angles. At the end, we examine the complementarity between the electroweak precision analyses and the Higgs coupling precision measurements.

2HDM↗
DOE OSTI2022

The photon content of the proton in the CT18 global analysis

Recently, two photon PDF sets based on implementations of the LUX ansatz into the CT18 global analysis were released. In CT18lux, the photon PDF is calculated directly using the LUX master formula for all scales, \mu μ . In an alternative realization, CT18qed, the photon PDF is initialized at the starting scale, \mu_0 μ 0 , using the LUX formulation and evolved to higher scales \mu(>\mu_0) μ ( > μ 0 ) with a combined QED+QCD kernel at \mathcal{O}(\alpha),~\mathcal{O}(\alpha\alpha_s) 𝒪 ( α ) , 𝒪 ( α α s ) and \mathcal{O}(\alpha^2) 𝒪 ( α 2 ) . In the small- x x region, the photon PDF uncertainty is mainly induced by the quark and gluon PDFs, through the perturbative DIS structure functions. In comparison, the large- x x photon uncertainty comes from various low-energy, nonperturbative contributions, including variations of the inelastic structure functions in the resonance and continuum regions, higher-twist and target-mass corrections, and elastic electromagnetic form factors of the proton. We take the production of doubly-charged Higgs pairs, (H^{++}H^{--}) ( H + + H − − ) , as an example of scenarios beyond the Standard Model to illustrate the phenomenological implications of these photon PDFs at the LHC.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low-alpha Operation of the Iota Storage Ring

Operation with ultra-low momentum-compaction factor (alpha) is a desirable capability for many storage rings and synchrotron radiation sources. For example, low-alpha lattices are commonly used to produce picosecond bunches for the generation of coherent THz radiation and are the basis of a number of conceptual designs for EUV generation via steady-state microbunching (SSMB). Achieving ultra-low alpha requires not only a high-level of stability in the linear optics but also flexible control of higher-order compaction terms. Operation with lower momentum-compaction lattices has recently been investigated at the IOTA storage ring at Fermilab. A procedure for lowering the ring compaction using the linear optics along with compensations from the higher-order magnets was developed with the aid of a model, and an experimental technique for measuring the momentum compaction was developed. The lowest momentum compaction achieved during the available run-time was $3.4\times10^{-4}$, around 15 times lower than previously operated. These feasibility studies ensure an improved experimental understanding of the IOTA optics and potentially will enable new research programs at the facility.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

First observation of a shape isomer and a low-lying strongly-coupled prolate band in neutron-deficient semi-magic 187 Pb

Prompt and delayed gamma-ray spectroscopy of the neutron-deficient, semi-magic isotope 187Pb has been performed using the recoil-decay and isomer-decay tagging techniques at the Argonne Gas-Filled Analyzer. A new 5.15(15)-mu s isomeric state at only 308 keV above the spherical 3/2 - ground state is identified and classified as a shape isomer. A strongly-coupled band is observed on top of the isomer, which is nearly identical to the one built on the prolate 7/2 - [514] Nilsson state in the isotone 185 Hg. Based on this similarity and on the result of the potential-energy surface calculations, the new isomer in 187 Pb is proposed to originate from the same configuration. The retarded character of the 308-keV (7/2( - )→ 3/2$_{gs}^{-}$ transition with a deduced B(E2) = 5.6(2) x 10 -4 W.u. can be well explained by the significant difference between the prolate parent and spherical daughter configurations, leading to the shape isomerism. The excitation energy of the isomer is surprisingly low, being roughly half of the excitation energies of the known 0 + intruder bandheads in the neighboring 186,188 Pb isotopes. The combined results of the present work and the previous alpha-decay and laser spectroscopy studies present evidence for triple shape coexistence at low energy in the negative-parity configurations of 187 Pb, which is well reproduced by the potential-energy surface calculations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

A 1D Lyman-alpha Profile Camera for Plasma Edge Neutral Studies on the DIII-D Tokamak

A one dimensional, absolutely calibrated pinhole camera system was installed on the DIII-D tokamak to measure edge Lyman-alpha (Ly-a) emission from hydrogenic isotopes which can be used to infer neutral density and ionization rate proles. The system is composed of two cameras, each providing a toroidal fan of twenty lines of sight, viewing the plasma edge on the inboard and outboard side of DIII-D. The cameras' views lie in a horizontal plane 77 cm below the midplane. At its tangency radius, each channel provides a radial resolution of approximately 2 cm full width at half maximum (FWHM) with a total coverage of 22 cm. Each camera consists of a rectangular pinhole, Ly-a reflective mirror, narrow-band Ly-a transmission fiter, and a 20 channel AXUV photodetector. The combined mirror and transmission fiter have a FWHM of 5 nm, centered near the Ly-a wavelength of 121.6 nm and is capable of rejecting significant, parasitic carbon-III (C-III) emission from intrinsic plasma impurities. To provide a high spatial resolution measurement in a compact footprint, the camera utilizes advanced engineering and manufacturing techniques including 3D printing, high stability mirror mounts, and a novel alignment procedure. Absolutely calibrated, spatially resolved Ly-a brightness measurements utilize a bright, isolated line with low parasitic surface reflections and enable quantitative comparison to modeling to study divertor neutral leakage, main chamber fueling and radial particle transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog: Sixteenth Data Release

We present the final Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV) quasar catalog from Data Release 16 of the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS). This catalog comprises the largest selection of spectroscopically confirmed quasars to date. The full catalog includes two subcatalogs (the current versions are DR16Q_v4 and DR16Q_Superset_v3 at https://data.sdss.org/sas/dr16/eboss/qso/DR16Q/): a "superset" of all SDSS-IV/eBOSS objects targeted as quasars containing 1,440,615 observations and a quasar-only catalog containing 750,414 quasars, including 225,082 new quasars appearing in an SDSS data release for the first time, as well as known quasars from SDSS-I/II/III. We present automated identification and redshift information for these quasars alongside data from visual inspections for 320,161 spectra. Here, the quasar-only catalog is estimated to be 99.8% complete with 0.3%-1.3% contamination. Automated and visual inspection redshifts are supplemented by redshifts derived via principal component analysis and emission lines. We include emission-line redshifts for Hα, Hβ, Mg II, C III], C IV, and Lyα. Identification and key characteristics generated by automated algorithms are presented for 99,856 broad absorption-line quasars and 35,686 damped Lyman alpha quasars. In addition to SDSS photometric data, we also present multiwavelength data for quasars from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, UKIDSS, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, FIRST, ROSAT/2RXS, XMM-Newton, and Gaia. Calibrated digital optical spectra for these quasars can be obtained from the SDSS Science Archive Server.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dark photon dark matter in the presence of inhomogeneous structure

Dark photon dark matter will resonantly convert into visible photons when the dark photon mass is equal to the plasma frequency of the ambient medium. In cosmological contexts, this transition leads to an extremely efficient, albeit short-lived, heating of the surrounding gas. Existing work in this field has been predominantly focused on understanding the implications of these resonant transitions in the limit that the plasma frequency of the Universe can be treated as being perfectly homogeneous, \ie neglecting inhomogeneities in the electron number density. In this work we focus on the implications of heating from dark photon dark matter in the presence of inhomogeneous structure (which is particularly relevant for dark photons with masses in the range $10^{-15} \, {\rm eV} \, \lesssim m_{A^\prime} \lesssim 10^{-12}$ eV), emphasizing both the importance of inhomogeneous energy injection, as well as the sensitivity of cosmological observations to the inhomogeneities themselves. More specifically, we derive modified constraints on dark photon dark matter from the Ly-$\alpha$ forest, and show that the presence of inhomogeneities allows one to extend constraints to masses outside of the range that would be obtainable in the homogeneous limit, while only slightly relaxing their strength. We then project sensitivity for near-future cosmological surveys that are hoping to measure the 21cm transition in neutral hydrogen prior to reionization, and demonstrate that these experiments will be extremely useful in improving sensitivity to masses near $\sim 10^{-14}$ eV, potentially by several orders of magnitude. Finally, we discuss implications for reionization, early star formation, and late-time $y$-type spectral distortions, and show that probes which are inherently sensitive to the inhomogeneous state of the Universe could resolve signatures unique to the light dark photon dark matter scenario, and thus offer a fantastic potential for a positive detection.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Upgrade of the Lyman-alpha diagnostic system on DIII-D for main chamber edge neutral studies

The LLAMA (Lyman Alpha Measurement Apparatus) pinhole camera diagnostic had previously been deployed on DIII-D to measure radial profiles of the Lyman-α (Ly-α) deuterium neutral line brightness across the plasma boundary in the lower chamber to infer neutral deuterium density and ionization rate profiles. This system has recently been upgraded with a new diagnostic head, named ALPACA, that also encloses two pinhole cameras and duplicates the LLAMA views in the upper chamber. Similar to LLAMA, ALPACA provides two times 20 lines of sight, viewing the plasma edge on the inboard and outboard sides with a radial resolution of ~2.5 cm (FWHM) and an effective time resolution of ~1 ms that allows for the investigation of inter-ELM dynamics. The extended Ly-α system provides better coverage to study neutrals in experiments with various plasma shapes utilizing both the upper and lower divertors. Furthermore, post-campaign calibration of the LLAMA diagnostic has successfully been demonstrated for the first time. This was facilitated by various upgrades to the calibration set-up and detailed measurements of the emissivity distribution of the Ly-α calibration source using a pinhole collimator. It was found that the sensitivity of the inboard LLAMA pinhole camera was reduced by a factor of 2.0 ± 0.2 over the course of six months of plasma operation in 2021. In conclusion, the upgraded Ly-α system, equipped with improved absolute calibration, will provide key input for neutral fueling and pedestal particle transport studies and for 2D edge transport code validation on the DIII-D tokamak.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Search for rare alpha and double beta decays of Yb isotopes to excited levels of daughter nuclei

A search for alpha and double beta decays of ytterbium isotopes was performed with an ultra low-background high purity germanium detector at Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (Italy). A 194.7 g Yb 2 (C 2 O 4 ) 3 powder sample was measured for 11.3 days with a total Yb exposure of 1.25 kg×day. Half-life limits for α-decay modes of 168 Yb, 170 Yb, 171 Yb, 172 Yb, 173 Yb, 174 Yb and 176 Yb into the first excited states have been obtained between 6 × 10 14 years and 2 × 10 16 years. These are the first experimental constraints of these decay modes. Double electron capture of 168 Yb and double beta decay of 176 Yb into the first excited 2 + and 0 + states could be excluded with limits between 1 × 10 14 years to 8 × 10 16 years. This improves the experimental information on some of the decay modes compared to previous constraints.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the anomalous spin precession frequency $\omega_\alpha$ in the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab

The Muon $g-2$ Experiment at Fermilab aims to measure the muon magnetic moment anomaly, $a_{\mu} = (g-2)/2$, with a final accuracy of 0.14 parts per million (ppm). A $3.1$-GeV muon beam is injected into a storage ring of $14\,$m diameter, in the presence of a $1.45\,$T magnetic field. The anomaly $a_\mu$ can be extracted by accurately measuring the anomalous muon spin precession frequency $\omega_a$, based on the arrival time distribution of decay positrons observed by $24$ calorimeters, and the magnetic field. In 2023, the experiment published its second result based on the two datasets Run-2 and Run-3, reaching the unprecedented sensitivity of $0.21\,$ppm --- a factor $\sim2.2$ improvement since its first result published in 2021, based on the first dataset (Run-1). In this paper, we will focus on the measurement of the $\omega_a$ frequency, describing the techniques and major sources of systematic uncertainty in the 2023 publication, and outlining the improvements since the 2021 result. We will also cover the status of the ongoing $\omega_a$ analysis for the last three datasets, collected from 2020 to 2023, along with the projected uncertainties on the final Muon $g-2$ measurement at Fermilab.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

On the statistical theory of self-gravitating collisionless dark matter flow: Scale and redshift variation of velocity and density distributions

The statistics of velocity and density fields are crucial for cosmic structure formation and evolution. Here, this paper extends our previous work on the two-point second-order statistics for the velocity field [Phys. Fluids 35, 077105 (2023)] to one-point probability distributions for both density and velocity fields. The scale and redshift variation of density and velocity distributions are studied by a halo-based non-projection approach. First, all particles are divided into halo and out-of-halo particles so that the redshift variation can be studied via generalized kurtosis of distributions for halo and out-of-halo particles, respectively. Second, without projecting particle fields onto a structured grid, the scale variation is analyzed by identifying all particle pairs on different scales $r$. We demonstrate that: (i) Delaunay tessellation can be used to reconstruct the density field. The density correlation, spectrum, and dispersion functions were obtained, modeled, and compared with the N-body simulation; (ii) the velocity distributions are symmetric on both small and large scales and are non-symmetric with a negative skewness on intermediate scales due to the inverse energy cascade on small scales with a constant rate $\varepsilon_u$; (iii) On small scales, the even order moments of pairwise velocity $\Delta u_L$ follow a two-thirds law $\propto{(-\varepsilon_ur)}^{2/3}$, while the odd order moments follow a linear scaling $\langle(\Delta u_L)^{2n+1}\rangle=(2n+1)\langle(\Delta u_L)^{2n}\rangle\langle\Delta u_L\rangle\propto{r}$; (iv) The scale variation of the velocity distributions was studied for longitudinal velocities $u_L$ or $u_L^{'}$, pairwise velocity (velocity difference) $\Delta u_L$=$u_L^{'}$-$u_L$ and velocity sum $\Sigma u_L$=$u^{'}_L$+$u_L$. Fully developed velocity fields are never Gaussian on any scale, despite that they can initially be Gaussian; (v) On small scales, $u_L$ and $\Sigma u_L$ can be modeled by a $X$ distribution to maximize the entropy of the system. The distribution of $\Delta u_L$ can be different; (vi) On large scales, $\Delta u_L$ and $\Sigma u_L$ can be modeled by a logistic or a $X$ distribution, while $u_L$ has a different distribution; (vii) the redshift variation of the velocity distributions follows the evolution of the $X$ distribution involving a shape parameter $\alpha(z)$ decreasing with time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Constraining the charge-, time-, and rigidity-dependence of cosmic-ray solar modulation with AMS-02 observations during Solar Cycle 24

Our basic theoretical understanding of the sources of cosmic rays and their propagation through the interstellar medium is hindered by the Sun, that through the solar wind affects the observed cosmic-ray spectra. This effect is known as solar modulation. Recently released cosmic-ray observations from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) and publicly available measurements of the solar wind properties from the Advanced Composition Explorer and the Wilcox observatory allow us to test the analytical modeling of the time-, charge- and rigidity-dependence of solar modulation. We rely on associating measurements on the local heliospheric magnetic field and the heliospheric current sheet’s tilt angle, to model the time-dependence and amplitude of cosmic-ray solar modulation. We find evidence for the solar modulation’s charge- and rigidity-dependence during the era of solar cycle 24. Our analytic prescription to model solar modulation can explain well the large-scale time evolution of positively charged cosmic-ray fluxes in the range of rigidities from 1 GV to 10 GV. Here, we also find that cosmic-ray electron fluxes measured during the first years of cycle 24 are less trivial to explain, due to the complex and rapidly evolving structure of the heliosphere’s magnetic field that they experienced as they propagated inwards.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Experimental observation and integrated modelling of proton-beryllium fusion in He and D plasmas at JET

Validated integrated modelling of JET ITER-like wall experiments in which fusion performance is driven by reactions between fast ions and intrinsically present metal wall impurities is presented. A steady-state L-mode plasma with dominant proton-beryllium fusion and neutron yields of up to ≈ 6·10 13 s -1 is developed in He and D, via radiofrequency heating of a H minority. The fusion drive is unambiguously confirmed by the neutral particle analyser, fast ion loss detector, and γ-ray diagnostics. Experiments are analysed via an integrated modelling framework, developed to model the two-stage proton beryllium-fusion chain and produce high-fidelity fusion product source terms. The modelling chain comprises TRANSP and JETTO for plasma core modelling, LOCUST for full orbit product tracking and collisional slowing-down, DRESS to resolve two- and three-body fusion kinematics, and MCNP for neutron transport calculations. Modelling shows that the primary 9 Be(p,n) 9 B reaction is the dominant neutron emitter at naturally present concentrations of beryllium in these experiments. The yield contribution of secondary reactions between fusion products and beryllium, 9 Be(d,n) 10 B and 9 Be(α,n) 12 C, is found to be negligible. The proton-deuteron knock-on effect in D plasmas is modelled, which is calculated to contribute ≈ 25% to the total neutron yield. For both He and D discharges the total computed neutron rates match fission chamber (FC) measurements within the combined experimental and computational uncertainty, with an average discrepancy of ≈ ± 20%. Realistic proton-beryllium neutron sources are propagated through JET’s MCNP neutron transport model which shows that 235 U FCs’ response is sensitive to p–Be source changes, with up to ≈ 10% variation compared to a D–D neutron source. We show that the high-energy tail of the fast proton minority can be studied with multi-foil neutron activation. The framework is also applied to the study of interactions between fast protons and boron impurities, of relevance to ITER. We calculate that in JET conditions a significant alpha source with DT-like energies could be generated through 11 B(p, α)2α fusion, and detected via γ-emission in secondary interactions between fast alphas and boron. The work represents an important step towards validating predictive integrated modelling capabilities for non-standard fusion reactions.

JET↗
DOE OSTI2024

Informing solar blind radioluminescence imaging through a calibrated spectrum

While direct radiation detection methods offer great insight into the origin of ionizing particles and photons, their use to locate contaminated areas or concealed radioactive sources can lead to undue exposure of personnel and equipment to ionizing radiation or the potential for contamination. These same sources induce ultraviolet (UV) optical photon fluorescence in air – a process referred to as radioluminescence – that may be imaged from low dose regions over larger attenuation lengths than ionizing radiation. However, most optical detection methods are limited to low lighting conditions to image the more abundant ultraviolet-A (UV-A) photons. To extend this capability to room light or daytime conditions, the solar blind region (Ultraviolet-C (UV-C), <280 nm) can be tapped. Though the emission yield of UV-C photons is roughly two orders of magnitude lower than that in the UV-A regime, the UV-C offers dramatic improvements in signal-to-noise ratios under bright lighting conditions due to decreased background interferences. The yield of specific UV-C lines, if present in the literature at all, varies widely, which has a large impact in modeling and analyzing standoff UV-C measurement scenarios. Thus, we have captured improved radioluminescence spectra over 250–400 nm and identified observed emission peaks in ambient air. Many of the UV-C photons produced by ionizing radiation excitation result from high-energy, molecular nitrogen Gaydon-Herman transitions which have had limited study to date for this application. Relating these findings to published UV-A yields, we estimate emissions between 0.15–0.19 photons/MeV over 250–280 nm. Additionally, we also use a commercial corona-discharge imaging camera to demonstrate outdoor UV-C radiation mapping of alpha and gamma emitters from 50 and 75 m standoffs, respectively. The imaged “counts” are compared to optically modelled values and show the same trend over distance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗