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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

MX precipitate behavior in an irradiated advanced Fe-9Cr steel: Helium effects on phase stability

As part of an ongoing series aimed at optimizing Fe-9Cr reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) alloys for fusion energy systems, this study explores MX precipitate behavior under dual-ion irradiations, specifically examining correlations between helium transmutation and irradiation-induced damage. Utilizing single and dual-beam ion irradiation, the research explores the combined effects of helium (10–25 appm He/dpa), temperature (400–600 °C), and damage levels (15–100 dpa) on the microstructural evolution of CNA9 steel, a variant of Castable Nanostructured Alloys (CNAs). The study demonstrates that helium co-implantation hinders radiation-enhanced coarsening of MX-TiC precipitates at 500 and 600 °C, maintaining MX-TiC precipitate stability at moderate damage levels (15 dpa) but failing to prevent complete precipitate dissolution at higher damage levels (≥50 dpa) when irradiated at 500 °C. Here, a generalized precipitate stability model suggests that helium-induced suppression of diffusion alters the balance between recoil resolution and back diffusion for MX-TiC precipitates, enhancing the current understanding of precipitate behavior under damage and transmutation simulated dual-ion irradiation conditions.

Characterization↗
DOE OSTI2026

Investigation of Ion-Irradiated Beryllium Carbide (Be 2 C) for High-Temperature Nuclear Reactor Moderators

Beryllium carbide (Be 2 C) is an attractive alternative to graphite as a moderator material because of its high melting point, moderating efficiency, and theoretical environmental compatibility in MSRs, FHRs and HTGRs. However, its behavior under neutron irradiation is not yet known. Research on otherwise promising beryllium compounds are restricted because of the toxic nature of the material. For this work, a novel experiment was designed to safely irradiate beryllium-containing samples at The Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL). Using this new capability, Be 2 C samples were irradiated with 9 MeV C 3+ ions from 2 dpa to 30 dpa, at temperatures up to 500 °C. Samples were characterized to investigate radiation tolerance. No evidence of phase precipitation, dislocation loops, or amorphization was observed up to 30 dpa, suggesting good radiation tolerance. One sample left in air for ~3 months oxidized slowly and lost structural integrity, while a sample kept in argon did not, suggesting that Be 2 C is not suitable for service in moist environments, but maintains its integrity in dry environments.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Method of making thin films

A method of making a thin film can include bombarding a substrate with first ions supplied from a first ion beam; and sputtering from a metal sputtering target substantially simultaneously with the bombardment to deposit a metal-ion film onto the substrate, wherein the method is performed without applied heat, and the metal sputtering target comprises one or more of a metal, a transition metal, a semi-metal, alloys thereof and combinations thereof.

Polakovic, Tomas↗
DOE OSTI2023

First benchmarked electron cooling simulations from first principles

We present the first microscopic electron cooling simulations from first principles with accurate prediction of cooling time. These simulations were performed using our previously developed numerical method, PHAD, which is the first efficient large-scale collisional numerical method in beam physics. The simulation results are benchmarked with the experimental data of the low energy bunched electron cooling of ion beams at the storage ring CSRm at the IMP facility in China. Here, we have accurately considered the nonlinear dynamics in the whole accelerator system in addition to the electron cooling section. As a result, our simulations correctly reproduced cooling times of the experiments from first principles and without any tuning or fitting parameters in the code.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Commissioning of the Advanced Rare Isotope Separator ARIS at FRIB

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU) consists of a newly constructed linear accelerator and fragment separator that are designed for enhanced production rates of rare isotopes for use in research and other societal applications. Recent activities through to August 2022 took place to commission the Advanced Rare Isotope Separator (ARIS) and carry out the first experiments. This followed commissioning of the newly constructed linac that is designed to provide orders of magnitude higher beam power than the previously coupled cyclotrons. This required that more advanced target, beam dump, and collimation systems of the new separator be designed and constructed to sustain unprecedented conditions by heavy ion beams. Commissioning with ~1 kW beams began recently and results from activities that began in late 2021 are reported here. Comparisons between the previous and current facilities are provided.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dynamic evolution of ultracold electron beams from nanostructured cathodes

Dynamic Coulomb expansion of dense, nonuniform particle beamlets can lead to causticlike formations in the charge density profile of the resultant beam. Such features only occur for cold beams where thermal diffusion of the particles is minimized. These phenomena have been observed experimentally for select cases with ion beams but not yet for electron beams as the electron dynamics occur over far faster timescales. We simulate the interaction of electron bunches while varying the initial transverse temperature and density profiles to determine the thresholds that characterize this pattern formation. Furthermore, we extend the simulations to geometric arrangements that are more pertinent to the nanotip cathode application and consider the effects of asymmetries and the impact of a low-density halo on the overall process. The simulations are conducted using a previously documented high-fidelity algorithm for collisional particle dynamics. These studies identify the temperature and density thresholds required for caustic formation and provide guidance for optimizing the design of nanoscale structured cathodes. We also demonstrate that the correlation between the final density patterns and the underlying beam parameters enables a virtual diagnostic tool for measuring ultralow emittance beams solely based on a transverse charge density profile.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-resolution Laboratory Measurements of K-shell X-Ray Line Polarization and Excitation Cross Sections in Helium-like S XV Ions

We report measurements of electron-impact excitation cross sections for the strong K-shell n = 2 → 1 transitions in S xv, using the LLNL EBIT-I electron beam ion trap, two crystal spectrometers, and the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer. The cross sections are determined by direct normalization to the well-known cross sections of radiative electron capture, measured simultaneously. Using contemporaneous polarization measurements with the two crystal spectrometers, whose dispersion planes are oriented parallel and perpendicular to the electron beam direction, the polarization of the direct excitation line emission is determined, and in turn the isotropic total cross sections are extracted. We further experimentally investigate various line-formation mechanisms, finding that radiative cascades and collisional inner-shell ionization dominate the degree of linear polarization and total line-emission cross sections of the forbidden line, z.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Heavy-ion physics at the LHC

Heavy-ion collisions have been part of the programme of the LHC since its conception. The main nucleus–nucleus system is 208 82 + Pb + 208 82 + Pb . During the Runs 1 and 2, the LHC provided Pb+Pb collisions with centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √ s NN = 2.76 and 5.02 TeV, Xe+Xe with √ s NN = 5.44 TeV, and p+Pb with √ s NN = 5.02 and 8.16 TeV. The LHC performance with heavy-ion beams is described in Ref. 1. The ALICE detector was conceived to be dedicated to the study of heavy-ion collisions. The ATLAS and CMS experiments participated in the programme since the very beginning, and the LHCb experiment participated since the end of Run 1. Figure 1 shows event displays of Pb+Pb collisions from the four experiments.

Audurier, Benjamin↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of a versatile, high-temperature, high-throughput ion irradiation system

We report ion irradiation has long been used as a surrogate for neutron irradiation experiments which are comparatively slower, more expensive, and often can leave materials activated and difficult to handle post-irradiation. However, with the growing use of combinatorial synthesis methods and high-throughput, automated characterization techniques, ion irradiation facilities will need to upgrade their capabilities to be able to accommodate these new material platforms. To address this challenge, a high-throughput ion irradiation system has been developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Ion Beam Laboratory (IBL). The system is capable of accommodating large sample arrays of arbitrary geometries and heat samples individually using an infrared laser to enable high-temperature, high-throughput ion irradiation while mitigating the risk of annealing the irradiation damage in nearby samples. To control stage motion, laser power, and beam current measurement, among other tasks, the program Chronos was developed which enables automated high-throughput irradiation experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

In-flight production of an isomeric beam of 16 N

In this work, an in-flight beam of 16 N was produced via the single-neutron adding ($\textit{d,p}$) reaction in inverse kinematics at the recently upgraded Argonne Tandem Linear Accelerator System (ATLAS) in-flight system. The amount of the 16 N beam which resided in its excited 0.120 MeV $J^\pi$ = 0 – isomeric state (T 1/2 ≈ 5 μs) was determined to be 40(5)% at a reaction energy of 7.9(3) MeV/$\textit{u}$, and 24(2)% at a reaction energy of 13.2(2) MeV/$\textit{u}$. The isomer measurements took place at an experimental station ≈ 30 m downstream of the production target and utilized an Al beam-stopping foil and a HPGe Clover detector. Composite 16 N beam rate determinations were made at the experimental station and the focal plane of the Argonne in-flight radioactive ion-beam separator (RAISOR) with Si ΔE-E telescopes. A Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA) approach was coupled with the known spectroscopic information on 16 N in order to estimate the relative 16 N isomer yields and composite 16 N beam rates. In addition to the observed reaction-energy dependence of the isomer fraction, a large sensitivity to the angular acceptance of the recoils was also observed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Laboratory Measurements of n >= 3 K-shell Transition Energies of Sulfur Ions from F-like S viii to Li-like S xiv

Inner-shell transitions are ubiquitous in nonequilibrium collisionally ionized plasmas, such as supernova remnants, and in photoionized plasmas, such as outflows from active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries. Inner-shell X-ray emission can help determine key parameters of these systems, such as ionization time, τ, and ionization parameter, ξ. Despite their importance, only theoretical inner-shell transition energies are available for many ions. To provide experimental benchmarks, we have measured the dominant n → 1 K-shell transitions of sulfur ions where n ≥ 3 from Li-like S xiv to F-like S viii using LLNL’s SuperEBIT electron beam ion trap and the NASA/GSFC EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS). We identify over 30 spectral features and measure their energies with uncertainties in the ∼0.1–1 eV range. We compare these results to Flexible Atomic Code (FAC) and multireference Møller–Plesset (MR-MP) calculations and find differences between theory and experiment of ∼1 eV for FAC and <0.5 eV for most MR-MP calculations. We also compare these results to two widely used atomic databases, AtomDB and CHIANTI, and find discrepancies as high as 7 eV. Furthermore, many transitions are missing from these databases despite being prominent in our data.

Atomic data benchmarking↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dual-energy fast neutron imaging using tunable short-pulse laser-driven sources

Here a novel dual-energy fast neutron imaging technique is presented using short-pulse laser-driven neutron sources to leverage their inherent adaptive spectral control to enable 3D volume segmentation and reconstruction. Laser-accelerated ion beams incident onto secondary targets create directional, broadband, MeV-class neutrons. Synthetic radiographs are produced of multi-material objects using ion and neutron spectra derived from analytic and numerical models. It is demonstrated that neutron images generated from small changes to the neutron spectra, controlled by altering the initial laser conditions, are sufficient to isolate materials with differing attenuation coefficients. This is first demonstrated using a simplistic combinatorial isolation method and then by employing more advanced reconstruction algorithms to reduce artifacts and generate a segmentation volume of the constituent materials.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Observation of N-rich solid-electrolyte interphase by ToF-SIMS.

Formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) between lithium electrodes and electrolyte upon multiple charge/discharge cycles is crucial to a long-term lithium-ion battery performance. Addition of LiNO3 to lithium bis (fluorosulfonyl) imide/poly(ethylene oxide) (LiFSI/PEO) electrolyte leads to a durable SEI that is electrically insulating yet highly conductive to Li ions, chemically and electrochemically stable, physically uniform, and mechanically robust. ToF-SIMS was used here in combination with sputtering by a gaseous cluster ion beam (GCIB) to examine how the addition of a small proportion of LiNO3 to the LiFSI/PEO electrolyte affects the SEI composition. Negative ion ToF-SIMS spectra of the cycled samples display an intense m/z 26 peak associated with the SEI. Exact mass assignments and isotopic ratios indicate that this peak should be assigned as (CN-)-C-12, with little to no negative secondary ion signal arising from (LiF-)-Li-7. This CN- signal appears to arise from an N-rich portion of the SEI adjacent to the Li electrode that is depleted in LiF relative to the bulk electrolyte. The dearth of LiF- (and LiF+ from the positive ion spectra) is unexpected because LiF has been identified in the SEI in similar samples. Finally, GCIB sputtering indicates that the SEI adheres more strongly to the Li electrode than to the LiFSI/PEO electrolyte.

Shavandi, Seyedeh Reyhaneh↗
DOE OSTI2023

Recent Beam Stability Analysis for the EIC

This document summarizes work done in WBS 6.02.02 during FY23. Additional details can be found in the EIC overview paper presented at IPAC’23 [1], and the references therein. Progress has been made in the ESR and HSR lattice design, dynamic aperture optimization, and the RCS lattice design. The impedance and Collective effects are progressing and include the impedance optimization process of the vacuum systems for RCS, HSR, and ESR; collective effects studies; collective effects and beam-beam interaction; coupled bunch instabilities and the crab cavities; low-level RF feedback system design and beam-ion instability. The reversed phasing RF system has been numerically studied for the ESR to mitigate Robinson instability and demonstrate reliable stable beam operation. Various codes, including C++, SPACE [2], ELEGANT [3], and Mbtrack2 [4] have been employed to benchmark the results. The simulation of HSR bunch splitting with beam loading has been performed at 275 GeV energy. The evaluation of Beam Position Monitors aimed to validate their expected performance, with the primary objective being to verify their accuracy. Calculations of Electron Polarization in the ESR, RCS, and HSR are showing good progress. In the RCS, preliminary studies indicate excellent polarization transmission over intrinsic spin resonances, achieving over 90% transmission with improved performance compared to the previous lattice. Preliminary simulations in the ESR indicate encouraging results in minimizing depolarization and improving equilibrium polarization.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advancing the Understanding of Manufacturing Tools for Hardware Security

This project’s goal was to explore new methods and tools to evaluate the focused ion beam (FIB) effect on active electrical devices, which is becoming increasingly challenged by the continual decrease in transistor geometry. Novel hole transfer methods leveraging FIB patterning were demonstrated utilizing selective area atomic layer deposition (ALD) and metal assisted chemical etching. A FIB damage electrical tester device was fabricated, and the effects of FIB beams were characterized by examining change in performance of damaged transistors. Detailed characterization of end-of-range damage for common FIB ions were correlated to modeling methods. Finally, undamaged and damaged devices were simulated by Charon to begin understanding the FIB effects on active devices. This test platform along with modeling methods give a powerful way to assess FIB damage in materials and devices, and with more development can help establish methods to predict FIB damage effects on electrical devices.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Resonant Slow Extraction Simulation using Bmad

Simulations of slow extraction and transport of charged particle beams from synchrotrons requires careful modeling and experimentation. In this paper, we outline how the Bmad modeling software was adapted and developed to run third-integer resonant extraction simulations of beams at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Booster synchrotron. Further, we show experimental comparisons of the slowly extracted beams transferred to the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) transport line. In this process, beam passes through a stripping foil element at the extraction point, which, along with stripping remaining electrons from the beam ions, acts as a scatterer to modify the phase space, moving to a more Gaussian-like distribution. This modification to the beam helps generate a uniform beam at the beam line’s target location; which is necessary for the variety of experiments performed at the facility. During this work, beam energy loss and multiple scattering by foil routines were built in conjunction with the Bmad code developers and are now integrated into the software.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electromagnetic and Engineering Design of a High-Current 15-MeV/u Cyclotron

The capability to produce high current, low loss, and extracted external ion beams presents an enabling technology for nuclear security, isotope production, and medical applications. We report on a novel, continuous-wave cyclotron for accelerating light ions with a charge-to-mass ratio of 1/2, which is designed for 1 mA maximum and 15 MeV/u energy. This article details the conceptual electromagnetic (EM) and engineering design including the 1.1 T sector magnets and 45 MHz, 200 kV radio frequency (RF) cavities. We discuss the cyclotron beam parameters with respect to potential commercial and industrial applications. The general concept and the accelerator’s layout are followed by a detailed EM design of magnets and RF cavities. Finally, practical engineering design considerations will be provided.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Influences of the transverse motions of the particles to the recombination rate of a co-propagating electron-ion system

For a system with the ion beam co-propagating with the electron beam, such as a traditional electron cooler or a Coherent electron Cooler (CeC), the recombination rate is an important observable for matching the energy of the electrons with the ions. In this work, we have developed the analytical expressions to investigate how the recombination rate depends on the energy difference of the two beams, with the influences from the transverse motions of the particles being considered. The analytical results are then used to analyze the measured recombination data collected during the CeC experiment in run 21.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗