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At least 55 records · Page 3

MolSym : A Python package for handling symmetry in molecular quantum chemistry

A consideration of the point group symmetry of molecules is often advantageous from a computational efficiency standpoint and sometimes necessary for the correct treatment of chemical physics problems. Many modern electronic structure software packages include a treatment of symmetry, but these are sometimes incomplete or unusable outside of that program’s environment. Therefore, we have developed the MolSym package for handling molecular symmetry and its associated functionalities to provide a platform for including symmetry in the implementation and development of other methods. Features include point group detection, molecule symmetrization, arbitrary generation of symmetry element sets and character tables, and symmetry adapted linear combinations of real spherical harmonic basis functions, Cartesian displacement coordinates, and internal coordinates. We present some of the advantages of using molecular symmetry as achieved by MolSym, particularly with respect to Hartree–Fock theory, and the reduction of finite difference displacements in gradient/Hessian computations. Furthermore, this package is designed to be easily integrated into other software development efforts and may be extended to further symmetry applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A selection function toolbox for subsets of astronomical catalogues

ABSTRACT Large catalogues are ubiquitous throughout astronomy, but most scientific analyses are carried out on smaller samples selected from these catalogues by chosen cuts on catalogued quantities. The selection function of that scientific sample – the probability that a star in the catalogue will satisfy these cuts and so make it into the sample – is thus unique to each scientific analysis. We have created a general framework that can flexibly estimate the selection function of a sample drawn from a catalogue in terms of position, magnitude and colour. Our method is unique in using the binomial likelihood and accounting for correlations in the selection function across position, magnitude, and colour using Gaussian processes and spherical harmonics. We have created a new open-source python package selectionfunctiontoolbox that implements this framework and used it to make three different estimates of the APOGEE DR16 red giant sample selection function, as a subset of 2MASS, with each estimate using an increasing amount of technical knowledge of the APOGEE targeting. In a companion paper, we applied our methodology to derive estimates of the astrometric and spectroscopic selection functions of Gaia EDR3. Our framework will make it trivial for astrophysicists to estimate the selection function that they should be using with the custom sample of stars that they have chosen to answer their scientific question.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Analytical expression of a finite, long, conical canted-cosine-theta coil for particle collider interaction regions

Magnets in the accelerator interaction region (IR) present significant challenges because of high field requirements and limited available space. Conical-shaped magnets offer advantages in these environments by allowing closer placement to the interaction point while maintaining clearance from synchrotron radiation. Interestingly, numerical studies have shown that conical canted-cosine-theta (CCT) designs produce a constant field distribution along the axial direction in the IR quadrupoles for the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. However, the field harmonics generated by conical CCT windings are not yet fully understood. This paper presents an analytical approach to describe the magnetic field produced by a conical surface current and proposes a method for designing conical CCT magnets for accelerator applications. First, we begin with a surface current sheet having a general cosine-theta distribution in spherical coordinates and solve the vector potential using the Green’s function. The magnetic fields generated by the conical current sheet are expressed using associated Legendre polynomials. These results are then related to circular field harmonics and integral field harmonics for designing a coil that produces a pure multipole field. Next, a single layer of the conical CCT winding path is produced based on the cosine-theta current distribution. Finally, the magnetic field quality of dipole and quadrupole conical CCT coils with multiple layers is verified using the Biot-Savart law.

Yang, Ye↗

Calibration and Localization of Optically Pumped Magnetometers Using Electromagnetic Coils

In this paper, we propose a method to estimate the position, orientation, and gain of a magnetic field sensor using a set of (large) electromagnetic coils. We apply the method for calibrating an array of optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) for magnetoencephalography (MEG). We first measure the magnetic fields of the coils at multiple known positions using a well-calibrated triaxial magnetometer, and model these discreetly sampled fields using vector spherical harmonics (VSH) functions. We then localize and calibrate an OPM by minimizing the sum of squared errors between the model signals and the OPM responses to the coil fields. We show that by using homogeneous and first-order gradient fields, the OPM sensor parameters (gain, position, and orientation) can be obtained from a set of linear equations with pseudo-inverses of two matrices. The currents that should be applied to the coils for approximating these low-order field components can be determined based on the VSH models. Computationally simple initial estimates of the OPM sensor parameters follow. As a first test of the method, we placed a fluxgate magnetometer at multiple positions and estimated the RMS position, orientation, and gain errors of the method to be 1.0 mm, 0.2°, and 0.8%, respectively. Lastly, we calibrated a 48-channel OPM array. The accuracy of the OPM calibration was tested by using the OPM array to localize magnetic dipoles in a phantom, which resulted in an average dipole position error of 3.3 mm. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using electromagnetic coils to calibrate and localize OPMs for MEG.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Towards a self-consistent analysis of the anisotropic galaxy two- and three-point correlation functions on large scales: application to mock galaxy catalogues

We establish a practical method for the joint analysis of anisotropic galaxy two- and three-point correlation functions (2PCF and 3PCF, respectively) on the basis of the decomposition formalism of the 3PCF using tripolar spherical harmonics. We perform such an analysis with MultiDark-Patchy mock catalogues to demonstrate and understand the benefit of the anisotropic 3PCF. We focus on scales above $80\, h^{-1}\, {\rm Mpc}$, and use information from the shape and the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) signals of the 2PCF and 3PCF. We also apply density field reconstruction to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of BAO in the 2PCF measurement, but not in the 3PCF measurement. In particular, we study in detail the constraints on the angular diameter distance and the Hubble parameter. We build a model of the bispectrum or 3PCF that includes the non-linear damping of the BAO signal in redshift space. We carefully account for various uncertainties in our analysis including theoretical models of the 3PCF, window function corrections, biases in estimated parameters from the fiducial values, the number of mock realizations to estimate the covariance matrix, and bin size. The joint analysis of the 2PCF and 3PCF monopole and quadrupole components shows a $30{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ and $20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ improvement in Hubble parameter constraints before and after reconstruction of the 2PCF measurements, respectively, compared to the 2PCF analysis alone. Furthermore, this study clearly shows that the anisotropic 3PCF increases cosmological information from galaxy surveys and encourages further development of the modelling of the 3PCF on smaller scales than we consider.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Directional finite difference method for directly solving 3D gyrokinetic field equations with enhanced accuracy

The gyrokinetic (GK) field equation is a three-dimensional (3D) elliptic equation, but it is often simplified to a set of two-dimensional (2D) equations by assuming that the field does not vary along a specific direction. However, this simplification can introduce inevitable 0th-order numerical errors, as nonlinear mode coupling in toroidal geometry can produce undesirable harmonic modes that violate the assumption. In this work, we propose a novel directional finite difference method (FDM) with a local coordinate transformation to better resolve the target field of interest. The directional FDM can accurately solve 3D GK field equations without simplifications, which can overcome the limitations of conventional methods. The accuracy and efficiency of different FDMs are analyzed in great detail for a variety of geometries, from simple 2D Cartesian coordinates to realistic 3D curvilinear coordinates. The 0th-order numerical errors of simplified 2D GK equations were found to be more problematic for low-harmonic modes and low aspect ratio geometries such as spherical tokamaks. On the other hand, the directional 3D FDM can accurately resolve a much wider range of harmonic modes aligned to the direction of interest, including the low-harmonic modes. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the directional 3D FDM is a highly effective algorithm for solving the 3D GK field equations, achieving accuracy improvements of 10 to 100 times or more, particularly for low-harmonic modes in spherical tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Near-field radiative heat transfer between irregularly shaped dielectric particles modeled with the discrete system Green's function method

Near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) between irregularly shaped dielectric particles made of SiO 2 and morphology characterized by Gaussian random spheres is studied. Particles are modeled using the discrete system Green's function (DSGF) approach, which is a volume integral numerical method based on fluctuational electrodynamics. This method is applicable to finite, three-dimensional objects, and all system interactions are defined independent of thermal excitation by a generalized system Green's function. The DSGF method is deemed suitable to model NFRHT between irregularly shaped particles after verification against the analytical solution for chains of two and three SiO 2 spheres. The NFRHT results reveal that geometric irregularity in particles leads to a reduction of the total conductance from that of comparable perfect spheres at vacuum separation distances smaller than the particle size, a regime in which NFRHT is a surface phenomenon. At vacuum separation distances larger than the particle size, NFRHT becomes a volumetric process, and the total conductance between irregularly shaped particles converges to that of comparable perfect spheres. Spectral analysis reveals, however, that particle irregularity leads to damping and broadening of resonances at all separation distances, thereby highlighting the importance of the DSGF method for spectral engineering in the near field. The reduced spectral coherence when particle size is larger than the vacuum separation distance is attributed to coupling of surface phonon-polaritons within the randomly generated, distorted particle features. For particle size smaller than the vacuum separation distance, resonance broadening and damping are linked with the multiple localized surface phonon modes supported by the composite spherical harmonic morphologies of the Gaussian random spheres. In conclusion, this paper has direct implications for thermal management of packed particle systems, with applications in radiative property control, electronics, energy conversion, and nanomanufacturing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Full-potential KKR within the removed-sphere method: A practical and accurate solution to the Poisson equation

Here an efficient and accurate generalization of the removed-sphere method (RSM) to solve the Poisson equation for total charge density in a solid with space-filling convex Voronoi polyhedra (VPs) and any symmetry is presented. The generalized RSM avoids the use of multipoles and VP shape functions for cellular integrals, which have associated ill-convergent large, double-internal L sums in spherical-harmonic expansions, so that fast convergence in single-L sums is reached. Our RSM adopts full Ewald formulation to work for all configurations or when symmetry breaking occurs, such as for atomic displacements or elastic constant calculations. The structure-dependent coefficients A L that define RSM can be calculated once for a fixed structure and speed up the whole self-consistent-field procedure. The accuracy and rapid convergence properties are confirmed using two analytic models, including the Coulomb potential and energy. We then implement the full-potential RSM using the Green's function Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) method for real applications and compare the results with other first-principle methods and experimental data, showing that they are equally as accurate.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Multiview Incomplete Knowledge Graph Integration with application to cross-institutional EHR data harmonization

Objective: The growing availability of electronic health records (EHR) data opens opportunities for integrative analysis of multi-institutional EHR to produce generalizable knowledge. A key barrier to such integrative analyses is the lack of semantic interoperability across different institutions due to coding differences. We propose a Multiview Incomplete Knowledge Graph Integration (MIKGI) algorithm to integrate information from multiple sources with partially overlapping EHR concept codes to enable translations between healthcare systems. Methods: The MIKGI algorithm combines knowledge graph information from (i) embeddings trained from the co-occurrence patterns of medical codes within each EHR system and (ii) semantic embeddings of the textual strings of all medical codes obtained from the Self-Aligning Pretrained BERT (SAPBERT) algorithm. Due to the heterogeneity in the coding across healthcare systems, each EHR source provides partial coverage of the available codes. MIKGI synthesizes the incomplete knowledge graphs derived from these multi-source embeddings by minimizing a spherical loss function that combines the pairwise directional similarities of embeddings computed from all available sources. MIKGI outputs harmonized semantic embedding vectors for all EHR codes, which improves the quality of the embeddings and enables direct assessment of both similarity and relatedness between any pair of codes from multiple healthcare systems. Results: With EHR co-occurrence data from Veteran Affairs (VA) healthcare and Mass General Brigham (MGB), MIKGI algorithm produces high quality embeddings for a variety of downstream tasks including detecting known similar or related entity pairs and mapping VA local codes to the relevant EHR codes used at MGB. Based on the cosine similarity of the MIKGI trained embeddings, the AUC was 0.918 for detecting similar entity pairs and 0.809 for detecting related pairs. For cross-institutional medical code mapping, the top 1 and top 5 accuracy were 91.0% and 97.5% when mapping medication codes at VA to RxNorm medication codes at MGB; 59.1% and 75.8% when mapping VA local laboratory codes to LOINC hierarchy. When trained with 500 labels, the lab code mapping attained top 1 and 5 accuracy at 77.7% and 87.9%. MIKGI also attained best performance in selecting VA local lab codes for desired laboratory tests and COVID-19 related features for COVID EHR studies. Compared to existing methods, MIKGI attained the most robust performance with accuracy the highest or near the highest across all tasks. Conclusions: The proposed MIKGI algorithm can effectively integrate incomplete summary data from biomedical text and EHR data to generate harmonized embeddings for EHR codes for knowledge graph modeling and cross-institutional translation of EHR codes.

Zhou, Doudou↗

Imaging and Segmenting Grains and Subgrains Using Backscattered Electron Techniques

We present two new methods of processing data from backscattered electron signals in a scanning electron microscope to image grains and subgrains. The first combines data from multiple backscattered electron images acquired at different specimen geometries to (1) better reveal grain boundaries in recrystallized microstructures and (2) distinguish between recrystallized and unrecrystallized regions in partially recrystallized microstructures. The second utilizes spherical harmonic transform indexing of electron backscatter diffraction patterns to produce high angular resolution orientation data that enable the characterization of subgrains. Subgrains are produced during high-temperature plastic deformation and have boundary misorientation angles ranging from a few degrees down to a few hundredths of a degree. Here, we also present an algorithm to automatically segment grains from combined backscattered electron image data or grains and subgrains from high angular resolution electron backscatter diffraction data. Together, these new techniques enable rapid measurements of individual grains and subgrains from large populations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A minimum assumption approach to MEG sensor array design

Objective. Our objective is to formulate the problem of the magnetoencephalographic (MEG) sensor array design as a well-posed engineering problem of accurately measuring the neuronal magnetic fields. This is in contrast to the traditional approach that formulates the sensor array design problem in terms of neurobiological interpretability the sensor array measurements. Approach. We use the vector spherical harmonics (VSH) formalism to define a figure-of-merit for an MEG sensor array. We start with an observation that, under certain reasonable assumptions, any array of m perfectly noiseless sensors will attain exactly the same performance, regardless of the sensors' locations and orientations (with the exception of a negligible set of singularly bad sensor configurations). We proceed to the conclusion that under the aforementioned assumptions, the only difference between different array configurations is the effect of (sensor) noise on their performance. We then propose a figure-of-merit that quantifies, with a single number, how much the sensor array in question amplifies the sensor noise. Main results. We derive a formula for intuitively meaningful, yet mathematically rigorous figure-of-merit that summarizes how desirable a particular sensor array design is. We demonstrate that this figure-of-merit is well-behaved enough to be used as a cost function for a general-purpose nonlinear optimization methods such as simulated annealing. We also show that sensor array configurations obtained by such optimizations exhibit properties that are typically expected of 'high-quality' MEG sensor arrays, e.g. high channel information capacity. Significance. Our work paves the way toward designing better MEG sensor arrays by isolating the engineering problem of measuring the neuromagnetic fields out of the bigger problem of studying brain function through neuromagnetic measurements.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Finite boundary effects on the spherical Rayleigh–Taylor instability between viscous fluids

For the Rayleigh–Taylor unstable arrangement of a viscous fluid sphere embedded in a finite viscous fluid spherical shell with a rigid boundary and a radially directed acceleration, a dispersion relation is developed from a linear stability analysis using the method of normal modes. [Formula: see text] is the radially directed acceleration at the interface. ρ i denotes the density, μ i is the viscosity, and R i is the radius, where i = 1 is the inner sphere and i = 2 is the outer sphere. The dispersion relation is a function of the following dimensionless variables: viscosity ratio [Formula: see text], density ratio [Formula: see text], spherical harmonic mode n, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and the dimensionless growth rate [Formula: see text], where σ is the exponential growth rate. We show that the boundedness provided by the outer spherical shell has a strong influence on the instability behavior, which is reflected not only in the modulation of the growth rate but also in the selection of the most unstable modes that are physically possible. This outer boundary effect is quantified by the relative magnitude of the radius ratio H. We find that when H is close to unity, lower order harmonics are excluded from becoming the most unstable within a vast region of the parameter space. In other words, the effect of H has precedence over the other controlling parameters d, B, and a wide range of s in establishing what the lowest most unstable mode can be. When H ~ 1, low order harmonics can become the most unstable only for s >> 1. However, in the limit when s → ∞, we show that the most unstable mode is n = 1 and derive the dispersion relation in this limit. The exclusion of most unstable low order harmonics caused by a finite outer boundary is not realized when the outer boundary extends beyond a certain threshold length-scale in which case all modes are equally possible depending on the value of B.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Dirac oscillator: An alternative basis for nuclear structure calculations

The isotropic harmonic oscillator supplemented by a strong spin-orbit interaction has been the cornerstone of nuclear structure since its inception more than seven decades ago. In this paper we introduce—or rather re-introduce—the “Dirac oscillator,” a fully relativistic basis that has all the desired attributes of the ordinary harmonic oscillator while naturally incorporating a strong spin-orbit coupling. To assess the power and flexibility of the Dirac oscillator basis in the solution of nuclear structure problems within the framework of covariant density-functional theory. Here, self-consistent calculations of binding energies and ground-state densities for a selected set of doubly magic nuclei are performed using the Dirac oscillator basis and are then compared against results obtained with the often-used Runge-Kutta method. Results obtained using the Dirac oscillator basis reproduce with high accuracy those derived using the Runge-Kutta method and suggest a clear path for a generalization to systems with axial symmetry. Although the harmonic oscillator with spin-orbit corrections has been the staple of the nuclear shell model since the beginning, the Dirac oscillator is practically unknown among the nuclear physics community. In this paper we illustrate the power and flexibility of the Dirac oscillator and suggest extensions to the study of systems without spherical symmetry, as required in constrained calculations of nuclear excitations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

3D reconstruction of an inertial-confinement fusion implosion with neural networks using multiple heterogeneous data sources

3D asymmetries are major degradation mechanisms in inertial-confinement fusion implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These asymmetries can be diagnosed and reconstructed with the neutron imaging system (NIS) on three lines of sight around the NIF target chamber. Conventional tomographic reconstructions are used to reconstruct the 3D morphology of the implosion using NIS [Volegov et al., J. Appl. Phys. 127, 083301 (2020)], but the problem is ill-posed with only three imaging lines of sight. Asymmetries can also be diagnosed with the real-time neutron activation diagnostics (RTNAD) and the neutron time-of-flight (nToF) suite. Since the NIS, RTNAD, and nToF each sample a different part of the implosion using different physical principles, we propose that it is possible to overcome the limitations of too few imaging lines of sight by performing 3D reconstructions that combine information from all three heterogeneous data sources. This work presents a new machine learning-based reconstruction technique to do just this. By using a simple physics model and group of neural networks to map 3D morphologies to data, this technique can easily account for data of multiple different types. A simple proof-of-principle is presented, demonstrating that this technique can accurately reconstruct a hot-spot shape using synthetic primary neutron images and a hot-spot velocity vector. In particular, the hot-spot’s asymmetry, quantified as spherical harmonic coefficients, is reconstructed to within ±4% of the radius in 90% of test cases. In the future, this technique will be applied to actual NIS, RTNAD, and nToF data to better understand 3D asymmetries at the NIF.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NRC Multiphysics Analysis Capability Deployment FY2020 - Part 4

This report details progress and activities of Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) project “Development and Modeling Sup- port for Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors.” The tasks completed for this report are: • Task 3a: This task demonstrates the effectiveness of Griffin’s methods for interpolating cross sections and SPH correction factors as a function of control drum rotation. The Monte Carlo code Serpent is used to generate reference results. The accuracy of Griffin-calculated eigenvalues and reaction rates are studied as a function of control drum rotation for cross section and SPH factor libraries of varying fidelity. Higher-fidelity libraries require less interpolation and are therefore inherently more accurate; however, they require more computational resources to create. Overall, Griffin is able to accurately model eigenvalue and reaction rates over the full range of drum rotation using a library generated from three to five discrete drum rotations for a particular microreactor design. • Task 3c: This preliminary task successfully demonstrates the performance of a coupled neutron-photon transport calculation with Griffin using the spherical harmonics approximation. The Griffin solutions are compared to reference solutions from the continuous energy Monte Carlo codes MCNP and Serpent. Furthermore, this work also demonstrates how to prepare the neutron and photon libraries using NJOY, MCNP, and Serpent with the latest ENDF/B-VIII data for 235 U and graphite. The Griffin total energy deposition in the active core region is calculated within 0.3% of the reference, but it degrades in the reflector regions with a maximum difference of -1.5%. Overall, the results look promising and future analysis should use an improved data stream and focus on determining the potential cancellation of error within each energy group.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Transferable Hirshfeld atom model for rapid evaluation of aspherical atomic form factors

Form factors based on aspherical models of atomic electron density have brought great improvement in the accuracies of hydrogen atom parameters derived from X-ray crystal structure refinement. Today, two main groups of such models are available, the banks of transferable atomic densities parametrized using the Hansen–Coppens multipole model which allows for rapid evaluation of atomic form factors and Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR)-related methods which are usually more accurate but also slower. In this work, a model that combines the ideas utilized in the two approaches is tested. It uses atomic electron densities based on Hirshfeld partitions of electron densities, which are precalculated and stored in a databank. This model was also applied during the refinement of the structures of five small molecules. A comparison of the resulting hydrogen atom parameters with those derived from neutron diffraction data indicates that they are more accurate than those obtained with the Hansen–Coppens based databank, and only slightly less accurate than those obtained with a version of HAR that neglects the crystal environment. The advantage of using HAR becomes more noticeable when the effects of the environment are included. To speed up calculations, atomic densities were represented by multipole expansion with spherical harmonics up to l = 7, which used numerical radial functions (a different approach to that applied in the Hansen–Coppens model). Calculations of atomic form factors for the small protein crambin (at 0.73 Å resolution) took only 68 s using 12 CPU cores.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

encore : an O ( N g2) estimator for galaxy N -point correlation functions

ABSTRACT We present a new algorithm for efficiently computing the N-point correlation functions (NPCFs) of a 3D density field for arbitrary N. This can be applied both to a discrete spectroscopic galaxy survey and a continuous field. By expanding the statistics in a separable basis of isotropic functions built from spherical harmonics, the NPCFs can be estimated by counting pairs of particles in space, leading to an algorithm with complexity $\mathcal {O}(N_\mathrm{g}^2)$ for Ng particles, or $\mathcal {O}(N_\mathrm{FFT}\log N_\mathrm{FFT})$ when using a Fast Fourier Transform with NFFT grid-points. In practice, the rate-limiting step for N > 3 will often be the summation of the histogrammed spherical harmonic coefficients, particularly if the number of radial and angular bins is large. In this case, the algorithm scales linearly with Ng. The approach is implemented in the encore code, which can compute the 3PCF, 4PCF, 5PCF, and 6PCF of a BOSS-like galaxy survey in ${\sim}100$ CPU-hours, including the corrections necessary for non-uniform survey geometries. We discuss the implementation in depth, along with its GPU acceleration, and provide practical demonstration on realistic galaxy catalogues. Our approach can be straightforwardly applied to current and future data sets to unlock the potential of constraining cosmology from the higher point functions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Frequency-domain vs time-domain SP{sub N} equations to simulate neutron noise

Inside the reactor core mechanical vibrations of fuel assemblies can produce high fluctuations around a steady-state configuration, known as neutron noise. This effect can cause the triggering of power reduction measures. Classically, diffusion theory has been used to simulate this behavior. However, this equation has some limitations if the materials of the reactor have strong variations. In this work, we use the diffusive time-dependent simplified spherical harmonics equations that improve the previous results without the necessity of using high computational requirements. In particular, two types of analyses with these equations (SP{sub 3}) are made: a frequency-domain and a time-domain. A numerical neutron noise benchmark tests the methodology and compare both formulations. First, numerical results show a good agreement between the amplitudes and phases of the SP3 equations computed with the frequency-domain and time-domain. Therefore, as the frequency-domain computation only requires to solve a linear system, it is a recommendable option for neutron noise computations. Second, one can conclude that for this type of nuclear systems, where the assemblies are not homogenized, the SP{sub 3} approximation results improve considerably the accuracy of the diffusion theory.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗