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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Are Unidentified Extreme-Ultraviolet Sources the Closest Neutron Stars?

Unidentified extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) sources, detected in the EUVE and ROSAT WFC all-sky surveys, could be isolated old neutron stars, accreting material from the interstellar medium (ISM). The closest neutron stars, which are located in the local ISM bubble of unusually low density, are faint and cool (L approximately 10(exp 27) erg/s, T approximately < 6 eV). The extreme-UV spectrum of these sources is very sensitive to the H I column density, since a large fraction of the energy is emitted just below the hydrogen Lyman edge. The EUVE sources with large count rates in the long-wavelength bandpass (600 A) seem to be the most promising candidates. These sources should have low H I column density (N(sub H I) approximately < 10(exp 18) sq cm), constraining their distances to a few tens of parsecs. Otherwise, their spectra would be significantly modified by ISM absorption, and inevitably they would appear stronger in the short-wavelength (100 A, 200 A) EUVE bandpasses. If these unidentified objects are familiar EUV sources rather than neutron stars, i.e. white dwarfs, late-type stars or cataclysmic variables, they are expected to be identifiable, and generally brighter than V approximately 14.

Shemi, A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Solar Spectral Irradiance as a Function of the Mg II Index for Atmosphere and Climate Modelling

In this paper we present a new method to reconstruct the solar spectrum irradiance in the Ly alpha-400 nm region, and its variability, based on the Mg II index and neutron monitor. Measurements of the solar spectral irradiance available in the literature have been made with different instruments at different times and different spectral ranges. However, climate studies require harmonized data sets. This new approach has the advantage of being independent of the absolute calibration and aging of the instruments. First, the Mg II index is derived using solar spectra from Ly alpha (121 nm) to 410 nm measured from 1978 to 2010 by several space missions. The variability of the spectra with respect to a chosen reference spectrum as a function of time and wavelength is scaled to the derived Mg II index. The set of coefficients expressing the spectral variability can be applied to the chosen reference spectrum to reconstruct the solar spectra within a given time frame or Mg II index values. The accuracy of this method is estimated using two approaches: by direct comparison with particular cases where solar spectra are available from independent measurements, and by calculating the standard deviation between the measured spectra and their reconstruction. From direct comparisons with measurements we obtain an accuracy of about 1 to 2 %, which degrades towards Ly alpha. In a further step, we extend our solar spectral irradiance reconstruction back to the Maunder Minimum introducing the relationship between the Mg II index and the neutron monitor data. Consistent measurements of the Mg II index are not available prior to 1978. However, we observe that over the last three solar cycles, the Mg II index shows strong correlation with the modulation potential determined from the neutron monitor data. Assuming that this correlation can be applied to the past, we reconstruct the Mg II index from the modulation potential back to the Maunder Minimum, and obtain the corresponding solar spectral irradiance reconstruction back to that period. As there is no direct measurement of the spectral irradiance for this period we discuss this methodology in light of the other proposed approaches available in the literature. The use of the cosmogenic isotope data provides a major advantage: it provides information about the solar activity over several thousands years. Using technology of today we can calibrate the solar irradiance against the activity and thus reconstruct it for the times when cosmogenic isotope data are available. This calibration can be re-accessed at any time, if necessary.

Thuillier, Gerard↗
NASA NTRS1996

Galactic cosmic radiation model and its applications

A model for the differential energy spectra of galactic cosmic radiation as a function of solar activity is described. It is based on the standard diffusion-convection theory of solar modulation. Estimates of the modulation potential based on fitting this theory to observed spectral measurements from 1954 to 1989 are correlated to the Climax neutron counting rates and to the sunspot numbers at earlier times taking into account the polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field at the time of observations. These regression lines then provide a method for predicting the modulation at later times. The results of this model are quantitatively compared to a similar Moscow State University (MSU) model. These model cosmic ray spectra are used to predict the linear energy transfer spectra, differential energy spectra of light (charge less than or = 2) ions, and single event upsets rates in memeory devices. These calculations are compared to observations made aboard the Space Shuttle.

Badhwar, G. D.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Magnetic and quadrupole coupling emerging in NdB 4 with geometrically frustrated orthogonal antiferromagnetic dimer

Unusual successive order in NdB 4 with the frustrated Shastry-Sutherland lattice was investigated by means of inelastic neutron scattering. Here, we found that the pseudoquartet with |±5/2⟩ and |±7/2⟩ in the paramagnetic state splits into four levels in the magnetically ordered states. The observed spectra are in good agreement with the 𝑓-electron states obtained from the on-site Hamiltonian with the magnetic interaction ⟨𝐽 𝑥 ⟩ ⁢𝐽 𝑥 , the coupling of 𝐽 𝑥 with quadrupole 𝑂 𝑧⁢𝑥 , and the crystalline electric field potential. The 𝑓-electron states reproduce the temperature dependences of the in-plane moment 𝑚 ⊥ = ⟨𝐽 𝑥 ⟩, which is the primary order parameter, and a weakly induced 𝑚 𝑐 = ⟨𝐽 𝑧 ⟩ as the secondary order parameter. The magnetic-quadrupole coupling emerges and plays an essential role under the geometrical frustration, where the Heisenberg interactions are canceled out.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1982

10 June 1974 transient

The results of a transient event, referred to here as the Jacobson (1977) transient, observed in a balloon flight in 1974, are reviewed. Physical interpretations that have been proposed to explain this event are evaluated. The energy loss spectrum accumulated during the event and compared with background spectra accumulated before and after is included. The model for the transient proposed by Lingenfelter et al. (1978), which requires an episodic accretion of gas onto a neutron star from its companion star in a two-star system, is discussed. In surveying the field of gamma-ray 'line' astronomy, it is noted that to date all of the confirmed line features have been shown to be varying with a wide variety of time scales ranging from seconds to hours and, possibly, to months.

Ling, J. C.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dynamical moment fragmentation in the all-in all-out pyrochlore Nd 2 ⁢Sn 2⁢ O 7

We report single crystal neutron spectroscopy and bulk characterization on hydrothermally grown Nd 2 Sn 2 O 7 , revealing magnetic moment fragmentation embedded within the all-in–all-out ordered state. The spectra reveal a nearly flat band with pinch-point momentum dependence accompanied by dispersive branches that produce half-moon features across multiple Brillouin zones. These defining signatures are captured quantitatively by a minimal dipolar-octupolar spin Hamiltonian, demonstrating excellent agreement between experiment and theory. The higher flat-mode energy helps account for the absence of dynamical interference in prior μSR studies, while the lack of any photon-like excitation imposes strict constraints on the proposed Coulombic antiferromagnet scenario. Furthermore, our results extend moment fragmentation to Nd 2 Sn 2 O 7 and identify it as a clean, tractable platform for quantitative exploration of emergent gauge field physics in frustrated magnets.

DC susceptibility measurements↗
DOE OSTI2024

Local site behavior of the 5$d$ and 4$f$ ions in the frustrated pyrochlore Ho 2 Os 2 O 7

The pyrochlore osmate Ho 2 Os 2 O 7 is a candidate material for a fragile J=0 local singlet ground state, however little is known regarding the single-ion behavior of either the Os or Ho ions. To address this we present polarized neutron powder diffraction (PNPD) and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements that separately probe the local site behavior of the Os and Ho ions. The PNPD results are dominated by Ho 3+ scattering and the analysis reveals local site susceptibility behavior consistent with spin ice materials. Complimentary unpolarized neutron powder diffraction show an ordered spin ice ground state in an applied magnetic field. To isolate the Os 4+ single-ion behavior we present resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements at the osmium L-edge. Analysis of the RIXS spectra parameterize the spin-orbit coupling (0.35 eV), Hund’s coupling (0.27 eV) and trigonal distortion (-0.17 eV). Here, the results are considered within the context of a J=0 model and possible departures from this through structural distortions, excitonic interactions and 5d-4f interactions between the Os ion and the surrounding Ho lattice. The experimental methodology employed highlights the complimentary information available in rare earth based 5d pyrochlores from distinct neutron and x-ray scattering techniques that allow for the isolation and determination of the behavior of the different ions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Neutron-proton pairing correction in the extended isovector and isoscalar pairing model

An extended O ST (8) model with multi j-orbits is constructed based on the angular momentum decomposition with “pseudo”-spin S for valence nucleons in a j-orbit. It is shown that the isovector S = 0 and T=1 pairs are exactly the J=0 and T=1 pairs in a given j-orbit, while the isoscalar S = 1 pairs are linear combinations of J=odd pairs, with which the pairing Hamiltonian can be used to estimate isovector and isoscalar pairing interactions. As an example of the model application, some low-lying J = 0 + level energies of even-even and odd-odd A=18 – 28 nuclei up to the half-filling in the ds-shell above the 16 O core are fit by the model and compared with the fitting results of the same Hamiltonian in the O LST (8) form. It has been verified from the fitting of both the models that the isoscalar pairing interaction can be neglected in the lower energy part of the spectra of these ds-shell nuclei as far as binding energies and a few J=0 + excited levels of these nuclei are concerned. With the mean-field plus isovector pairing interaction only, neutron-neutron, proton-proton, and neutron-proton pairing contributions at the ground or the lowest J=0 + state of these nuclei are estimated. It is shown that the isovector np-pairing contribution to the binding in the odd-odd N=Z nuclei is systematically larger than that in the even-even nuclei. Furthermore, the isoscalar np-pair content at the lowest J=0+ state of these nuclei is also estimated. In both the O ST (8) and O LST (8) models, it is clearly shown that the isoscalar-pair content in the lowest J=0 + state of the N=Z and N=Z±2 nuclei increases with increasing of the valence nucleons, especially in those even-even nuclei, which indicates the isoscalar pairing correlation to be of importance at low-lying states of N=Z and N=Z±2 nuclei, especially in those even-even nuclei with more valence nucleons up to the half-filling, even though the isoscalar pairing interaction is negligible.

20 ≤ A ≤ 38↗
DOE OSTI2022

Second Target Station High-Fidelity Target Activation Comparison

The development of the Second Target Station (STS) target system at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is well underway. The target system at STS consists of a rotating target disk that contains 21 segments of tungsten clad in tantalum clad in steel. A key aspect of the design of the target system is to account for the delayed heating and material damage caused by the delayed dose from decaying radionuclides. These radionuclides are a product of either spallation reactions or transmutation of the nuclei in the target system. These radionuclides build up in the target system components over the lifetime of the facility, and the radiation that is emitted can deposit energy in the components causing significant component heating and material damage. Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Version 6.2 transports the various particle species and calculates the spallation products and neutron fluxes throughout the target system. These spallation products and neutron fluxes along with the material definition of each component are relayed to the CINDER2008 transmutation code to calculate the radionuclide inventories and the corresponding decay gamma emission spectra. MCNP6.2 coupled with CINDER2008 is the computational method-of-choice for the analysis discussed in the following sections of this report. The analysis focuses on validating major assumptions in calculating the radionuclide inventory in the STS target system: all of the target segments are fresh, unirradiated material when the protons are incident on the segment, the average of the 21 segments of the target is sufficient to represent a single segment, and that averaging the proton pulse structure over time does not significantly affect the radionuclide inventory. The position-averaged, high-fidelity, and single-tally computational methods are used to validate the assumptions and provide a point of comparison to evaluate how the assumptions impact the radionuclide inventories. A more detailed explanation of the three computational methods is provided in Section 2. The position-averaged and single-tally methods are less computationally expensive when compared with the high-fidelity method where 54,000 individual calculations are needed to calculate 1 hr of STS operation. Section 3 details the comparison of the three methods to show that the assumptions made in the position-averaged method do not significantly impact the radionuclide inventory after 1 hr of operation. The discussions and results in this report are for 1 hr of operation. Due to the computational cost associated with calculating the transmutation and activation using the high-fidelity method, only 1 hr of operation has been calculated. The discrepancies observed after 1 hr of operation are not extrapolated out to longer operational times, and this report does not address how the discrepancies between the computational methods may manifest for longer operational periods.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS1979

X-ray pulsar spectroscopy - Observational prospects

Three experimental concepts have been suggested to advance the study of X-ray pulsar spectroscopy. They are: (1) a higher bit rate for pulse phase spectroscopy; (2) an emphasis on the 10 keV 'pulsar surface' emission, and (3) an improved resolution to understand the nature of broadened iron lines in pulsars. It is shown that for conventional X-ray spectroscopy at least 5 KB/s are needed to substantially improve pulse phase spectroscopy; the broadened iron line emission in the pulsar spectra will require improved spectral resolution at 6.7 keV to discriminate among the models for this emission. It is concluded that this work will elucidate the physics of neutron star surface and circumstellar X-ray emission.

Pravdo, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Gamma-ray bursters

Current theoretical models developed to explain the observational data (from spaceborne detectors) on gamma-ray bursters are summarized and illustrated with drawings, diagrams, graphs, and photographic images. Although the data are fragmentary and often flawed by instrument defects, models involving neutron stars with strong magnetic fields are generally favored, and it is assumed that most observed bursters lie within the Galaxy. The neutron-star origin of the bursts is suggested by their intensity and rapid variability (implying a very compact high-energy source) and the presence in some burster spectra of a line at 420 keV which is explained by the combination of electron-positron annihilation and gravitational reddening. Consideration is also given to optical flashes observed to occur about once per year in the direction of gamma bursters, and the need for further searches for lower-energy emissions from bursters is stressed.

Schaefer, B. E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A photon-phreak digs the LDEF happening

Radioactivities of the LDEF onboard experiments induced by gamma emitting rays in both intentional samples and spacecraft parts were examined. The long time greatly enhanced the ability to detect some of the longer lived nuclides, including: 2.6 yr Na-22 in Al and Fe; 5.3 yr Co-60 in Co, Ni, and In; 2.9 yr Rh-102 in In; and 38 yr Bi-207 in Pb. These radionuclides, along with such other as 33 yr Ar-42 in Ti, Fe, or Ni and 47 yr Ti-44 in the same elements, would be appropriate monitors of the high energy space radiation field on long round-trip voyages in the solar system. Additional candidate radionuclides are also discussed. Radiometric analysis of the LDEF samples was a substantial effort among a dedicated group of experts in low level counting, and highlights several important aspects of the procedures needed to achieve success in this kind of endeavor. Target elements should be chosen to differentiate between neutron and proton induced reactions, whenever this is feasible. Reactions should be chosen with a wide range of energy thresholds, to enable calculation of both intensity and energy spectra of the particle fluxes.

Smith, Alan R.↗
NASA NTRS2016

K-Shell Photoabsorption and Photoionisation of Trace Elements I. Isoelectronic Sequences With Electron Number 3< or = N < or = 11

Context. With the recent launching of the Hitomi X-ray space observatory, K lines and edges of chemical elements with low cosmic abundances, namely F, Na, P, Cl, K, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu and Zn, can be resolved and used to determine important properties of supernova remnants, galaxy clusters and accreting black holes and neutron stars.Aims. The second stage of the present ongoing project involves the computation of the accurate photoabsorption and photoionisation cross sections required to interpret the X-ray spectra of such trace elements.Methods. Depending on target complexity and computer tractability, ground-state cross sections are computed either with the close-coupling Breit-Pauli R-matrix method or with the autostructure atomic structure code in the isolated-resonance approximation. The intermediate-coupling scheme is used whenever possible. In order to determine a realistic K-edge behaviour for each species, both radiative and Auger dampings are taken into account, the latter being included in the R-matrix formalism by means of an optical potential.Results. Photoabsorption and total and partial photoionisation cross sections are reported for isoelectronic sequences with electron numbers 3< or = N< or = 11. The Na sequence (N=11) is used to estimate the contributions from configurations with a 2s hole (i.e. [2s]) and those containing 3d orbitals, which will be crucial when considering sequences with N 11.Conclusions. It is found that the [2s/u] configurations must be included in the target representations of species with N> 11 as they contribute significantly to the monotonic background of the cross section between the L and K edges. Configurations with 3d orbitals are important in rendering an accurate L edge, but they can be practically neglected in the K-edge region.

atomic data / X-rays: general↗
DOE OSTI2026

Machine learning inversion of interatomic force constants from single-crystal inelastic neutron scattering

Atomic vibrations govern many macroscopic properties of materials, but experiments to comprehensively probe them remain challenging. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) is a powerful technique to map phonon dispersions in crystals, especially when leveraging modern time-of-flight (ToF) spectrometers with large detectors. However, efficiently and robustly extracting interatomic force constants (FCs) parameterizing phonon dynamics from experimental spectra remains a bottleneck due to the complexity and high dimensionality of ToF INS datasets. Here, we present a machine learning approach for the direct inversion of FCs from single-crystal INS measurements. The framework leverages synthetic training data generated using universal machine-learned force fields and an efficient physics-based forward model. We benchmark two neural architectures–one emphasizing structured latent representation learning and the other direct, supervised spectral regression–across simulated datasets for two materials under idealized and noisy conditions. The latent-representation model is subsequently applied to experimental single-crystal INS data on germanium. The model is shown to reproduce FCs derived from both first-principles simulations and from iterative optimization, and furthermore achieves reliable inference even from sparse, single-orientation measurements representing short data acquisitions. Analysis of the learned latent space reveals semantically continuous and physically interpretable encodings that support strong cross-domain generalization. By bridging theoretical and experimental domains, we establish a path toward rapid inversion of experimental spectra and data-driven interpretation of temperature-dependent lattice dynamics.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1973

Expected gamma-ray emission spectra from the lunar surface as a function of chemical composition

The gamma rays emitted from the moon or any similar body carry information on the chemical composition of the surface layer. The elements most easily measured are K, U, Th and major elements such as O, Si, Mg, and Fe. The expected fluxes of gamma ray lines were calculated for four lunar compositions and one chondritic chemistry from a consideration of the important emission mechanisms: natural radioactivity, inelastic scatter, neutron capture, and induced radioactivity. The models used for cosmic ray interactions were those of Reedy and Arnold and Lingenfelter. The areal resolution of the experiment was calculated to be around 70 to 140 km under the conditions of the Apollo 15 and 16 experiments. Finally, a method was described for recovering the chemical information from the observed scintillation spectra obtained in these experiments.

Reedy, R. C.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Weak entanglement approximation for nuclear structure

The interacting shell model, a configuration-interaction method, is a venerable approach for low-lying nuclear structure calculations, but it is hampered by the exponential growth of its basis dimension as one increases the single-particle space and/or the number of active particles. Recent, quantum-information-inspired work has demonstrated that the proton and neutron sectors of a nuclear wave function are weakly entangled. Furthermore, the entanglement is smaller for nuclides away from N = Z, such as heavy, neutron-rich nuclides. Here, in this study, we implement a weak entanglement approximation to bipartite configuration-interaction wave functions, approximating low-lying levels by coupling a relatively small number of many-proton and many-neutron states. This truncation scheme, which we present in the context of past approaches, reduces the basis dimension by many orders of magnitude while preserving essential features of nuclear spectra.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1968

Procedure developed for reporting fast-neutron exposure

Procedure for reporting fast-neutron exposure involves determination of the spectrum shape and absolute magnitude, selection of an energy weighting for the neutrons, and definition of a unit for reporting exposure. Using this method, comparisons of irradiation data from different reactors will be free from errors resulting from differences between the spectra.

Rossin, A. D.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Selective thermal neutron transmutation doping with Gd masks in GaN semiconductors

For the first time, selective neutron transmutation doping was successfully performed on GaN through Gd masks, showing the feasibility of patternable doping through neutron irradiations. In collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, GaN with Gd masks was irradiated by directional neutrons. By using the Gd properties with high neutron absorption cross-sections, it was confirmed that the area covered by Gd masks on GaN was completely shielded from neutrons, and the uncovered area was doped with the generated Ge and 14 C. Property differences were clearly identified in various ways when comparing the area exposed by neutrons and the area unexposed by neutrons. The discoloration by the ejected protons and elastic scattering of neutrons appeared only in the exposed area while the unexposed area remained the same as before irradiation. The aspect ratio of the patterned profile of GaN was estimated by comparing patterns on the front and backside. From energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy spectra and secondary ion mass spectrometry measurement, the concentration difference between Ge and 14 C as well as the exact concentration of produced 14 C was also checked. Further, Schottky barrier diodes on the selectively doped GaN were fabricated and investigated to study the electrical properties.

42 ENGINEERING↗