A single-collision model for electron-beam currents between plane electrodes
Effect of elastic, hard sphere collisions between electrons of injected beam and natural gas molecules
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Effect of elastic, hard sphere collisions between electrons of injected beam and natural gas molecules
Functionally graded materials offer the potential to improve structural efficiency by allowing the material composition and/or microstructural features to spatially vary within a component. Additive manufacturing techniques enable the fabrication of such graded materials and structures. While examining several titanium alloys, this paper focuses on Ti-8Al-1Er as it has a unique microstructure that is only feasible when produced by rapid solidification methods like electron beam directed energy deposition, an additive manufacturing process. The results show that, when mixed, Ti-8Al-1Er and commercially-pure titanium uniformly mix at various ratios and the resultant static tensile properties of the mixed alloys behave according to rule-of-mixtures. At discontinuous interfaces between Ti-8Al-1Er and commercially-pure titanium, the crack growth behavior progresses smoothly across the discontinuity as the crack transitions from one crack growth regime into another. Studies on monolithic samples shows the mechanisms of damage in the Ti-8Al-1Er; specifically, that strain localization occurs near grain boundaries of high mis-orientation on the microscale and that twinning and dislocation density is concentrated near erbia-strengthening particles (Er2O3) on the nanoscale.
We report a measurement of the two X-ray transitions that proceed from the (1s22s22p51∕23d3∕2)J=1 and (1s22s1/22p63p1/2)J =1 upper levels to the (1s22s22p6)J =0 ground level in neonlike Eu53+ (Z = 63), that is, near the previously documented avoided crossing of the two upper levels at Z = 68. The measurement was carried out using the calorimeter spectrometer on the Livermore EBIT-I electron beam ion trap. It affirms the trends set by the neighboring neonlike ions both in terms of the relative intensity of the two lines and in terms of the magnitude of disagreement with theoretical energy level predictions.
1. Program goals addressed during this period. Experimental work was directed at formation of a low-stress bond between carbon- carbon and aluminum, with the objective of minimizing the heating of the aluminum substrate, thereby minimizing stresses resulting from the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) difference between the aluminum and carbon-carbon. A second objective was to form a bond between carbon-carbon and aluminum with good thermal conductivity for electronic thermal management (SEM-E) application. 2. Substrates and joining materials selected during this period. Carbon-Carbon Composite (CCC) to Aluminum. CCC (Cu coated) to Aluminum. Soldering compounds based on Sn/Pb and Sn/Ag/Cu/Bi compositions. 3. Soldering experiments performed. Conventional techniques. High Energy Electron Beam (HEEB) process.
Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of complex engineering components previously inaccessible through traditional processes. Nickel-base superalloys with large γ' volume fraction are typically considered non-weldable and therefore exhibit a propensity for cracking during the fusion process. These crack-prone materials, however, are of great importance in gas turbine engines due to their excellent high temperature creep resistance. In this study we investigate the creep behavior of IN738LC produced by the electron beam melting process. Here, we find that with appropriate post-build heat treatment the creep response of material oriented in the build direction exhibits deformation and rupture behavior comparable to that of conventionally cast IN738 & IN738LC. In the transverse direction properties fall below the expected cast behavior, however, we argue this is likely due to differences in grain scale and crystallographic texture. It may be possible to coarsen the grain morphology with appropriate process-parameter optimization in order to reduce the severity of intergranular fracture in the transverse direction. These results illustrate that high temperature properties exhibited by additively manufactured IN738LC are suitable for the hot section of gas turbine engines.
Electron beam-plasma interactions, cyclotron harmonic instabilities, paramagnetic and semiconductor materials, and harmonic current generation
Comparison of creep-rupture properties of electron beam-melted polycrystalline and powder- metallurgy rhenium sheets at 2200 to 4200 F and 4 to 40 ksi
The ability to probe and control matter at the picometer scale is essential for advancing quantum and energy technologies. Scanning transmission electron microscopy offers powerful capabilities for materials analysis and modification, but sample damage, drift, and scan distortions hinder single atom analysis and deterministic manipulation. Materials analysis and modification via electron–solid interactions can be transformed by precise delivery of electrons to a specified atomic location, maintaining the beam position despite drift, and minimizing collateral dose. Here a fast, low-dose, sub-20-pm precision electron beam positioning technique is developed, “atomic lock-on,” (ALO), which offers the ability to position the beam on a specific atomic column without previously irradiating that column. This technique is used to lock onto a single selected atomic location to repeatedly measure its weak electron energy loss signal despite sample drift. Moreover, electron beam-matter interactions in single atomic events are measured with μ s time resolution. This enables observation of single-atom dynamics, such as atomic bistability, revealing partially bonded atomic configurations and recapture phenomena. This opens prospects for using electron microscopy for high-precision measurements and deterministic control of matter for quantum technologies.
The development of optical systems operating in the far ultraviolet range (FUV, λ=100-200 nm) is limited by the efficiency of passivated aluminum (Al) mirrors. Although it is presently possible to obtain high-reflectivity FUV mirrors through physical vapor deposition, the process involves deposition with substrates at high temperatures, which is technically challenging for large optical elements. A novel passivation procedure for bare Al mirrors is reported. The treatment consisted of using a low-temperature electron-beam generated plasma produced in a gas mixture of Ar and SF6 to etch away the native oxide layer from the Al film, while simultaneously promoting the generation of a thin aluminum tri-fluoride (AlF3) layer on the Al surface. In the first section we analyze the effect of varying both ion energy and SF6 concentration on the FUV reflectance, thickness, composition, and surface morphology of the resulting AlF3 protective layers. In the second section, the reflectivity of samples is optimized at selected important FUV wavelengths for astronomical observations. Notably, samples attained state-of-the-art reflectances of 75% at 108.5 nm (He Lyman γ), 91% at 121.6 nm (H Lyman α), 90% at 130.4 nm (OI), and of 95% at 155.0 nm (C IV). The stability over time of these passivated mirrors is also investigated.
Recent observations show that the rapid fluctuations in radio, hard X-ray, and H-alpha emissions are closely associated with type III and microwave (or decimetric) bursts during the impulsive and/or preimpulsive phases of solar flares. In order to clarify the physical processes of these observed phenomena, this paper proposes a tentative model of two acceleration regions A (source of type III bursts) and B (source of microwave or decimetric bursts) formed in the neutral sheet and at the top of a flaring loop, respectively; and also suggests that the electron beams streaming from region A and/or region B downward to the chromosphere are responsible for the rapid fluctuations in the different emissions mentioned above during the impulsive and/or preimpulsive phases of solar flares.
The 2014 March 29 X1 solar flare (SOL20140329T17:48) produced bright continuum emission in the far- and near-ultraviolet (NUV) and highly asymmetric chromospheric emission lines, providing long-sought constraints on the heating mechanisms of the lower atmosphere in solar flares. We analyze the continuum and emission line data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) of the brightest flaring magnetic footpoints in this flare. We compare the NUV spectra of the brightest pixels to new radiative-hydrodynamic predictions calculated with the RADYN code using constraints on a nonthermal electron beam inferred from the collisional thick-target modeling of hard X-ray data from Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager. We show that the atmospheric response to a high beam flux density satisfactorily achieves the observed continuum brightness in the NUV. The NUV continuum emission in this flare is consistent with hydrogen (Balmer) recombination radiation that originates from low optical depth in a dense chromospheric condensation and from the stationary beam-heated layers just below the condensation. A model producing two flaring regions (a condensation and stationary layers) in the lower atmosphere is also consistent with the asymmetric Fe II chromospheric emission line profiles observed in the impulsive phase.
The antiferromagnetic kagome semimetals Mn 3 X (X = Ge, Sn, Ga) are of great interest due to properties arising from their Berry curvature, such as large anomalous Nernst and anomalous Hall coefficients, and spin to charge conversion efficiencies at ambient temperatures. However, the synthesis of epitaxial thin films of Mn 3 Ge in the desired hexagonal phase has been challenging because they do not wet insulating substrates, necessitating the use of a metallic buffer layer. Furthermore, a ferrimagnetic tetragonal phase also forms readily under typical growth conditions, interfering with hexagonal phase properties. We have synthesized atomically smooth and continuous epitaxial thin films of hexagonal Mn 3 Ge directly on insulating LaAlO 3 (111) substrates using electron beam assisted molecular beam epitaxy, using a three-step process that mitigates the formation of the tetragonal phase. The anomalous Nernst coefficient is found to be more than six times larger in our films than in sputtered thin films of Mn 3 Ge and significantly larger than that of Fe. Our approach can be used to grow thin layers of kagome materials, without interference from a buffer layer in transport properties, and may be applicable to a broader range of materials with large surface energies that do not grow readily on insulating substrates.
A multiport high-pressure fluid cell was developed based on an engineered thin film membrane solution with a reinforced frame of boron-doped silicon, optimized to withstand better pressure with an increase of 17.6% in average burst pressure over similar membranes without frame. The novel cells (patent pending) have 8 microfluidic ports, two intra-cavity electrodes and two pressure sensors on a 8 mm x 8 mm Si chip. The prototypes resisted up to 60 bar with 50-nm-thick silicon nitride membranes of size 70 nm x 70 nm. The cells can be used for testing reactions in fluids in medium-high pressure (up to 300 bar) using X-rays (primary application), electron beams, IR or visible light. Improvements in the pressure sensing setup and customization for applications are supposed to follow.
Historically, the structural optimization of aerospace components has been done through geometric methods. A monolithic material is chosen based on the best compromise between the competing design limiting criteria. Then the structure is geometrically optimized to give the best overall performance using the single material chosen. Functionally graded materials offer the potential to further improve structural efficiency by allowing the material composition and/or microstructural features to spatially vary within a single structure. Thus, local properties could be tailored to the local design limiting criteria. Additive manufacturing techniques enable the fabrication of such graded materials and structures. This paper presents the results of a graded material study using two titanium alloys processed using electron beam freeform fabrication, an additive manufacturing process. The results show that the two alloys uniformly mix at various ratios and the resultant static tensile properties of the mixed alloys behave according to rule-of-mixtures. Additionally, the crack growth behavior across an abrupt change from one alloy to the other shows no discontinuity and the crack smoothly transitions from one crack growth regime into another.
Computed tomographic method and apparatus includes an electron or ion beam having a beam axis, a refractory metal disk; at least one slit in the refractory metal disk that receive the beam, wherein the slit is at an angle to the beam axis; a beam entrance opening in the slit that allows the beam to enter; an effective beam exit opening in the slit that allow the beam to exit, wherein the beam effective exit opening is smaller than the beam entrance opening; and a system for moving the beam across the refractory metal disk, wherein the beam enters the slit through the beam entrance opening and exits the slit through the effective beam exit opening; and a computed tomographic device for measuring the beam that enters and exits the slit for analyzing the beam.
Abstract Defects in parts produced by additive manufacturing, instead of simply being perceived as deleterious, can act as important sources of information associated with the complex physical processes that occur during materials deposition and subsequent thermal cycles. Indeed, they act as materials-state ‘fossil’ records of the dynamic AM process. The approach of using defects as epoch-like records of prior history has been developed while studying additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V and has given new insights into processes that may otherwise remain either obscured or unquantified. Analogous to ‘epochs,’ the evolution of these defects often is characterized by physics that span across a temporal length scale. To demonstrate this approach, a broad range of analyses including optical and electron microscopy, X-ray computed tomography, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction have been used to characterize a raster-scanned electron beam Ti–6Al–4V sample. These analysis techniques provide key characteristics of defects such as their morphology, location within the part, complex compositional fields interacting with the defects, and structures on the free surfaces of defects. Observed defects have been classified as banding, spherical porosity, and lack of fusion. Banding is directly related to preferential evaporation of Al, which has an influence on mechanical properties. Lack-of-fusion defects can be used to understand columnar grain growth, fluid flow of melt pools, humping, and spattering events. Graphical abstract
Dephasingless laser wakefield acceleration (DLWFA), a novel laser wakefield acceleration concept based on the recently demonstrated “flying focus” technology, offers a new paradigm in laser-plasma acceleration that could advance the progress toward a TeV linear accelerator using a single-stage system without guiding structures. The recently proposed NSF OPAL laser facility could be the transformative technology that enables this grand challenge in laser-plasma acceleration. We review the viable parameter space for DLWFA based on the scaling of its performance with laser and plasma parameters, and we compare that performance to traditional laser wakefield acceleration. These scalings indicate the necessity for ultrashort, high-energy laser architectures such as NSF OPAL to achieve groundbreaking electron energies using DLWFA. Initial results from MTW-OPAL, the platform for the 6-J DLWFA demonstration experiment, show a tight, round focal spot over a distance of 3.7 mm. New particle-in-cell simulations of that platform indicate that using hydrogen for DLWFA reduces the amount of laser light that is distorted due to refraction at ionization fronts. An experimental path, and the computational and technical design work along that path, from the current status of the field to a single-stage, 100-GeV electron beam via DLWFA on NSF OPAL is outlined. Progress along that path is presented.
To optimize electron energy toward in-situ imaging large bio-samples up to 10-μm thickness with nanoscale resolution, we implemented an analytical model based on elastic and inelastic characteristic angles 1. This model can be used to predict the transverse beam size broadening as a function of electron energy while the probe beam traverses through the sample. As result, the optimal choice of the electron beam energy can be realized. While the sample thickness is less than 10 μm, there exists an optimal electron beam energy below 10 MeV regarding a specific sample thickness. However, for samples thicker than 10 μm, the optimal beam energy is 10 MeV, and the ultimate resolution could become worse with the increase of the sample thickness.