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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Understanding Radiotropism in Filamentous Fungi

Melanized species of filamentous fungi isolated from high radiation environments have been reported to exhibit radiotropism, defined as the directed growth toward a source of ionizing radiation. Inconsistencies in the experimental approaches and results have impeded our understanding of the key factors involved in radiotropism. In the present study, we assessed radiotropism in four isolates of fungi: Aspergillus niger, A. calidoustus JC-1043, Paecilomyces variotii SNL-1, and P. variotii IMV-00236. Of these fungi, only P. variotii IMV-00236 had been previously reported to exhibit radiotropic behavior. Plates of each fungus were placed in equivalent proximity to a 137 Cs source, with a primary gamma emission of 662 keV, and differences in the rate and direction of mycelia growth were measured over a seven-day period. Significant differences were not observed in the rate or direction of growth of the different fungi based on exposure to gamma radiation, which suggested a lack of measurable radiotropism in these experiments. Additional studies varying parameters such gamma emission rates and energies, as well as other types of ionizing radiation (e.g., alpha and beta particles, neutrons) are necessary to gain further insights to the factors critical to the expression of radiotropic behavior in filamentous fungi.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Early-Stage Radiation Safety Analysis for the Spallation Neutron Source Second Target Station Bunker Operations

The Second Target Station project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will develop a cold neutron source to meet growing experimental needs. This paper describes calculations of the residual dose rates associated with the monolith shield plug and the beamline bunker, two key conventional operations and radiation safety features. While neutron production is active, the instrument hall outside the bunker must be generally accessible with dose rates of less than 0.25 mrem/h. When neutron production is halted, the bunker must be accessible for hands-on maintenance operations. Further, these two requirements form the cause for the assessments reported herein of residual dose rates caused by the monolith shield plug and residual dose rates in the bunker. The monolith shield plug was shown to not produce significant dose rates inside the bunker after a 20-year lifetime, and the residual dose rates inside the bunker for the case of an operating beamline were shown to reasonably allow for hands-on maintenance. These calculations are based on preliminary design models of the relevant systems. Additionally, an example showing the significance of considering neutron supermirror physics in transport calculations that track nuclide production and destruction rates to produce gamma sources for residual dose rate calculations is included. The example shows that if neutron supermirror physics is not considered, dose rate fields may be significantly underpredicted.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hypothesis Tests on Rayleigh Wave Radiation Pattern Shapes: A Theoretical Assessment for Source Screening (Independent Review: LANL Source Physics LCP) [Slides]

Background for TRL 0-1 Research: we require a simple regional source discriminant that has a predictive capability and a quantifiable screening performance (probability of correct attribution); Challenge: many local and near-regional source discriminants do not test source mechanism; rather, they test depth. Such empirically validated discriminants are not all theoretically justified; and, Proposal: we test Rayleigh wave radiation patterns for any significant deviation from circular shape as a discriminant.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Tree-based solvers for adaptive mesh refinement code $\scriptsize{FLASH}$ – IV. An X-ray radiation scheme to couple discrete and diffuse X-ray emission sources to the thermochemistry of the interstellar medium

X-ray radiation, in particular radiation between 0.1 and 10 keV, is evident from both point-like sources, such as compact objects and T-Tauri young stellar objects, and extended emission from hot, cooling gas, such as in supernova remnants. The X-ray radiation is absorbed by nearby gas, providing a source of both heating and ionization. While protoplanetary chemistry models now often include X-ray emission from the central young stellar object, simulations of star-forming regions have yet to include X-ray emission coupled to the chemo-dynamical evolution of the gas. We present an extension of the $\scriptsize{TREERAY}$ reverse ray trace algorithm implemented in the flash magnetohydrodynamic code which enables the inclusion of X-ray radiation from 0.1 keV < E γ < 100 keV, dubbed $\scriptsize{XRAYTHESPOT}$. $\scriptsize{XRAYTHESPOT}$ allows for the use of an arbitrary number of bins, minimum and maximum energies, and both temperature-independent and temperature-dependent user-defined cross-sections, along with the ability to include both point and extended diffuse emission and is coupled to the thermochemical evolution. We demonstrate the method with several multibin benchmarks testing the radiation transfer solution and coupling to the thermochemistry. Finally, we show two example star formation science cases for this module: X-ray emission from protostellar accretion irradiating an accretion disc and simulations of molecular clouds with active chemistry, radiation pressure, and protostellar radiation feedback from infrared to X-ray radiation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

A hybrid coupler for directing quantum light emission with high radiative Purcell enhancement to a dielectric metasurface lens

Quantum photonic technologies such as quantum sensing, metrology, and simulation could be transformatively enabled by the availability of integrated single photon sources with high radiative rates and photon collection efficiencies. We address these challenges for quantum emitters formed from color center defect sites such as those in hexagonal boron nitride, which are promising candidates as single photon sources due to their bright, stable, polarized, and room temperature emission. We report design of a nanophotonic coupler from color center quantum emitters to a dielectric metasurface lens. The coupler is comprised of a hybrid plasmonic–dielectric resonator that achieves a large radiative Purcell enhancement and partial control of far-field radiation. We report radiative Purcell factors up to 285 and photon collection efficiencies up to 89% for a lossless metasurface, applying a continuous hyperboloidal phase-front. Our hybrid plasmonic–dielectric coupler interfacing two nanophotonic elements is a compound optical element, analogous to those found in microscope objective lenses, which combine multiple optical functions into a single component for improved performance.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Excessive radon-based radiation in indoor air caused by soil building materials in traditional homes on Đồng Văn karst plateau, northern Vietnam

Radon-based radiation from natural soil building materials is an important factor likely influencing residents’ health as a contributing source of natural radiation. This work aims to quantify the nuclide-specific α-radiation of isotopes 222 Rn and 220 Rn in common types of houses in a region of northern Vietnam, Ɖông Văn karst plateau, to preliminarily (i) evaluate the total annual effective dose rates and (ii) assess the relative risk of cancer induction from indoor α-radiation for inhabitants. The average 222 Rn concentrations in all house types were lower than 100 Bq m -3 , but 220 Rn abundances were far higher than 222 Rn, even up to >1000 Bq m -3 in air close to a wall of unfired-soil bricks. The estimated total annual effective dose rates from indoor 222 Rn and 220 Rn and their progenies to residents with daily exposure of 13 h in the various types of houses range from 3.1 to 4.3 mSv a -1 for houses constructed with modified materials, but up to higher than 6 mSv a -1 in houses with raw building materials. The average risk of developing lung cancer as a consequence of a lifetime exposure to indoor α-radiation in affected homes ranges from 3.9% to 14.6%. 220 Rn and its metallic progenies contribute more than 80% of the total average lung cancer risk from total radon, being responsible for a range of 2.7–14.6% of the risk of developing lung cancer.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spectroscopic Measurements and Models of Energy Deposition in the Substrate of Quantum Circuits by Natural Ionizing Radiation

Naturally occurring background radiation is a potential source of correlated decoherence events in superconducting qubits that will challenge error-correction schemes. In order to characterize the radiation environment in an unshielded laboratory representative of superconducting qubits’ environments, we performed broadband, spectroscopic measurements of background radiation events inside a millikelvin refrigerator. The spectrometer was designed to mimic the size and composition of a quantum circuit. Specifically, we measured the background radiation spectra in silicon substrates of two thicknesses, 500 and 1500 µm, and one area, 25 mm 2 . The observed spectra span energies from a few kilo-electron-volts up to nearly 10 MeV, are nearly featureless, and decrease in intensity by a factor of 40 000 between 100 keV and 3 MeV for the 500-µm substrate. We integrate the spectra to obtain the average event rates and deposited power levels. These quantities correspond to a rate of 0.023 events per second and a power of 4.9 keV s -1 , when counting events that deposit at least 40 keV for the 500-µm-thick substrate. We find that the cryogenic measurements are in good agreement with predictions based on simple measurements of the terrestrial gamma-ray flux outside the refrigerator, published models of cosmic-ray fluxes, a crude model of the cryostat, and radiation-transport simulations. This model requires no free parameters to predict the background radiation spectra in the silicon substrates. The agreement between measurements and predictions demonstrates that the model we present can be used to assess the relative contributions of terrestrial and cosmic-ray sources to background radiation interactions in silicon substrates of varying thickness. These spectroscopic measurements are performed with a novel combination of superconducting microresonators located on micromachined silicon islands that define the interaction volume with background radiation. The resonators transduce deposited energy to a readily detectable electrical signal. Microresonator readout closely resembles dispersive superconducting qubit readout, so similar devices—with or without micromachined islands—are suitable for integration with superconducting quantum circuits as detectors for background radiation events. For our specific laboratory conditions, we find that gamma-ray emissions from radioisotopes are responsible for the majority of events that deposit E < 1 ⁢Me⁢V. We present results demonstrating that the background radiation spectrum contains relevant contributions from cosmic-ray particles other than muons, particularly a tail of multi-mega-electron-volt events due to protons and neutrons. These observations suggest several paths to reducing the impact of background radiation on quantum circuits, supported by an empirically validated model for generating reliable predictions of radiation interactions with silicon substrates.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Analysis of RF high power sources for 1MW – range, 10 MeV CW industrial accelerator.

Cobalt-60 is the dominant source of ionizing radiation for sterilizing products in the $200B/year medical device industry. Security and accessibility concerns around this radioactive material - sourced from countries including Russia and China - present national security and economic risks. There is a continued national urgency to replace such high-risk sources with low-risk alternatives such as electron or x-ray beams driven by accelerators. While e-beam sources have been in use for many years, they still represent a small portion of the market. X-ray sources are becoming economical alternatives. Meeting the processing capacity required to replace Co-60 requires a step-change in the capability, efficiency, and overall operating cost of electron accelerators to make adoption feasible. The radiofrequency (RF) power that drives accelerating cavities represents significant capital and operating costs for these accelerators. For accelerator-based systems to be a viable alternative for these applications, RF systems must be economical to manufacture, deploy, and operate.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of gamma, electron beam, and X-ray irradiation on the plastic components of a universal bone cement mixer medical device

Due to market and regulatory pressures, many healthcare manufacturers are considering alternatives to cobalt-60 gamma radiation, including accelerator-based electron beam (E-beam) and X-ray radiation for product sterilization. In this work, the effects of irradiation on a representative medical product, comprised of eight distinct polymer materials, were directly compared for three radiation technologies – cobalt-60 gamma, E-beam, and X-ray – at four dose levels (15, 25, 50, and 70 kGy). The objective was to determine how radiation effects (deleterious or beneficial) are influenced by source and dose level, with the specific goal of determining whether E-beam radiation and/or X-ray radiation could be viable alternatives to gamma radiation for device sterilization. Here, the specific product considered is a single-use medical device for orthopedic surgery, the Stryker Instruments MixeVac III bone cement mixer, which is currently sterilized using gamma radiation from cobalt-60 sources. Following ASTM International standards and input from the manufacturer, we characterized the effects of the three radiation sources on product functionality as well as on the mechanical and optical properties of the constituent polymers. Results indicate that although measurable differences in properties between the standard gamma irradiated materials and the alternative E-beam and X-ray irradiated materials were observed, those differences were small. Statistically significant differences were noted in the case of yellowness index for polyvinyl chloride, high-density polyethylene, and polycarbonate, and in the case of tensile elongation at break for high impact polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride. In general, the results of this study support the viability of E-beam and X-ray radiation as alternative options to cobalt-60 gamma radiation for sterilization of Stryker single-use universal bone cement mixer medical devices.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Numerical simulation of terahertz radiation by laser-driven plasma dipole oscillation

Laser-plasma interactions have many theoretical and technological applications. One is the use of coherently accelerated electrons to provide novel sources of THz radiation. Our research focuses on simulating the cross/self-interactions between two high intensity, ultra-short, counter propagating and detuned laser pulses and an initial neutral target for controlled ionization. Unlike our previous studies of laser-matter interaction over preformed plasma, we explore the injection and collision of laser pulses to induce background plasma driven by the self-guided laser wakefield mechanism, which is then used to perturb the plasma resulting in induced dipole oscillations leading to transverse radiation. Inducing a cylindrical spatial plasma column within the laser beam radius regime provides a stable, spatially localized plasma channel. The emitted radiation from the plasma dipole oscillation (PDO) will not be affected by surrounding plasma absorption, resulting in effective radiation distribution. Finally, results include 3D EM-PIC simulations and a comparison of the self- ionizing plasma against the preformed plasma to assess the efficiency of the mechanisms.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Calculation of Groundwater Pathway Radiological Dose for the Hanford Site Composite Analysis Base Case

The purpose of this environmental calculation file (ECF) is to present the results of the exposure route-specific and total radiological dose assessments for the groundwater exposure pathway as a part of the updated Hanford Site Composite Analysis (CA). The purpose of these radiological dose assessments is to provide an estimate of the cumulative radiological impacts from all screened sources of ionizing radiation and exposure routes that could potentially contribute to the projected dose to a hypothetical member of the public from both existing or future disposal facilities and other sources including past-practice discharge sites.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Radioactive Source Localization via Bayesian Particle Filter

In the event of a misplaced radioactive source or other emergency situation, measuring a radiation field, mapping its distribution, and determining a source location are essential tasks to ameliorating the situation. However, radiation fields may be extremely hazardous to human surveyors and minimizing received radiation doses is just as essential. Robots appear to be a potential solution to these problems. Beyond simply measuring radiation, the robot's computer processing capabilities offer a way to apply complex data analysis methods to radiation measurements in real-time. Methods which predict likely source locations can then feed this information into other processes, potentially improving path planning and enabling more efficient measurements. Given a robot mounted with a gamma-ray detector, can we: develop a methodology to account for detector performance across a wide range of source angles, distances, and photon energies? operate an autonomously navigating robot to effectively survey and characterize an area of interest? implement a data analysis method, conventionally used in measurements of motion, for source localization purposes? An open-source TurtleBot 3 robot, running Robot Operating System (ROS) on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, was fitted with a Kromek GR1{sup R} Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) solid-state gamma-ray detector. As a part of ROS, the packages OpenSlam, gmapping, and amcl were used to perform Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), determining the robot's position and mapping the surrounding area. Data was acquired via Lidar mounted on top the TurtleBot 3. Detector Calibration Fit: The equation was fit to 365 counts of various energies, distances, and angles. A MATLAB{sup R} program was written to simulate measurements taken a robot on a random walk, with count data and positions discretized into finite element pixels. Using this program, a sample of 100 runs was performed on a map with a simulated source at the center, with a total of 200 of 2 pixels each. Similarly, multiple runs of the filter were performed on recorded robot measurement data. In both simulation and real tests, when corrected for errors (particles placed outside of bounds or on the robot, and simulation-specific errors), corresponding t-tests of predicted x and y-coordinates were within a 95% confidence interval of the actual position. For the real trial, these positions are slightly skewed right in the x-axis as the robot remained mainly to the left side of the source within the sample area. These simulations demonstrate potential validity for the usage of a particle filter as method of radioactive source localization. In the future, true real-time implementation and data fusion may further augment the performance of the robot to localize lost sources. Additionally, identification of multiple sources, determination of source types, and usage of a collimator are areas to potentially be explored.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Could a Kilonova Kill: A Threat Assessment

Abstract Binary neutron star mergers produce high-energy emissions from several physically different sources, including a gamma-ray burst (GRB) and its afterglow, a kilonova (KN), and, at late times, a remnant many parsecs in size. Ionizing radiation from these sources can be dangerous for life on Earth-like planets when located too close. Work to date has explored the substantial danger posed by the GRB to on-axis observers; here we focus instead on the potential threats posed to nearby off-axis observers. Our analysis is based largely on observations of the GW170817/GRB 170817A multi-messenger event, as well as theoretical predictions. For baseline KN parameters, we find that the X-ray emission from the afterglow may be lethal out to ∼1 pc and the off-axis gamma-ray emission may threaten a range out to ∼4 pc, whereas the greatest threat comes years after the explosion, from the cosmic rays accelerated by the KN blast, which can be lethal out to distances up to ∼11 pc. The distances quoted here are typical, but the values have significant uncertainties and depend on the viewing angle, ejected mass, and explosion energy in ways we quantify. Assessing the overall threat to Earth-like planets, KNe have a similar kill distance to supernovae, but are far less common. However, our results rely on the scant available KN data, and multi-messenger observations will clarify the danger posed by such events.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Emulating Variable Uranium Enrichments With Radiation Signature Training Devices (RSTD)

Radiological signature training devices (RSTDs) are sealed sources (or assemblies of sources) that emulate the radiation signature of larger masses of special nuclear material for passive detection while maintaining a minimal logistical footprint in security, radiological safety, criticality safety, and transportation requirements. Previous work focused on emulation of large quantities of highly enriched uranium for search and field identification with radioisotope identification detectors and mobile systems. New work has expanded into investigating use of the RSTDs with laboratory safeguards tools, such as MGAU and FRAM, and emulating uranium spectra of multiple enrichments over more energy regions (particularly the x-ray region).

Blessinger, Christopher S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance of a Drifting Acoustic Instrumentation SYstem (DAISY) for characterizing radiated noise from marine energy converters

Marine energy converters can generate electricity from energetic ocean waves and water currents. Because sound is extensively used by marine animals, the radiated noise from these systems is of regulatory interest. However, the energetic nature of these locations poses challenges for performing accurate passive acoustic measurements, particularly with stationary platforms. The Drifting Acoustic Instrumentation SYstem (DAISY) is a modular hydrophone recording system purpose-built for marine energy environments. Using a flow shield in currents and mass–spring–damper suspension system in waves, we demonstrate that DAISYs can effectively minimize the masking effect of flow noise at frequencies down to 10 Hz. In addition, we show that groups of DAISYs can utilize time-delay-of-arrival post-processing to attribute radiated noise to a specific source. Consequently, DAISYs can rapidly measure radiated noise at all frequencies of interest for prototype marine energy converters. Furthermore, the resulting information from future operational deployments should support regulatory decision-making and allow technology developers to make design adjustments that minimize the potential for acoustic impacts as their systems are scaled up for utility-scale power generation.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2022

Transverse oscillating bubble enhanced laser-driven betatron X-ray radiation generation

Abstract Ultrafast high-brightness X-ray pulses have proven invaluable for a broad range of research. Such pulses are typically generated via synchrotron emission from relativistic electron bunches using large-scale facilities. Recently, significantly more compact X-ray sources based on laser-wakefield accelerated (LWFA) electron beams have been demonstrated. In particular, laser-driven sources, where the radiation is generated by transverse oscillations of electrons within the plasma accelerator structure (so-called betatron oscillations) can generate highly-brilliant ultrashort X-ray pulses using a comparably simple setup. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a method to markedly enhance the parameters of LWFA-driven betatron X-ray emission in a proof-of-principle experiment. We show a significant increase in the number of generated photons by specifically manipulating the amplitude of the betatron oscillations by using our novel Transverse Oscillating Bubble Enhanced Betatron Radiation scheme. We realize this through an orchestrated evolution of the temporal laser pulse shape and the accelerating plasma structure. This leads to controlled off-axis injection of electrons that perform large-amplitude collective transverse betatron oscillations, resulting in increased radiation emission. Our concept holds the promise for a method to optimize the X-ray parameters for specific applications, such as time-resolved investigations with spatial and temporal atomic resolution or advanced high-resolution imaging modalities, and the generation of X-ray beams with even higher peak and average brightness.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

-Omics potential of in vitro skin models for radiation exposure

There is a growing need to uncover biomarkers of ionizing radiation exposure that leads to a better understanding of how exposures take place, including dose type, rate, and time since exposure. As one of the first organs to be exposed to external sources of ionizing radiation, skin is uniquely positioned in terms of model systems for radiation exposure study. The simultaneous evolution of both MS-based -omics studies, as well as in vitro 3D skin models, has created the ability to develop a far more holistic understanding of how ionizing radiation affects the many interconnected biomolecular processes that occur in human skin. However, there are a limited number of studies describing the biomolecular consequences of low-dose ionizing radiation to the skin. As a result, this review will seek to explore the current state-of-the-art technology in terms of in vitro 3D skin models, as well as track the trajectory of MS-based -omics techniques and their application to ionizing radiation research, specifically, the search for biomarkers within the low-dose range.

3D tissue model↗
DOE OSTI2026

Using Quantum Sensors to Probe the Quasiparticle Excess in Quantum Circuits due to Ionizing Radiation

This project quantified natural ionizing radiation as a source of excess quasiparticles in superconducting quantum circuits. Thermal Kinetic Inductance Detectors (TKIDs) were developed and deployed to measure event‑by‑event energy deposition in silicon substrates at millikelvin temperatures. Measurements and radiation transport simulations showed strong agreement across keV–MeV energies, providing validated background models and design guidance to mitigate radiation‑induced decoherence in superconducting qubits and detectors.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗