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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 OSTI2026

Excited states in semi-magic 82 Ge populated in the βn-decay of 83 Ga

For this work, the βn and β-decay of the neutron-rich 83 Ga isotopes produced in proton-induced fission of 238 U were studied at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using on-line mass separation and the hybrid-3Hen neutron-γ detector array. Excited states in semi-magic 82 Ge populated in βn decay of 83 Ga were identified using neutron-γ coincidences. The measured relative population of excited states in 82 Ge is compared with a βn emission model, where the neutron emission model combines the strength distribution obtained from the shell-model calculations with the statistical Hauser-Feshbach model.

3HEN↗
DOE OSTI2015

Experimental study of β and β - n decay of the neutron-rich N = 54 isotone As 87

The β-decay properties of neutron-rich 87 As produced in the proton-induced fission of 238 U were studied at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The low-energy excited states in N = 53 87 Se and N = 52 86 Se were identified through β - γ and β-delayed neutron-γ decay of 87 As , respectively. In conclusion, the experimental systematics of low-energy levels of N = 53 isotones, Z = 34 87 Se, and Z = 32 85 Ge, and along with an analysis of shell-model calculations, allow us to discuss the main features of excited states expected for the next N = 53 isotone, 83 Zn .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Proton branching ratios in 22 Mg for X-ray bursts

Here, decay protons from 22 Mg energy levels populated through a previously reported 24 Mg(p, t) 22 Mg transfer reaction (Chae et al. in Phys Rev C 79:055804, 2009) have been analyzed for proton branching ratios as a follow-up analysis. The measurement was performed at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory by utilizing 41-MeV proton beams and 24 Mg solid targets. Decay protons and reaction tritons were simultaneously detected with a silicon detector array. By investigating the 24 Mg(p, t) 22 Mg*(p) 21 Na channels, the proton branching ratios of five 22 Mg excited states were obtained. The measured branching ratios provide constraints on the proton partial widths of the populated 22 Mg levels, which have implications for X-ray burst nucleosynthesis.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

The N = 126 factory: A new facility to produce very heavy neutron-rich isotopes

A new facility, the N = 126 factory, is currently under construction at Argonne National Laboratory. It will use multi-nucleon transfer reactions to create neutron-rich isotopes of very heavy elements for studies of interest to the formation of the A similar to 195 abundance peak in the r-process. This region of the nuclear chart is difficult to access by standard fragmentation or spallation reactions and as a result has remained mostly unexplored. The nuclei of interest, very neutron-rich isotopes around Z = 70-95, will be produced by multi-nucleon exchange of a high intensity 10 MeV/u heavy-ion beam on the most neutron-rich stable isotopes of heavy elements such as 198 Pt and 238 U. This reaction mechanism can transfer a large number of neutrons and create very neutron-rich isotopes with larger than mb cross-section. The reaction mechanism is a nuclear surface process and the reaction products come out close to the grazing angle, which makes them very difficult to collect. The N = 126 factory circumvents this difficulty by using a unique large high-intensity RF gas catcher, similar to the one currently in operation at CARIBU, to collect the target-like reaction products and transform them into a low-energy beam that will then be mass separated with a medium resolution electromagnetic separator (Delta M/M similar or equal to 1/1500), followed by an RFQ buncher and an MR-TOF (Delta M/M similar or equal to 1/100,000) system. The extracted radioactive beams will be essentially pure and available at low-energy for mass measurements with the CPT mass spectrometer or decay study with the X-array.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The nylon balloon for xenon loaded liquid scintillator in KamLAND-Zen 800 neutrinoless double-beta decay search experiment

The KamLAND-Zen 800 experiment is searching for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of 136 Xe by using 136 Xe-loaded liquid scintillator. The liquid scintillator is enclosed inside a balloon made of thin, transparent, low-radioactivity film that we call Inner Balloon (IB). The IB, apart from guaranteeing the liquid containment, also allows to minimize the background from cosmogenic muon-spallation products and 8B solar neutrinos. Indeed these events could contribute to the total counts in the region of interest around the Q-value of the double-beta decay of 136 Xe. In this paper, we present an overview of the IB and describe the various steps of its commissioning minimizing the radioactive contaminations, from the material selection, to the fabrication of the balloon and its installation inside the KamLAND detector. Finally, we show the impact of the IB on the KamLAND background as measured by the KamLAND detector itself.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

A simplified protocol for the automated production of 2‐[ 18 F]fluoro‐3‐[2‐((S)‐3‐pyrrolinyl)methoxy]pyridine ([ 18 F]nifene) on an IBA Synthera® module

The α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ligand 2‐[18F]fluoro‐3‐[2‐((S)‐3‐pyrrolinyl)methoxy]pyridine ([18F]nifene) has been synthesized in 10% decay‐corrected radiochemical yield using the IBA Synthera® platform (IBA Cyclotron Solutions, Louvain‐la‐Neuve, Belgium) with an integrated fluidic processor (IFP). Boc‐nitronifene served as the precursor, and 20% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was used to deprotect the Boc‐group after radiolabeling. By omitting the solvent extraction step after radiolabeling, the process was simplified to a single step with no manual intervention. [18F]Nifene was obtained in decay‐corrected radiochemical yields of 10 ± 2% (n = 20) and radiochemical purity >99%. Typical specific radioactivities of 2700–4865 mCi/μmole (100–180 GBq/μmol) were measured at the end of synthesis; total synthesis times were about 1 h 40 min.

IBA Synthera®↗
DOE OSTI2015

A potent and selective C-11 labeled PET tracer for imaging sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 in the CNS demonstrates sexually dimorphic expression

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2) plays an essential role in regulating blood–brain barrier (BBB) function during demyelinating central nervous system (CNS) disease. Increased expression of S1PR2 occurs in disease-susceptible CNS regions of female versus male SJL mice and in female multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Here we reported a novel sensitive and noninvasive method to quantitatively assess S1PR2 expression using a C-11 labeled positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand [ 11 C]5a for in vivo imaging of S1PR2. Compound 5a exhibited promising binding potency with IC 50 value of 9.52 ± 0.70 nM for S1PR2 and high selectivity over S1PR1 and S1PR3 (both IC 50 > 1000 nM). [ 11 C]5a was synthesized in ~40 min with radiochemistry yield of 20 ± 5% (decayed to the end of bombardment (EOB), n > 10), specific activity of 222–370 GBq μmol –1 (decayed to EOB). The biodistribution study in female SJL mice showed the cerebellar uptake of radioactivity at 30 min of post-injection of [11C]5a was increased by Cyclosporin A (CsA) pretreatment (from 0.84 ± 0.04 ID% per g to 2.21 ± 0.21 ID% per g, n = 4, p < 0.01). MicroPET data revealed that naive female SJL mice exhibited higher cerebellar uptake compared with males following CsA pretreatment (standardized uptake values (SUV) 0.58 ± 0.16 vs. 0.48 ± 0.12 at 30 min of post-injection, n = 4, p < 0.05), which was consistent with the autoradiographic results. This data suggested that [ 11 C]5a had the capability in assessing the sexual dimorphism of S1PR2 expression in the cerebellum of the SJL mice. Furthermore, the development of radioligands for S1PR2 to identify a clinical suitable S1PR2 PET radiotracer, may greatly contribute to investigating sex differences in S1PR2 expression that contribute to MS subtype and disease progression and it will be very useful for detecting MS in early state and differentiating MS with other patients with neuroinflammatory diseases, and monitoring the efficacy of treating diseases using S1PR2 antagonism.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Testing a Hazmatpac Can with Locking Ring as a Secondary Shipping Container for Radium-224/Lead-212 Generators

A Hazmatpac can, paint can style shipping container with locking ring, was tested for use as an alternative shipping configuration for shipment of radium- 224 /lead- 212 generators. 224 Ra ( t 1/2 = 3.63 d) decays by alpha emission to radon-220 ( t 1/2 = 55.6 s). The potential for the radioactive radon gas to escape the generator column and the shipping container is of particular concern for the safe delivery of 224 Ra/ 212 Pb generators to customers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Hazmatpac can is a suitable shipping configuration, capable of containing the radon gas that may escape the generator column during transit. A 17.3 mCi 224 Ra/ 212 Pb generator was built and packaged into a Hazmatpac can. The can was smeared by a Radiological Control Technician (RCT) every day for seven days to analyze for radioactive contamination on the outside of the can. Over the course of the study, no radioactive contamination was found on the outside of the can. Therefore, the Hazmatpac can was approved as an alternative shipping configuration for shipment of 224 Ra/ 212 Pb generators.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1978

Mechanisms and sites for astrophysical gamma ray line production

The production of gamma ray lines and estimates of line fluxes resulting from nuclear deexcitations, positron annihilation, and electron capture at various astrophysical sites are discussed. Supernova and nova explosions synthesize long-lived radioactive isotopes and eject them into space where they produce observable gamma ray lines by decaying into excited levels of daughter nuclei or by emitting positrons. Energetic charged particles in the interstellar medium, in supernova remants, in solar or stellar flares, and possibly in the vicinity of compact objects, produce gamma-ray lines by inelastic collisions which either excite nuclear levels or produce positrons and neutrons. Energetic particles can result from acceleration in time-varying magnetic fields (solar flares) or from gravitational accretion onto neutron stars and black holes. Electromagnetic processes in the strong magnetic fields of pulsars can produce positron-electron pairs, with line emission resulting from positron annihilation. Deexcitations of quantized states in strong magnetic fields can also produce lines.

Ramaty, R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Possible detection of flare-generated positrons by Helios 1 on 3 Jun 1982

The production of neutrons and gamma-ray lines by solar particles in the photosphere has been studied. The principal positron emiters which lead to the 0.51 MeV gamma-line are C-11 0-14, 0-15, N-13, Ne-19. The energies of the positrons form radioactive nuclei are of the order of few hundred keV. Positrons resulting from the pi(+) decay have energies of approx 10-100 MeV and cannot be measured by the MPAe-detector. Most of the positrons annihilate in the photosphere. A fraction however should be able to escape into the interplanetary space. Proton, electron and , for the first time, positron measurements (E = 152-546 keV) obtained by the MPAe-particle detector on board of Helios 1 are presented.

Kirsch, E.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel

Used uranium oxide fuel is detoxified by extracting transuranic and reactive fission products into molten salt. By contacting declad and crushed used uranium oxide fuel with a molten halide salt containing a minor fraction of the respective uranium trihalide, transuranic and reactive fission products partition from the fuel to the molten salt phase, while uranium oxide and non-reactive, or noble metal, fission products remain in an insoluble solid phase. The salt is then separated from the fuel via draining and distillation. By this method, the bulk of the decay heat, fission poisoning capacity, and radiotoxicity are removed from the used fuel. The remaining radioactivity from the noble metal fission products in the detoxified fuel is primarily limited to soft beta emitters. The extracted transuranic and reactive fission products are amenable to existing technologies for group uranium/transuranic product recovery and fission product immobilization in engineered waste forms.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Liquid xenon purification, de-radonation (and de-kryptonation)

Liquid xenon detectors are at the forefront of rare event physics, including searches for neutrino-less double beta decay and WIMP dark matter. The xenon for these experiments needs to be purified from chemical impurities such as electronegative atoms and molecules, which absorb ionization electrons, and VUV (178 nm) scintillation light-absorbing chemical species. In addition, superb purification from radioactive impurities is required. Particularly challenging are radioactive noble isotopes ({sup 85}Kr,{sup 39,42}Ar,{sup 220,222}Rn). Radon is a particularly universal problem, due to the extended decay sequence of its daughters and its ubiquitous presence in detector materials. Purification and de-radonation of liquid xenon are addressed with particular focus on the experience gained with the EXO-200 neutrino-less double beta decay detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Future short baseline neutrino searches with nuclear decays

Several anomalies coming from neutrino experiments may be pointing towards new physics: these hints suggest the existence of one (or more) sterile neutrinos. We discuss some of the experiments proposed to verify (or disproof) this hypothesis by using an intense radioactive source in proximity of large neutrino detectors.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Masses and β-Decay Spectroscopy of Neutron-Rich Odd-Odd 160,162 Eu Nuclei: Evidence for a Subshell Gap with Large Deformation at N = 98

The structure of deformed neutron-rich nuclei in the rare-earth region is of significant interest for both the astrophysics and nuclear structure fields. At present, a complete explanation for the observed peak in the elemental abundances at A ~ 160 eludes astrophysicists, and models depend on accurate quantities, such as masses, lifetimes, and branching ratios of deformed neutron-rich nuclei in this region. Unusual nuclear structure effects are also observed, such as the unexpectedly low energies of the first 2 + levels in some even-even nuclei at N = 98. In order to address these issues, mass and β-decay spectroscopy measurements of the 160 Eu 97 and 162 Eu 99 nuclei were performed at the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade radioactive beam facility at Argonne National Laboratory. Here, evidence for a gap in the single-particle neutron energies at N = 98 and for large deformation (β 2 ~ 0.3) is discussed in relation to the unusual phenomena observed at this neutron number.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Low background screening capability in the UK

Low background rare event searches in underground laboratories seeking observation of direct dark matter interactions or neutrino-less double beta decay have the potential to profoundly advance our understanding of the physical universe. Successful results from these experiments depend critically on construction from extremely radiologically clean materials and accurate knowledge of subsequent low levels of expected background. The experiments must conduct comprehensive screening campaigns to reduce radioactivity from detector components, and these measurements also inform detailed characterisation and quantification of background sources and their impact, necessary to assign statistical significance to any potential discovery. To provide requisite sensitivity for material screening and characterisation in the UK to support our rare event search activities, we have re-developed our infrastructure to add ultra-low background capability across a range of complementary techniques that collectively allow complete radioactivity measurements. Ultra-low background HPGe and BEGe detectors have been installed at the Boulby Underground Laboratory, itself undergoing substantial facility re-furbishment, to provide high sensitivity gamma spectroscopy in particular for measuring the uranium and thorium decay series products. Dedicated low-activity mass spectrometry instrumentation has been developed at UCL for part per trillion level contaminant identification to complement underground screening with direct U and Th measurements, and meet throughput demands. Finally, radon emanation screening at UCL measures radon background inaccessible to gamma or mass spectrometry techniques. With this new capability the UK is delivering half of the radioactivity screening for the LZ dark matter search experiment.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

The radioactive source calibration system of the PROSPECT reactor antineutrino detector

The Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum (PROSPECT) Experiment is a reactor neutrino experiment created to search for sterile neutrinos with a mass on the order of 1 eV/c 2 and to measure the spectrum of electron antineutrinos from a highly-enriched 235 U nuclear reactor. The PROSPECT detector consists of an 11 by 14 array of optical segments in 6 Li-loaded liquid scintillator at the High Flux Isotope Reactor in Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Antineutrino events are identified via inverse beta decay and read out by photomultiplier tubes located at the ends of each segment. The detector response is characterized using a radioactive source calibration system. Here, we describe the design, operation, and performance of the PROSPECT source calibration system.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Decay studies of the 𝛽-delayed neutron emitters 87 Br and 88 Br measured by means of the Modular Total Absorption Spectrometer at ORNL HRIBF

The β decays of 87 Br, 88 Br, and 87 Kr were measured with the Modular Total Absorption Spectrometer (MTAS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF). Both bromine isotopes are β-delayed neutron emitters that have large cumulative fission yields and were identified as top-priority cases for total absorption study by the Nuclear Energy Agency in 2007. Our investigations corroborate that the decay schemes of 87 Br and 88 Br suffer from the so-called pandemonium effect. Unique MTAS properties enable direct neutron measurements. Here, we present MTAS-derived β-delayed neutron spectra, β-delayed neutron emission probabilities of P n ( 87 Br) = 2.36(24)%, and P n ( 88 Br) = 6.4(6)%, and the β-delayed neutron transitions intensity of 4(2)% to the first excited 87 Kr state, populated in the β-neutron decay of 88Br. Incorporating new data into calculations of the electromagnetic decay heat component emitted during thermal neutron fission of 235 U and 239 Pu improves agreement with experimental data up to approximately 80 s after fission. The estimation of the nuclear reactor $\bar{ν}_e$ flux results in changes of up to 1% in the expected $\bar{ν}_e$ interactions with the detector material for 235 U, 238 U, 239Pu, and 241 Pu.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A database for storing the results of material radiopurity measurements

Searches for rare nuclear processes, such as neutrinoless double beta-decay and the interactions of WIMP dark matter, are motivating experiments with ever-decreasing levels of radioactive backgrounds. These background reductions are achieved using various techniques, but amongst the most important is minimizing radioactive contamination in the materials from which the experiment is constructed. To this end there have been decades of advances in material sourcing, manufacture and certification, during which researchers have accumulated many thousands of measurements of material radiopurity. Some of these assays are described in publications, others are in databases, but many are still communicated informally. Until this work, there has been no standard format for encoding assay results and no effective, central location for storing them. The aim of this paper is to address these long-standing problems by creating a concise and flexible material assay data format and powerful software application to manipulate it. Finally, a public installation of this software, available at http://www.radiopurity.org, is the largest database of assay results ever compiled and is intended as a long-term repository for the community's data.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗