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NASA NTRS1991

Gamma-ray emission from young neutron stars

The emission models of Cheng et al. (1986) and Harding (1981) are employed to determine likely candidates for pulsed gamma-ray emission on the basis of recent radio data of pulsars. The recent detection of pulsed gamma rays from PSR 1951+32 lends observational support to the scenario of Cheng et al. which also suggests that PSR 1855+09 might be another excellent gamma-ray pulsar candidate. The possible contribution of young neutron stars to the diffuse high energy glow is also discussed.

Hartmann, Dieter H.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Using the Moon and Mars as Giant Detectors for Strange Quark Nuggets

On the Earth, the detectability of small seismic signals is limited by pervasive seismic background noise, caused primarily by interactions of the atmosphere and oceans with the solid surface. Mars, with a very thin atmosphere and no ocean is expected to have a noise level at least an order of magnitude lower than the Earth, and the airless Moon is even quieter still. These pristine low-vibration environments are ideal for searching for nuggets of "strange quark matter." Strange quark matter was postulated by Edward Witten [Phys. Rev. D30, 272, 1984] as the lowest possible energy state of matter. It would be made of up, down, and strange quarks, instead of protons and neutrons made only of up and down quarks. It would have nuclear densities, and hence be difficult to detect. Micron-sized nuggets would weigh in the ton range. As suggested by de Rujula and Glashow [Nature 312 (5996): 734, 1984], a massive strange quark nugget can generate a trail of seismic waves, as it traverses a celestial body. We discuss the mission concept for deploying a network of sensitive seismometers on Mars and on the Moon for such a search.

Chui, Talso↗

DOE OSTI2021

Impact of Spontaneous Fission Neutron Emission Energy on Neutron Detector Response

A parametric study was simulated in MCNP to investigate the impact of spontaneous fission neutron energy on neutron detector response. A total of 880 configurations were simulated by varying 3 He pressure and polyethylene reflector thickness for 8 different isotopes. Results showed that deviations between the simulated isotopes become more prevalent at higher energies with 238 U showing the greatest deviation. It was also observed that configurations comparable to most detection setups, 10 atm and 6 - 8 cm polyethylene, were closer to the upper bound of deviations from a 252 Cf. 240 Pu, a common spontaneous fission source of interest, ranged from 2% - 3% within this space. This suggests that further investigation is required to determine exact correction factors when calibrating neutron detectors with a 252 Cf. Although demonstrated here for a 4π-detection system, future plans include simulating a more detailed model of the MC-15 detection setup to determine exact correction factors for future experiments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2003

Reconciling the MOLA, TES, and Neutron Observations of the North Polar CO2 Mass Budget on Mars

Haberle, Robert M.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Reconciling the MOLA, TES, and Neutron Observations of the North Polar CO2 Mass Budget on Mars

There are now three independent observations of the CO2 polar cap mass budget of Mars' north polar cap. The first is based elevation changes detected by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). The second is based on MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) broadband observations of the solar and infrared radiation fields at the top of the atmosphere. The third is based on neutron counts measured by the neutron spectrometer (NS) on Odyssey. The TES data are based on an energy balance. The net radiative loss (gain) in a column is balanced by latent heating due condensation (sublimation) of CO2. In calculating the mass budget, the other main energy sources, atmospheric heat transport and subsurface conduction, were neglected. At the pole, atmospheric heat transport is indeed a small term. However, subsurface heat conduction can be significant because at the North Pole water ice, which has a high thermal conductivity compared to bare soil, is a dominant component of the subsurface. Thus, heat conducted down into the ice during summer will slowly bleed back out during fall and winter reducing the amount of CO2 that condenses on the pole. We have taken a first cut at quantifying this effect by fitting a curve to Paige's estimates of the conducted energy flux in his analysis of Viking IRTM data.

Haberle, R. M.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Magnetic properties of (Mo 2/3 Dy 1/3 ) 2 AlC arc melted polycrystalline samples

Here, this study investigates the structural and magnetic properties of arc-melted (Mo 2/3 Dy 1/3 ) 2 AlC polycrystalline samples, a member of the i-MAX phase family. Temperature-dependent magnetization and specific heat measurements confirm the low-temperature antiferromagnetic transitions around 14 K and 17 K. Neutron diffraction data collected at 4 K reveal the emergence of magnetic Bragg peaks that are not allowed in the paramagnetic space group C2/c, further confirming the presence of antiferromagnetic ordering. The detection of a secondary phase, DyAl 2 , is complicated by overlapping Bragg peaks with the monoclinic phase of (Mo 2/3 Dy 1/3 ) 2 AlC in powder XRD patterns. However, magnetization and neutron diffraction data suggest the presence of DyAl 2 , evidenced by a ferromagnetic phase transition around 62 K.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1996

(abstract) OMEGA: A Gravitational Wave MIDEX Mission

Among the low frequency (LF) gravitational wave sources that are of astronomical interest are white dwarf binaries, neutron star binaries, massive black hole binaries, and compact stars spiralling into massive black holes. A mission to detect these sources has been proposed to NASA as a possible member of its low-cost, near-term MIDEX mission series. This mission utilizes six tiny miniprobes in high Earth orbit to produce a sensitive Michelson interferometer with million kilometer arms, yielding a strain sensitivity below 10^{-21} at periods longer than a hundred seconds. At this sensitivity, known binary stars will be seen and plausible unknown massive black hole events will be searched for.

gravitational waves binaries black holes neutron s↗

DOE OSTI2020

Improved determination of the 𝛽−‾‾𝜈𝑒 angular correlation coefficient 𝑎 in free neutron decay with the 𝑎⁢SPECT spectrometer

We report on a precise measurement of the electron-antineutrino angular correlation (𝑎 coefficient) in free neutron beta decay from the 𝑎⁢SPECT experiment. The 𝑎 coefficient is inferred from the recoil energy spectrum of the protons which are detected in 4⁢𝜋 by the 𝑎⁢SPECT spectrometer using magnetic adiabatic collimation with an electrostatic filter. Data are presented from a 100-day run at the Institut Laue Langevin in 2013. The sources of systematic errors are considered and included in the final result. We obtain 𝑎=−0.10430⁢(84) which is the most precise measurement of the neutron 𝑎 coefficient to date. From this, the ratio of axial vector to vector coupling constants is derived giving |𝜆|=1.2677⁢(28).

Beck, Marcus↗

DOE OSTI2025

Evidence of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering with COHERENT’s Germanium Array

We report the first detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) on natural germanium, measured at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Ge-Mini detector of the COHERENT collaboration employs large-mass, low-noise, high-purity germanium spectrometers, enabling excellent energy resolution, and an analysis threshold of 1.5 keV electron-equivalent ionization energy. We observe an on-beam excess of 20.6$^{+7.1}_{−6.3}$ counts with a total exposure of 10.22 GWhkg, and we reject the no-CEvNS hypothesis with 3.9⁢𝜎 significance. The result agrees with the predicted standard model of particle physics signal rate within 2⁢𝜎.

Electroweak interaction↗

NASA NTRS2012

Chemical Mapping of Vesta

Vesta s surface mineralogy and composition have been studied for decades via telescopic spectroscopy and laboratory analyses of the howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites, which are thought to originate from Vesta. Visible and infrared reflectance measurements by Dawn have broadly confirmed the paradigm established by Earth-based work, strengthening the Vesta-HED connection. The Dawn mission has achieved a milestone by completing the first chemical measurements of a main-belt asteroid using nuclear spectroscopy. Dawn s Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) has globally mapped the composition of Vesta, including the portions of the northern hemisphere not illuminated by solar radiation. GRaND is sensitive to the composition of the bulk regolith to depths of several decimeters. Abundances and/or detection limits for specific elements and elemental ratios, such as H, Fe, Si, Fe/O, Fe/Si, and K, have been measured. Variations in the average atomic mass and neutron macroscopic absorption cross section have been characterized. The measurements constrain the relative proportions of HED whole-rock end-members, providing measurements of the pyroxene and plagioclase content of the regolith, thereby constraining the processes underlying Vesta s differentiation and crustal evolution. The spatial resolution of GRaND is sufficient to determine basin-average compositions of Veneneia and Rheasilvia, which may contain outcrops of Vesta s olivine-rich mantle. While the elemental composition of Vesta s regolith is similar to the meteorites, there are notable departures from HED whole-rock compositions. While these differences are not sufficient to topple the Vesta-HED paradigm, they provide insight into global-scale processes that have shaped Vesta s surface. Questions addressed by the analysis of GRaND data include: (i) Is Vesta the source of the Fe-rich mesosiderites? (ii) Are evolved, igneous lithologies present on Vesta s surface? (iii) What are the origins of exogenic materials found in Vesta s regolith? (iv) Is the vestan mantle exposed within the southern basins?

Prettyman, Thomas H.↗

NASA NTRS1991

New constraints on neutron star models of gamma-ray bursts. II - X-ray observations of three gamma-ray burst error boxes

Exosat observations are presented for 3 gamma-ray-burst error boxes, one of which may be associated with an optical flash. No point sources were detected at the 3-sigma level. A comparison with Einstein data (Pizzichini et al., 1986) is made for the March 5b, 1979 source. The data are interpreted in the framework of neutron star models and derive upper limits for the neutron star surface temperatures, accretion rates, and surface densities of an accretion disk. Apart from the March 5b, 1979 source, consistency is found with each model.

Boer, M.↗

DOE OSTI2022

A flexible neutron spectrometer concept with a new ultra-high field steady-state vertical-bore magnet

The proposed facility explores materials under ultra-high magnetic fields. By combining the power of high fields to tune materials and of neutron scattering to probe the resulting changes down to the atomic scale, this facility will enable transformative progress in the study of quantum materials and is named for the “TITAN” subset of Greek gods to reflect this transformation. TITAN will offer DC magnetic fields up to at least 20 T. Exploiting the record brightness and bandwidth of the Second Target Station at the Spallation Neutron Source, TITAN will probe atomic-scale responses through high efficiency neutron spectroscopy up to 80 meV energy transfer, high resolution diffraction, and small angle neutron scattering. Focusing neutron optics will maximize flux on accurately positioned samples, while radial collimation and optimized shielding and detection strategies will minimize backgrounds.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Simulations of the nEDM@SNS light collection system efficiency

Here, a system for collecting the scintillation light produced by the capture of ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) on polarized 3 He is discussed and results from simulations of its performance are presented. This system will be implemented in nEDM@SNS, the experiment searching for the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Simulation results show that the light collection system detects on average 17 photoelectrons per UCN- 3 He capture event (sufficient to generate a robust signal), reconstructs the event location in the beam direction to approximately 3 cm accuracy, detects capture events with a high and spatially uniform efficiency (0.95 with 1% variation), and rejects greater than 50% of beta decay background events.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS1974

Whole-rock uranium analysis by fission track activation

We report a whole-rock uranium method in which the polished sample and track detector are separated in a vacuum chamber. Irradiation with thermal neutrons induces uranium fission in the sample, and the detector records the integrated fission track density. Detection efficiency and geometric factors are calculated and compared with calibration experiments.

Weiss, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Competition of neutrino and gravitational radiation in neutron star formation

An investigation is conducted concerning the possibility that neutrino radiation rather than gravitational radiation may be the dominant way by which nonradial pulsations are damped out in a collapsing star. The effects of neutrino radiation on the nonradial oscillations of such objects are examined and damping times corresponding to a particular neutrino production mechanism are evaluated. The obtained results imply that neutrino radiation, by more rapid damping of the nonradial oscillations of a newly formed neutron star in a supernova explosion, would hinder gravitational radiation, thus reducing the possibility of its detection.

Kazanas, D.↗

NASA NTRS1975

The SAS-3 X-ray observatory

The experiment section of the Small Astronomy Satellite-3 (SAS-3) launched in May 1975 is an X-ray observatory intended to determine the location of bright X-ray sources to an accuracy of 15 arc-seconds; to study a selected set of sources over a wide energy range, from 0.1 to 55 keV, while performing very specific measurements of the spectra and time variability of known X-ray sources; and to monitor the sky continuously for X-ray novae, flares, and unexpected phenomena. The improvements in SAS-3 spacecraft include a clock accurate to 1 part in 10 billion, rotatable solar panels, a programmable data format, and improved nutation damper, a delayed command system, improved magnetic trim and azimuth control systems. These improvements enable SAS-3 to perform three-axis stabilized observations of any point on the celestial sphere at any time of the year. The description of the experiment section and the SAS-3 operation is followed by a synopsis of scientific results obtained from the observations of X-ray sources, such as Vela X-1 (supposed to be an accreting neutron star), a transient source of hard X-ray (less than 36 min in duration) detected by SAS-3, the Crab Nebula pulsar, the Perseus cluster of galaxies, and the Vela supernova remnant.

Mayer, W. F.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The mineralogical, chemical, and chronological characteristics of the crystalline Apollo 16 impact melt rocks

A comparative review of mineralogical, chemical, and chronological data on crystalline Apollo 16 impact melt rocks is presented. The use of such data to identify distinct impact melt complex is discussed, and 22 distinct impact melt bodies are identified. The recently detected group of feldspathic microporphyritic (FM) melt rocks was tested for chemical and isotopic homogeneity; instrumental neutron activation analysis and new Rb-Sr isotopic whole rock data indicate that FMs were probably not derived from a single impact melt sheet, but might be representative of the Descartes basement. Stratigraphical and chronological concepts for the geological development of the landing site are discussed, and a model is presented for the formation of the Cayley Plains and the Descartes formation.

Reimold, W. U.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A search for high proper motion objects in two gamma-ray burst error regions

Deep optical images of small gamma-ray burst error regions have generally resulted in the detection of several faint sources in each error region. It may be possible to identify the neutron star source of a GRB on the basis of a high transverse peculiar velocity if the source is at moderate distance. The results of searches for high proper motion objects in the error regions of GBS1412+78 and GBS2251-02 are reported.

Ricker, George R.↗