Neutron Stars as Laboratories for Nuclear and Particle Physics
Neutron Stars as Laboratories for Nuclear and Particle Physics
Reddy, Sanjay↗
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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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Neutron detector development for high-rate neutron reflectometry at the Second Target Station of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The Second Target Station (STS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is expected to produce a neutron source that is the brightest in the world, having a significantly higher peak brightness compared to the First Target Station (FTS), where the reflectometry instruments already fall short of being able to handle the highest available flux by a factor of ~100. The neutron reflectometers at the SNS FTS are not suitable for the reflectometers planned for the SNS STS because of its unprecedentedly high peak brightness and the already limited capabilities of these instruments at high count rates. Furthermore, the high rate instruments that are now under development are expected to underperform with regard to gamma sensitivity, meaning that signal-to-noise will be reduced and they will be unable to measure weaker reflectance phenomena in the presence of the significant prompt gamma flash at SNS. To address these challenges, we conducted research to advances associated instruments, techniques, and capabilities for the SNS STS reflectometers. More specifically, we investigated the development of a scalable, 2-D positive-sensitive, pixelated, scintillator-based neutron detector module based on a newly developed scintillator. The work has potential for impact on future neutron reflectometry instruments and neutron science performed at the SNS STS. In particular, the improved background rejection capability of the developed detector could extend the available experimental dynamic Q range, allowing it to measure weak reflectance phenomena.
reflectometry, radiation instrumentation, neutron ↗
Burrowing Owl Survey Report for Sandia National Laboratories: 2025
The Burrowing Owl Survey Report for Sandia National Laboratories: 2025 provides data and analysis on occupancy surveys that were conducted during the 2025 survey season. The surveys were conducted in partnership with Kirtland Air Force Base’s Natural Resource Program and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain and expand on the long-term dataset on burrowing owls on base. Ecology Program biologists conducted roadside census surveys at survey areas previously identified by Kirtland Air Force Base along with several additional survey areas deemed suitable for occupancy. Remote sensor camera monitoring was also conducted on three nest burrows. In total, 12 breeding pairs of burrowing owls were confirmed in 2025. Several owls were confirmed to have leg bands, indicating previous captures and recurrence of these specific individuals on base. Occupancy surveys on burrowing owls continue to provide valuable information on ecosystem health and can serve to inform future management direction and decisions.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
Development and Implementation of a Bag Degradation Predictive Tool at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Nuclear material packaging involves many complex variables derived from the stored material's properties, the storage environment, and the synergistic interaction of said material and its environment on the containment boundary. In the Plutonium Facility (PF-4) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) the typical containment boundary found, starting from the stored material itself to the outermost containment layer, consists of the material contained within a stainless steel (typically 304) slip-lid (or other equivalent stainless steel packaging layer) wrapped in an sPVC bag-out bag contained within a facility approved outer container stored within the boundaries of an approved facility (i.e., a building designed and approved to store nuclear material). This packaging configuration, though occasionally deviated from in the past, represents the current procedurally enforced, expected containment structure for all interim nuclear material containment outside of an engineered control barrier (e.g., a glovebox). Over the life of containerization research at LANL, packaging engineers have become increasingly concerned with the degradation of the sPVC bag-out bag, which can cause corrosion to the outermost packaging layer as well as possible exposure to alpha contamination if the bag-out bag layer is degraded to the point of containment failure. A bag-out bag degradation predictive tool (BDT) is therefore needed to assess the current and future nuclear material inventory for possible bag degradation in order to continue to ensure safe operations for the facility and its workers to deliver on the vital national security mission of 30 PPY.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Monitoring Plan for the Idaho National Laboratory Remote Handled Low Level Waste Disposal Facility
This monitoring plan for Idaho National Laboratory’s Remote-Handled Low Level Waste Disposal Facility was developed to meet the requirements for monitoring low-level waste disposal facilities according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 435.1, “Radioactive Waste Management,” and the guidance provided in the associated technical standard “Disposal Authorization Statement and Tank Closure Documentation” (DOE-STD-5002-2017). The purpose of this monitoring plan is to document a monitoring strategy that includes (1) compliance monitoring activities to demonstrate compliance with regulatory standards/limits and (2) performance monitoring to build confidence the facility is performing as demonstrated in the facility performance assessment (PA) (DOE-ID 2018a), composite analysis (CA) (DOE ID 2012), and CA addendum (DOE-ID 2018b). The de minimus impact to the aquifer predicted by the PA suggests that aquifer compliance monitoring should be augmented with performance monitoring of the drainage course materials and sedimentary interbeds in the vadose zone beneath the facility to provide a more effective means of identifying performance deviations. The monitoring approach delineated in this document was informed by the systems evaluation of natural and engineered facility features presented in the PA, an assessment of aquifer baseline conditions (INL 2017d), the dose analysis conducted in support of the PA and CA, and monitoring data collected during the first four years of facility operations (baseline monitoring phase) (INL 2023b). This plan provides monitoring locations, sampling frequencies, and sampling methods; recommendations for data evaluation; and a description of the monitoring plan implementation. Collected data will be used to demonstrate facility compliance and to identify conditions that are not consistent with the key assumptions made by the PA and CA.
12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗
The BDX experiment at Jefferson Laboratory
The Beam Dump Experiment (BDX) at Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) is an electron-beam thick-target experiment to search for Light Dark Matter (LDM) particles in the MeV-GeV mass range. BDX will exploit the high-intensity 10.6 GeV e^-e ? beam from CEBAF accelerator impinging on the beam dump of experimental Hall-A, collecting up to 10^{22}10 22 electrons-on-target (EOT) in a few years time. Any LDM particle produced by the interaction of the primary e^-e ? beam with the beam dump will be detected by measuring their scattering inside the BDX detector, an electromagnetic calorimeter surrounded by an hermetic veto system, which is to be installed in a dedicated underground facility, located 20 m downstream. Thanks to the large detection efficiency and background rejection capabilities, BDX will be able to explore a so-far unknown region in the LDM parameter space, improving current exclusion limits by one order of magnitude in case of a null observation. In preparation to the full experiment, a small-scale version called BDX-MINI, has been built and operated at JLab with a lower energy beam. Despite the small interaction volume, the large accumulated charge of 2.2\times10^{21}2.2×10 21 EOT allowed for the BDX-MINI measurement to set competitive exclusion limits on the LDM parameters space, comparable to those reported by larger-scale efforts.
Celentano, A.↗
Digital engineering implementation in nuclear demonstration and nonproliferation projects at Idaho National Laboratory
Digital engineering and digital twins are increasingly being used in nuclear energy projects with important impacts. At Idaho National Laboratory, these approaches have been applied in a variety of nuclear energy research, development, and demonstration projects, with key lessons and evolutions occurring for each. In this paper, we describe the use of digital engineering and digital twins in the Versatile Test Reactor design, National Reactor Innovation Center test beds, and nonproliferation analysis of the AGN-201 reactor design. We share key lessons learned for these projects related to tool selection, adoption and training, and working with existing assets versus beginning at the design phase. We also share highlights of future potential uses of digital twins and digital engineering, including using artificial intelligence to perform repetitive design tasks and digital twins to move towards semiautonomous nuclear power plant operations.
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
Improving the Methanol Tolerance of an Escherichia coli Methylotroph via Adaptive Laboratory Evolution Enhances Synthetic Methanol Utilization
There is great interest in developing synthetic methylotrophs that harbor methane and methanol utilization pathways in heterologous hosts such as Escherichia coli for industrial bioconversion of one-carbon compounds. While there are recent reports that describe the successful engineering of synthetic methylotrophs, additional efforts are required to achieve the robust methylotrophic phenotypes required for industrial realization. Here, we address an important issue of synthetic methylotrophy in E. coli : methanol toxicity. Both methanol, and its oxidation product, formaldehyde, are cytotoxic to cells. Methanol alters the fluidity and biological properties of cellular membranes while formaldehyde reacts readily with proteins and nucleic acids. Thus, efforts to enhance the methanol tolerance of synthetic methylotrophs are important. Here, adaptive laboratory evolution was performed to improve the methanol tolerance of several E. coli strains, both methylotrophic and non-methylotrophic. Serial batch passaging in rich medium containing toxic methanol concentrations yielded clones exhibiting improved methanol tolerance. In several cases, these evolved clones exhibited a > 50% improvement in growth rate and biomass yield in the presence of high methanol concentrations compared to the respective parental strains. Importantly, one evolved clone exhibited a two to threefold improvement in the methanol utilization phenotype, as determined via 13 C-labeling, at non-toxic, industrially relevant methanol concentrations compared to the respective parental strain. Whole genome sequencing was performed to identify causative mutations contributing to methanol tolerance. Common mutations were identified in 30S ribosomal subunit proteins, which increased translational accuracy and provided insight into a novel methanol tolerance mechanism. This study addresses an important issue of synthetic methylotrophy in E. coli and provides insight as to how methanol toxicity can be alleviated via enhancing methanol tolerance. Coupled improvement of methanol tolerance and synthetic methanol utilization is an important advancement for the field of synthetic methylotrophy.
Bennett, R. Kyle↗
Sizing Accuracy of Low-Cost Optical Particle Sensors Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
Low-cost particulate matter sensors have seen increased use for monitoring at personal and local levels due to their affordability, ease of operation, and high time resolution. However, the quality of data reported by these sensors can be questionable, and a thorough evaluation of their performance is necessary. This study evaluated the particle sizing accuracy of several commonly used optical sensors, including the Alphasense optical particle counter (OPC), TSI DustTrak DRX aerosol monitor, Plantower PMS5003 sensor, and Sensirion SPS30 sensor, using laboratory-generated monodisperse particles. The OPC and DRX agreed partially with reference instruments and showed promise in detecting coarse-size particles. However, the PMS5003 and SPS30 did not correctly size fine and coarse particles. Furthermore, their reported mass distributions do not directly correspond to their number distribution. Despite these limitations, field measurements involving a dust storm period showed that the SPS30 correlated reasonably well with reference instruments for both PM2.5 and PM10, though the regression slopes differed significantly. These findings underscore the need for caution when interpreting data from low-cost optical sensors, particularly for coarse particles. Recommendations for improving the performance of these sensors are also provided.
Gautam, Prakash↗
Monitoring Offshore CO 2 Sequestration Using Marine CSEM Methods; Constraints Inferred from Field- and Laboratory-Based Gas Hydrate Studies
Offshore geological sequestration of CO 2 offers a viable approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Strategies include injection of CO 2 into the deep-ocean or ocean-floor sediments, whereby depending on pressure–temperature conditions, CO 2 can be trapped physically, gravitationally, or converted to CO 2 hydrate. Energy-driven research continues to also advance CO 2 -for-CH 4 replacement strategies in the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ), producing methane for natural gas needs while sequestering CO 2 . In all cases, safe storage of CO 2 requires reliable monitoring of the targeted CO 2 injection sites and the integrity of the repository over time, including possible leakage. Electromagnetic technologies used for oil and gas exploration, sensitive to electrical conductivity, have long been considered an optimal monitoring method, as CO 2 , similar to hydrocarbons, typically exhibits lower conductivity than the surrounding medium. We apply 3D controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) forward modeling code to simulate an evolving CO 2 reservoir in deep-ocean sediments, demonstrating sufficient sensitivity and resolution of CSEM data to detect reservoir changes even before sophisticated inversion of data. Laboratory measurements place further constraints on evaluating certain systems within the GHSZ; notably, CO 2 hydrate is measurably weaker than methane hydrate, and >1 order of magnitude more conductive, properties that may affect site selection, stability, and modeling considerations.
58 GEOSCIENCES↗
Laboratory Heat Flux Estimates of Seawater Foam for Low Wind Speeds
Laboratory experiments were conducted to measure the heat flux from seafoam continuously generated in natural seawater. Using a control volume technique, heat flux was calculated from foam and foam-free surfaces as a function of ambient humidity (ranged from 40% to 78%), air–water temperature difference (ranged from -9 °C to 0 °C), and wind speed (variable up to 3 m s-1). Water-surface skin temperature was imaged with a calibrated thermal infrared camera, and near-surface temperature profiles in the air, water, and foam were recorded. Net heat flux from foam surfaces increased with increasing wind speed and was shown to be up to four times greater than a foam-free surface. The fraction of the total heat flux due to the latent heat flux was observed for foam to be 0.75, with this value being relatively constant with wind speed. In contrast, for a foam-free surface the fraction of the total heat flux due to the latent heat flux decreased at higher wind speeds. Temperature profiles through foam are linear and have larger gradients, which increased with wind speed, while foam free surfaces show the expected logarithmic profile and show no variation with temperature. The radiometric surface temperatures show that foam is cooler and more variable than a foam-free surface, and bubble-resolving thermal images show that radiometrically transparent bubble caps and burst bubbles reveal warm foam below the cool surface layer, contributing to the enhanced variability.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
Laboratory Infection of Novel Akhmeta Virus in CAST/EiJ Mice
Akhmeta virus is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus first identified in 2013 in the country of Georgia. Subsequent ecological investigations in Georgia have found evidence that this virus is widespread in its geographic distribution within the country and in its host-range, with rodents likely involved in its circulation in the wild. Yet, little is known about the pathogenicity of this virus in rodents. We conducted the first laboratory infection of Akhmeta virus in CAST/EiJ Mus musculus to further characterize this novel virus. We found a dose-dependent effect on mortality and weight loss (p < 0.05). Anti-orthopoxvirus antibodies were detected in the second- and third-highest dose groups (5 × 104 pfu and 3 × 102 pfu) at euthanasia by day 10, and day 14 post-infection, respectively. Anti-orthopoxvirus antibodies were not detected in the highest dose group (3 × 106 pfu), which were euthanized at day 7 post-infection and had high viral load in tissues, suggesting they succumbed to disease prior to mounting an effective immune response. In order of highest burden, viable virus was detected in the nostril, lung, tail, liver and spleen. All individuals tested in the highest dose groups were DNAemic. Akhmeta virus was highly pathogenic in CAST/EiJ Mus musculus, causing 100% mortality when ≥3 × 102 pfu was administered.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Measuring He i Stark Line Shapes in the Laboratory to Examine Differences in Photometric and Spectroscopic DB White Dwarf Masses
Abstract Accurate helium White Dwarf (DB) masses are critical for understanding the star’s evolution. DB masses derived from the spectroscopic and photometric methods are inconsistent. Photometric masses agree better with currently accepted DB evolutionary theories and are mostly consistent across a large range of surface temperatures. Spectroscopic masses rely on untested He i Stark line-shape and Van der Waals broadening predictions, show unexpected surface temperature trends, and are thus viewed as less reliable. To test this conclusion, we present in this paper detailed He i Stark line-shape measurements at conditions relevant to DB atmospheres ( T electron ≈12,000–17,000 K, n electron ≈ 10 17 cm −3 ). We use X-rays from Sandia National Laboratories’ Z -machine to create a uniform ≈120 mm long hydrogen–helium mixture plasma. Van der Waals broadening is negligible at our experimental conditions, allowing us to measure He i Stark profiles only. H β , which has been well-studied in our platform and elsewhere, serves as the n e diagnostic. We find that He i Stark broadening models used in DB analyses are accurate within errors at tested conditions. It therefore seems unlikely that line-shape models are solely responsible for the observed spectroscopic mass trends. Our results should motivate the WD community to further scrutinize the validity of other spectroscopic and photometric input parameters, like atmospheric structure assumptions and convection corrections. These parameters can significantly change the derived DB mass. Identifying potential weaknesses in any input parameters could further our understanding of DBs, help elucidate their evolutionary origins, and strengthen confidence in both spectroscopic and photometric masses.
Schaeuble, M. -A. (ORCID:0000000188695203)↗
Phase and Morphology of Water-ice Grains Formed in a Cryogenic Laboratory Plasma
Abstract Grains of ice are formed spontaneously when water vapor is injected into a weakly ionized laboratory plasma in which the background gas has been cooled to cryogenic temperatures comparable to those of deep space. These ice grains are levitated indefinitely within the plasma so that their time evolution can be observed under free-floating conditions. Using microscope imaging, ice grains are shown to have a spindle-like fractal structure and grow over time. Both crystalline and amorphous phases of ice are observed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A mix of crystalline and amorphous grains coexists under certain thermal conditions, and a linear mixing model is used on the ice absorption band surrounding 3.2 μ m to examine the ice phase composition and its temporal stability. The extinction spectrum is also affected by inelastic scattering as grains grow, and characteristic grain radii are obtained from Mie scattering theory and compared to size measurements from direct imaging. Observations are used to compare possible ice nucleation mechanisms, and it is concluded that nucleation is likely catalyzed by ions, as ice does not nucleate in the absence of plasma and impurities are not detected. Ice grain properties and infrared extinction spectra show similarity to observations of some astrophysical ices observed in protoplanetary disks, implying that the fractal morphology of the ice and observed processes of homogeneous ice nucleation could occur as well in such astrophysical environments with weakly ionized conditions.
Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
Laboratory Study of Magnetic Reconnection in Lunar-relevant Mini-magnetospheres
Abstract Mini-magnetospheres are small ion-scale structures that are well suited to studying kinetic-scale physics of collisionless space plasmas. Such ion-scale magnetospheres can be found on local regions of the Moon, associated with the lunar crustal magnetic field. In this paper, we report on the laboratory experimental study of magnetic reconnection in laser-driven, lunar-like ion-scale magnetospheres on the Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles. In the experiment, a high-repetition rate (1 Hz), nanosecond laser is used to drive a fast-moving, collisionless plasma that expands into the field generated by a pulsed magnetic dipole embedded into a background plasma and magnetic field. The high-repetition rate enables the acquisition of time-resolved volumetric data of the magnetic and electric fields to characterize magnetic reconnection and calculate the reconnection rate. We notably observe the formation of Hall fields associated with reconnection. Particle-in-cell simulations reproducing the experimental results were performed to study the microphysics of the interaction. By analyzing the generalized Ohm’s law terms, we find that the electron-only reconnection is driven by kinetic effects through the electron pressure anisotropy. These results are compared to recent satellite measurements that found evidence of magnetic reconnection near the lunar surface.
Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
Laboratory Tests of Laser Control of Electron Beams for Future Colliders
Laser-driven Compton backscattering (CBS) has been proposed as method for controlling the intensity of colliding bunches in the FCC-ee so as to avoid the flip-flop instability caused by intensity asymmetry in colliding bunches. Laser-based collimation has also been proposed as an indestructible collimator for high-intensity electron beams. We have initiated a laboratory-based test program of these concepts with the E344 experiment at FACET-II. In this paper, we describe simulations of laser-beam interactions at FACET-II and the relevant scaling for FCC-ee. We also describe the experimental setup and diagnostics that will be used to make the measurements at FACET-II.
Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph)↗
Self-driving thin film laboratory: autonomous epitaxial atomic-layer synthesis via real-time computer vision analysis of electron diffraction
Emerging materials science platforms with the ability to make autonomous decisions on the fly are fundamentally changing the outlook and protocols for materials optimization and discovery. Because AI-driven self-navigating schemes can effectively reduce the total number of iterations needed to arrive at the "answer" (i.e. the best stochiometric composition for a desired physical property, optimum materials processing parameters, etc.) by significant margins, they have the potential to revolutionize materials and chemical manufacturing processes at large in research laboratory settings as well as in industrial plants. Here, we demonstrate a successful implementation of real-time closed-loop autonomous navigation of a multi-dimensional materials synthesis parameter space for fabricating phase-pure epitaxial films of a metastable phase of a functional oxide in a combinatorial pulsed laser deposition chamber. Sequential epitaxial growth iterations in search of the optimized recipe to stabilize the desired crystal phase were performed using frame-by-frame quantitative computer vision analysis of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) images of the unit-cell level film being deposited. The autonomous scheme regularly resulted in > 30-fold reduction in the number of required experiments compared to a comprehensive mapping of the parameter space. The real-time workflow developed here can be readily extended to a variety of thin film synthesis platforms opening the door for self-driving atomic-level materials design as well as autonomous optimization of semiconductor manufacturing.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
A Laboratory Corrosion Inhibition Study of Carbon Steel Using 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) Under Post-Combustion CO2 Capture Conditions
Corrosion mitigation is an important aspect of amine-based post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture operations due to the desire to use less expensive but corrosion-vulnerable materials such as low carbon steels in the construction of a capture system. In this study, the corrosion behavior of A106 (grade B) carbon steel with an in-house proprietary amine-based solvent was investigated in a laboratory environment at 80°C using an organic corrosion inhibitor, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT). The corrosion inhibition mechanism was interpreted by electrochemical methods and surface analyses. The results revealed that the corrosion rates of carbon steel were significantly retarded using MBT. The critical inhibitor concentration was determined to be lie between 10 ppm and 50 ppm under the tested conditions.
Materials Science↗