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DOE OSTI2015

TU-CD-304-04: Scanning Field Total Body Irradiation Using Dynamic Arc with Variable Dose Rate and Gantry Speed

Purpose: Enable a scanning field total body irradiation (TBI) technique, using dynamic arcs, which is biologically equivalent to a moving couch TBI. Methods: Patient is treated slightly above the floor and the treatment field scans across the patient by a moving gantry. MLC positions change during gantry motion to keep same field opening at the level of the treatment plane (170 cm). This is done to mimic the same geometry as the moving couch TBI technique which has been used in our institution for over 10 years. The dose rate and the gantry speed are determined considering a constant speed of the moving field, variations in SSD and slanted depths resulting from oblique gantry angles. An Eclipse (Varian) planning system is commissioned to accommodate the extended SSD. The dosimetric foundations of the technique have been thoroughly investigated using phantom measurements. Results: Dose uniformity better than 2% across 180 cm length at 10cm depth is achieved by moving the gantry from −55 to +55 deg. Treatment range can be extended by increasing gantry range. No device such as a gravity-oriented compensator is needed to achieve a uniform dose. It is feasible to modify the dose distribution by adjusting the dose rate at each gantry angle to compensate for body thickness differences. Total treatment time for 2 Gy AP/PA fields is 40–50 minutes excluding patient set up time, at the machine dose rate of 100 MU/min. Conclusion: This novel yet transportable moving field technique enables TBI treatment in a small treatment room with less program development preparation than other techniques. Treatment length can be extended per need, and. MLC-based thickness compensation and partial lung blocking are also possible.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Sodium Extraction from Full-Length Fermi-1 Blanket Assembly

Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie. On October 5, 1966, Fermi 1, a prototype fast breeder reactor, suffered a partial fuel meltdown (no radioactive material was released). As a result, 34 metric tons of sodium-bonded blanket material from the decommissioned Fermi-1 reactor were shipped to and are currently stored at the Idaho Nation Lab (INL). This material is currently awaiting removal from the state of Idaho by 2035. In its current state, the Fermi-1 material is not suitable for disposal due to the reactive characteristic of its bond sodium. This work demonstrates removal of bond sodium from an entire full-length unirradiated Fermi-1 outer radial blanket assembly using a gravity assisted melt-drain-evaporate (MEDE) treatment process. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed to characterize the extent of sodium removal from the blanket material following MEDE treatment.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Algorithmic construction of SSA-compatible extreme rays of the subadditivity cone and the N = 6 solution

We compute the set of all extreme rays of the 6-party subadditivity cone that are compatible with strong subadditivity. In total, we identify 208 new (genuine 6-party) orbits, 52 of which violate at least one known holographic entropy inequality. For the remaining 156 orbits, which do not violate any such inequalities, we construct holographic graph models for 150 of them. For the final 6 orbits, it remains an open question whether they are holographic. Consistent with the strong form of the conjecture in [1], 148 of these graph models are trees. However, 2 of the graphs contain a “bulk cycle”, leaving open the question of whether equivalent models with tree topology exist, or if these extreme rays are counterexamples to the conjecture. The paper includes a detailed description of the algorithm used for the computation, which is presented in a general framework and can be applied to any situation involving a polyhedral cone defined by a set of linear inequalities and a partial order among them to find extreme rays corresponding to down-sets in this poset.

AdS-CFT correspondence↗

DOE OSTI2013

Evaluation of a semiautomated lung mass calculation technique for internal dosimetry applications

Purpose: The authors sought to evaluate a simple, semiautomated lung mass estimation method using computed tomography (CT) scans obtained using a variety of acquisition techniques and reconstruction parameters for mass correction of medical internal radiation dose-based internal radionuclide radiation absorbed dose estimates.Methods: CT scans of 27 patients with lung cancer undergoing stereotactic body radiation therapy treatment planning with PET/CT were analyzed retrospectively. For each patient, free-breathing (FB) and respiratory-gated 4DCT scans were acquired. The 4DCT scans were sorted into ten respiratory phases, representing one complete respiratory cycle. An average CT reconstruction was derived from the ten-phase reconstructions. Mid expiration breath-hold CT scans were acquired in the same session for many patients. Deep inspiration breath-hold diagnostic CT scans of many of the patients were obtained from different scanning sessions at similar time points to evaluate the effect of contrast administration and maximum inspiration breath-hold. Lung mass estimates were obtained using all CT scan types, and intercomparisons made to assess lung mass variation according to scan type. Lung mass estimates using the FB CT scans from PET/CT examinations of another group of ten male and ten female patients who were 21–30 years old and did not have lung disease were calculated and compared with reference lung mass values. To evaluate the effect of varying CT acquisition and reconstruction parameters on lung mass estimation, an anthropomorphic chest phantom was scanned and reconstructed with different CT parameters. CT images of the lungs were segmented using the OsiriX MD software program with a seed point of about −850 HU and an interval of 1000. Lung volume, and mean lung, tissue, and air HUs were recorded for each scan. Lung mass was calculated by assuming each voxel was a linear combination of only air and tissue. The specific gravity of lung volume was calculated using the formula (lung HU − air HU)/(tissue HU − air HU), and mass = specific gravity × total volume × 1.04 g/cm{sup 3}.Results: The range of calculated lung masses was 0.51–1.29 kg. The average male and female lung masses during FB CT were 0.80 and 0.71 kg, respectively. The calculated lung mass varied across the respiratory cycle but changed to a lesser degree than did lung volume measurements (7.3% versus 15.4%). Lung masses calculated using deep inspiration breath-hold and average CT were significantly larger (p < 0.05) than were some masses calculated using respiratory-phase and FB CT. Increased voxel size and smooth reconstruction kernels led to high lung mass estimates owing to partial volume effects.Conclusions: Organ mass correction is an important component of patient-specific internal radionuclide dosimetry. Lung mass calculation necessitates scan-based density correction to account for volume changes owing to respiration. The range of lung masses in the authors’ patient population represents lung doses for the same absorbed energy differing from 25% below to 64% above the dose found using reference phantom organ masses. With proper management of acquisition parameters and selection of FB or midexpiration breath hold scans, lung mass estimates with about 10% population precision may be achieved.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2023

High Energy Theory and Cosmology Workshops at the Leinweber Center for Theoretical Physics at the University of Michigan

This award partially supported a workshop and a summer school held at the Leinweber Center for Theoretical Physics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Funds were primarily used to support the travel of external participants. The programs were substantially delayed owing to the pandemic. The symposium was initially slated for Spring 2020. The 2023 Michigan Cosmology Summer School was held June 5-9 2023 in Ann Arbor Michigan. There were about 150 in-person international participants (of whom about 35Nine external lecturers listed below delivered a series of lectures ranging on topics from “Measuring and Mapping Cosmic Shear” to “Dark Dark Energy and Modified Gravity.” Many archived version of the slides and videos of the lectures may be found at https://johannesulf.github.io/cosmology-school-2023/program.html

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Dependence of wind-farm-induced gravity waves and wind farm performance on non-dimensional atmospheric parameters and simulation configuration

This large-eddy simulation (LES) study examines how wind-farm-induced atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) and wind farm performance depend on non-dimensional atmospheric parameters and simulation configuration. A hypothetical aligned wind farm of actuator disks is simulated under neutral surface conditions, with a stable capping inversion and a mildly stable free atmosphere, to assess the effects of stratification beyond the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) on ABL flow. Simulation set-ups fully resolving AGWs are validated to minimize spurious wave generation and reflection from the domain boundaries. The validated set-up is then used to analyze AGW types and characteristics, as well as stratification impacts under conventionally neutral boundary layer (CNBL) conditions. These conditions are governed by four non-dimensional parameters: the Froude numbers of the free atmosphere and capping inversion (Fr, Fr i ), and the aspect ratios of the ABL and wind farm (H̃ i , S h ). Simulation configurations that fully resolve AGWs – capturing at least one wavelength both horizontally and vertically – yield the most realistic stratification effects on ABL flow, whereas partial or unresolved configurations produce non-physical, channel-like behavior. A coherent description of the AGW phenomena is provided, highlighting the central role of capping inversion displacement in linking ABL fluctuations with AGWs. Trapped waves are confined within the capping inversion, while interfacial and internal waves aloft are identified as the AGW types most relevant to wind farm performance. The wavy inversion, analogous to an interfacial wave, forms converging and diverging zones that drive power fluctuations across the farm. The interfacial wavelength, measured over the wind farm, corresponds to one diverging, one converging, and one mildly diverging zone. As the interfacial wavelength decreases with Fr i , multiple convergence–divergence zones develop under sub-critical conditions (Fr i <1.0), while for super-critical conditions (Fr i > 1.0), the wavelength approaches the farm length. Wave amplitude increases with decreasing H̃ i (i.e., shallower capping inversions). Wind farm performance is most sensitive to H̃ i : shallow boundary layers increase blockage and reduce efficiency, while deeper layers enhance efficiency. Increasing Fr and Fr i mitigates blockage, and increasing S h mainly improves wake recovery. Although local power fluctuations arise from AGWs, overall wind farm efficiency remains nearly constant with Fr and Fr i , improving primarily with larger H̃ i and S h .

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Final Report for 3-year grant no. DE-FG05-85ER40226. Investigations in Elementary Particle Theory.

The research interests of our three Co-PI’s complement each other very well. Kephart works mainly on models of particle unification in four or higher dimensions, on aspects of gravity such as inflation, black-holes, and the very early Universe, and on applications of knot theory and topology to various physical systems (including gluon dynamics). Scherrer works mainly on aspects of the intermediate-aged Universe, including dark matter and dark energy, and particle physics in the early Universe. Weiler works mainly on neutrino physics, dark matter signatures, and extreme particle-astrophysics in the late Universe, including origins of the highest-energy cosmic-rays and gamma-rays, and the future potential of neutrino astrophysics. Kephart and Weiler have lately devoted some research attention to the LHC and its reach for probing physics beyond the Standard Model. During the 3-year funding period, our grant supported one postdoc (Chiu Man Ho) and partially supported two students, Peter Denton and Lingjun Fu. Chiu Man collaborated with all three of the Co-PI’s during the 3-year funding period and published 16 refereed papers. Chiu Man has gone on to a postdoc with Steve Hsu at Michigan State University. Denton and Fu will both receive their PhDs during the 2014-15 academic year. The total number of our papers published in refereed journals by the three co-PIs during the period of this grant (2011-present) is 54. The total number of talks given by the group members during this time period, including seminars, colloquia, and conference presentations, is 47. Some details of the accomplishments of our DOE funded researchers during the grant period include Weiler being named a Simons Fellow in 2013. He presented an invited TEDx talk in 2012. His paper on closed timelike curves (2013) garnered a great deal of national publicity. Scherrer’s paper on the “little rip” (2011) fostered a new area of cosmological research, and the name “little rip” has now entered the lexicon of cosmology. His paper on anapole dark matter (2013) generated a great deal of interest in the community. Kephart was one of the co-organizers for a 5-month program on applications of topology to physics and biology, and a Visiting Fellow at the Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge, UK for the fall semester of 2012. His research there resulted in an extended publication on topologically stabilized closed QCD flux tube states.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Investigations in Elementary Particle Theory

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Multipartite entanglement structure of fibered link states

We study the patterns of multipartite entanglement in Chern-Simons theory with compact simple gauge group 𝐺 and level 𝑘 for states defined by the path integral on “link complements,” i.e., compact manifolds whose boundaries consist of 𝑛 topologically linked tori. We focus on link complements which can be described topologically as fibrations over a Seifert surface. We show that the entanglement structure of such fibered link complement states is controlled by a topological invariant, the monodromy of the fibration. Thus, the entanglement structure of a Chern-Simons link state is not simply a function of the link, but also of the background manifold in which the link is embedded. In particular, we show that any link possesses an embedding into some background that leads to Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state (GHZ)-like entanglement. Furthermore, we demonstrate that all fibered links with periodic monodromy have GHZ-like entanglement, i.e., a partial trace on any link component produces a separable state. These results generalize to any three dimensional topological field theory with a dual chiral rational conformal field theory.

conformal field theory↗

DOE OSTI2021

Tidally Excited Modes and δ Scuti Pulsations in the Eclipsing Triple Star IM Persei

IM Per is a triple star system whose eclipsing pair masses and radii are accurate to within 1%. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) light curve of the program target exhibits partial eclipses and multiple oscillations with millimagnitude-level amplitudes. It is found that the oscillations affect eclipse timing measurements. Binary modeling of the high-quality TESS data indicates that the eclipsing components of the triple system are twin dwarfs with parameters of M {sub 2}/M {sub 1} = 0.995, R {sub 2}/R {sub 1} = 0.901, and Δ(T{sub eff,1}–T{sub eff,2}) = 12 K in an eccentric (e = 0.049), detached configuration. The third light of l {sub 3} = 0.054 may mostly come from a G-type tertiary companion. Our predicted parallax of 1.52 ± 0.09 mas is concurrent with the Gaia measurement of 1.52 ± 0.05 mas. Multifrequency analysis of the outside-eclipse residuals reveals 22 significant pulsation signals: 4 in the gravity-mode region (0.03−2.22 day{sup −1}) and 18 in the pressure-mode region (9.19−25.12 day{sup −1}). Of the low frequencies, f {sub 11} and f {sub 14} are orbital harmonics that can be identified as tidally excited modes. The pulsation periods and constants for the high frequencies, and the position in the Cepheid instability strip demonstrate that the pulsating component of IM Per is a δ Sct variable.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2018

Minkowski conformal blocks and the Regge limit for Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev-like models

We discuss scattering in a conformal field theory (CFT) via the conformal partial-wave analysis and the Regge limit. The focus of this paper is on understanding an operator product expansion (OPE) with Minkowski conformal blocks. Starting with a t-channel OPE, it leads to an expansion for an s-channel scattering amplitude in terms of t-channel exchanges. By contrasting with Euclidean conformal blocks we see a precise relationship between conformal blocks in the two limits without preforming an explicit analytic continuation. We discuss a generic feature for a CFT correlation function having singular F (M) (u,v) ~ u –δ , δ > 0, in the limit u → 0 and v → 1. Here, δ = (ℓ eff – 1)/2, with ℓ eff serving as an effective spin and it can be determined through an OPE. In particular, it is bounded from above, ℓ eff ≤ 2, for all CFTs with a gravity dual, and it can be associated with string modes interpolating the graviton in AdS. This singularity is historically referred to as the Pomeron. This bound is nearly saturated by SYK-like effective d = 1 CFT, and its stringy and thermal corrections have piqued current interests. Our analysis has been facilitated by dealing with Wightman functions. We provide a direct treatment in diagonalizing dynamical equations via harmonic analysis over physical scattering regions. As an example these methods are applied to the SYK model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Generalized fractional approach to solving partial differential equations with arbitrary dispersion relations

The dynamics of physical systems are typically modeled by partial differential equations (PDEs). Because of the complexity in physical systems, PDE models rely on approximations or limiting cases. To model the full complexity of physical systems, it is necessary to use multiscale approaches where appropriate models are used at each level. Alternatively, complexity can be directly tackled by fractional integrodifferential equations that must be derived for each system. Here, we argue that complexity can be restored in PDEs by describing them from a fractional calculus perspective. Rather than deriving a fractional integrodifferential equation, we reinterpret the dispersion relation of the system by use of the Riesz definition, which contains the required information relating the energy and momentum space of the system and thus fully describes their dynamics. The approach is demonstrated by two examples: the Landau–Lifshitz equation in a 1D ferromagnetic chain and a modified KdV equation supporting surface gravity waves or Euler dispersion. The presented approach is applicable to fluids, soft matter, and solid-state matter and can be readily generalized to higher dimensions and more complex systems. While numerical calculations are needed to determine the fractional operator, the approach is analytical and can be utilized to determine analytical solutions and investigate nonlinear problems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2025

Structure of the Ecuadorian Upper Plate From a Joint Seismic‐Gravity Inversion

The Ecuadorian portion of the South American subduction zone presents an interesting case study in the structure and complex evolution of an upper plate. There are outstanding questions about its tectonic history, composition, and magmatic processes. While previous studies have employed ambient noise tomography to image the Ecuadorian upper plate, surface wave inversions alone often lack sensitivity at relevant shallow depths. This limitation can be overcome with an independent, complementary data set, such as gravity. We have jointly inverted Rayleigh wave phase velocities and Bouguer gravity anomalies to provide a more detailed seismic velocity model of the Ecuadorian upper plate. Our joint inversion has yielded several key improvements from previous models. First, we observe much shallower slow velocities beneath major basins (the Manabí, Progreso, and Gulf of Guayaquil), better aligning with expected basin structure. Second, we identify a high-velocity block beneath the entire forearc, corresponding to the Piñon Terrane, with velocities suggesting the presence of ultramafic material. Third, we highlight a new narrow swath of slow velocities beneath the Ecuadorian Andes, which closely follows the active volcanoes along the Eastern Cordillera. The extent of these slow velocities coincides with the termination of active arc volcanism and the predicted location of the subducted Carnegie Ridge. The predicted compositions for the mid to lower crust in the region preclude a purely compositional explanation for these velocities, suggesting that some level of partial melt is necessary.

Birkey, Andrew [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (Uni↗

DOE OSTI2023

The endpoint of partial deconfinement

We study the matrix quantum mechanics of two free hermitian N × N matrices subject to a singlet constraint in the microcanonical ensemble. This is the simplest example of a theory that at large N has a confinement/deconfinement transition. In the microcanonical ensemble, it also exhibits partial deconfinement with a Hagedorn density of states. We argue that the entropy of these configurations, based on a combinatorial counting of Young diagrams, are dominated by Young diagrams that have the VKLS shape. When the shape gets to the maximal depth allowed for a Young diagram of SU(N), namely N, we argue that the system stops exhibiting the Hagedorn behavior. The number of boxes (energy) at the transition is N 2 /4, independent of the charge of the state.

1/N Expansion↗

DOE OSTI2019

Cascading parallel fractures on Enceladus

Active eruptions from the south polar region of Saturn’s ~500-km-diameter moon Enceladus are concentrated along a series of lineaments known as the ‘tiger stripes’, thought to be partially open fissures that connect to the liquid water ocean beneath the ice shell. To date, no study simultaneously explains why the tiger stripes should be located only at the south pole, why there are multiple approximately parallel and regularly spaced fractures, what accounts for their spacing of about 35 km, and why similarly active fissures have not been observed on other icy bodies. Here in this paper, we propose that secular cooling, which leads to a thickening of the ice shell and building of global tensile stresses, causes the first fracture to form at one of the poles, where the ice shell is thinnest owing to tidal heating. The tensile stresses are thereby relieved, preventing a similar failure at the opposite pole. The steadily erupting water ice loads the flanks of the open fissure, causing bending in the surrounding elastic plate and further tensile failure in bands parallel to the first fracture—a process that may be unique to Enceladus, where the gravity is too weak for compressive stresses to prevent fracture propagation through the thin ice shell. The sequence of fissures then cascades outwards until the loading becomes too weak or the background shell thickness becomes too great to permit through-going fractures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Emergence of wave equations from quantum geometry

We argue that classical geometry should be viewed as a special limit of noncommutative geometry in which aspects which are inter-constrained decouple and appear arbitrary in the classical limit. In particular, the wave equation is really a partial derivative in a unified extra-dimensional noncommutative geometry and arises out of the greater rigidity of the noncommutative world not visible in the classical limit. We provide an introduction to this 'wave operator' approach to noncommutative geometry as recently used[27] to quantize any static spacetime metric admitting a spatial conformal Killing vector field, and in particular to construct the quantum Schwarzschild black hole. We also give an introduction to our related result that every classical Riemannian manifold is a shadow of a slightly noncommutative one wherein the meaning of the classical Ricci tensor becomes very natural as the square of a generalised braiding.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Emergent classical spacetime from microstates of an incipient black hole

Black holes have an enormous underlying space of microstates, but universal macroscopic physics characterized by mass, charge and angular momentum as well as a causally disconnected interior. This leads two related puzzles: (1) How does the effective factorization of interior and exterior degrees of freedom emerge in gravity?, and (2) How does the underlying degeneracy of states wind up having a geometric realization in the horizon area and in properties of the singularity? We explore these puzzles in the context of an incipient black hole in the AdS/CFT correspondence, the microstates of which are dual to half-BPS states of the $\mathcal{N}$ = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. First, we construct a code subspace for this black hole and show how to organize it as a tensor product of a universal macroscopic piece (describing the exterior), and a factor corresponding to the microscopic degrees of freedom (describing the interior). We then study the classical phase space and symplectic form for low-energy excitations around the black hole. On the AdS side, we find that the symplectic form has a new physical degree of freedom at the stretched horizon of the black hole, reminiscent of soft hair, which is absent in the microstates. We explicitly show how such a soft mode emerges from the microscopic phase space in the dual CFT via a canonical transformation and how it encodes partial information about the microscopic degrees of freedom of the black hole.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-C-BRA-04: Automated Segmentation of Head-And-Neck CT Images for Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Via Multi-Atlas Machine Learning (MAML)

Purpose: Accurate image segmentation is a crucial step during image guided radiation therapy. This work proposes multi-atlas machine learning (MAML) algorithm for automated segmentation of head-and-neck CT images. Methods: As the first step, the algorithm utilizes normalized mutual information as similarity metric, affine registration combined with multiresolution B-Spline registration, and then fuses together using the label fusion strategy via Plastimatch. As the second step, the following feature selection strategy is proposed to extract five feature components from reference or atlas images: intensity (I), distance map (D), box (B), center of gravity (C) and stable point (S). The box feature B is novel. It describes a relative position from each point to minimum inscribed rectangle of ROI. The center-of-gravity feature C is the 3D Euclidean distance from a sample point to the ROI center of gravity, and then S is the distance of the sample point to the landmarks. Then, we adopt random forest (RF) in Scikit-learn, a Python module integrating a wide range of state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms as classifier. Different feature and atlas strategies are used for different ROIs for improved performance, such as multi-atlas strategy with reference box for brainstem, and single-atlas strategy with reference landmark for optic chiasm. Results: The algorithm was validated on a set of 33 CT images with manual contours using a leave-one-out cross-validation strategy. Dice similarity coefficients between manual contours and automated contours were calculated: the proposed MAML method had an improvement from 0.79 to 0.83 for brainstem and 0.11 to 0.52 for optic chiasm with respect to multi-atlas segmentation method (MA). Conclusion: A MAML method has been proposed for automated segmentation of head-and-neck CT images with improved performance. It provides the comparable result in brainstem and the improved result in optic chiasm compared with MA. Xuhua Ren and Hao Gao were partially supported by the NSFC (#11405105), the 973 Program (#2015CB856000), and the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program (#14PJ1404500).

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗