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GENIE is an international collaboration of physicists and programmers who develop Monte Carlo codes for neutrino-nucleus simulation. It is applicable to any neutrino experiment using beam energies between 10 MeV and 10 TeV. This short document describes recent changes in process and release schedule. The new model developments for v2.9.0 and v2.9.2 are briefly described.
A photon timing recorder was realized in a field programmable gate array to capture all timing data of photons on multiple channels with down to a 1-ns resolution and to transfer all data to a host computer in real-time through universal serial bus with more than 10 M events/s transfer rate. The main concept is that photon time series can be regarded as a serial communication data stream. This recorder was successfully applied for simultaneous measurements of fluorescence fluctuation and lifetime of near-infrared dyes in solution. This design is not only limited to the fluorescence fluctuation measurement but also applicable to any kind of photon counting experiments in a nanosecond time range because of the simple and easily modifiable design.
A RIKEN 18 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source (18 GHz ECRIS) is used as an external ion source at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory (RIBF) accelerator complex to produce an intense beam of medium-mass heavy ions (e.g., Ca and Ar). In most components that comprise the RIBF, the control systems (CSs) are integrated by the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). On the other hand, a non-EPICS-based system has hardwired controllers, and it is used in the 18 GHz ECRIS CS as an independent system. In terms of efficient and effective operation, the 18 GHz ECRIS CS as well as the RIBF CS should be renewed using EPICS. Therefore, we constructed an 18 GHz ECRIS CS by using programmable logic controllers with embedded EPICS technology. In the renewed system, an operational log system was developed as a new feature, for supporting of the 18 GHz ECRIS operation.
The potential capabilities of resonators based on two dimensional arrays of re-entrant posts is demonstrated. Such posts may be regarded as magnetically coupled lumped element microwave harmonic oscillators, arranged in a 2D lattices structure, which is enclosed in a 3D cavity. By arranging these elements in certain 2D patterns, we demonstrate how to achieve certain requirements with respect to field localisation and device spectra. Special attention is paid to symmetries of the lattices, mechanical tuning, design of areas of high localisation of magnetic energy; this in turn creates unique discrete mode spectra. We demonstrate analogies between systems designed on the proposed platform and well known physical phenomena such as polarisation, frustration, and Whispering Gallery Modes. The mechanical tunability of the cavity with multiple posts is analysed, and its consequences to optomechanical applications is calculated. One particular application to quantum memory is demonstrated with a cavity design consisting of separate resonators analogous to discrete Fabry–Pérot resonators. Finally, we propose a generalised approach to a microwave system design based on the concept of Programmable Cavity Arrays.
The longstanding expertise of the Tore Supra team in long pulse heating and current drive with radiofrequency (RF) systems will now be exploited in the WEST device (tungsten-W Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) [1]. WEST will allow an integrated long pulse tokamak programme for testing W-divertor components at ITER-relevant heat flux (10-20 MW/m{sup 2}), while treating crucial aspects for ITER-operation, such as avoidance of W-accumulation in long discharges, monitoring and control of heat fluxes on the metallic plasma facing components (PFCs) and coupling of RF waves in H-mode plasmas. Scenario modelling using the METIS-code shows that ITER-relevant heat fluxes are compatible with the sustainment of long pulse H-mode discharges, at high power (up to 15 MW / 30 s at I{sub P} = 0.8 MA) or high fluence (up to 10 MW / 1000 s at I{sub P} = 0.6 MA) [2], all based on RF heating and current drive using Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) and Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD). This paper gives a description of the ICRH and LHCD systems in WEST, together with the modelling of the power deposition of the RF waves in the WEST-scenarios.
In this paper, the emergence of remote synchronization in a ring of 32 unidirectionally coupled non-linear oscillators is reported. Each oscillator consists of 3 negative voltage gain stages connected in a loop to which two integrators are superimposed and receives input from its preceding neighbour via a “mixing” stage whose gains form the main system control parameters. Collective behaviour of the network is investigated numerically and experimentally, based on a custom-designed circuit board featuring 32 field-programmable analog arrays. A diverse set of synchronization patterns is observed depending on the control parameters. While phase synchronization ensues globally, albeit imperfectly, for certain control parameter values, amplitudes delineate subsets of non-adjacent but preferentially synchronized nodes; this cannot be trivially explained by synchronization paths along sequences of structurally connected nodes and is therefore interpreted as representing a form of remote synchronization. Complex topology of functional synchronization thus emerges from underlying elementary structural connectivity. In addition to the Kuramoto order parameter and cross-correlation coefficient, other synchronization measures are considered, and preliminary findings suggest that generalized synchronization may identify functional relationships across nodes otherwise not visible. Further work elucidating the mechanism underlying this observation of remote synchronization is necessary, to support which experimental data and board design materials have been made freely downloadable.
The power of Ethernet for control and automation technology is being largely understood by the automation industry in recent times. Ethernet with HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is one of the most widely accepted communication standards today. Ethernet is best known for being able to control through internet from anywhere in the globe. The Ethernet interface with built-in on-chip embedded servers ensures global connections for crate-less model of control and data acquisition systems which have several advantages over traditional crate-based control architectures for slow applications. This architecture will completely eliminate the use of any extra PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or similar control hardware in any automation network as the control functions are firmware coded inside intelligent meters itself. Here, we describe the indigenously built project of a cryogenic control system built for linear accelerator at Inter University Accelerator Centre, known as “CADS,” which stands for “Complete Automation of Distribution System.” CADS deals with complete hardware, firmware, and software implementation of the automated linac cryogenic distribution system using many Ethernet based embedded cryogenic instruments developed in-house. Each instrument works as an intelligent meter called device-server which has the control functions and control loops built inside the firmware itself. Dedicated meters with built-in servers were designed out of ARM (Acorn RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) Machine) and ATMEL processors and COTS (Commercially Off-the-Shelf) SMD (Surface Mount Devices) components, with analog sensor front-end and a digital back-end web server implementing remote procedure call over HTTP for digital control and readout functions. At present, 24 instruments which run 58 embedded servers inside, each specific to a particular type of sensor-actuator combination for closed loop operations, are now deployed and distributed across control LAN (Local Area Network). A group of six categories of such instruments have been identified for all cryogenic applications required for linac operation which were designed to build this medium-scale cryogenic automation setup. These devices have special features like remote rebooters, daughter boards for PIDs (Proportional Integral Derivative), etc., to operate them remotely in radiation areas and also have emergency switches by which each device can be taken to emergency mode temporarily. Finally, all the data are monitored, logged, controlled, and analyzed online at a central control room which has a user-friendly control interface developed using LabVIEW{sup ®}. This paper discusses the overall hardware, firmware, software design, and implementation for the cryogenics setup.
A spectrometer based on a linear array photomultiplier tube (PMT) has been developed and calibrated. A 0.635 m focal length Czerny-Turner monochromator combined with a coupling optics provides an image of a narrow 0.5 nm spectral range with a resolution of 0.015 nm/channel on a 32-anode PMT. The system aims at spectroscopy of D{sub α} or H{sub α} lines emitted by a diagnostic atomic beam in a plasma (primarily a motional Stark effect diagnostics). To record a low photon flux of ∼10{sup 6} s{sup −1} per channel with the time resolution of 100 μs, a pulse counting approach has been used. Wideband amplifiers scale single-electron pulses and transmit them to a digital data processing core hardwired in a programmable logic matrix. Calibrations have shown that the aberration-limited instrument function fits to a single detector channel of 1 mm width. Pilot results of passive measurements of D{sub α} light emission from the plasma confined in a magnetic trap are presented.
The effect of hydrogen treatment on the threshold switching property in a Ag/amorphous Si based programmable metallization cells was investigated for selector device applications. Using the Ag filament formed during motion of Ag ions, a steep-slope (5 mV/dec.) for threshold switching with higher selectivity (∼10{sup 5}) could be achieved. Because of the faster diffusivity of Ag atoms, which are inside solid-electrolytes, the resulting Ag filament could easily be dissolved under low current regime, where the Ag filament possesses weak stability. We found that the dissolution process could be further enhanced by hydrogen treatment that facilitated the movement of the Ag atoms.
We describe the operation of a cryogenic instrumentation platform incorporating commercially available field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The functionality of the FPGAs at temperatures approaching 4 K enables signal routing, multiplexing, and complex digital signal processing in close proximity to cooled devices or detectors within the cryostat. The performance of the FPGAs in a cryogenic environment is evaluated, including clock speed, error rates, and power consumption. Although constructed for the purpose of controlling and reading out quantum computing devices with low latency, the instrument is generic enough to be of broad use in a range of cryogenic applications.
Driven by the hypothesis that a sufficiently continuous short-ranged potential is able to account for shell flexibility and phonon modes and therefore provides a more realistic description of nanoparticle interactions than a hard sphere model, we compute the solid phase diagram of particles of different radii interacting with an inverse power law potential. From a pool of 24 candidate lattices, the free energy is optimized with respect to additional internal parameters and the p-exponent, determining the short-range properties of the potential, is varied between p = 12 and p = 6. The phase diagrams contain the phases found in ongoing self-assembly experiments, including DNA programmable self-assembly and nanoparticles with capping ligands assembled by evaporation from an organic solvent. Thus, the resulting phase diagrams can be mapped quantitatively to existing experiments as a function of only two parameters: Nanoparticle radius ratio (γ) and softness asymmetry.
The rotating waveplate Stokes polarimeter was developed for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) poloidal polarimeter. The generalized model of the rotating waveplate Stokes polarimeter and the algorithm suitable for real-time field-programmable gate array (FPGA) processing were proposed. Since the generalized model takes into account each component associated with the rotation of the waveplate, the Stokes parameters can be accurately measured even in unideal condition such as non-uniformity of the waveplate retardation. Experiments using a He-Ne laser showed that the maximum error and the precision of the Stokes parameter were 3.5% and 1.2%, respectively. The rotation speed of waveplate was 20 000 rpm and time resolution of measuring the Stokes parameter was 3.3 ms. Software emulation showed that the real-time measurement of the Stokes parameter with time resolution of less than 10 ms is possible by using several FPGA boards. Evaluation of measurement capability using a far-infrared laser which ITER poloidal polarimeter will use concluded that measurement error will be reduced by a factor of nine.
Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to be employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH{sub 1.6}, stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D{sup ®} computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M.
Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia) is the leading agency in introducing and promoting the application of nuclear science technology in Malaysia. The agency provides major nuclear facilities purposely for research and commercialisation such as reactor, irradiation plants and radioisotope production laboratory. When dealing with ionizing radiation, there is an obligatory requirement to monitor and assess the radiation exposure to the workers. The personal dose of radiation workers were monitored monthly by assessing their Thermoluminescence Dosimeter (TLD) dose reading. This paper will discuss the current practice in managing, assessing, record keeping and reporting of the occupational exposure in Nuclear Malaysia including the Health Physic Group roles and challenges. The statistics on occupational radiation exposure of monitored workers working in different fields in Nuclear Malaysia from 2011 - 2013 will also be presented. The results show that the null hypothesis (H{sub 0}) was accepted which the means of every populations are all equal or not differ significantly. This hypothesis states that the dose exposure received by the radiation workers in Nuclear Malaysia is similar and there were no significant changes from 2011 to 2013. The radiation monitoring programme correlate with the requirement of our national law, the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304)
A much more efficient Ring Imaging Cherenkov sub-detector system will be rebuilt in the second long shutdown of Large Hadron Collider for the LHCb experiment. Radiation-hard electronic components together with Commercial Off-The-Shelf ones will be used in the new Cherenkov photon detection system architecture. An irradiation program was foreseen to determine the radiation tolerance for the new electronic devices, including a Field Programmable Gate Array from KINTEX-7 family of XILINX. An automated test bench for online monitoring of the XC7K70T KINTEX-7 device operation in radiation conditions was designed and implemented by the LHCb Romanian group.
Domain wall dynamics in a magnetoelectric antiferromagnet is analyzed, and its implications for magnetoelectric memory applications are discussed. Cr 2 O 3 is used in the estimates of the materials parameters. It is found that the domain wall mobility has a maximum as a function of the electric field due to the gyrotropic coupling induced by it. In Cr 2 O 3 , the maximal mobility of 0.1 m/(s Oe) is reached at E≈0.06 V/nm. Fields of this order may be too weak to overcome the intrinsic depinning field, which is estimated for B-doped Cr 2 O 3 . These major drawbacks for device implementation can be overcome by applying a small in-plane shear strain, which blocks the domain wall precession. Domain wall mobility of about 0.7 m/(s Oe) can then be achieved at E = 0.2 V/nm. Furthermore, a split-gate scheme is proposed for the domain-wall controlled bit element; its extension to multiple-gate linear arrays can offer advantages in memory density, programmability, and logic functionality.
In this study, the controllable effective refractive index modulation of Sb{sub 70}Te{sub 30} phase-change thin films between amorphous and crystalline states was achieved experimentally by multiple femtosecond laser pulses. The modulation mechanism was analyzed comprehensively by a spectral ellipsometer measurement, surface morphology observation, and two-temperature model calculations. We numerically demonstrate the application of the optically modulated refractive index of the phase-change thin films in a precisely adjustable color display. These results may provide further insights into ultrafast phase-transition mechanics and are useful in the design of programmable photonic and opto-electrical devices based on phase-change memory materials.
We present a prototype of a laser frequency auto-locking and re-locking control system designed for laser frequency stabilization in inter-satellite laser ranging system. The controller has been implemented on field programmable gate arrays and programmed with LabVIEW software. The controller allows initial frequency calibrating and lock-in of a free-running laser to a Fabry-Pérot cavity. Since it allows automatic recovery from unlocked conditions, benefit derives to automated in-orbit operations. Program design and experimental results are demonstrated.