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At least 1,171 records · Page 65

Predicting sudden cardiac death from T wave alternans of the surface electrocardiogram: promise and pitfalls

Sudden cardiac death remains a preeminent public health problem. Despite advances in preventative treatment for patients known to be at risk, to date we have been able to identify, and thus treat, only a small minority of these patients. Therefore, there is a major need to develop noninvasive diagnostic technologies to identify patients at risk. Recent studies have demonstrated that measurement of microvolt-level T wave alternans is a promising technique for the accurate identification of patients at risk for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. In this article, we review the clinical data establishing the relationship between microvolt T wave alternans and susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias. We also review the methods and technology that have been developed to measure microvolt levels of T wave alternans noninvasively in broad populations of ambulatory patients. In particular, we examine techniques that permit the accurate measurement of T wave alternans during exercise stress testing.

Review, Tutorial↗

Electric Potential and Electric Field Imaging with Dynamic Applications & Extensions

The technology and methods for remote quantitative imaging of electrostatic potentials and electrostatic fields in and around objects and in free space is presented. Electric field imaging (EFI) technology may be applied to characterize intrinsic or existing electric potentials and electric fields, or an externally generated electrostatic field made be used for volumes to be inspected with EFI. The baseline sensor technology (e-Sensor) and its construction, optional electric field generation (quasi-static generator), and current e- Sensor enhancements (ephemeral e-Sensor) are discussed. Critical design elements of current linear and real-time two-dimensional (2D) measurement systems are highlighted, and the development of a three dimensional (3D) EFI system is presented. Demonstrations for structural, electronic, human, and memory applications are shown. Recent work demonstrates that phonons may be used to create and annihilate electric dipoles within structures. Phonon induced dipoles are ephemeral and their polarization, strength, and location may be quantitatively characterized by EFI providing a new subsurface Phonon-EFI imaging technology. Results from real-time imaging of combustion and ion flow, and their measurement complications, will be discussed. Extensions to environment, Space and subterranean applications will be presented, and initial results for quantitative characterizing material properties are shown. A wearable EFI system has been developed by using fundamental EFI concepts. These new EFI capabilities are demonstrated to characterize electric charge distribution creating a new field of study embracing areas of interest including electrostatic discharge (ESD) mitigation, manufacturing quality control, crime scene forensics, design and materials selection for advanced sensors, combustion science, on-orbit space potential, container inspection, remote characterization of electronic circuits and level of activation, dielectric morphology of structures, tether integrity, organic molecular memory, atmospheric science, weather prediction, earth quake prediction, and medical diagnostic and treatment efficacy applications such as cardiac polarization wave propagation and electromyography imaging.

Generazio, Ed↗

MODELING THE INFLUENCE OF NOZZLE-GENERATED TURBULENCE ON DIESEL SPRAYS

Predictive engine simulations are key for rapidly exploring and optimizing the design of cleaner burning and more fuel efficient engines. Injection strategies in advanced engine concepts are resulting in the injection and atomization of fuel under a wide range of operating conditions in order to meet stringent emission regulations. However, the physics governing the breakup of an injected liquid fuel jet into droplets under these conditions have not been well studied or experimentally characterized to date. In the sprays literature, three agents have been proposed as the likely mechanisms contributing to primary atomization in diesel sprays, namely the aerodynamic growth of waves on the fuel jet surface, turbulence generated in the injector nozzle, and cavitation. If computational design tools are to be used to guide the use of direct injection strategies for cleaner and more fuel efficient engines, the physics underpinning the role of these primary atomization mechanisms must be better understood to ensure the development of predictive simulations of fuel-air mixing and vaporization within the engine. Thus, the central aim of this thesis is to improve the physical representation of spray breakup physics within today’s engine simulation packages. The work presented in this thesis investigates the role of the proposed physical mechanisms on the primary atomization process in diesel sprays. In order to advance current understanding of spray breakup, the dynamic and geometric factors contributing to cavitation were suppressed so that primary atomization due to aerodynamics and nozzle-generated turbulence could be studied in isolation. In the absence of sufficiently resolved images to visualize the primary atomization process under dieselrelevant conditions, droplet sizing spray measurements are needed to characterize the outcomes of the spray breakup process. Therefore, a new experimental methodology was developed and applied in a high-pressure spray chamber to characterize the average size of droplets formed from the spray breakup process. This experimental data, in conjunction with x-ray measurements from the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, have been used to assess predictions from existing spray breakup models. Comparison between predicted and measured drop size distributions revealed that a spray atomization model, premised on droplet formation from the growth of aerodynamically induced instabilities, could capture experimentally observed sensitivities and features in the measured droplet size distributions under conventional diesel engine conditions. However, for injection into relatively lower ambient density environments, aerodynamic breakup models could not accurately predict the initial rate of droplet size decrease in the near-nozzle region, suggesting that other mechanisms, such as turbulence generated inside the nozzle, likely augment and enhance the primary breakup process. Evaluation of newly available droplet sizing measurements under low ambient density conditions allowed for the turbulence-induced breakup process to be studied, while minimizing the influence of aerodynamic inertial forces on the spray. Although several turbulence-induced breakup models have been proposed in the literature, the scaling of droplet sizes with the integral length scale, assumed in the majority of turbulent breakup models, was found to be inconsistent with the experimentally observed trends in droplet size along the spray centerline. However, empirical correlations describing droplets formed from eddies within the inertial sub-range of the turbulence spectrum were better able to capture the measured sensitivities in droplet size to changes in ambient and injection conditions. These findings informed recommendations for an improved hybrid spray breakup model, capable of representing both aerodynamic and turbulent breakup mechanisms in the atomization of non-cavitating diesel sprays.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Molecular-Based Optical Diagnostics for Hypersonic Nonequilibrium Flows

This presentation package consists of seven different talks rolled up into one. These talks are all invited orals presentations in a special session at the Aviation 2015 conference and represent contributions that were made to a recent AIAA book that will be published entitled 'Hypersonic Nonequilibrium Flows: Fundamentals and Recent Advances'. Slide 5 lists the individual presentations that will be given during the special session.

Paul Danehy↗

The high energy X-ray probe (HEX-P): Galactic PeVatrons, star clusters, superbubbles, microquasar jets, and gamma-ray binaries

HEX-P is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging (<10" FWHM) and broad spectral coverage (0.2–80 keV) with an effective area far superior to current facilities (including XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) to enable revolutionary new insights into a variety of important astrophysical problems. With the recent discoveries of over 40 ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources (detected above 100 TeV) and neutrino emission in the Galactic Plane, we have entered a new era of multi-messenger astrophysics facing the exciting reality of Galactic PeVatrons. In the next decade, as more Galactic PeVatrons and TeV gamma-ray sources are expected to be discovered, the identification of their acceleration and emission mechanisms will be the most pressing issue in both particle and high-energy astrophysics. In this paper, along with its companion papers, we will present that HEX-P is uniquely suited to address important problems in various cosmic-ray accelerators, including Galactic PeVatrons, through investigating synchrotron X-ray emission of TeV–PeV electrons produced by both leptonic and hadronic processes. For Galactic PeVatron candidates and other TeV gamma-ray sources, HEX-P can fill in a large gap in the spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) of many objects observed in radio, soft X-rays, and gamma rays, constraining the maximum energies to which electrons can be accelerated, with implications for the nature of the Galactic PeVatrons and their contributions to the spectrum of Galactic cosmic rays beyond the knee at ~3 PeV. In particular, X-ray observation with HEX-P and TeV observation with CTAO will provide the most powerful multi-messenger diagnostics to identify Galactic PeVatrons and explore a variety of astrophysical shock mechanisms. We present simulations of each class of Galactic TeV–PeV sources, demonstrating the power of both the imaging and spectral capabilities of HEX-P to advance our knowledge of Galactic cosmic-ray accelerators. In addition, we discuss HEX-P’s unique and complementary roles to upcoming gamma-ray and neutrino observatories in the 2030s.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The high energy X-ray probe (HEX-P): Galactic PeVatrons, star clusters, superbubbles, microquasar jets, and gamma-ray binaries

HEX-P is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging (<10" FWHM) and broad spectral coverage (0.2–80 keV) with an effective area far superior to current facilities (including XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) to enable revolutionary new insights into a variety of important astrophysical problems. With the recent discoveries of over 40 ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources (detected above 100 TeV) and neutrino emission in the Galactic Plane, we have entered a new era of multi-messenger astrophysics facing the exciting reality of Galactic PeVatrons. In the next decade, as more Galactic PeVatrons and TeV gamma-ray sources are expected to be discovered, the identification of their acceleration and emission mechanisms will be the most pressing issue in both particle and high-energy astrophysics. In this paper, along with its companion papers, we will present that HEX-P is uniquely suited to address important problems in various cosmic-ray accelerators, including Galactic PeVatrons, through investigating synchrotron X-ray emission of TeV–PeV electrons produced by both leptonic and hadronic processes. For Galactic PeVatron candidates and other TeV gamma-ray sources, HEX-P can fill in a large gap in the spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) of many objects observed in radio, soft X-rays, and gamma rays, constraining the maximum energies to which electrons can be accelerated, with implications for the nature of the Galactic PeVatrons and their contributions to the spectrum of Galactic cosmic rays beyond the knee at ~3 PeV. In particular, X-ray observation with HEX-P and TeV observation with CTAO will provide the most powerful multi-messenger diagnostics to identify Galactic PeVatrons and explore a variety of astrophysical shock mechanisms. We present simulations of each class of Galactic TeV–PeV sources, demonstrating the power of both the imaging and spectral capabilities of HEX-P to advance our knowledge of Galactic cosmic-ray accelerators. In addition, we discuss HEX-P’s unique and complementary roles to upcoming gamma-ray and neutrino observatories in the 2030s.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Monitoring System for Storm Readiness and Recovery of Test Facilities: Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) Approach

Severe weather events are likely occurrences on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is important to rapidly diagnose and mitigate the effects of storms on Stennis Space Center's rocket engine test complex to avoid delays to critical test article programs, reduce costs, and maintain safety. An Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) approach and technologies are employed to integrate environmental (weather) monitoring, structural modeling, and the suite of available facility instrumentation to provide information for readiness before storms, rapid initial damage assessment to guide mitigation planning, and then support on-going assurance as repairs are effected and finally support recertification. The system is denominated Katrina Storm Monitoring System (KStorMS). Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) describes a comprehensive set of capabilities that provide insight into the behavior the health of a system. Knowing the status of a system allows decision makers to effectively plan and execute their mission. For example, early insight into component degradation and impending failures provides more time to develop work around strategies and more effectively plan for maintenance. Failures of system elements generally occur over time. Information extracted from sensor data, combined with system-wide knowledge bases and methods for information extraction and fusion, inference, and decision making, can be used to detect incipient failures. If failures do occur, it is critical to detect and isolate them, and suggest an appropriate course of action. ISHM enables determining the condition (health) of every element in a complex system-of-systems or SoS (detect anomalies, diagnose causes, predict future anomalies), and provide data, information, and knowledge (DIaK) to control systems for safe and effective operation. ISHM capability is achieved by using a wide range of technologies that enable anomaly detection, diagnostics, prognostics, and advise for control: (1) anomaly detection algorithms and strategies, (2) fusion of DIaK for anomaly detection (model-based, numerical, statistical, empirical, expert-based, qualitative, etc.), (3) diagnostics/prognostics strategies and methods, (4) user interface, (5) advanced control strategies, (6) integration architectures/frameworks, (7) embedding of intelligence. Many of these technologies are mature, and they are being used in the KStorMS. The paper will describe the design, implementation, and operation of the KStorMS; and discuss further evolution to support other needs such as condition-based maintenance (CBM).

Figueroa, Fernando↗

The High Energy X-Ray Probe (HEX-P): Galactic PeVatrons, Star Clusters, Superbubbles, Microquasar Jets, and Gamma-Ray Binaries

HEX-P is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging (<10"FWHM) and broad spectral coverage (0.2--80 keV) with an effective area far superior to current facilities (including XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) to enable revolutionary new insights into a variety of important astrophysical problems. With the recent discoveries of over 40 ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources (detected above 100 TeV) and neutrino emission in the Galactic Plane, we have entered a new era of multi-messenger astrophysics facing the exciting reality of Galactic PeVatrons. In the next decade, as more Galactic PeVatrons and TeV gamma-ray sources are expected to be discovered, the identification of their acceleration and emission mechanisms will be the most pressing issue in both particle and high-energy astrophysics. In this paper, along with its companion papers (Reynolds et al. 2023, Mori et al. 2023), we will present that HEX-P is uniquely suited to address important problems in various cosmic-ray accelerators, including Galactic PeVatrons, through investigating synchrotron X-ray emission of TeV--PeV electrons produced by both leptonic and hadronic processes. For Galactic PeVatron candidates and other TeV gamma-ray sources, HEX-P can fill in a large gap in the spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) of many objects observed in radio, soft X-rays, and gamma rays, constraining the maximum energies to which electrons can be accelerated, with implications for the nature of the Galactic PeVatrons and their contributions to the spectrum of Galactic cosmic rays beyond the knee at $\sim3$ PeV. In particular, X-ray observation with HEX-P and TeV observation with CTA will provide the most powerful multi-messenger diagnostics to identify Galactic PeVatrons and explore a variety of astrophysical shock mechanisms. We present simulations of each class of Galactic TeV--PeV sources, demonstrating the power of both the imaging and spectral capabilities of HEX-P to advance our knowledge of Galactic cosmic-ray accelerators. In addition, we discuss HEX-P’s unique and complementary roles to upcoming gamma-ray and neutrino observatories in the 2030s.

particle accelerators↗

Cross-Platform Analysis to Improve Cell Design for Safety

While consumer electronics and electric vehicles continue to push the market demanding for more energy in existing Li-ion batteries and lower costs, advanced battery designs could not meet the expectation to produce reliable and safe products at such a pace. There is a need to holistically re-think the design approach. INL's expertise in the current research of battery diagnostics and prognostics could fill this gap. In this presentation, the concept and approach will be discussed to explain why this is feasible and possible to change the paradigm of battery technology development from the conventional path.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Propulsion Controls and Diagnostics Research at NASA Glenn Research Center

With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. Also the propulsion systems required to enable the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Vision for Space Exploration in an affordable manner will need to have high reliability, safety and autonomous operation capability. The Controls and Dynamics Branch (CDB) at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet these challenges through the concept of Intelligent Propulsion Systems. This paper describes the current activities of the CDB under the NASA Aeronautics Research and Exploration Systems Missions. The programmatic structure of the CDB activities is described along with a brief overview of each of the CDB tasks including research objectives, technical challenges, and recent accomplishments. These tasks include active control of propulsion system components, intelligent propulsion diagnostics and control for reliable fault identification and accommodation, distributed engine control, and investigations into unsteady propulsion systems.

Garg, Sanjay↗

ISG15 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tumorigenesis via c-MET/Fyn/β-catenin signaling pathway

Highlights: • ISG15 is highly expressed in ESCC tissues and plasma, representing a promising diagnostic marker. • ISG15 positively regulated the proliferation, invasion and migration in vitro and in vivo. • ISG15 mediates the tumorigenesis via c-MET/Fyn/β-catenin pathway. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most malignant tumors in China with a poor prognosis. Most ESCC patients were diagnosed at advanced stages, losing the opportunity for surgical excision. Hence, it remains a pressing work to identify biomarkers for early detection, prognosis prediction and targeting therapies in ESCC. Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) encodes a 15-kDa protein, and is involved in the post-translational modification (PTMs) of multiple proteins. However, the molecular functions of ISG15 in ESCC remain unclear. In this work, we found that ISG15 was aberrantly expressed in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Enhanced protein level of ISG15 promoted cellular malignant phenotypes including proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor formation in vivo. Consistently, reduction of ISG15 attenuated the cellular malignant phenotype in ESCC cell lines. Furthermore, gene-expression profiles suggested that the differentially expressed ISG15 affected the expression of a panel of genes enriched in the cell adherens junction, such as c-MET. Notably, as a secreted protein, the concentration of ISG15 was elevated in ESCC plasma than healthy individuals, acting as a potential diagnostic marker. Taken together, our results suggested a tumor promotion role of ISG15 in ESCC via c-MET/Fyn/β-catenin pathway.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Gasoline Combustion Fundamentals DOE FY17 Report

Advanced automotive gasoline engines that leverage a combination of reduced heat transfer, throttling, and mechanical losses; shorter combustion durations; and higher compression and mixture specific heat ratios are needed to meet aggressive DOE VTP fuel economy and pollutant emission targets. Central challenges include poor combustion stability at low-power conditions when large amounts of charge dilution are introduced and high sensitivity of conventional inductive coil ignition systems to elevated charge motion and density for boosted high-load operation. For conventional spark ignited operation, novel low-temperature plasma (LTP) or pre-chamber based ignition systems can improve dilution tolerances while maintaining good performance characteristics at elevated charge densities. Moreover, these igniters can improve the control of advanced compression ignition (ACI) strategies for gasoline at low to moderate loads. The overarching research objective of the Gasoline Combustion Fundamentals project is to investigate phenomenological aspects related to enhanced ignition. The objective is accomplished through targeted experiments performed in a single-cylinder optically accessible research engine or an in-house developed optically accessible spark calorimeter (OASC). In situ optical diagnostics and ex situ gas sampling measurements are performed to elucidate important details of ignition and combustion processes. Measurements are further used to develop and validate complementary high-fidelity ignition simulations. The primary project audience is automotive manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, and technology startups—close cooperation has resulted in the development and execution of project objectives that address crucial mid- to long-range research challenges.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Overview of the KSTAR experiments and future plan

The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device has recently entered a new phase of operation following the installation of a tungsten mono-block divertor, providing a unique platform to investigate high-performance, long-pulse plasma scenarios for future reactors. The 2023–2024 experimental campaigns demonstrated significant progress in commissioning the tungsten divertor, developing plasma operation scenarios, and achieving real-time control. Comparative studies revealed increased core radiation losses and associated performance degradation relative to the carbon divertor environment. Alleviation strategies, such as optimized neutral beam injection timing, boron powder seeding, and impurity control through gas puffing, were shown to reduce tungsten accumulation and extend high-performance phases, including record H-mode operation exceeding 100 s. International collaboration enabled the first demonstration of high poloidal beta scenarios with an internal transport barrier on KSTAR. Advances in control included upgraded real-time resonant magnetic perturbation schemes and disruption forecasting. Furthermore, divertor detachment control using a new surrogate-model-based approach with real-time radiation imaging demonstrated active impurity and heat flux management. Supported by enhanced heating, current drive, and diagnostic systems, these achievements offer valuable insights into tungsten impurity behavior, transport physics, and control strategies for future reactors including ITER. Planned upgrades toward a full-tungsten wall and ITER-aligned real-time plasma control will further establish KSTAR as a leading experimental platform for developing operational scenarios required to achieve steady-state, burning plasma conditions.

KSTAR↗

Avian Diagnostic and Therapeutic Antibodies to Viral Emerging Pathogens

During the current period the following key objectives were achieved: demonstration of high titer antibody production by geese following immunization with inactived H1N1 virus; completion of the epitope mapping of West Nile Virus-specific goose antibodies and initiation of epitope mapping of H1N1 flu-specific goose antibodies; advancement in scalable purification of goose antibodies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Calibration of a microchannel plate based extreme ultraviolet grazing incident spectrometer at the Advanced Light Source

We present the design and calibration of a microchannel plate based extreme ultraviolet spectrometer. Calibration was performed at the Advance Light Source (ALS) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). This spectrometer will be used to record the single shot spectrum of radiation emitted by the tapered hybrid undulator (THUNDER) undulator installed at the LOASIS GeV-class laser-plasma-accelerator. The spectrometer uses an aberration-corrected concave grating with 1200 lines/mm covering 11-62 nm and a microchannel plate detector with a CsI coated photocathode for increased quantum efficiency in the extreme ultraviolet. A touch screen interface controls the grating angle, aperture size, and placement of the detector in vacuum, allowing for high-resolution measurements over the entire spectral range.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

MICRO- AND NANOSCALE MEASUREMENT METHODS FOR PHASE CHANGE HEAT TRANSFER ON PLANAR AND STRUCTURED SURFACES

In this opinion piece, we discuss recent advances in experimental methods for characterizing phase change heat transfer. We begin with a survey of techniques for high-resolution measurements of temperature and heat flux at the solid surface and in the working fluid. Next, we focus on diagnostic tools for boiling heat transfer and describe techniques for visualizing the temperature and velocity fields, as well as measurements at the single bubble level. Finally, we discuss techniques to probe the kinetics of vapor formation within a few molecular layers of the interface. We conclude with our outlook for future progress in experimental methods for phase change heat transfer.

Buongiorno, J↗

DUST IS FORMING ALONG THE RED GIANT BRANCH OF 47 Tuc

We present additional evidence that dust is really forming along the red giant branch (RGB) of 47 Tuc at luminosities ranging from above the horizontal branch to the RGB tip. The presence of dust had been inferred from an infrared excess in the (K - 8) color, with K measured from high spatial resolution ground-based near-IR photometry and '8' referring to Spitzer-Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) 8 {mu}m photometry. We show how (K - 8) is a far more sensitive diagnostic for detecting tiny circumstellar envelopes around warm giants than colors using only the Spitzer-IRAC bands, for example, the (3.6 - 8) color used by Boyer et al. In addition, we also show high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys I-band images of the giant stars that have (K - 8) color excess. These images clearly demonstrate that the Boyer et al. statement that our detections of color excess associated with stars below the RGB tip arise from blends and artifacts is simply not valid.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Diagnostics for Undersampling and Clustering in Monte Carlo Criticality Calculations

For the past 40 years, it has been known from the theoretical work of Gelbard [1] and Brissenden [2] that the results from Monte Carlo (MC) criticality calculations are biased if the number of neutrons per generation is not sufficiently large. The computed k-effective eigenvalue will be lower than the actual eigenvalue, and the computed eigenfunction will be too low in high-importance regions and too high in low-importance regions. This difficulty is commonly called the undersampling problem for criticality calculations. The biases for undersampling were confirmed for practical, realistic problems with modern MC codes by Brown [3]. The solution to undersampling is simple - use a larger number of neutrons per generation to reduce the biases to levels that are negligible. Over the past few years, the OECD-NEA-WPNCS Expert Group on Advanced Monte Carlo Techniques (EGAMCT) [4,5,6] investigated an extreme form of undersampling called clustering. When the number of neutrons per generation is small, neutrons in successive generations tend to group together (cluster) due to correlations, and the clusters tend to migrate through the problem space. While the problems of undersampling and clustering are well known and well understood theoretically, there were no existing diagnostics for MC codes to determine whether a given calculation is using sufficient neutrons per generation to eliminate these problems. That is, no tools were available to diagnose biases due to undersampling or clustering. The tools described herein resolve this longstanding problem by providing 2 robust methods for detecting undersampling and clustering in MC criticality calculations. The diagnosis of undersampling and clustering is part of a larger effort to thoroughly overhaul the calculational methods for criticality problems, providing for automated sampling of the initial fission distribution, acceleration of the iteration convergence process, automated detection of convergence in the iterations and starting of the active tally cycles, and the diagnosis of undersampling. All of these new methods have been prototyped in a local modified version of mcnp6.2 [7] and tested on a variety of critical systems.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗