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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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At least 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Typical Neutron Emission Spectra for Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Fuel

The Dragonfly rotorcraft currently being designed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is a mission destined to explore, via autonomous flight, the Saturnian moon of Titan and currently scheduled to launch in 2027. This largest moon of Saturn contains a thick, dense atmosphere, that when coupled with the remote distance to the Sun, requires the use of a radioisotope power system (RPS). The multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) fueled at Idaho National Laboratory is currently the only flight-certified RPS still in production within the Department of Energy complex, thus, an MMRTG was chosen for the Dragonfly mission.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

COG User's Manual: A Multiparticle Monte Carlo Transport Code (Sixth Edition)

COG is a high-resolution code for the Monte Carlo simulation of coupled particle transport in arbitrary 3-D geometry. COG will transport neutrons, protons, deuterons, alpha particles with energies up to hundreds of GeV, and photons with energy ranges limited by the available cross section sets and physics models. Electrons can be transported via the EGS5 electron transport kernel, electrons can also be transported. The COG code is a significant upgrade from earlier Monte Carlo transport codes and has been written specifically to make it more versatile, accurate, and easy to use. COG has provisions for calculating deep penetration (shielding) problems, criticality problems, and neutron activation problems while retains all of the standard capabilities found in other Monte Carlo transport codes. COG uses high-resolution pointwise cross-section databases and makes no compromises in the transport physics, so that the results of a COG run are limited only by the accuracy of the databases used. COG runs primarily on Linux Operating System workstations with MPICH software installed – currently, Red Hat 7 & 8, Windows 10 (Windows Subsystem for Linux –WSL), Ubuntu 16, 18 & 20, OpenSUSE Leap 15.2, Fedora 32, Apple Power Mac with Intel CPU (with MacPorts installed) workstations, and LLNL LC supercomputer CTS-1 cluster with TOSS 3 are supported.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Technological aspects in blanket design: Effects of micro-alloying and thermo-mechanical treatments of EUROFER97 type steels after neutron irradiation

Presently available data on neutron irradiation damage raise doubts on the feasibility of using EUROFER97 steel for a water-cooled starter blanket in a DEMO reactor, since the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) increases significantly for irradiation temperatures below 350°C. The additional DBTT shift caused by H and He transmutation can only be estimated based on very few results with isotopically tailored EUROFER97 steel. Conservative calculations show that the DBTT of EUROFER97 steel could exceed the operating temperature in water-cooled starter blankets within a relatively short time period. This paper presents results from a EUROfusion funded irradiation campaign that was performed in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The paper compares ten newly developed reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels irradiated to a nominal dose of 2.5 dpa at 300°C. The post-irradiation experiments using Small Specimen Test Technology included hardness, tensile, and fracture mechanics tests combined with fractography and microstructure analysis are presented. Results show that micro-alloying EUROFER97-type steels influenced the mechanical properties but a dominating impact on irradiation damage resistance could not be identified. In contrast, specific thermo-mechanical treatments lead to better DBTT behavior. Discussion about irradiation response to heat treatment conditions is also given. Here, despite requiring data also at high dpa values, the results indicate that with these modified materials an increased lifetime and potentially also an increased operating temperature window can be achieved compared to EUROFER97.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Crust Composition and the Shallow Heat Source in KS 1731–260

The presence of a strong shallow heat source of unknown origin in accreting neutron star crusts has been inferred by analyzing x-ray observations of their cooling in quiescence. Here, we model the cooling of KS 1731–260 using realistic crust compositions and nuclear heating and cooling sources from detailed nuclear reaction network calculations. We find that the required strength of the shallow heat source in KS 1731–260 is reduced by more than a factor of 3 compared to previous analysis, a 5⁢𝜎 difference that alleviates the need for exotic solutions. Our analysis also suggests the existence of an impure nuclear pasta layer in the inner crust of KS 1731–260, though future observations will provide more stringent constraints. In addition, we obtain constraints on the dominant surface burning modes of KS 1731–260 over its history.

neutron star cooling↗
DOE OSTI2023

ANNIE: the Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment

The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) is a Gadolinium-loaded water Cherenkov detector placed in the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, USA. The primary physics goal of ANNIE is to perform neutrino cross-section measurements that will constrain systematic uncertainties in the next generation of long-baseline neutrino experiments. The first measurement will be the multiplicity of final-state neutrons from neutrino-nucleus interactions in water. Alongside these measurements, ANNIE has achieved the first ever deployments of two novel detector technologies in a neutrino beam: Large Area Picosecond Photodetectors (LAPPDs) and Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS). LAPPDs are micro-channel-plate-based devices that provide timing resolution of ~100 picoseconds and sub-centimeter spatial resolution. WbLS combines the low attenuation and Cherenkov production of pure water with the high light-yield and low detection threshold of liquid scintillator. This talk will discuss the status of ANNIE's physics and R&D measurements.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Structure and dynamics of ethane confined in silica nanopores in the presence of CO 2

Fundamental understanding of the subcritical/supercritical behavior of key hydrocarbon species inside nano-porous matrices at elevated pressure and temperature is less developed compared to bulk fluids, but this knowledge is of great importance for chemical and energy engineering industries. This study explores in detail the structure and dynamics of ethane (C 2 H 6 ) fluid confined in silica nanopores, with a focus on the effects of pressure and different ratios of C 2 H 6 and CO 2 at non-ambient temperature. Quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) experiments were carried out for the pure C 2 H 6 , C 2 H 6 :CO 2 = 3:1, and 1:3 mixed fluids confined in 4-nm cylindrical silica pores at three different pressures (30 bars, 65 bars, and 100 bars) at 323 K. Two Lorentzian functions were required to fit the spectra, corresponding to fast and slow translational motions. No localized motions (rotations and vibrations) were detected. Higher pressures resulted in hindrances of the diffusivity of C 2 H 6 molecules in all systems investigated. Pore size was found to be an important factor, i.e., the dynamics of confined C 2 H 6 is more restricted in smaller pores compared to the larger pores used in previous studies. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to complement the QENS experiment at 65 bars, providing supportive structure information and comparable dynamic information. The simulations indicate that CO 2 molecules are more strongly attracted to the pore surface compared to C 2 H 6 . The C 2 H 6 molecules interacting with or near the pore surface form a dense first layer (L1) close to the pore surface and a second less dense layer (L2) extending into the pore center. Both the experiments and simulations revealed the role that CO 2 molecules play in enhancing C 2 H 6 diffusion (“molecular lubrication”) at high CO 2 :C 2 H 6 ratios. The energy scales of the two dynamic components, fast and slow, quantified by both techniques, are in very good agreement. Herein, the simulations identified the fast component as the main contributor to the dynamics. Molecule motions in the L2 region are mostly responsible for the dynamics (fast and slow) that can be detected by the instrument.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hierarchical excitations from correlated spin tetrahedra on the breathing pyrochlore lattice

The hierarchy of the coupling strengths in a physical system often engenders an effective model at low energies where the decoupled high-energy modes are integrated out. Here, using neutron scattering, we show that the spin excitations in the breathing pyrochlore lattice compound CuInCr 4 S 8 are hierarchical and can be approximated by an effective model of correlated tetrahedra at low energies. At higher energies, intratetrahedron excitations together with strong magnon-phonon couplings are observed, which suggests the possible role of the lattice degree of freedom in stabilizing the spin tetrahedra. Finally, our work illustrates the spin dynamics in CuInCr 4 S 8 and demonstrates a general effective-cluster approach to understand the dynamics on the breathing-type lattices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Antiferromagnetism and crystalline electric field excitations in tetragonal NaCeO 2

In this work, we investigate the crystal structure, magnetic properties, and crystalline electric field of tetragonal, I 4 1 / a m d , Na Ce O 2 . In this compound, Ce 3 + ions form a tetragonally elongated diamond lattice coupled by antiferromagnetic interactions ( Θ CW = - 7.69 K) that magnetically order below T N = 3.18 K. The Ce 3 + J = 5 / 2 crystalline electric field-split multiplet is studied via inelastic neutron scattering to parametrize a J eff = 1 / 2 ground state doublet composed of states possessing mixed | m z ) character. Neutron powder diffraction data reveal the onset of A -type antiferromagnetism with μ = 0.57 ( 2 ) μ B moments aligned along the c axis. The magnetic structure is consistent with the expectations of a frustrated Heisenberg J 1 - J 2 model on the elongated diamond lattice with effective exchange values J 1 > 4 J 2 and J 1 > 0 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nuclear Physics Exascale Requirements Review: An Office of Science Review sponsored jointly by Advanced Scientific Computing Research and Nuclear Physics, June 15 - 17, 2016, Gaithersburg, Maryland

Imagine being able to predict — with unprecedented accuracy and precision — the structure of the proton and neutron, and the forces between them, directly from the dynamics of quarks and gluons, and then using this information in calculations of the structure and reactions of atomic nuclei and of the properties of dense neutron stars (NSs). Also imagine discovering new and exotic states of matter, and new laws of nature, by being able to collect more experimental data than we dream possible today, analyzing it in real time to feed back into an experiment, and curating the data with full tracking capabilities and with fully distributed data mining capabilities. Making this vision a reality would improve basic scientific understanding, enabling us to precisely calculate, for example, the spectrum of gravity waves emitted during NS coalescence, and would have important societal applications in nuclear energy research, stockpile stewardship, and other areas. This review presents the components and characteristics of the exascale computing ecosystems necessary to realize this vision.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Light front synchronization and rest frame densities of the proton: Electromagnetic densities

We clarify the physical origin and meaning of the two-dimensional relativistic densities of the light front formalism. The densities are shown to originate entirely from the use of light front time instead of instant form time, which physically corresponds to using an alternative synchronization convention. This is shown by using tilted light front coordinates, which consist of light front time and ordinary spatial coordinates, and which are also used to show that the obtained densities describe a system at rest rather than at infinite momentum. These coordinates allow all four components of the electromagnetic current density to be given clear physical meanings. We explicate the formalism for spin-half targets, obtaining charge and current densities of the proton and neutron using empirical form factor parametrizations, as well as up and down quark densities and currents. Angular modulations in the densities of transversely polarized states are explained as originating from redshifts and blueshifts due to quarks moving in different longitudinal directions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Using Prompt Neutron Decay Constant Measurements to Obtain Additional Kinetics Information

Prompt neutron decay constant measurements are typically used to infer the prompt neutron lifetime in a chain-reacting system, but these measurements include much more information about the kinetics of the system. This work focuses specifically on the Rossi-α method of measuring the prompt neutron decay constant. The Rossi-α system of equations consists of five unknown parameters. With five unknowns and three equations, the system of equations solved by the Rossi-α measurement is under-determined. It has been postulated that a well posed problem can be formulated using independent measurement configurations on a single system. The external source strength, the effective delayed neutron fractions, and Diven’s parameter do not typically change for different configurations of a single experiment. If good detector geometry is chosen, the detector efficiency does not change for multiple measurements of a single experiment using Rossi-α measurements. By making these assumptions, there are only two unique variables. This knowledge can be used to solve for most of the unique parameters using two independent, unique Rossi-α measurements.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating 240 Pu Prompt Fission Neutron Spectra Including Chi-Nu Experimental Data

This report documents an evaluation of 240 Pu prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS) including Chi-Nu experimental data. This work is a FY2025 Q4 NCSP (Nuclear Criticality Safety Program) milestone and named a “strategic priority”. This evaluation is new; it differs substantially from the most recent evaluation included in the ENDF/B library, which was for ENDF/B-VII.1 and then carried over unchanged to ENDF/B-VIII.1. The key difference between ENDF/B-VIII.1 and the new evaluation is that we have, for the first time, realistic experimental 240 Pu PFNS covering a broad incident and outgoing neutron energy range.

240Pu↗
DOE OSTI2026

IRMA

IRMA (In)elastic Representation of Materials As S(α,β) evaluations IRMA turns one phonon model into three outputs that usually require three separate tool chains: an evaluated nuclear-data file, predicted neutron-scattering spectra, and scattering kernels for Monte Carlo transport. The three outputs draw on a single, consistent description of the material, so the evaluation, the spectroscopy that can validate it, and the transport that uses it always agree about the physics. Nuclear data. IRMA writes ENDF-6 File 7 thermal scattering evaluations on automatically constructed (α, β) grids. This part reimplements and generalizes NJOY's LEAPR: the classic kernels reproduce freshly generated NJOY2016 tapes digit for digit and published reference tapes to about 1e-4, and the generalized paths add the exact coherent one-phonon term, anisotropic Debye-Waller tensors, coherent elastic for arbitrary crystals, and a per-species partition for polyatomic materials. The tapes feed NJOY, AMPX, FUDGE, and every transport code downstream of them. Neutron spectroscopy. The irma.spectra forward model projects the same physics onto an instrument's kinematics and resolution: INS spectra for VISION and generic indirect geometries, and 2-D S(Q,E) powder maps for direct-geometry spectrometers, from a phonopy model or straight from a phonon DOS. It can be used to predict a proposed measurement before beam time; in analysis, it supplies the calculated single-scattering counterpart of a measured spectrum, from the same material description the evaluation was built from. Monte Carlo transport. The irma.ncrystal exporter writes per-temperature scattering kernels for the companion NCrystal plugin, so McStas, OpenMC, and other NCrystal-aware codes sample the same physics. The exported kernels carry the per-site anisotropic Debye-Waller tensors, keeping directional coherent-elastic physics that NCrystal's standard scalar treatment does not represent. With the same physics inside a transport code, an entire beamline becomes a virtual experiment: IRMA's end-to-end validation ran a custom McStas implementation of the ARCS spectrometer, assembled from the existing McVine and McStas models, against measured data. From a bare crystal structure. The irma mlip front end builds the phonon model itself: a structure file and a choice of potential are enough. Nine pretrained machine-learned interatomic potentials are supported, on a laptop CPU, with no first-principles calculation; an approximate phonon model for a new material costs minutes, not a DFT campaign, and the build emits prefilled inputs for all three outputs. The result is a good starting point rather than a finished evaluation: survey-quality physics with every parameter exposed for review. A converged atomistic calculation enters the same way, as a phonopy model, when higher fidelity is needed.

Ramic, Kemal [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)↗