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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 1,351 records · Page 75
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Dipole strength distribution in Pb 206 for the evaluation of the neutron capture cross section of Pb 205

The dipole strength distribution of 206 Pb was investigated via a nuclear resonance fluorescence experiment using bremsstrahlung produced with an electron beam at a kinetic energy of 10.5 MeV at the linear accelerator ELBE. We identified 88 states resonantly excited at energies from 3.7 to 8.2 MeV. The analysis of the measured γ-ray spectra includes the quasicontinuum of levels at high energy. Monte Carlo simulation of γ-ray cascades were performed to obtain the intensities of inelastic transitions and branching ratios of the ground-state transitions. The extracted photoabsorption cross section shows enhanced dipole strength at the excitation energies around 5.5 and 7 MeV, which may related to a pygmy dipole resonance. Here, the present (γ,γ') data combined with (γ,n) data from the literature were used for confining input parameters of the statistical calculation code CCONE to derive the neutron-capture cross section of the unstable 205 Pb nucleus.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A scintillator-based approach to monitor secondary neutron production during proton therapy

Here, the primary objective of this work is to measure the secondary neutron field produced by an uncollimated proton pencil beam impinging on different tissue-equivalent phantom materials using organic scintillation detectors. Additionally, the Monte Carlo code mcnpx-PoliMi was used to simulate the detector response for comparison to the measured data. Comparison of the measured and simulated data will validate this approach for monitoring secondary neutron dose during proton therapy. Proton beams of 155- and 200-MeV were used to irradiate a variety of phantom materials and secondary particles were detected using organic liquid scintillators. These detectors are sensitive to fast neutrons and gamma rays: pulse shape discrimination was used to classify each detected pulse as either a neutron or a gamma ray. The mcnpx-PoliMi code was used to simulate the secondary neutron field produced during proton irradiation of the same tissue-equivalent phantom materials. As a result, an experiment was performed at the Loma Linda University Medical Center proton therapy research beam line and corresponding models were created using the mcnpx-PoliMi code. The authors’ analysis showed agreement between the simulations and the measurements. The simulated detector response can be used to validate the simulations of neutron and gamma doses on a particular beam line with or without a phantom. In conclusion, the authors have demonstrated a method of monitoring the neutron component of the secondary radiation field produced by therapeutic protons. The method relies on direct detection of secondary neutrons and gamma rays using organic scintillation detectors. These detectors are sensitive over the full range of biologically relevant neutron energies above 0.5 MeV and allow effective discrimination between neutron and photon dose. Because the detector system is portable, the described system could be used in the future to evaluate secondary neutron and gamma doses on various clinical beam lines for commissioning and prospective data collection in pediatric patients treated with proton therapy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

FY2011 Annual Report for the Actinide Isomer Detection Project

This project seeks to identify a new signature for actinide element detection in active interrogation. This technique works by exciting and identifying long-lived nuclear excited states (isomers) in the actinide isotopes and/or primary fission products. Observation of isomers in the fission products will provide a signature for fissile material. For the actinide isomers, the decay time and energy of the isomeric state is unique to a particular isotope, providing an unambiguous signature for SNM. This project entails isomer identification and characterization and neutron population studies. This document summarizes activities from its third year - completion of the isomer identification characterization experiments and initialization of the neutron population experiments. The population and decay of the isomeric state in 235U remain elusive, although a number of candidate gamma rays have been identified. In the course of the experiments, a number of fission fragment isomers were populated and measured [Ressler 2010]. The decays from these isomers may also provide a suitable signature for the presence of fissile material. Several measurements were conducted throughout this project. This report focuses on the results of an experiment conducted collaboratively by PNNL, LLNL and LBNL in December 2010 at LBNL. The measurement involved measuring the gamma-rays emitted from an HEU target when bombarded with 11 MeV neutrons. This report discussed the analysis and resulting conclusions from those measurements. There was one strong candidate, at 1204 keV, of an isomeric signature of 235U. The half-life of the state is estimated to be 9.3 {mu}s. The measured time dependence fits the decay time structure very well. Other possible explanations for the 1204-keV state were investigated, but they could not explain the gamma ray. Unfortunately, the relatively limited statistics of the measurement limit, and the lack of understanding of some of the systematic of the experiment, limit the authors to labeling the 1204-keV gamma ray as a very strong candidate for isomeric transition in 235U. Regardless of the physics origins, the time structure of the 1204-keV gamma ray can be used as at a minimum as an indication of fissile material, if the 1204-keV gamma ray is attributed to a fission product, or it may be a unique signature for 235U, if it is a signature of an isomeric state in 235U.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Turbulence modelling in neutron star merger simulations

Observations of neutron star mergers have the potential to unveil detailed physics of matter and gravity in regimes inaccessible by other experiments. Quantitative comparisons to theory and parameter estimation require nonlinear numerical simulations. However, the detailed physics of energy and momentum transfer between different scales, and the formation and interaction of small scale structures, which can be probed by detectors, are not captured by current simulations. This is where turbulence enters neutron star modelling. This review will outline the theory and current status of turbulence modelling for relativistic neutron star merger simulations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

On the Nature of GW190814 and Its Impact on the Understanding of Supranuclear Matter

The observation of a compact object with a mass of 2.50–2.67M ⊙ on 2019 August 14, by the LIGO Scientific and Virgo collaborations (LVC) has the potential to improve our understanding of the supranuclear equation of state. While the gravitational-wave analysis of the LVC suggests that GW190814 likely was a binary black hole system, the secondary component could also have been the heaviest neutron star observed to date. Here, we use our previously derived nuclear-physics-multimessenger astrophysics framework to address the nature of this object. Based on our findings, we determine GW190814 to be a binary black hole merger with a probability of >99.9%. Even if we weaken previously employed constraints on the maximum mass of neutron stars, the probability of a binary black hole origin is still ~81%. Furthermore, we study the impact that this observation has on our understanding of the nuclear equation of state by analyzing the allowed region in the mass–radius diagram of neutron stars for both a binary black hole or neutron star–black hole scenario. We find that the unlikely scenario in which the secondary object was a neutron star requires rather stiff equations of state with a maximum speed of sound c s ≥ $\sqrt{0.6}$ times the speed of light, while the binary black hole scenario does not offer any new insight.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Measurement of the scattering cross section of slow neutrons on liquid parahydrogen from neutron transmission

Liquid hydrogen is a dense Bose fluid whose equilibrium properties are both calculable from first principles using various theoretical approaches and of interest for the understanding of a wide range of questions in many-body physics. Unfortunately, the pair correlation function g(r) inferred from neutron scattering measurements of the differential cross section dσ/dΩ from different measurements reported in the literature are inconsistent. We have measured the energy dependence of the total cross section and the scattering cross section for slow neutrons with energies between 0.43 and 16.1 meV on liquid hydrogen at 15.6 K (which is dominated by the parahydrogen component) using neutron transmission measurements on the hydrogen target of the NPDGamma collaboration at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The relationship between the neutron transmission measurement we perform and the total cross section is unambiguous, and the energy range accesses length scales where the pair correlation function is rapidly varying. At 1 meV our measurement is a factor of 3 below the data from previous work. We present evidence that these previous measurements of the hydrogen cross section, which assumed that the equilibrium value for the ratio of orthohydrogen and parahydrogen has been reached in the target liquid, were in fact contaminated with an extra nonequilibrium component of orthohydrogen. Liquid parahydrogen is also a widely used neutron moderator medium, and an accurate knowledge of its slow neutron cross section is essential for the design and optimization of intense slow neutron sources. Furthermore, we describe our measurements and compare them with previous work.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

The EOS of Neutron Matter and the Effect of Λ Hyperons to Neutron Star Structure

The structure of neutron stars is determined by the equation of state of the matter inside the star, which relies on the knowledge of nuclear interactions. While radii of neutron stars mostly depend on the equation of state of neutron matter at nuclear densities, their maximum mass can be drastically affected by the appearance of hyperons at higher densities in the inner core of the star. We summarize recent quantum Monte Carlo results on the calculation of the equation of state of neutron matter at nuclear and higher densities. We report about the development of realistic hyperon-nucleon interactions based on the available experimental data for light- and medium-heavy hypernuclei and on the effect of Λ hyperons to the neutron star structure.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Research at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kentucky operates a 7-MV CN Van de Graaff accelerator that produces primary beams of protons, deuterons, and helium ions. An in-terminal pulsing and bunching system operates at 1.875 MHz and is capable of providing 1 ns beam bunches at an average current of several microamperes. Nearly all ongoing research programs involve secondary pulsed neutrons produced with gas cells containing deuterium or tritium, as well as with a variety of solid targets. Most experiments are performed at a target station positioned over a deep pit, so as to reduce the background created by backscattered neutrons. Here, recent experiments will be described; these include: measurements of n-p scattering total cross sections from E n = 90 to 1800 keV to determine the n-p effective range parameter; the response of the plastic scintillator BC-418 below 1 MeV to low-energy recoil protons; n-p radiative capture cross sections important for our understanding of nucleosynthesis approximately 2 minutes after the occurrence of the Big Bang; γ-ray spectroscopy following inelastic neutron scattering to study nuclear structure relevant to double-β decay and to understand the role of phonon-coupled excitations in weakly deformed nuclei; and measurements of neutron elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections for nuclei that are important for energy production and for our global understanding of the interaction of neutrons with matter.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

ANNIE Phase I: Neutron Background Measurements

The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) is a 26-ton Gd-doped water Cherenkov detector installed in the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab. The primary physics goal of ANNIE is to study the multiplicity of final state neutrons from neutrino-nucleus interactions in water. Identifying and counting final state neutrons provides a new experimental handle to study systematic uncertainties related to the neutrino energy reconstruction in oscillation experiments. To achieve that goal ANNIE will make the first use of the novel Large Area Picosecond PhotoDetectors (LAPPDs). In Phase I, ANNIE characterised the beam-correlated neutron backgrounds in the detector and confirmed that they are sufficiently low for the Phase II physics measurements, anticipated to begin in 2019. In these proceesings the methodology and the results of Phase I will be discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Numerical study of ion acoustic shock waves in dense quantum plasma

Two fluid quantum hydrodynamic equations are solved numerically to investigate the propagation characteristics of ion acoustic shock waves in an unmagnetized dense quantum plasma, whose constituents are the electrons and ions. For this purpose, we employ the standard finite difference Lax Wendroff and relaxation methods, to examine the quantum effects on the profiles of shock potential, the electron/ion number densities, and velocity even for quantum parameter at H = 2. The effects of the latter vanish in a weakly non-linear limit while obeying the KdV theory. It is shown that the evolution of the wave depends sensitively on the plasma density and the quantum parameter. Numerical results reveal that the kinks or oscillations are pronounced for large values of quantum parameter, especially at H = 2. Our results should be important to understand the shock wave excitations in dense quantum plasmas, white dwarfs, neutron stars, etc.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electrostatic rogue-waves in relativistically degenerate plasmas

In this paper, we investigate the modulational instability and the possibility of electrostatic rogue-wave propagations in a completely degenerate plasma with arbitrary degree of degeneracy, i.e., relativistically degenerate plasma, ranging from solid density to the astrophysical compact stars. The hydrodynamic approach along with the perturbation method is used to reduce the governing equations to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation from which the modulational instability, the growth rate of envelope excitations and the occurrence of rogue as well as super-rogue waves in the plasma, is evaluated. It is observed that the modulational instability in a fully degenerate plasma can be quite sensitive to the plasma number-density and the wavenumber of envelop excitations. It is further revealed that the relativistically degeneracy plasmas (R{sub 0} > 1) are almost always modulationally unstable. It is found, however, that the highly energetic sharply localized electrostatic rogue as well as super-rogue waves can exist in the astrophysical compact objects like white dwarfs and neutron star crusts. The later may provide a link to understand many physical processes in such stars and it may lead us to the origin of the random-localized intense short gamma-ray bursts, which “appear from nowhere and disappear without a trace” quite similar to oceanic rogue structures.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Revised 207 Pb Thermal Capture Gamma-ray Spectrum Evaluation

This report details the revision of the JENDL-4.0 thermal capture gamma-ray spectrum evaluation for 207 Pb and the comparison of the current evaluations and the revised spectrum. The history of the available reaction evaluations is described and the deficiencies are identified. The modified spectrum has an average energy of 7.329 MeV and an average multiplicity of 1.005, leading to a total energy released value of 7.366 MeV, just 0.03% off from the Q-value of the reaction, 7.368 MeV. Based on comparison to the measurements and structure libraries considered, the revised evaluation is closer to reality and should provide more accurate coupled neutron-gamma ray calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Can accretion onto isolated neutron stars produce gamma-ray bursts?

It is shown here that, if slow accretion onto high-velocity neutron stars from the interstellar medium is to be the origin of gamma-ray bursts, the accretion physics is very different from what applies for local low-velocity neutron stars. For halo neutron stars with high magnetic fields and velocities, electromagnetic dipole radiation pressure prevents accretion unless the period is longer than tens of seconds; the centrifugal barrier will then prevent accretion until the period reaches several thousand seconds. For periods as long as this, accretion may proceed through Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the magnetopause boundary. At interstellar densities and neutron-star magnetic fields of about 10 exp 12 G, the accretion rate by this process can be much larger than the Bondi-Hoyle accretion rate, but is still well below what is needed for slow-accretion burst models. It is concluded that slow accretion onto high-velocity neutron stars in the halo cannot be the origin of gamma-ray bursts.

Harding, Alice K.↗
DOE OSTI2012

A Generalized Adjoint Approach for Quantifying Reflector Assembly Discontinuity Factor Uncertainties

Sensitivity-based uncertainty analysis of assembly discontinuity factors (ADFs) can be readily performed using adjoint methods for infinite lattice models. However, there is currently no adjoint-based methodology to obtain uncertainties for ADFs along an interface between a fuel and reflector region. To accommodate leakage effects in a reflector region, a 1D approximation is usually made in order to obtain the homogeneous interface flux required to calculate the ADF. Within this 1D framework an adjoint-based method is proposed that is capable of efficiently calculating ADF uncertainties. In the proposed method the sandwich rule is utilized to relate the covariance of the input parameters of 1D diffusion theory in the reflector region to the covariance of the interface ADFs. The input parameters covariance matrix can be readily obtained using sampling-based codes such as XSUSA or adjoint-based codes such as TSUNAMI. The sensitivity matrix is constructed using a fixed-source adjoint approach for inputs characterizing the reflector region. An analytic approach is then used to determine the sensitivity of the ADFs to fuel parameters using the neutron balance equation. A stochastic approach is used to validate the proposed adjoint-based method.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A new experimental proposal for {sup 235}U PFNS to answer a fifty years old question

The Prompt Fission Neutron Spectrum (PFNS) from {sup 235}U(n,f) is very important for various nuclear applications. It has been investigated in different experiments. In spite of {approx}50 years of experimental efforts, a continuing conflict exists at thermal neutron energy. Microscopic experimental PFNS cannot describe macroscopic data. In this report we discuss the current status of this problem and suggest a new experiment, which could possibly resolve this problem. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Experimental approach to neutron stars

The equation of state (EOS) of nuclear matter is of fundamental importance in many areas of nuclear physics and astrophysics In the laboratory, there are different means to study the nuclearmatter equation of state and its density dependence in particular: nuclear masses, neutron skins, pygmy resonance, and nuclear structure at the drip line give access to nuclear matter properties at densities lower than and at saturation density ρ0. Heavy ion reactions at energies above 0.1 AGeV are the only means to study nuclear matter at densities larger than normal nuclear matter density ρ0. In the beamenergy range of 0.1 to 2A GeV nuclear matter is compressed upto three times ρ0. Access to nuclear matter properties is achieved by simulating nuclear collisions by means of microscopic transport codes, or statistical or hydrodynamicalmodels. Characteristics of heavy-ion collisions are discussed, and experimental observables which allow to constrain nuclear matter properties by comparing experimental results with those of transport codes are presented. Special emphasis will be given to the density dependence of the symmetry energy which is the most relevant connection between neutron stars and heavy ion collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Probing the Spin Structure of the Nucleon: New Experimental Results on d2 and A1 for both Neutron and Proton from JLab

The last several years of Jefferson Lab's 6-GeV physics program saw a wealth of nucleon spin structure measurements run across several Halls. In particular, E06-014 (dn2) in Hall A (polarized neutron), and E07-003 (SANE) in Hall C (polarized proton) took advantage of significant advances in target design and new/upgraded large solid angle detector packages to run precision measurements of neutron and proton spin structure functions over the region 0.2

Sawatzky, Bradley↗