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At least 1,405 records · Page 78
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

From capture to collapse: Revisiting black hole formation by fermionic asymmetric dark matter in neutron stars

Fermionic asymmetric dark matter (ADM) can be captured in neutron stars (NSs) via scatterings with the star constituents. The absence of dark matter annihilation due to its asymmetric nature leads to ADM accumulation in the NS core, potentially reaching densities sufficient to exceed the Chandrasekhar limit and trigger its gravitational collapse into a black hole (BH), eventually consuming the NS from within. Therefore, the existence and observation of old neutron stars provide a means to constrain the properties of ADM. We revisit previous constraints on the mass and scattering cross section off neutrons of fermionic ADM across a class of models. We critically examine common simplifying approximations used in the literature to derive these limits. Our analysis includes improved treatments of dark matter capture, thermalization, BH formation, accretion, and evaporation. We find that previous results can be relaxed by a few orders of magnitude once these effects are properly accounted for.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Shakeup and shakeoff spectra in the electron capture decay of atomic 7 Be

The most stringent laboratory-based experimental limits on the existence of submegaelectronvolt sterile neutrinos are currently set by decay spectroscopy of radioactive 7 Be embedded into superconducting sensors. The systematic uncertainties are dominated by the modeling of the electron shakeup and shakeoff spectra that are not based on state-of-the-art atomic theory and do not include electron correlations or relativistic effects. We have used the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock formalism to obtain correlated wave functions ab initio and compute all single and double shake processes in the electron capture decay of atomic 7 Be . The simulations can explain some but not all of the observed spectral features, likely because the wave functions are modified by the Ta sensor material that the 7 Be is embedded into. The new models also show that the 𝐿/𝐾 electron capture ratio of 7 Be in Ta has previously been slightly underestimated revising the previous value of 0.070(7) to a new value of 0.0756(20).

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Clustering and α-capture reaction rate from ab initio 20 Ne

We introduce a new framework for studying clustering and for calculating α partial widths using ab initio wave functions. We demonstrate the formalism for 20 Ne, by calculating the overlap between the 16 O + α cluster configuration and states in 20 Ne computed in the ab initio symmetry-adapted no-core shell model. We present spectroscopic amplitudes and spectroscopic factors, and compare those to no-core symplectic shell-model results in larger model spaces, to gain insight into the underlying physics that drives α clustering. Specifically, we report on the α partial width of the lowest 1 – resonance in 20 Ne, which is found to be in good agreement with experiment.We also present first no-core shell-model estimates for asymptotic normalization coefficients for the ground state, as well as for the first excited 4 + state in 20 Ne that lies in a close proximity to the α + 16 O threshold. This outcome highlights the importance of correlations for developing cluster structures and for describing α widths. The widths can then be used to calculate α-capture reaction rates for narrow resonances of interest to astrophysics. Finally, we explore the reaction rate for the α-capture reaction 16 O(α, γ ) 20 Ne at astrophysically relevant temperatures and determine its impact on simulated x-ray burst abundances.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cold neutron-deuteron capture and Wigner-SU(4) symmetry

We calculate the cold neutron-deuteron (nd) capture cross section,σ nd to next-to-next-to leading order (NNLO) using the model-independent approach of pionless effective-field theory [EFT(π)]. At leading order we find σ nd = 0.314 ± 0.217 mb, while the experimental result is 0.508(15) mb for a laboratory neutron velocity of 2200 m/s. At next-to-leading-order (NLO), we show that σnd is sensitive to the low-energy constant (LEC) $L$$^{(0)}_{1}$ of the two-nucleon isovector current appearing at NLO. A fit of $L$$^{(0)}_{1}$ at NLO to the triton magnetic moment yields a NLO prediction of σ nd = 0.393 ± 0.164 mb, where the error comes from propagating the error from the $L$$^{(0)}_{1}$ fit. At NNLO, we find that a new three-nucleon magnetic moment counterterm is required for renormalization-group invariance of both σnd and the triton magnetic moment. Fitting the NNLO correction to $L$$^{(0)}_{1}$ (denoted $L$$^{(1)}_{1}$) to cold neutron-proton capture (σnp) yields a NNLO prediction of σ nd = 0.447 ± 0.130 mb, where the error comes from propagating the error from the $L$$^{(1)}_{1}$ fit. We also study different fittings of $L$$^{(0)}_{1}$ and $L$$^{(1)}_{1}$ to σ np , σ nd , and/or the triton magnetic moment. For example, fitting $L$$^{(0)}_{1}$ simultaneously to σ np , σ nd , and the triton magnetic moment at NLO, and fitting $L$$^{(1)}_{1}$ simultaneously to σ np and σnd at NNLO, yields σ nd = 0.480 ± 0.114 mb and 0.511 ± 0.042 mb, respectively, where errors are naively estimated from EFT(π) power counting. Additionally, we discuss how Wigner SU(4) symmetry may alter the naive EFT(π) expansion of σ nd .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Absolute measurement of the 242 Pu neutron-capture cross section

Here, the absolute neutron-capture cross section of 242 Pu was measured at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center using the Detector for Advanced Neutron-Capture Experiments array along with a compact parallel-plate avalanche counter for fission-fragment detection. The first direct measurement of the 242 Pu(n,γ) cross section was made over the incident neutron energy range from thermal to ≈ 6 keV, and the absolute scale of the (n,γ) cross section was set according to the known 239 Pu(n,f) resonance at E n,R = 7.83 eV. This was accomplished by adding a small quantity of 239 Pu to the 242 Pu sample. The relative scale of the cross section, with a range of four orders of magnitude, was determined for incident neutron energies from thermal to ≈ 40 keV. Our data, in general, are in agreement with previous measurements and those reported in ENDF/B-VII.1; the 242 Pu(n,γ) cross section at the E n,R = 2.68 eV resonance is within 2.4% of the evaluated value. However, discrepancies exist at higher energies; our data are ≈30% lower than the evaluated data at E n ≈ 1 keV and are approximately 2σ away from the previous measurement at E n ≈ 20 keV.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

First observation of isolated nuclear recoils following neutron capture for dark matter calibration

Low-energy nuclear recoils (NRs) are hard to measure, because they produce few e - /h + pairs in solids—i.e., they have low “ionization yield.” A silicon detector was exposed to thermal neutrons over 2.5 live days, probing NRs down to 450 eV. The observation of a neutron capture-induced component of NRs at low energies is supported by the much-improved fit upon inclusion of a capture NR model. This result shows that thermal neutron calibration of very low recoil energy NRs is promising for dark matter searches, coherent neutrino experiments, and improving understanding of ionization dynamics in solids.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Constraining Neutron Capture Cross Sections for Unstable Nuclei with Surrogate Reaction Data and Theory

Obtaining reliable data for nuclear reactions on unstable isotopes remains an extremely important task and a formidable challenge. Neutron capture cross sections—crucial ingredients for models of astrophysical processes, national security applications, and simulations of nuclear energy generation—are particularly elusive, as both projectile and target in the reaction are unstable. We demonstrate a new method for determining cross sections for neutron capture on unstable isotopes, using 87 Y (n , γ) as a prototype. To validate the method, a benchmark experiment is carried out to obtain the known 90 Zr (n , γ) cross section analogously. Our approach, which employs an indirect (“surrogate”) measurement combined with theory, can be generalized to a larger class of nuclear reactions. It can be used both with traditional stable-beam experiments and in inverse kinematics at rare-isotope facilities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A continuous surface reconstruction method on point cloud captured from a 3D surface photogrammetry system

Purpose: To accurately and efficiently reconstruct a continuous surface from noisy point clouds captured by a surface photogrammetry system (VisionRT). Methods: The authors have developed a level-set based surface reconstruction method on point clouds captured by a surface photogrammetry system (VisionRT). The proposed method reconstructs an implicit and continuous representation of the underlying patient surface by optimizing a regularized fitting energy, offering extra robustness to noise and missing measurements. By contrast to explicit/discrete meshing-type schemes, their continuous representation is particularly advantageous for subsequent surface registration and motion tracking by eliminating the need for maintaining explicit point correspondences as in discrete models. The authors solve the proposed method with an efficient narrowband evolving scheme. The authors evaluated the proposed method on both phantom and human subject data with two sets of complementary experiments. In the first set of experiment, the authors generated a series of surfaces each with different black patches placed on one chest phantom. The resulting VisionRT measurements from the patched area had different degree of noise and missing levels, since VisionRT has difficulties in detecting dark surfaces. The authors applied the proposed method to point clouds acquired under these different configurations, and quantitatively evaluated reconstructed surfaces by comparing against a high-quality reference surface with respect to root mean squared error (RMSE). In the second set of experiment, the authors applied their method to 100 clinical point clouds acquired from one human subject. In the absence of ground-truth, the authors qualitatively validated reconstructed surfaces by comparing the local geometry, specifically mean curvature distributions, against that of the surface extracted from a high-quality CT obtained from the same patient. Results: On phantom point clouds, their method achieved submillimeter reconstruction RMSE under different configurations, demonstrating quantitatively the faith of the proposed method in preserving local structural properties of the underlying surface in the presence of noise and missing measurements, and its robustness toward variations of such characteristics. On point clouds from the human subject, the proposed method successfully reconstructed all patient surfaces, filling regions where raw point coordinate readings were missing. Within two comparable regions of interest in the chest area, similar mean curvature distributions were acquired from both their reconstructed surface and CT surface, with mean and standard deviation of (μ{sub recon} = − 2.7 × 10{sup −3} mm{sup −1}, σ{sub recon} = 7.0 × 10{sup −3} mm{sup −1}) and (μ{sub CT} = − 2.5 × 10{sup −3} mm{sup −1}, σ{sub CT} = 5.3 × 10{sup −3} mm{sup −1}), respectively. The agreement of local geometry properties between the reconstructed surfaces and the CT surface demonstrated the ability of the proposed method in faithfully representing the underlying patient surface. Conclusions: The authors have integrated and developed an accurate level-set based continuous surface reconstruction method on point clouds acquired by a 3D surface photogrammetry system. The proposed method has generated a continuous representation of the underlying phantom and patient surfaces with good robustness against noise and missing measurements. It serves as an important first step for further development of motion tracking methods during radiotherapy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

A robust real-time surface reconstruction method on point clouds captured from a 3D surface photogrammetry system

Purpose: To develop a robust and real-time surface reconstruction method on point clouds captured from a 3D surface photogrammetry system. Methods: The authors have developed a robust and fast surface reconstruction method on point clouds acquired by the photogrammetry system, without explicitly solving the partial differential equation required by a typical variational approach. Taking advantage of the overcomplete nature of the acquired point clouds, their method solves and propagates a sparse linear relationship from the point cloud manifold to the surface manifold, assuming both manifolds share similar local geometry. With relatively consistent point cloud acquisitions, the authors propose a sparse regression (SR) model to directly approximate the target point cloud as a sparse linear combination from the training set, assuming that the point correspondences built by the iterative closest point (ICP) is reasonably accurate and have residual errors following a Gaussian distribution. To accommodate changing noise levels and/or presence of inconsistent occlusions during the acquisition, the authors further propose a modified sparse regression (MSR) model to model the potentially large and sparse error built by ICP with a Laplacian prior. The authors evaluated the proposed method on both clinical point clouds acquired under consistent acquisition conditions and on point clouds with inconsistent occlusions. The authors quantitatively evaluated the reconstruction performance with respect to root-mean-squared-error, by comparing its reconstruction results against that from the variational method. Results: On clinical point clouds, both the SR and MSR models have achieved sub-millimeter reconstruction accuracy and reduced the reconstruction time by two orders of magnitude to a subsecond reconstruction time. On point clouds with inconsistent occlusions, the MSR model has demonstrated its advantage in achieving consistent and robust performance despite the introduced occlusions. Conclusions: The authors have developed a fast and robust surface reconstruction method on point clouds captured from a 3D surface photogrammetry system, with demonstrated sub-millimeter reconstruction accuracy and subsecond reconstruction time. It is suitable for real-time motion tracking in radiotherapy, with clear surface structures for better quantifications.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Capturing an Early Gene Induction Event during Wood Decay by the Brown Rot Fungus Rhodonia placenta

Brown rot fungi dominate wood decomposition in coniferous forests, and their carbohydrate-selective mechanisms are of commercial interest. Brown rot was recently described as a two-step, sequential mechanism orchestrated by fungi using differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and consisting of oxidation via reactive oxygen species (ROS) followed by enzymatic saccharification. There have been indications, however, that the initial oxidation step itself might require induction. To capture this early gene regulation event, here, we integrated fine-scale cryosectioning with whole-transcriptome sequencing to dissect gene expression at the single-hyphal-cell scale (tens of micrometers). This improved the spatial resolution 50-fold, relative to previous work, and we were able to capture the activity of the first 100 μm of hyphal front growth by Rhodonia placenta in aspen wood. This early decay period was dominated by delayed gene expression patterns as the fungus ramped up its mechanism. These delayed DEGs included many genes implicated in ROS pathways (lignocellulose oxidation [LOX]) that were previously and incorrectly assumed to be constitutively expressed. These delayed DEGs, which include those with and without predicted functions, also create a focused subset of target genes for functional genomics. However, this delayed pattern was not universal, with a few genes being upregulated immediately at the hyphal front. Most notably, this included a gene commonly implicated in hydroquinone and iron redox cycling: benzoquinone reductase.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hybridization capture sequencing for Vibrio spp. and associated virulence factors

ABSTRACT Proliferation ofVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems is associated with climate change and, concomitantly, increased incidence of vibriosis. They are autochthonous to aquatic environments globally, but traditional metagenomic methods for detecting and typing pathogenicVibriospp. are challenged by their presence in relatively low abundance and ability to persist in a viable but nonculturable state. In the study reported here, hybridization capture sequencing (HCS) was employed to profile low-abundanceVibriospp. in environmental samples. The HCS panel targeted a family of molecular chaperones (CPN60) specific to 69Vibriospp. and 162Vibrio-specific virulence factors. This approach was evaluated in parallel with traditional whole-community shotgun sequencing in a metagenomic analysis of water and oyster samples collected from the Chesapeake Bay. In addition,Vibrio parahaemolyticusandVibrio vulnificusstrains isolated from the samples were subjected to whole-genome sequencing to determine the genetic characteristics of pathogenicVibriospp. circulating in an aquatic environment. HCS, employed to determine the incidence and characterization of specificVibriospp., yielded significantly greater metagenomic insight, notably a variety of otherVibriospp., including detection ofVibrio cholerae,Vibrio fluvialis, andVibrio aestuarianus, in addition toVibrio parahaemolyticusandVibrio vulnificus, and also important virulence factors not detectable using traditional molecular methods. Thus, pathogenicVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems may be far more common than currently understood. It is concluded that environmental surveillance should include HCS, a valuable tool for the detection and characterization of pathogenic agents in aquatic ecosystems, notably vibrios. IMPORTANCE The increasing prevalence of pathogenicVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems, driven by climate change, is closely linked to a rise in cholera and vibriosis cases, emphasizing the need for improved environmental surveillance. Vibrios are naturally occurring in aquatic environments globally, but traditional metagenomic methods for detecting and typing pathogenicVibriospp. are challenged by their presence in relatively low abundance and ability to persist in a viable but nonculturable state. In the study reported here, hybridization capture sequencing was employed to profile low-abundanceVibriospp. in metagenomic samples, namely water and oysters collected from the Chesapeake Bay. This approach was evaluated in parallel with traditional whole-community shotgun sequencing and whole-genome sequencing ofVibrio parahaemolyticusandVibrio vulnificusstrains isolated from the samples. Results suggest pathogenicVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems may be far more common than currently understood, when multiple methods are considered for environmental surveillance.

Microbiology↗
DOE OSTI2015

A technique for searching for the 2K capture in {sup 124}Xe with a copper proportional counter

An experimental technique for searching for the 2K capture in {sup 124}Xe with a large low-background copper proportional counter is described. Such an experiment is conducted at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory of the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The experimental setup is located in the Low-Background Deep-Level Laboratory at a depth of 4900 m.w.e., where the flux of muons of cosmic rays is suppressed by a factor of 10{sup 7} relative to that at the Earth’s surface. The setup incorporates a proportional counter and low-background shielding (18 cm of copper, 15 cm of lead, and 8 cm of borated polyethylene). The results of processing the data obtained in 5 months of live measurement time are presented. A new limit on the half-life of {sup 124}Xe with respect to the 2K capture is set at the level of 2.5 × 10{sup 21} years.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

First result of the experimental search for the 2K-capture of {sup 124}Xe with the copper proportional counter

First result of experiment for searching of 2K-capture of {sup 124}Xe with the large-volume copper proportional counter (LPC) is given. The 12 liters sample with 63.3% (44 g) of {sup 124}Xe was used in measurements. The limit on the half-life of {sup 124}Xe with regard to 2K(2ν)-capture for the ground state of {sup 124}Te (0{sup +} → 0{sup +}, g.s.) has been found: T{sub 1/2} ≥ 4.67 × 10{sup 20} yr (90% C.L.). A sample with volume 52 liters comprising of {sup 124}Xe (10.6L - 58.6 g) and {sup 126}Xe (14.1L - 79.3 g) will used at the next step of the experiment to increase a sensitivity of 2K-caption of {sup 124}Xe registration. In this case sensitivity to the investigated process will be at the level of S = 1.46 × 10{sup 21} yr (90% C.L.) for 1 year measurement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Physical applications of muon catalysis: Muon capture in hydrogen

Results: of theoretical and experimental research on capture of negative muons in hydrogen are reported with an emphasis on the accompanying phenomenon of muon catalysis in hydrogen and subtleties of the experimental method. A conclusion is drawn that precise determination of the capture rate is important for refining the standard model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of shape/phase transition regions on neutron capture cross sections

Abstract A recent study found a new, purely empirical correlation between two-neutron separation energies and neutron capture cross sections in keV neutron energy regimes. In shape/phase transition regimes, such as that near A= 150, S $$_{2n}$$ 2 n values show an anomaly—a flattening of the normal near linear decrease with neutron number. This paper addresses two questions: (1) Using this new correlation, is this anomaly in S $$_{2n}$$ 2 n values sizeable enough to produce an observable effect in capture cross sections? and (2) Can the correlation be used to quantitatively reproduce the cross sections in the transition region? It is found that the answer to both questions is in the affirmative. Possible relations to the r -process are briefly discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

DMS Capture Task Manager

The DMS Capture Task Manager is a part of PRISM, the Proteomics Research Information and Management System. The capture manager processes instrument data files, copying them from the instrument to storage servers, validating the data, creating QC graphics, and pushing the data into MyEMSL. Plugin DLLs implement the processing details for each tool.

Gibbons, Bryson↗
DOE OSTI2016

Parallel methodology to capture cyclic variability in motored engines

Numerical prediction of of cycle-to-cycle variability (CCV) in SI engines is extremely challenging for two key reasons: (i) high-fidelity methods such as large eddy simulation (LES) are require to accurately capture the in-cylinder turbulent flowfield, and (ii) CCV is experienced over long timescales and hence the simulations need to be performed for hundreds of consecutive cycles. In this study, a new methodology is proposed to dissociate this long time-scale problem into several shorter time-scale problems, which can considerably reduce the computational time without sacrificing the fidelity of the simulations. The strategy is to perform multiple single-cycle simulations in parallel by effectively perturbing the simulation parameters such as the initial and boundary conditions. It is shown that by perturbing the initial velocity field effectively based on the intensity of the in-cylinder turbulence, the mean and variance of the in-cylinder flowfield is captured reasonably well. Adding perturbations in the initial pressure field and the boundary pressure improves the predictions. It is shown that this new approach is able to give accurate predictions of the flowfield statistics in less than one-tenth of time required for the conventional approach of simulating consecutive engine cycles.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗