SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “BEAM PROFILES”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,495 records · Page 83

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2016

TU-FG-BRB-01: Dual Energy CT Proton Stopping Power Ratio Calibration and Validation with Animal Tissues

Purpose: The conversion of Hounsfield Unit (HU) to proton stopping power ratio (SPR) is a main source of uncertainty in proton therapy. In this study, the SPRs of animal tissues were measured and compared with prediction from dual energy CT (DECT) and single energy CT (SECT) calibrations. Methods: A stoichiometric calibration method for DECT was applied to predict the SPR using CT images acquired at 80 kVp and 140 kVp. The dual energy index was derived based on the HUs of the paired spectral images and used to calculate the SPRs of the materials. Tissue surrogates with known chemical compositions were used for calibration, and animal tissues (pig brain, liver, kidney; veal shank, muscle) were used for validation. The materials were irradiated with proton pencil beams, and SPRs were deduced from the residual proton range measured using a multi-layer ion chamber device. In addition, Gafchromic EBT3 films were used to measure the distal dose profiles after irradiation through the tissue samples and compared with those calculated by the treatment planning system using both DECT and SECT predicted SPRs. Results: The differences in SPR between DECT prediction and measurement were −0.31±0.36% for bone, 0.47±0.42% for brain, 0.67±0.15% for liver, 0.51±0.52% for kidney, and −0.96±0.15% for muscle. The corresponding results using SECT were 3.1±0.12%, 1.90±0.45%, −0.66±0.11%, 2.33±0.21%, and −1.70±0.17%. In the film measurements, average distances between film and calculated distal dose profiles were 0.35±0.12 mm for DECT calibration and −1.22±0.12 mm for SECT calibration for a beam with a range of 15.79 cm. Conclusion: Our study indicates that DECT is superior to SECT for proton SPR prediction and has the potential to reduce the range uncertainty to less than 2%. DECT may permit the use of tighter distal and proximal range uncertainty margins for treatment, thereby increasing the precision of proton therapy.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

NASA NTRS1991

Laser Doppler velocimetry for continuous flow solar-pumped iodine laser system

A laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) system was employed to measure the flow velocity profile of iodide vapor inside laser tubes of 36 mm ID and 20 mm ID. The LDV, which was operated in the forward scatter mode used a low power (15 mW) He-Ne laser beam. Velocity ranges from 1 m/s was measured to within one percent accuracy. The flow velocity profile across the laser tube was measured and the intensity of turbulence was determined. The flow of iodide inside the laser tube demonstrated a mixture of both turbulence and laminar flow. The flowmeter used for the laser system previously was calibrated with the LDV and found to be in good agreement.

Tabibi, Bagher M.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Guiding of laser pulses in plasma waveguides created by linearly-polarized femtosecond laser pulses

We experimentally demonstrate that plasma waveguides produced with ultra-short laser pulses (sub-picosecond) in gas jets are capable of guiding high intensity laser pulses. This scheme has the unique ability of guiding a high-intensity laser pulse in a plasma waveguide created by the same laser system in the very simple and stable experimental setup. A hot plasma column was created by a femtosecond class laser that expands into an on-axis parabolic low density profile suitable to act as a waveguide for high intensity laser beams. We have successfully guided ~10 15 W cm -2 laser pulses in a 8 mm long hydrogen plasma waveguide with a 35% guiding efficiency.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Generation of ultrafast electron bunch trains via trapping into multiple periods of plasma wakefields

We demonstrate a novel approach to the generation of femtosecond electron bunch trains via laser-driven wakefield acceleration. We use two independent high-intensity laser pulses, a drive, and an injector, each creating their own plasma wakes. The interaction of the laser pulses and their wakes results in a periodic injection of free electrons in the drive plasma wake via several mechanisms, including ponderomotive drift, wake-wake interference, and pre-acceleration of electrons directly by strong laser fields. Electron trains were generated with up to four quasi-monoenergetic bunches, each separated in time by a plasma period. In conclusion, the time profile of the generated trains is deduced from an analysis of beam loading and confirmed using 2D particle-in-cell simulations

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Local measurements of the pedestal magnetic field profile throughout the ELM cycle on DIII-D

We report new high speed localized measurements of the pedestal magnetic field during the edge localized mode (ELM) cycle of a DIII-D High confinement mode (H-mode) discharge indicate a temporally and spatial complex redistribution of the edge current density profile, $j_{edge}$. The measurement technique extracts the magnetic field magnitude, $\textit{B}$, via the spectral separation of Stark-split neutral beam radiation in the pedestal. Single spatial channel measurements from a novel spatial heterodyne spectrometer are validated in discharges with core current profile changes. The technique measures Stark-splitting changes that imply $\textit{B}$ changes as small as 1 mT with high time resolution (50 μs). At normalized poloidal flux $ψ_n$ = 1.0, $\textit{B}$ appears saturated in the inter-ELM period and then rapidly decreases in <200 μs by ~1%, before edge recycling emission begins to increase. Radially inboard of $j_{edge}$, $\textit{B}$ increases at the ELM crash. The behavior is consistent with a rapid collapse of $j_{edge}$ at the ELM crash and subsequent pedestal recovery. In some discharges, at $ψ_n$ < 0.96, changes in $\textit{B}$ are observed throughout the ELM cycle. In others, $\textit{B}$ recovers and is relatively stable until a few ms leading up to the next crash. Measurements of $\textit{B}$ during the H-mode transition show a large increase at $ψ_n$ = 1 with little change at $ψ_n$ = 0.9, consistent with the formation of the edge bootstrap current density peak. The $ψ_n$ = 0.9 spectrum is complicated by predicted changes to the Stark component intensities with density at the L–H transition.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

FREQUENCY DEPENDENCE OF PULSE WIDTH FOR 150 RADIO NORMAL PULSARS

The frequency dependence of the pulse width is studied for 150 normal pulsars, mostly selected from the European Pulsar Network, for which the 10% multifrequency pulse widths can be well fit with the Thorsett relationship W {sub 10} = Aν{sup μ} + W {sub 10,} {sub min}. The relative fraction of pulse width change between 0.4 GHz and 4.85 GHz, η = (W {sub 4.85} – W {sub 0.4})/W {sub 0.4}, is calculated in terms of the best-fit relationship for each pulsar. It is found that 81 pulsars (54%) have η < –10% (group A), showing considerable profile narrowing at high frequencies, 40 pulsars (27%) have –10% ≤η ≤ 10% (group B), meaning a marginal change in pulse width, and 29 pulsars (19%) have η > 10% (group C), showing a remarkable profile broadening at high frequencies. The fractions of the group-A and group-C pulsars suggest that the profile narrowing phenomenon at high frequencies is more common than the profile broadening phenomenon, but a large fraction of the group-B and group-C pulsars (a total of 46%) is also revealed. The group-C pulsars, together with a portion of group-B pulsars with slight pulse broadening, can hardly be explained using the conventional radius-to-frequency mapping, which only applies to the profile narrowing phenomenon. Based on a recent version of the fan beam model, a type of broadband emission model, we propose that the diverse frequency dependence of pulse width is a consequence of different types of distribution of emission spectra across the emission region. The geometrical effect predicting a link between the emission beam shrinkage and spectrum steepening is tested but disfavored.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Experimental studies and simulations of hydrogen pellet ablation in the stellarator TJ-II

Plasma core fuelling is a key issue for the development of steady-state scenarios in large magnetically-confined fusion devices, in particular for helical-type machines. At present, cryogenic pellet injection is the most promising technique for efficient fuelling. Here, pellet ablation and fuelling efficiency experiments, using a compact pellet injector, are carried out in electron cyclotron resonance and neutral beam injection heated plasmas of the stellarator TJ-II. Ablation profiles are reconstructed from light emissions collected by silicon photodiodes and a fast-frame camera system, under the assumptions that such emissions are loosely related to the ablation rate and that pellet radial acceleration is negligible. In addition, pellet particle deposition and fuelling efficiency are determined using density profiles provided by a Thomson scattering system. Furthermore, experimental results are compared with ablation and deposition profiles provided by the HPI2 pellet code, which is adapted here for the stellarators Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) and TJ-II. Finally, the HPI2 code is used to simulate ablation and deposition profiles for pellets of different sizes and velocities injected into relevant W7-X plasma scenarios, while estimating the plasmoid drift and the fuelling efficiency of injections made from two W7-X ports.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Collider-quality electron bunches from an all-optical plasma photoinjector

We present an approach for generating collider-quality electron bunches using a plasma photoinjector. The approach leverages recently developed techniques for the spatiotemporal control of laser pulses to produce a moving ionization front in a nonlinear plasma wave. The moving ionization front generates an electron bunch with a current profile that balances the longitudinal electric field of an electron beam-driven plasma wave, creating a uniform accelerating field across the bunch. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of the ionization stage show the formation of an electron bunch with 220 pC charge and low emittance (ɛ 𝑥 = 171 nm rad, ɛ 𝑦 = 76 nm rad). Quasistatic PIC simulations of the acceleration stage show that the bunch is efficiently accelerated to 24 GeV over 2 m with a final energy spread of less than 1% and emittances of ɛ 𝑥 = 189 nm rad and ɛ 𝑦 = 80 nm rad. This high-quality electron bunch meets the requirements outlined by the Snowmass process for intermediate-energy colliders and compares favorably to the beam quality of proposed and existing accelerator facilities. The results establish the feasibility of plasma photoinjectors for future collider applications making a significant step toward the realization of high-luminosity, compact accelerators for particle physics research.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Understanding Measurement Artifacts Causing Inherent Cation Gradients in Depth Profiles of Perovskite Photovoltaics with TOF-SIMS

Time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is one of the few techniques that can obtain chemical information from the hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in one dimension (standard depth profiling), two dimensions (high-resolution 100-nm imaging), as well as three dimensions (tomography combining high-resolution imaging with depth profiling). We have very recently developed thermo-mechanical methods to cleave perovskite samples at the back transparent conducting oxide/PSC interface. This allowed for depth-profiling from the back of the device to the front. The resultant profiles answered the lingering question of the apparent A-site cation gradient typically seen in TOF-SIMS depth profiles. In fact, this gradient is a measurement artifact due to beam damage that the community should be informed of as TOF-SIMS data become more commonly employed. Methods of mitigating this artifact by altering the measurement conditions are also presented.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

SU-C-12A-05: Radiation Dose in High-Pitch Pediatric Cardiac CTA: Correlation Between Lung Dose and CTDIvol, DLP, and Size Specific Dose Estimates (SSDE)

Purpose: To investigate the radiation dose for pediatric high pitch cardiac CTA Methods: A total of 14 cases were included in this study, with mean age of 6.2 years (ranges from 2 months to 15 years). Cardiac CTA was performed using a dual-source CT system (Definition Flash, Siemens). Tube voltage (70, 80 and 100kV) was chosen based on patient weight. All patients were scanned using a high-pitch spiral mode (pitch ranges from 2.5 to 3) with tube current modulation technique (CareDose4D, Siemens). For each case, the three dimensional dose distributions were calculated using a Monte Carlo software package (IMPACT-MC, CT Image GmbH). Scanning parameters of each exam, including tube voltage, tube current, beamshaping filters, beam collimation, were defined in the Monte Carlo calculation. Tube current profile along projection angles was obtained from projection data of each tube, which included data within the over-scanning range along z direction. The volume of lungs was segmented out with CT images (3DSlicer). Lung doses of all patients were calculated and compared with CTDIvol, DLP, and SSDE. Results: The average (range) of CTDIvol, DLP and SSDE of all patients was 1.19 mGy (0.58 to 3.12mGy), 31.54 mGy*cm (12.56 to 99 mGy*cm), 2.26 mGy (1.19 to 6.24 mGy), respectively. Radiation dose to the lungs ranged from 0.83 to 4.18 mGy. Lung doses correlated with CTDIvol, DLP and SSDE with correlation coefficients(k) at 0.98, 0.93, and 0.99. However, for the cases with CTDIvol less than 1mGy, only SSDE preserved a strong correlation with lung doses (k=0.83), while much weaker correlations were found for CTDIvol (k=0.29) and DLP (k=-0.47). Conclusion: Lung doses to pediatric patients during Cardiac CTA were estimated. SSDE showed the most robust correlation with lung doses in contrast to CTDIvol and DLP.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-T-761: TOMOMC, A Monte Carlo-Based Planning VerificationTool for Helical Tomotherapy

Purpose: Present a new Monte Carlo code (TOMOMC) to calculate 3D dose distributions for patients undergoing helical tomotherapy treatments. TOMOMC performs CT-based dose calculations using the actual dynamic variables of the machine (couch motion, gantry rotation, and MLC sequences). Methods: TOMOMC is based on the GEPTS (Gama Electron and Positron Transport System) general-purpose Monte Carlo system (Chibani and Li, Med. Phys. 29, 2002, 835). First, beam models for the Hi-Art Tomotherpy machine were developed for the different beam widths (1, 2.5 and 5 cm). The beam model accounts for the exact geometry and composition of the different components of the linac head (target, primary collimator, jaws and MLCs). The beams models were benchmarked by comparing calculated Pdds and lateral/transversal dose profiles with ionization chamber measurements in water. See figures 1–3. The MLC model was tuned in such a way that tongue and groove effect, inter-leaf and intra-leaf transmission are modeled correctly. See figure 4. Results: By simulating the exact patient anatomy and the actual treatment delivery conditions (couch motion, gantry rotation and MLC sinogram), TOMOMC is able to calculate the 3D patient dose distribution which is in principal more accurate than the one from the treatment planning system (TPS) since it relies on the Monte Carlo method (gold standard). Dose volume parameters based on the Monte Carlo dose distribution can also be compared to those produced by the TPS. Attached figures show isodose lines for a H&N patient calculated by TOMOMC (transverse and sagittal views). Analysis of differences between TOMOMC and TPS is an ongoing work for different anatomic sites. Conclusion: A new Monte Carlo code (TOMOMC) was developed for Tomotherapy patient-specific QA. The next step in this project is implementing GPU computing to speed up Monte Carlo simulation and make Monte Carlo-based treatment verification a practical solution.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-IeP2-11: Measurement of Equilibrium Doses in Computed Tomography: Comparative Study of Ionization and Solid-State Dosimeters

Purpose: This study aimed to compare equilibrium doses in computed tomography (CT) obtained from ionization and solid-state dosimeters based on the approach presented in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Report No. 111. The equilibrium doses were also compared with the CT dose index (CTDI) using a 10-cm pencil-type ionization chamber. Methods: A 0.6-cm{sup 3} ionization chamber (10X6-0.6CT) and a solid-state detector (CT Dose Profiler [CTDP]) were calibrated using 80–130 kVp X-ray beams (44.5–55.8 keV of effective energy) from a radiography X-ray machine against a reference ionization dosimeter. Three 16- or 32-cm diameter polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantoms were assembled consecutively on the CT table to obtain equilibrium doses. The 10X6-0.6CT and CTDP were each placed at the center and peripheral holes (12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock) of the z-center. Central and mean peripheral equilibrium doses were obtained by scanning with longitudinal translation for a length less than the entire phantom length. CTDIs were also obtained with a 10-cm pencil-type ionization chamber (10X6-0.6CT) by scanning a 16- or 32-cm diameter PMMA phantom with one rotation of the X-ray tube. Results: The difference of calibration coefficients between 80 and 130 kVp was 21.1% for the CTDP and 0.7% for the 10X6-0.6CT. The equilibrium doses were higher than the CTDI. Especially at the peripheral positions and 80 kVp, the 10X6-0.6CT showed higher equilibrium doses than CTDP. However, the relation between the equilibrium dose for the 10X6-0.6CT and the CTDP differed depending on the phantom size, scanner type, measurement position, and selected acquisition parameters. Conclusion: The use of a 10-cm pencil-type ionization chamber causes underestimation of the equilibrium dose. The CTDP has a higher energy dependency than the 10X6-0.6CT. The obtained equilibrium doses are different between the 10X6-0.6CT and the CTDP depending on various conditions. This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 15K09887.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Supplement to the NUBOW-3D Manual

The NUBOW-3D code (NUBOW) developed in 1978 is a custom FORTRAN analysis code that models the complex mechanical interaction of the fuel assemblies and the core restraint system in response to the effects of thermal expansion and irradiation swelling and creep. NUBOW-3D models the fuel assembly ducts as beams with springs representing the contact between ducts. The core temperature profile and neutron flux profiles are provided at various times during the planned operation of the reactor. NUBOW then calculates the changing shapes of the fuel assemblies and their equilibrium positions within the core restraints. An optional post-processing step calculates the reactivity changes based on new positions of the fuel assemblies using input displacement reactivity WORTHS. Understanding this reactivity change is a key feature to the inherent safety of a fast reactor core. NUBOW was developed to support the design of limited free bow core restraint systems. The NUBOW software was modified in 1987 but the documentation of the upgrades was not completed due to abrupt funding cuts. In the last few years, the software has been ported to a Windows platform using a current FORTRAN compiler and additional changes have been made including consolidating the code to a single executable. While the original NUBOW manual [1] written in 1978 provides an excellent description of the code and input parameters, it lacks the additional features added in the upgrades and in some cases describes features that are no longer operable. This report attempts to bridge the information gap between the original manual and the current state of the software.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Discovery of coherent pulsations from the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 7793 P13

We report the detection of coherent pulsations from the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 7793 P13. The ≈0.42 s nearly sinusoidal pulsations were initially discovered in broadband X-ray observations using XMM-Newton and NuSTAR taken in 2016. We subsequently also found pulsations in archival XMM-Newton data taken in 2013 and 2014. The significant (≫5σ) detection of coherent pulsations demonstrates that the compact object in P13 is a neutron star, and given the observed peak luminosity of ≈10{sup 40} erg s{sup −1} (assuming isotropy), it is well above the Eddington limit for a 1.4 M{sub ⊙} accretor. This makes P13 the second ULX known to be powered by an accreting neutron star. The pulse period varies between epochs, with a slow but persistent spin-up over the 2013–2016 period. This spin-up indicates a magnetic field of B ≈ 1.5 × 10{sup 12} G, typical of many Galactic accreting pulsars. The most likely explanation for the extreme luminosity is a high degree of beaming; however, this is difficult to reconcile with the sinusoidal pulse profile.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1971

Shock-tube measurements of rotational relaxation in hydrogen.

Density profiles in hydrogen shock waves have been measured with an electron beam densitometer for Mach numbers from 1.2 to 3.0. The translational and rotational relaxation processes were found to be uncoupled in the shock wave allowing for a simple determination of the relatively large (from approximately 270 to approximately 30) number of collisions required for equilibration of the rotational degrees of freedom over the temperature range from 410-1240 K. An intermediate relaxation point and subsequent increase in the number of collisions required above 600 K was attributed to the participation of additional excited rotational quantum levels in the equilibration process.

Boitnott, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

A technique for measuring hypersonic flow velocity profiles

A technique for measuring hypersonic flow velocity profiles is described. This technique utilizes an arc-discharge-electron-beam system to produce a luminous disturbance in the flow. The time of flight of this disturbance was measured. Experimental tests were conducted in the Langley pilot model expansion tube. The measured velocities were of the order of 6000 m/sec over a free-stream density range from 0.000196 to 0.00186 kg/cu m. The fractional error in the velocity measurements was less than 5 percent. Long arc discharge columns (0.356 m) were generated under hypersonic flow conditions in the expansion-tube modified to operate as an expansion tunnel.

Gartrell, L. R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Two dimensional thermal and charge mapping of power thyristors

The two dimensional static and dynamic current density distributions within the junction of semiconductor power switching devices and in particular the thyristors were obtained. A method for mapping the thermal profile of the device junctions with fine resolution using an infrared beam and measuring the attenuation through the device as a function of temperature were developed. The results obtained are useful in the design and quality control of high power semiconductor switching devices.

Hu, S. P.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Electronic beam steering of semiconductor injection lasers

A theoretical analysis of the problem of beam steering is presented. The required modifications of the dielectric constant profile of the laser structure were derived. A practical method for implementing the needed modifications is outlined.

Katz, J.↗