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At least 1,603 records · Page 89

DNA-caged nanoparticles via electrostatic self-assembly

DNA-modified nanoparticles enable DNA sensing and therapeutics in nanomedicine and are also crucial for nanoparticle self-assembly with DNA-based materials. However, methods to conjugate DNA to nanoparticle surfaces are limited, inefficient, and lack control. Inspired by DNA tile nanotechnology, we demonstrate a new approach to nanoparticle modification based on electrostatic attraction between negatively charged DNA tiles and positively charged nanoparticles. This approach does not disrupt nanoparticle surfaces and leverages the programmability of DNA nanotechnology to control DNA presentation. We demonstrated this approach using a variety of nanoparticles, including polymeric micelles, polystyrene beads, gold nanoparticles, and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 5–20 nm in diameter. DNA cage formation was confirmed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), neutralization of zeta potential, and a series of fluorescence experiments. DNA cages present “handle” sequences that can be used for reversible target attachment or self-assembly. Handle functionality was verified in solution, at the solid–liquid interface, and inside fixed cells, corresponding to applications in biosensing, DNA microarrays, and erasable immunocytochemistry. Finally, these experiments demonstrate the versatility of the electrostatic DNA caging approach and provide a new pathway to nanoparticle modification with DNA that will empower further applications of these materials in medicine and materials science.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Producing Madgraph5_aMC@NLO gridpacks and using TensorFlow GPU resources in the CMS HTCondor Global Pool

The CMS experiment has an HTCondor Global Pool, composed of more than 200K CPU cores available for Monte Carlo production and the analysis of da.The submission of user jobs to this pool is handled by either CRAB, the standard workflow management tool used by CMS users to submit analysis jobs requiring event processing of large amounts of data, or by CMS Connect, a service focused on final stage condor-like analysis jobs and applications that already have a workflow job manager in place. The latest scenario canbring cases in which workflows need further adjustments in order to efficiently work in a globally distributed pool of resources. For instance, the generation of matrix elements for high energy physics processes via Madgraph5_aMC@NLO and the usage of tools not (yet) fully supported by the CMS software, such as Ten-sorFlow with GPUsupport, are tasks with particular requirements. A special adaption, either at the pool factory level (advertising GPU resources) or at the execute level (e.g: to handle special parameters that describe certain needs for the remote execute nodes during submission) is needed in order to adequately work in the CMS global pool. This contribution describes the challenges and efforts performed towards adaptingsuch workflows so they can properly profit from the Global Pool via CMS Connect.

Bockelman, Brian Paul↗

dCache - Joining the noWORM Storage Club

For over a decade, dCache.ORG has provided robust software, called dCache, that is used at more than 80 universities and research institutes around the world, allowing these sites to provide reliable storage services for the WLCG experiments and many other scientific communities. The flexible architecture of dCache allows running it in a wide variety of configurations and platforms - from all-in-one Raspberry-Pi up to hundreds of nodes in multi-petabyte infrastructures. The life cycle of scientific data is well defined - collected, processed, archived and finally deleted, when it’s not needed anymore. Moreover, during all those stages the data is never modified: either the original data is used, or new derived data is produced. With this knowledge, dCache was designed to handle immutable files as efficiently as possible. Data replication, HSM connectivity and data-server independent operations are only possible due to the immutable nature of stored data. Nowadays many commercial vendors provide such write-once-read-many or WORM storage systems, as they become more and more demanded with grown demand of audio, photo and video content in the web. On the other hand by providing standard NFSv4.1 interface dCache is often used as a general-purpose file-system, especially by new communities, like photon scientists or microbiologists. Although many users are aware of data immutability, some applications and use cases still require in-place updates of stored files. To satisfy new requirements some fundamental changes have to be applied to dCache’s core design. However, new developments must not compromise any aspect of existing functionality. In this presentation we will show new developments in dCache to turn it into a regular file system. We will discuss the challenges to build a distributed storage system, ‘life’ with POSIX compliance, handling of multiple replicas and backward compatibility by providing WORM and noWORM capabilities within the same storage system.

Mkrtchyan, Tigran↗

Recent Experience with the CMS Data Management System

The CMS[1] experiment manages a large-scale data infrastructure, currently handling over 200 PB of disk and 500 PB of tape storage and transferring more than 1 PB of data per day on average between various WLCG[2] sites. Utilizing Rucio[3] for high-level data management, FTS[4] for data transfers, and a variety of storage and network technologies at the sites, CMS confronts inevitable challenges due to the system’s growing scale and evolving nature. Key challenges include managing transfer and storage failures, optimizing data distribution across different storages based on production and analysis needs, implementing necessary technology upgrades and migrations, and efficiently handling user requests. The data management team has established comprehensive monitoring to supervise this system and has successfully addressed many of these challenges. The team’s efforts aim to ensure data availability and protection, minimize failures and manual interventions, maximize transfer throughput and resource utilization, and provide reliable user support. This paper details the operational experience of CMS with its data management system in recent years, focusing on the encountered challenges, the effective strategies employed to overcome them and the ongoing challenges as we prepare for future demands.

Öztürk, Hasan [CERN]↗

Linac cryogenic distribution system maintenance and upgrades at JLab

The Central Helium Liquefier (CHL) distribution system to the CEBAF and FEL linacs at Jefferson Lab (JLab) experienced a planned warm up during the late summer and fall of 2012 for the first time after its commissioning in 1991. Various maintenance and modifications were performed to support high beam availability to the experimental users, meet 10 CFR 851 requirements for pressure systems, address operational issues, and prepare the cryogenic interfaces for the high-gradient cryomodules needed for the 12 GeV upgrade. Cryogenic maintenance and installation work had to be coordinated with other activities in the linacs and compete for manpower from other department installation activities. With less than a quarter of the gas storage capacity available to handle the boil-off from the more than 40 cryomodules, 35,000 Nm{sup 3} of helium was re-liquefied and shipped to a vendor via a liquid tanker trailer. Nearly 200 u-tubes had to be removed and stored while seals were replaced on related equipment such as vacuum pump outs, bayonet isolation and process valves.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Integrated heat exchanger design for a cryogenic storage tank

Field demonstrations of liquid hydrogen technology will be undertaken for the proliferation of advanced methods and applications in the use of cryofuels. Advancements in the use of cryofuels for transportation on Earth, from Earth, or in space are envisioned for automobiles, aircraft, rockets, and spacecraft. These advancements rely on practical ways of storage, transfer, and handling of liquid hydrogen. Focusing on storage, an integrated heat exchanger system has been designed for incorporation with an existing storage tank and a reverse Brayton cycle helium refrigerator of capacity 850 watts at 20 K. The storage tank is a 125,000-liter capacity horizontal cylindrical tank, with vacuum jacket and multilayer insulation, and a small 0.6-meter diameter manway opening. Addressed are the specific design challenges associated with the small opening, complete modularity, pressure systems re-certification for lower temperature and pressure service associated with hydrogen densification, and a large 8:1 length-to-diameter ratio for distribution of the cryogenic refrigeration. The approach, problem solving, and system design and analysis for integrated heat exchanger are detailed and discussed. Implications for future space launch facilities are also identified. The objective of the field demonstration will be to test various zero-loss and densified cryofuel handling concepts for future transportation applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Generalization of Abel's mechanical problem: The extended isochronicity condition and the superposition principle

This paper presents a simple but nontrivial generalization of Abel's mechanical problem, based on the extended isochronicity condition and the superposition principle. There are two primary aims. The first one is to reveal the linear relation between the transit-time T and the travel-length X hidden behind the isochronicity problem that is usually discussed in terms of the nonlinear equation of motion (d{sup 2}X)/(dt{sup 2}) +(dU)/(dX) =0 with U(X) being an unknown potential. Second, the isochronicity condition is extended for the possible Abel-transform approach to designing the isochronous trajectories of charged particles in spectrometers and/or accelerators for time-resolving experiments. Our approach is based on the integral formula for the oscillatory motion by Landau and Lifshitz [Mechanics (Pergamon, Oxford, 1976), pp. 27–29]. The same formula is used to treat the non-periodic motion that is driven by U(X). Specifically, this unknown potential is determined by the (linear) Abel transform X(U) ∝ A[T(E)], where X(U) is the inverse function of U(X), A=(1/√(π))∫{sub 0}{sup E}dU/√(E−U) is the so-called Abel operator, and T(E) is the prescribed transit-time for a particle with energy E to spend in the region of interest. Based on this Abel-transform approach, we have introduced the extended isochronicity condition: typically, τ = T{sub A}(E) + T{sub N}(E) where τ is a constant period, T{sub A}(E) is the transit-time in the Abel type [A-type] region spanning X > 0 and T{sub N}(E) is that in the Non-Abel type [N-type] region covering X < 0. As for the A-type region in X > 0, the unknown inverse function X{sub A}(U) is determined from T{sub A}(E) via the Abel-transform relation X{sub A}(U) ∝ A[T{sub A}(E)]. In contrast, the N-type region in X < 0 does not ensure this linear relation: the region is covered with a predetermined potential U{sub N}(X) of some arbitrary choice, not necessarily obeying the Abel-transform relation. In discussing the isochronicity problem, there has been no attempt of N-type regions that are practically of full use for the charged-particle spectrometers and/or accelerators. In this Abel-transform approach, the superposition principle simplifies the derivation of X{sub A}(U) satisfying the extended isochronicity condition. Although the extended isochronicity condition inevitably discards the low-energy particles, there is no problem for handling accelerated particles because they do not involve the small-amplitude oscillations around the potential minimum. We present analytic examples of X{sub A}(U) that are instructive. In Appendix B, Urabe's criterion is interpreted in the time domain, using the Abel-transform approach.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Facility for low-temperature spin-polarized-scanning tunneling microscopy studies of magnetic/spintronic materials prepared in situ by nitride molecular beam epitaxy

Based on the interest in, as well as exciting outlook for, nitride semiconductor based structures with regard to electronic, optoelectronic, and spintronic applications, it is compelling to investigate these systems using the powerful technique of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), a technique capable of achieving magnetic resolution down to the atomic scale. However, the delicate surfaces of these materials are easily corrupted by in-air transfers, making it unfeasible to study them in stand-alone ultra-high vacuum STM facilities. Therefore, we have carried out the development of a hybrid system including a nitrogen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy/pulsed laser epitaxy facility for sample growth combined with a low-temperature, spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope system. The custom-designed molecular beam epitaxy growth system supports up to eight sources, including up to seven effusion cells plus a radio frequency nitrogen plasma source, for epitaxially growing a variety of materials, such as nitride semiconductors, magnetic materials, and their hetero-structures, and also incorporating in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction. The growth system also enables integration of pulsed laser epitaxy. The STM unit has a modular design, consisting of an upper body and a lower body. The upper body contains the coarse approach mechanism and the scanner unit, while the lower body accepts molecular beam epitaxy grown samples using compression springs and sample skis. The design of the system employs two stages of vibration isolation as well as a layer of acoustic noise isolation in order to reduce noise during STM measurements. This isolation allows the system to effectively acquire STM data in a typical lab space, which during its construction had no special and highly costly elements included, (such as isolated slabs) which would lower the environmental noise. The design further enables tip exchange and tip coating without breaking vacuum, and convenient visual access to the sample and tip inside a superconducting magnet cryostat. A sample/tip handling system is optimized for both the molecular beam epitaxy growth system and the scanning tunneling microscope system. The sample/tip handing system enables in situ STM studies on epitaxially grown samples, and tip exchange in the superconducting magnet cryostat. The hybrid molecular beam epitaxy and low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy system is capable of growing semiconductor-based hetero-structures with controlled accuracy down to a single atomic-layer and imaging them down to atomic resolution.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A Ka-band TM{sub 02} mode relativistic backward wave oscillator with cascaded resonators

By combining the Cerenkov-type generator with the cascaded resonators, this paper proposes a Ka-band relativistic backward wave oscillator operating under the guide magnetic field 1.0 T with high power handling capability and high conversion efficiency. It is found that TM{sub 02} can be selected as the operation mode in order to increase the power handling capability and provide sufficient coupling with the electron beam. In slow wave structure (SWS), ripples composed of semicircle on top of the rectangle enhance the wave-beam interaction and decrease the intensity of the electric field on the metallic surface. Taking advantage of the resonator cascades, the output power and the conversion efficiency are promoted greatly. The front cascaded resonators efficiently prevent the power generated in SWS from leaking into the diode region, and quicken the startup of the oscillation due to the premodulation of the beam. However, the post cascade slightly postpones the startup because of the further energy extraction from the electron beam. The numerical simulation shows that generation with power 514 MW and efficiency 41% is obtained under the diode voltage 520 kV and current 2.4 kA. And the microwave with the pure frequency spectrum of 29.35 GHz radiates in the pure TM{sub 01} mode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A millimeter wave relativistic backward wave oscillator operating in TM{sub 03} mode with low guiding magnetic field

A V-band overmoded relativistic backward wave oscillator (RBWO) guided by low magnetic field and operating on a TM{sub 03} mode is presented to increase both the power handling capacity and the wave-beam interaction conversion efficiency. Trapezoidal slow wave structures (SWSs) with shallow corrugations and long periods are adopted to make the group velocity of TM{sub 03} mode at the intersection point close to zero. The coupling impedance and diffraction Q-factor of the RBWO increase, while the starting current decreases owing to the reduction of the group velocity of TM{sub 03} mode. In addition, the TM{sub 03} mode dominates over the other modes in the startup of the oscillation. Via numerical simulation, the generation of the microwave pulse with an output power of 425 MW and a conversion efficiency of 32% are achieved at 60.5 GHz with an external magnetic field of 1.25 T. This RBWO can provide greater power handling capacity when operating on the TM{sub 03} mode than on the TM{sub 01} mode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Magneto-structural transformations via a solid-state nudged elastic band method: Application to iron under pressure

We extend the solid-state nudged elastic band method to handle a non-conserved order parameter, in particular, magnetization, that couples to volume and leads to many observed effects in magnetic systems. We apply this formalism to the well-studied magneto-volume collapse during the pressure-induced transformation in iron—from ferromagnetic body-centered cubic (bcc) austenite to hexagonal close-packed (hcp) martensite. We find a bcc-hcp equilibrium coexistence pressure of 8.4 GPa, with the transition-state enthalpy of 156 meV/Fe at this pressure. A discontinuity in magnetization and coherent stress occurs at the transition state, which has a form of a cusp on the potential-energy surface (yet all the atomic and cell degrees of freedom are continuous); the calculated pressure jump of 25 GPa is related to the observed 25 GPa spread in measured coexistence pressures arising from martensitic and coherency stresses in samples. Our results agree with experiments, but necessarily differ from those arising from drag and restricted parametrization methods having improperly constrained or uncontrolled degrees of freedom.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Recent charge-breeding developments with EBIS/T devices (invited)

Short breeding times, narrow charge state distributions, low background, high efficiency, and the flexible time structure of the ejected low-emittance ion pulses are among the most attractive features of electron beam ion source or trap (EBIS/T) based charge breeders. Significant progress has been made to further improve these properties: Several groups are working to increase current densities towards 10{sup 3} or even 10{sup 4} A/cm{sup 2}. These current densities will become necessary to deliver high charge states of heavy nuclei in a short time and/or provide sufficient space-charge capacity to handle high-current ion beams in next-generation rare-isotope beam (RIB) facilities. Efficient capture of continuous beams, attractive because of its potential of handling highest-current ion beams, has become possible with the development of high-density electron beams of >1 A. Requests for the time structure of the charge bred ion pulse range from ultra-short pulses to quasi-continuous beams. Progress is being made on both ends of this spectrum, by either dividing the extracted charge in many pulse-lets, adjusting the extraction potential for a near-uniform long pulse, or adding dedicated devices to spread the ion bunches delivered from the EBIS/T in time. Advances in EBIS/T charge state breeding are summarized, including recent results with NSCL’s ReA EBIS/T charge breeder.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

3D numerical simulation of the long range propagation of acoustical shock waves through a heterogeneous and moving medium

Many situations involve the propagation of acoustical shock waves through flows. Natural sources such as lightning, volcano explosions, or meteoroid atmospheric entries, emit loud, low frequency, and impulsive sound that is influenced by atmospheric wind and turbulence. The sonic boom produced by a supersonic aircraft and explosion noises are examples of intense anthropogenic sources in the atmosphere. The Buzz-Saw-Noise produced by turbo-engine fan blades rotating at supersonic speed also propagates in a fast flow within the engine nacelle. Simulating these situations is challenging, given the 3D nature of the problem, the long range propagation distances relative to the central wavelength, the strongly nonlinear behavior of shocks associated to a wide-band spectrum, and finally the key role of the flow motion. With this in view, the so-called FLHOWARD (acronym for FLow and Heterogeneous One-Way Approximation for Resolution of Diffraction) method is presented with three-dimensional applications. A scalar nonlinear wave equation is established in the framework of atmospheric applications, assuming weak heterogeneities and a slow wind. It takes into account diffraction, absorption and relaxation properties of the atmosphere, quadratic nonlinearities including weak shock waves, heterogeneities of the medium in sound speed and density, and presence of a flow (assuming a mean stratified wind and 3D turbulent ? flow fluctuations of smaller amplitude). This equation is solved in the framework of the one-way method. A split-step technique allows the splitting of the non-linear wave equation into simpler equations, each corresponding to a physical effect. Each sub-equation is solved using an analytical method if possible, and finite-differences otherwise. Nonlinear effects are solved in the time domain, and others in the frequency domain. Homogeneous diffraction is handled by means of the angular spectrum method. Ground is assumed perfectly flat and rigid. Due to the 3D aspect, the code was massively parallelized using the single program, multiple data paradigm with the Message Passing Interfaces (MPI) for distributed memory architectures. This allows us to handle problems in the order of a thousand billion mesh points in the four dimensions (3 dimensions of space plus time). The validity of the method has been thoroughly evaluated on many cases with known solutions: linear piston, scattering of plane wave by a heterogeneous sphere, propagation in a waveguide with a shear flow, scattering by a finite amplitude vortex and nonlinear propagation in a thermoviscous medium. This validation process allows for a detailed assessment of the advantages and limitations of the method. Finally, applications to atmospheric propagation of shock waves will be presented.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Design of the 1.5 MW, 30-96 MHz ultra-wideband 3 dB high power hybrid coupler for Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequency (ICRF) heating in fusion grade reactor

Design and developmental procedure of strip-line based 1.5 MW, 30-96 MHz, ultra-wideband high power 3 dB hybrid coupler has been presented and its applicability in ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) in tokamak is discussed. For the high power handling capability, spacing between conductors and ground need to very high. Hence other structural parameters like strip-width, strip thickness coupling gap, and junction also become large which can be gone upto optimum limit where various constrains like fabrication tolerance, discontinuities, and excitation of higher TE and TM modes become prominent and significantly deteriorates the desired parameters of the coupled lines system. In designed hybrid coupler, two 8.34 dB coupled lines are connected in tandem to get desired coupling of 3 dB and air is used as dielectric. The spacing between ground and conductors are taken as 0.164 m for 1.5 MW power handling capability. To have the desired spacing, each of 8.34 dB segments are designed with inner dimension of 3.6 × 1.0 × 40 cm where constraints have been significantly realized, compensated, and applied in designing of 1.5 MW hybrid coupler and presented in paper.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Generalized spectral method for near-field optical microscopy

Electromagnetic interaction between a sub-wavelength particle (the “probe”) and a material surface (the “sample”) is studied theoretically. The interaction is shown to be governed by a series of resonances corresponding to surface polariton modes localized near the probe. The resonance parameters depend on the dielectric function and geometry of the probe as well as on the surface reflectivity of the material. Calculation of such resonances is carried out for several types of axisymmetric probes: spherical, spheroidal, and pear-shaped. For spheroids, an efficient numerical method is developed, capable of handling cases of large or strongly momentum-dependent surface reflectivity. Application of the method to highly resonant materials, such as aluminum oxide (by itself or covered with graphene), reveals a rich structure of multi-peak spectra and nonmonotonic approach curves, i.e., the probe-sample distance dependence. These features also strongly depend on the probe shape and optical constants of the model. For less resonant materials such as silicon oxide, the dependence is weak, so that the spheroidal model is reliable. The calculations are done within the quasistatic approximation with radiative damping included perturbatively.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Continuum kinetic modeling of the tokamak plasma edge

The first 4D (axisymmetric) high-order continuum gyrokinetic transport simulations that span the magnetic separatrix of a tokamak are presented. The modeling is performed with the COGENT code, which is distinguished by fourth-order finite-volume discretization combined with mapped multiblock grid technology to handle the strong anisotropy of plasma transport and the complex X-point divertor geometry with high accuracy. The calculations take into account the effects of fully nonlinear Fokker-Plank collisions, electrostatic potential variations, and anomalous radial transport. Topics discussed include: (a) ion orbit loss and the associated toroidal rotation and (b) edge plasma relaxation in the presence of anomalous radial transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Gyrokinetic simulation of driftwave instability in field-reversed configuration

Following the recent remarkable progress in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability control in the C-2U advanced beam driven field-reversed configuration (FRC), turbulent transport has become one of the foremost obstacles on the path towards an FRC-based fusion reactor. Significant effort has been made to expand kinetic simulation capabilities in FRC magnetic geometry. The recently upgraded Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC) now accommodates realistic magnetic geometry from the C-2U experiment at Tri Alpha Energy, Inc. and is optimized to efficiently handle the FRC's magnetic field line orientation. Initial electrostatic GTC simulations find that ion-scale instabilities are linearly stable in the FRC core for realistic pressure gradient drives. Estimated instability thresholds from linear GTC simulations are qualitatively consistent with critical gradients determined from experimental Doppler backscattering fluctuation data, which also find ion scale modes to be depressed in the FRC core. Beyond GTC, A New Code (ANC) has been developed to accurately resolve the magnetic field separatrix and address the interaction between the core and scrape-off layer regions, which ultimately determines global plasma confinement in the FRC. The current status of ANC and future development targets are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗