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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 1,783 records · Page 99
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Compact, Achromatic Non-scaling FFAG Accelerator for HEP, Commercial and Medical Applications (CRADA FRA-2008-0005 Final Report)

Proton and light-ion accelerators have many research and medical applications, but the current state of technology in accelerators severely limits their widespread use: (1) synchrotrons have an intrinsic low duty cycle and become quite large for light ions; and (2) cyclotrons do not have energy variability and require complex superconducting magnets for high energy. A new concept in non-scaling Fixed-Field Alternating-Gradient (FFAGs) has been invented that incorporates both the energy variability of the synchrotron and the high duty cycle of the cyclotron. The concept uses normal-conducting, combined-function magnets that apply only constant (dipole) and linear-gradient (quadrupole) fields to stabilize the accelerator. This project will develop an optimized design for a new non-scaling and cost-effective innovation in FFAG accelerators. The accelerator design will have optics that can stably accelerate protons to 250 MeV (or higher) and carbon ions to =200 MeV, an energy considered ideal for radiation therapy. Phase I will optimize, fully simulate, and demonstrate the feasibility of this accelerator. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The fixed-field acceleration concept should eliminate some of the most pronounced technical difficulties, expense, maintenance, and required expertise faced in conventional proton and light-ion accelerators. In addition to the application for high energy physics, these accelerators should have application in cancer treatment, radiopharmaceuticals, and medical isotope production, and materials science.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Laser ion acceleration by using the dynamic motion of a target

Proton acceleration by using a 620 TW, 18 J laser pulse of peak intensity of 5×10{sup 21} W/cm{sup 2} irradiating a disk target is examined using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. It is shown that protons are accelerated efficiently to high energy for a “light” material in the first layer of a double-layer target, because a strongly inhomogeneous expansion of the first layer occurs by a Coulomb explosion within such a material. Moreover, a large movement of the first layer for the accelerated protons is produced by radiation-pressure-dominant acceleration. A time-varying electric potential produced by this expanding and moving ion cloud accelerates protons effectively. In addition, using the best material for the target, one can generate a proton beam with an energy of 200 MeV and an energy spread of 2%.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

The contribution of microbunching instability to solar flare emission in the GHz to THz range of frequencies

Recent solar flare observations in the sub-terahertz range have provided evidence of a new spectral component with fluxes increasing for larger frequencies, separated from the well-known microwave emission that maximizes in the gigahertz range. Suggested interpretations explain the terahertz spectral component but do not account for the simultaneous microwave component. We present a mechanism for producing the observed 'double spectra'. Based on coherent enhancement of synchrotron emission at long wavelengths in laboratory accelerators, we consider how similar processes may occur within a solar flare. The instability known as microbunching arises from perturbations that produce electron beam density modulations, giving rise to broadband coherent synchrotron emission at wavelengths comparable to the characteristic size of the microbunch structure. The spectral intensity of this coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) can far exceed that of the incoherent synchrotron radiation (ISR), which peaks at a higher frequency, thus producing a double-peaked spectrum. Successful CSR simulations are shown to fit actual burst spectral observations, using typical flaring physical parameters and power-law energy distributions for the accelerated electrons. The simulations consider an energy threshold below which microbunching is not possible because of Coulomb repulsion. Only a small fraction of the radiating charges accelerated to energies above the threshold is required to produce the microwave component observed for several events. The ISR/CSR mechanism can occur together with other emission processes producing the microwave component. It may bring an important contribution to microwaves, at least for certain events where physical conditions for the occurrence of the ISR/CSR microbunching mechanism are possible.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A new scheme to accumulate positrons in a Penning-Malmberg trap with a linac-based positron pulsed source

The Gravitational Behaviour of Antimatter at Rest experiment (GBAR) is designed to perform a direct measurement of the weak equivalence principle on antimatter by measuring the acceleration of anti-hydrogen atoms in the gravitational field of the Earth. The experimental scheme requires a high density positronium (Ps) cloud as a target for antiprotons, provided by the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) - Extra Low Energy Antiproton Ring (ELENA) facility at CERN. The Ps target will be produced by a pulse of few 10{sup 10} positrons injected onto a positron-positronium converter. For this purpose, a slow positron source using an electron Linac has been constructed at Saclay. The present flux is comparable with that of {sup 22}Na-based sources using solid neon moderator. A new positron accumulation scheme with a Penning-Malmberg trap has been proposed taking advantage of the pulsed time structure of the beam. In the trap, the positrons are cooled by interaction with a dense electron plasma. The overall trapping efficiency has been estimated to be {approx}70% by numerical simulations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Laser wavelength dependence of particle acceleration mechanisms in high intensity laser–solid density plasma interactions

We investigate the generation of relativistic electrons and the subsequent ion acceleration due to target-normal sheath acceleration when ultra-intense (⁠ I > 10 18 W/cm 2 ⁠) short pulse (⁠ τ L < 10ps⁠) lasers are incident onto solid density targets as laser wavelength is varied. Scaling laws for the hot electron temperature, T hot ⁠, and the maximum ion energy, E max ⁠, are recast as a function of laser wavelength. These predictions are compared to results from particle-in-cell computer simulations in a variety of geometries, including cases where realistic plasma density profiles as determined by a radiation hydrodynamics code are used. It is found that the wavelength dependence observed in simulation is less pronounced than what is predicted from the well-established scaling laws. An assessment of how switching to longer laser wavelengths, specifically 2 μm Tm:YLF technology, would impact current high energy density science applications and diagnostics is made.

Electromagnetism↗
DOE OSTI2012

BEAMING AND RAPID VARIABILITY OF HIGH-ENERGY RADIATION FROM RELATIVISTIC PAIR PLASMA RECONNECTION

We report on the first study of the angular distribution of energetic particles and radiation generated in relativistic collisionless electron-positron pair plasma reconnection using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. We discover a strong anisotropy of the particles accelerated by reconnection and the associated strong beaming of their radiation. The focusing of particles and radiation increases with their energy; in this sense, this 'kinetic beaming' effect differs fundamentally from the relativistic Doppler beaming usually invoked in high-energy astrophysics, in which all photons are focused and boosted achromatically. We also present, for the first time, the modeling of the synchrotron emission as seen by an external observer during the reconnection process. The expected light curves comprise several bright symmetric sub-flares emitted by the energetic beam of particles sweeping across the line of sight intermittently, and exhibit super-fast time variability as short as about one-tenth of the system light-crossing time. The concentration of the energetic particles into compact regions inside magnetic islands and particle anisotropy explain the rapid variability. This radiative signature of reconnection can account for the brightness and variability of the gamma-ray flares in the Crab Nebula and in blazars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A hybrid six-dimensional muon cooling channel using gas filled rf cavities

We describe an alternative cooling approach to prevent rf breakdown in magnetic fields that simultaneously reduces all six phase-space dimensions of a muon beam. In this process, cooling is accomplished by reducing the beam momentum through ionization energy loss in discrete absorbers and replenishing the momentum loss only in the longitudinal direction through gas-filled rf cavities. The advantage of gas filled cavities is that they can run at high gradients in magnetic fields without breakdown. Using this approach, we show that our channel can achieve a decrease of the 6-dimensional phase-space volume by several orders of magnitude. With the aid of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the transmission of our proposed channel is comparable to that of an equivalent channel with vacuum rf cavities. Finally, we discuss the sensitivity of the channel performance to the choice of gas and operating pressure.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Transversely pumped laser driven particle accelerator

We present a novel acceleration scheme capable of accelerating electrons and ions in an underdense plasma. Transversely Pumped Acceleration (TPA) uses multiple arrays of counter-propagating laser beamlets that focus onto a central acceleration axis. Tuning the injection timing and the spacing between the adjacent beamlets allows for precise control over the position and velocity of the intersection point of the counter-propagating beam arrays. This results in an accelerating structure that propagates orthogonal to the direction of laser propagation. We present the theory that sets the injection timing of the incoming pulses to accelerate electrons and ions with a tunable phase velocity plasma wave. Simulation results are also presented which demonstrate 1.12 GeV proton beams accelerated in 3.6 mm of plasma and electron acceleration gradients on the order of 1 TeV/m in a scheme that circumvents dephasing. This work has potential applications as a compact accelerator for medical physics and high energy physics colliders.

Laser-produced plasmas↗
DOE OSTI2012

The LLNL/UCLA high gradient inverse free electron laser

We describe the Inverse Free Electron Accelerator currently under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Upon completion of this accelerator, high brightness electrons generated in the photoinjector blowout regime and accelerated to 50 MeV by S-band accelerating sections will interact with > 4 TW peak power Ti:Sapphire laser in a highly tapered 50 cm undulator and experience an acceleration gradient of > 200 MeV/m. We present the final design of the accelerator as well as the results of start-to-end simulations investigating preservation of beam quality and tolerances involved with this accelerator.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Noisy-Intermediate-Scale Quantum Electromagnetic Transients Program

Quantum-empowered electromagnetic transients program (QEMTP) is a promising paradigm for tackling EMTP's computational burdens. Nevertheless, no existing studies truly achieve a practical and scalable QEMTP operable on today's noisy-intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers. The strong reliance on noise-free and fault-tolerant quantum devices--which appears to be decades away--hinder practical applications of current QEMTP methods. Here, we devise a NISQ-QEMTP methodology which for the first time transitions the QEMTP operations from ideal, noise-free quantum simulators to real, noisy quantum computers. The main contributions lie in: (1) a shallow-depth QEMTP quantum circuit for mitigating noises on NISQ quantum devices; (2) practical QEMTP linear solvers incorporating executable quantum state preparation and measurements for nodal voltage computations; (3) a noise-resilient QEMTP algorithm leveraging quantum resources logarithmically scaled with power system dimension; (4) a quantum shifted frequency analysis (QSFA) for accelerating QEMTP by exploiting dynamic phasor simulations with larger time steps; (5) a systematical analysis on QEMTPs performance under various noisy quantum environments. Extensive experiments systematically verify the accuracy, efficacy, universality and noise-resilience of QEMTP on both noise-free simulators and IBM real quantum computers.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Scaling magnetized liner inertial fusion on Z and future pulsed-power accelerators

The MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion) concept [S. A. Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] has demonstrated fusion–relevant plasma conditions [M. R. Gomez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 155003 (2014)] on the Z accelerator with a peak drive current of about 18 MA. We present 2D numerical simulations of the scaling of MagLIF on Z as a function of drive current, preheat energy, and applied magnetic field. The results indicate that deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion yields greater than 100 kJ could be possible on Z when all of these parameters are at the optimum values: i.e., peak current = 25 MA, deposited preheat energy = 5 kJ, and B{sub z} = 30 T. Much higher yields have been predicted [S. A. Slutz and R. A. Vesey, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 025003 (2012)] for MagLIF driven with larger peak currents. Two high performance pulsed-power accelerators (Z300 and Z800) based on linear-transformer-driver technology have been designed [W. A. Stygar et al., Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 18, 110401 (2015)]. The Z300 design would provide 48 MA to a MagLIF load, while Z800 would provide 65 MA. Parameterized Thevenin-equivalent circuits were used to drive a series of 1D and 2D numerical MagLIF simulations with currents ranging from what Z can deliver now to what could be achieved by these conceptual future pulsed-power accelerators. 2D simulations of simple MagLIF targets containing just gaseous DT have yields of 18 MJ for Z300 and 440 MJ for Z800. The 2D simulated yield for Z800 is increased to 7 GJ by adding a layer of frozen DT ice to the inside of the liner.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Particle acceleration at corotating interaction regions in the heliosphere

Hybrid simulations are performed to investigate the dynamics of both solar wind protons and interplanetary pickup ions (PUIs) around the corotating interaction region (CIR). The one-dimensional system is applied in order to focus on processes in the direction of CIR propagation. The CIR is bounded by forward and reverse shocks, which are responsible for particle acceleration. The effective acceleration of solar wind protons takes place when the reverse shock (fast wind side) favors a quasi-parallel regime. The diffusive process accounts for this acceleration, and particles can gain energy in a suprathermal range (on the order of 10 keV). In contrast, the PUI acceleration around the shock differs from the conventional model in which the motional electric field along the shock surface accelerates particles. Owing to their large gyroradius, PUIs can gyrate between the upstream and downstream, several proton inertial lengths away from the shock. This 'cross-shock' gyration results in a net velocity increase in the field-aligned component, indicating that the magnetic mirror force is responsible for acceleration. The PUIs that remain in the vicinity of the shock for a long duration (tens of gyroperiods) gain much energy and are reflected back toward the upstream. These reflected energetic PUIs move back and forth along the magnetic field between a pair of CIRs that are magnetically connected. The PUIs are repeatedly accelerated in each reflection, leading to a maximum energy gain close to 100 keV. This mechanism can be evaluated in terms of 'preacceleration' for the generation of anomalous cosmic rays.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Magnetically assisted self-injection and radiation generation for plasma-based acceleration

In this work, it is shown through analytical modeling and numerical simulations that external magnetic fields can relax the self-trapping thresholds in plasma-based accelerators. In addition, the transverse location where self-trapping occurs can be selected by adequate choice of the spatial profile of the external magnetic field. We also find that magnetic-field assisted self-injection can lead to the emission of betatron radiation at well-defined frequencies. This controlled injection technique could be explored using state-of-the-art magnetic fields in current/next generation plasma/laser wakefield accelerator experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Large carbon cycle sensitivities to climate across a permafrost thaw gradient in subarctic Sweden

Permafrost peatlands store large amounts of carbon potentially vulnerable to decomposition. However, the fate of that carbon in a changing climate remains uncertain in models due to complex interactions among hydrological, biogeochemical, microbial, and plant processes. In this study, we estimated effects of climate forcing biases present in global climate reanalysis products on carbon cycle predictions at a thawing permafrost peatland in subarctic Sweden. The analysis was conducted with a comprehensive biogeochemical model ( ecosys ) across a permafrost thaw gradient encompassing intact permafrost palsa with an ice core and a shallow active layer, partly thawed bog with a deeper active layer and a variable water table, and fen with a water table close to the surface, each with distinct vegetation and microbiota. Using in situ observations to correct local cold and wet biases found in the Global Soil Wetness Project Phase 3 (GSWP3) climate reanalysis forcing, we demonstrate good model performance by comparing predicted and observed carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) exchanges, thaw depth, and water table depth. The simulations driven by the bias-corrected climate suggest that the three peatland types currently accumulate carbon from the atmosphere, although the bog and fen sites can have annual positive radiative forcing impacts due to their higher CH 4 emissions. Our simulations indicate that projected precipitation increases could accelerate CH 4 emissions from the palsa area, even without further degradation of palsa permafrost. The GSWP3 cold and wet biases for this site significantly alter simulation results and lead to erroneous active layer depth (ALD) and carbon budget estimates. Biases in simulated CO 2 and CH 4 exchanges from biased climate forcing are as large as those among the thaw stages themselves at a landscape scale across the examined permafrost thaw gradient. Future studies should thus not only focus on changes in carbon budget associated with morphological changes in thawing permafrost, but also recognize the effects of climate forcing uncertainty on carbon cycling.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modeling of Atom Interferometer Accelerometer

This report presents the theoretical effort to model and simulate the atom-interferometer accelerometer operating in a highly mobile environment. Multitudes of non-idealities may occur in such a rapidly-changing environment with a large acceleration whose amplitude and direction both change quickly. We studied the undesired effect of high mobility in the atom-interferometer accelerator in a detailed model and a simulator. The undesired effects include the atom cloud's movement during Raman pulses, the Doppler effect due to the relative movement between the atom-cloud and the supporting platform, the finite atom cloud temperature, and the lateral movement of the atom cloud. We present the relevant feed-forward mitigation strategies for each identified non-ideality to neutralize the impact and obtain accurate acceleration measurements.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Small-scale Structure of Photospheric Convection Retrieved by a Deconvolution Technique Applied to Hinode /SP Data

Solar granules are bright patterns surrounded by dark channels, called intergranular lanes, in the solar photosphere and are a manifestation of overshooting convection. Observational studies generally find stronger upflows in granules and weaker downflows in intergranular lanes. This trend is, however, inconsistent with the results of numerical simulations in which downflows are stronger than upflows through the joint action of gravitational acceleration/deceleration and pressure gradients. One cause of this discrepancy is the image degradation caused by optical distortion and light diffraction and scattering that takes place in an imaging instrument. We apply a deconvolution technique to Hinode /SP data in an attempt to recover the original solar scene. Our results show a significant enhancement in both the convective upflows and downflows but particularly for the latter. After deconvolution, the up- and downflows reach maximum amplitudes of −3.0 km s{sup −1} and +3.0 km s{sup −1} at an average geometrical height of roughly 50 km, respectively. We found that the velocity distributions after deconvolution match those derived from numerical simulations. After deconvolution, the net LOS velocity averaged over the whole field of view lies close to zero as expected in a rough sense from mass balance.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SPS Ecloud Instabilities - Analysis of Machine Studies and Implications for Ecloud Feedback

The SPS at high intensities exhibits transverse single bunch instabilities with signatures consistent with an Ecloud driven instability. We present recent MD data from the SPS, details of the instrument technique and spectral analysis methods which help reveal complex vertical motion that develops within a subset of the injected bunch trains. The beam motion is detected via wideband exponential taper striplines and delta-sigma hybrids. The raw sum and difference data is sampled at 50 GHz with 1.8 GHz bandwidth. Sliding window FFT techniques and RMS motion techniques show the development of large vertical tune shifts on portions of the bunch of nearly 0.025 from the base tune of 0.185. Results are presented via spectrograms and bunch slice trajectories to illustrate development of the unstable beam and time scale of development along the injected bunch train. The study shows that the growing unstable motion occupies a very broad frequency band of 1.2 GHz. These measurements are compared to numerical simulation results, and the system parameter implications for an Ecloud feedback system are outlined.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Aging of Concrete for the Evaluation of Repair Materials to Protect the Walls of the HCAEX Tunnel at Savannah River - 20301

H-Canyon, located in the Savannah River site, is a unique facility for chemical reprocessing of plutonium, highly-enriched uranium, and other radioactive materials. The exhaust gases of the H-Canyon are sent through the H-Canyon Exhaust (HCAEX) tunnel for contamination removal. Robotic inspections of the tunnel revealed significant degradation of the reinforced concrete structure that was associated with acid attack, and could compromise the structural stability of the tunnel. Thus, the identification and evaluation of potential repair materials that could be applied on the degraded walls to mitigate and prevent further degradation is of significant interest to the Department of Energy and the Savannah River representatives. This research effort has been divided into two phases: 1) Development and evaluation of aged concrete under accelerated aging conditions (which is the focus of this paper) and 2) Evaluation of potential repair materials applied on aged and non-aged concrete under simulated aggressive conditions. In order to develop and evaluate concrete samples exposed to accelerated aging conditions in simulated aggressive environments, a literature review of the HCAEX tunnel was conducted that included 1) characterization and extent of the concrete damage, 2) environmental conditions inside the tunnel and 3) primary deterioration mechanisms. In addition, potential coatings and/or repair materials for degraded concrete surfaces exposed to aggressive environments (primarily acidic) were selected from the literature review and the most common testing and measurements for evaluating acid attack phenomena, erosion, etc. were reviewed. From the literature review findings, a preliminary bench-scale test plan for the concrete aging was developed, including accelerated aging tests with aggressive conditions (acid fumes, humidity, etc.). Concrete samples were exposed to the aging accelerated conditions (e.g. immersion in acid solutions) and visual inspection, mass loss and pH change (acid solution) were recorded over time. Correlations between the visual inspection, mass loss and pH changes results and the aging time or the aging conditions were developed. Specimens submitted to the highest acid concentration showed the fastest and most intense degradation. The type of coarse aggregate (limestone) used for the concrete seemed to be the cause of the fastest aging observed, compared to the cement paste. The research findings created the foundation for the ongoing investigation, in which new concrete samples with a mix design similar to the HCAEX tunnel will be tested and will serve as the substrate for testing the selected coatings and /or repair materials. In this paper, the literature review and preliminary results from the aging tests are provided. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗