SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
The 1999 evaluation for A = 125 mass chain (1999Ka26) has been revised using experimental results from decays and reactions. Adopted values for the level and decay properties are tabulated. Inconsistencies and discrepancies are noted.
The results of life cycle tests of secondary spacecraft cells are summarized. Cells consisted of seven sample classifications ranging from 3.0 to 20 ampere-hours, 1326 nlc nickel cadmium, 183 silver cadmium, and 125 silver zinc sealed cells. Variables examined include load, charge control, and temperature conditions.
The quality of a neutron-imaging beam directly impacts the quality of radiographic images produced using that beam. Fully characterizing a neutron beam, including determination of the beam's effective length-to-diameter ratio, neutron flux profile, energy spectrum, potential image quality, and beam divergence, is vital for producing quality radiographic images. This paper provides a characterization of the east neutron imaging beamline at the Idaho National Laboratory Neutron Radiography Reactor (NRAD). The experiments which measured the beam's effective length-to-diameter ratio and potential image quality are based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. An analysis of the image produced by a calibrated phantom measured the beam divergence. The energy spectrum measurements consist of a series of foil irradiations using a selection of activation foils, compared to the results produced by a Monte Carlo n-Particle (MCNP) model of the beamline. The NRAD has an effective collimation ratio greater than 125, a beam divergence of 0.3 +_ 0.1 degrees, and a gold foil cadmium ratio of 2.7. The flux profile has been quantified and the facility is an ASTM Category 1 radiographic facility. Based on bare and cadmium covered foil activation results, the neutron energy spectrum used in the current MCNP model of the radiography beamline over-samples the thermal region of the neutron energy spectrum.
Purpose: To make benchtop x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT) practical for routine preclinical imaging tasks with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) by deploying, integrating, and characterizing a dedicated high-performance x-ray source and addition of simultaneous micro-CT functionality. Methods: Considerable research effort is currently under way to develop a polychromatic benchtop cone-beam XFCT system capable of imaging GNPs by stimulation and detection of gold K-shell x-ray fluorescence (XRF) photons. Recently, an ad hoc high-power x-ray source was incorporated and used to image the biodistribution of GNPs within a mouse, postmortem. In the current work, a dedicated x-ray source system featuring a liquid-cooled tungsten-target x-ray tube (max 160 kVp, ∼3 kW power) was deployed. The source was operated at 125 kVp, 24 mA. The tube’s compact dimensions allowed greater flexibility for optimizing both the irradiation and detection geometries. Incident x-rays were shaped by a conical collimator and filtered by 2 mm of tin. A compact “OEM” cadmium-telluride x-ray detector was implemented for detecting XRF/scatter spectra. Additionally, a flat panel detector was installed to allow simultaneous transmission CT imaging. The performance of the system was characterized by determining the detection limit (10-second acquisition time) for inserts filled with water/GNPs at various concentrations (0 and 0.010–1.0 wt%) and embedded in a small-animal-sized phantom. The phantom was loaded with 0.5, 0.3, and 0.1 wt% inserts and imaged using XFCT and simultaneous micro-CT. Results: An unprecedented detection limit of 0.030 wt% was experimentally demonstrated, with a 33% reduction in acquisition time. The reconstructed XFCT image accurately localized the imaging inserts. Micro-CT imaging did not provide enough contrast to distinguish imaging inserts from the phantom under the current conditions. Conclusion: The system is immediately capable of in vivo preclinical XFCT imaging with GNPs. Micro-CT imaging will require optimization of irradiation parameters to improve contrast. Supported by NIH/NCI grant R01CA155446; This investigation was supported by NIH/NCI grant R01CA155446.
As some of the most abundant elements on the Earth’s crust, alkaline earths bear great potential in Cd- and Pb-free catalytic, energy conversion, and light-emitting devices. Further, because large electropositive alkaline earths (Ae) can adopt high coordination numbers, they offer structural complexity beyond the tetrahedral (c-Si, II–VI, III–V) or octahedral (IV–VI) atomic sites that─with the notable exception of halide perovskites─are ubiquitous among nanocrystalline semiconductors. Here, in this work, we present a general route to photoluminescent 6–125 nm nanocrystals of ternary AeIn 2 Ch 4 semiconductors (Ae = Sr, Ba; Ch = S, Se) featuring eight- (Ae) as well as four-coordinate (In and Ch) atomic sites. Powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, optical absorption, photoluminescence, and solid-state (ss)NMR spectroscopies attest to the ternary composition and phase purity of the nanocrystals. Continuous shape measures pinpoint the degree of distortion of individual crystallographic sites from ideal coordination polyhedra, allowing us to identify two very distinct types of Se coordination environments. Based on their higher order, pseudo-3-fold rotational symmetry, we assign 77 Se ssNMR peaks with negligible chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) to pyramidalized Se sites with vacant-trigonal bipyramid-like geometries and those with larger CSA to lower symmetry Se sites with seesaw-distorted geometries. Calculations help to better understand the electronic band structure of these materials. The nanocrystals are stable at room temperature in open air for several weeks, and some compositions up to 1000 °C under Ar, making them strong candidates for practical applications.
We measure the ability of the Leonardo Selex Advanced Photodiode HgCdTe Infrared Array (SAPHIRA) avalanche photodiode array to perform photon counting. The current SAPHIRA arrays achieve >90% single-photon efficiency (independent of quantum efficiency expected to be also >90%) and a time resolution of 125 μs with a dark current of 21e {sup −} s{sup −1} pix{sup −1}. Our characterization of several iterations of the SAPHIRA detector over the past 3 years of its development have also revealed a broader pulse height distribution than was originally expected.
Direct coupling of the optical field in a ∼244 nm thick, CdSe/ZnS quantum dot film to an optical fiber has yielded lasing in the red (λ ∼ 644 nm) with a threshold pump energy density < 2.6 mJ cm{sup −2}. Comprising 28–31 layers of ∼8 nm diameter quantum dots deposited onto the exterior surface of a 125 μm diameter coreless silica fiber, this free-running oscillator produces 134 nJ in 3.6 ns FWHM pulses which correspond to 37 W of peak power from an estimated gain volume of ∼4.5 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 3}. Lasing was confirmed by narrowing of the output optical radiation in both the spectral and temporal domains, and the laser beam intensity profile approximates a top hat.
Radiation from a semiconductor target excited by an electron beam in a gas-filled diode was investigated at different gas (air) pressures. Subnanosecond high-voltage pulses (up to 200 kV) were applied to the pointed cathode of the diode. The targets in the form of a 15 - 20-{mu}m-thick single-crystal CdS film with reflecting coatings forming an optical cavity and 0.7 - 1-mm-thick ZnSe plates were used. As the air pressure increased from 0.1 to 5 Torr, a decrease in the amplitude and duration of laser radiation pulses from the targets was observed. Lasing ({lambda} = 520 nm) of CdS targets terminated at pressures greater than 2.2 Torr. The laser pulse duration varied from 125 to 20 ps. The study of the dynamics of radiation from ZnSe targets ({lambda} = 460 nm) at atmospheric pressure showed that when the gap between the target and the electrodes was 0.2 - 1 mm thick, an intense near-surface glow was observed that consisted of a few pulses with the duration from 20 to 100 ps, caused by runaway electrons. Investigations showed that the runaway electrons may play an essential role in the excitation of semiconductors by subnanosecond high-voltage pulses.
Laser radiation of semiconductor targets of CdS{sub x}Se{sub 1-x} solid solutions excited by an electron beam in a gas-filled diode was investigated at constant and varying gas pressures. In the first case, lasing was excited by an electron beam with an energy of 170 keV and a duration of 100 ps in semiconductor targets with different x. The highest powers 125 and 96 kW were achieved at x ≈ 0.2 (λ ≈ 677 nm) and x ≈ 1 (λ ≈ 522 nm), respectively. The minimum power (26 kW) was observed in the yellow-green spectral region. The maximum slope efficiency in these experiments reached 9%. In the second case, the radiation power of CdS targets (x = 1) was studied as a function of the air pressure in the gas diode varying from 0.1 to 2.5 Torr. The experimental data well agree with the calculation results. The possibility of reducing the radiation divergence by using a conical optical fibre is demonstrated. At the lasing threshold of semiconductor targets exited by an electron beam or a streamer discharge, filamentary channels appear due to, probably, an anisotropy of the impact ionisation coefficient. (lasers)