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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

In vitro and in vivo assessment of direct effects of simulated solar and galactic cosmic radiation on human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells

Future deep space missions to Mars and near-Earth asteroids will expose astronauts to chronic solar energetic particles (SEP) and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) radiation,and likely one or more solar particle events (SPEs).Given the inherent radiosensitivity of hematopoietic cells and short latency period of leukemias, space radiation-induced hematopoietic damage poses a particular threat to astronauts on extended missions.We show that exposing human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells(HSC) toextended mission-relevant doses of accelerated high-energyprotons andiron ions leads to the following: (1) introduces mutations that are frequently located within genes involved in hematopoiesis and are distinct from those induced by γ-radiation; (2) markedly reduces in vitro colony formation; (3)markedly alters engraftment and lineage commitment in vivo; and (4) leads to the development, in vivo, ofwhat appears to be T-ALL. Sequential exposure to protons and iron ions (as typically occurs in deep space) proved far more deleterious to HSC genome integrity and function than either particle species alone.Our results represent a critical step for more accurately estimating risks to the human hematopoietic system from space radiation, identifying and better defining molecular mechanisms by which space radiation impairs hematopoiesis and induces leukemogenesis, as well as for developing appropriately targeted countermeasures.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Exposure of the Bone Marrow Microenvironment to Simulated Solar and Galactic Cosmic Radiation Induces Biological Bystander Effects on Human Hematopoiesis

The stem cell compartment of the hematopoietic system constitutes one of the most radiosensitive tissues of the body and leukemias represent one of the most frequent radiogenic cancers with short latency periods. As such, leukemias may pose a particular threat to astronauts during prolonged space missions. Control of hematopoiesis is tightly governed by a specialized bone marrow (BM) microenvironment/niche. As such, any environmental insult that damages cells of this niche would be expected to produce pronounced effects on the types and functionality of hematopoietic/immune cells generated. We recently reported that direct exposure of human HSC to simulated SEP and GCR radiation dramatically altered the differentiative potential of these cells, and that simulated GCR exposures can directly induce DNA damage and mutations within human HSC, which led to leukemic transformation when these cells repopulated murine recipients. In the present study, we performed the first in depth examination to define changes that occur in mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) present in the human BM niche following exposure to accelerated protons and iron ions, and assess the impact these changes have upon human hematopoiesis. Here, our data thus provides compelling evidence that simulated SEP/GCR exposures can also contribute to defective hematopoiesis/immunity through so-called “biological bystander effects” by damaging the stromal cells that comprise the human marrow microenvironment, thereby altering their ability to support normal hematopoiesis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluating Use of the NASA Nowcastof Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety (NAIRAS) System for Verifying/Validating AMS Cosmic Background Radiation Measurements, RSLA-006-20, Year 1

This presentation will be presented at FY 2020 SDRD Annual (Webex) Meeting scheduled for September 23–24, 2020. Evaluating Use of the NASA Nowcastof Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety (NAIRAS) System for Verifying/Validating AMS Cosmic Background Radiation Measurements, RSLA-006-20, Year 1

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Predicting Solar Modulation Potentials for Modeling Cosmic Background Radiation

The modeling of the detectability of special nuclear material (SNM) at ports and border crossings requires accurate knowledge of the background radiation at those locations. Background radiation originates from two main sources, cosmic and terrestrial. Cosmic background is produced by high-energy galactic cosmic rays (GCR) entering the atmosphere inducing a cascade of particles that eventually impact the earth's surface. The solar modulation potential represents one of the primary inputs to modeling cosmic background radiation. Usoskin et al. formally define solar modulation potential as 'the mean energy loss [per unit charge, in units of megavolts (MV),] of a cosmic ray particle inside the heliosphere...'. Modulation potential, a function of elevation, location, and time, shares an inverse relationship with cosmic background radiation. As a result, radiation detector background thresholds require adjustment to account for differing background levels, caused in part by differing solar modulations. Failure to do this can result in higher rates of false positives and failed detection of SNM during low and high levels of solar modulation potential, respectively. This study focuses on solar modulation's time dependence and seeks the best method to predict modulation for future dates. The best method will be incorporated into NINESIM, a discrete event simulator. An in-depth description of NINESIM is beyond the scope and purpose of this paper. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

DNDO Report: Predicting Solar Modulation Potentials for Modeling Cosmic Background Radiation

The modeling of the detectability of special nuclear material (SNM) at ports and border crossings requires accurate knowledge of the background radiation at those locations. Background radiation originates from two main sources, cosmic and terrestrial. Cosmic background is produced by high-energy galactic cosmic rays (GCR) entering the atmosphere and inducing a cascade of particles that eventually impact the earth’s surface. The solar modulation potential represents one of the primary inputs to modeling cosmic background radiation. Usosokin et al. formally define solar modulation potential as “the mean energy loss [per unit charge] of a cosmic ray particle inside the heliosphere…” Modulation potential, a function of elevation, location, and time, shares an inverse relationship with cosmic background radiation. As a result, radiation detector thresholds require adjustment to account for differing background levels, caused partly by differing solar modulations. Failure to do so can result in higher rates of false positives and failed detection of SNM for low and high levels of solar modulation potential, respectively. This study focuses on solar modulation’s time dependence, and seeks the best method to predict modulation for future dates using Python. To address the task of predicting future solar modulation, we utilize both non-linear least squares sinusoidal curve fitting and cubic spline interpolation. This material will be published in transactions of the ANS winter meeting of November, 2016.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation when cosmic rays pass through the relic photon gas and when fast charged particles traverse an optical laser beam

Using a new [9, 10] quantum theory of Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation (VCR) based on Abraham’s theory, we show that a threshold VCR effect can be excited by the relic photon gas when relativistic charged cosmic-ray particles with γ ≥ γ{sub th} ≈ 1.9 × 10{sup 10} (where γ{sup –2} = 1–v{sup 2}/c{sup 2}, v is the particle speed, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum) pass through it. This is compatible with the well-known GZK cutoff [7, 8] at γ ≈ 10{sup 11}. We have obtained the condition γ > γ{sub th} ≈ 2.1 × 10{sup 2} for the appearance of VCR when a sufficiently fast charged particle (an electron, a proton, or a nucleus) passes through intense laser radiation. This condition ensures that VCR can be observed experimentally (e.g., on the Large Hadron Collider) without invoking any additional conditions required from the currently existing estimate of γth > 8.8 × 10{sup 4} [13] based on the now universally accepted quantum theory of VCR, which follows from Minkowski’s theory (and which gives an estimate of γ > 10{sup 21} when excited by the relic photon gas).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The Standalone Package for Enhanced Estimation of Dose Distribution - Paper 139

As mankind looks to expand our current footprint in outer space and strives to further explore and understand our neighboring planets, many unique challenges present themselves. One such challenge, that directly impacts the longevity of any manned mission, is to manage the extreme radiation environment that awaits astronauts following their departure from the atmosphere. In order to ensure crew safety as well as the overall success of future missions, it is of paramount importance to have a comprehensive understanding of the quality and degree of the dose received. This includes both acute and long-term exposures and their effects. In this work, we aim to better understand these doses through the development of a dose estimation tool. Two major sources of extraterrestrial radiation are considered: galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), and lighter particles expelled from the sun during a solar particle event (SPE). (authors)

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Calcium and lithium ion production for laser ion source

Calcium and lithium ion beams are required by NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory to simulate the effects of cosmic radiation. To identify the difficulties in providing such highly reactive materials as laser targets, both species were experimentally tested. Plate shaped lithium and calcium targets were fabricated to create ablation plasmas with a 6 ns 1064 nm neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser. We found significant oxygen contamination in both the Ca and Li high charge state beams due to the rapid oxidation of the surfaces. A large spot size, low power density laser was used to create low charge state beams without scanning the targets. The low charge state Ca beam did not have any apparent oxygen contamination, showing the potential to clean the target entirely of oxide with a low power beam once in the chamber. The Li target was clearly still oxidizing in the chamber after each low power shot. To measure the rate of oxidation, we shot the low power laser at the target repeatedly at 10 s, 30 s, 60 s, and 120 s interval lengths, showing a linear relation between the interval time and the amount of oxygen in the beam.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

LiteBIRD: A Satellite for the Studies of B-Mode Polarization and Inflation from Cosmic Background Radiation Detection

LiteBIRD is a candidate satellite for a strategic large mission of JAXA. With its expected launch in the middle of the 2020s with a H 3 rocket, LiteBIRD plans to map the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation over the full sky with unprecedented precision. The full success of LiteBIRD is to achieve δr<0.001, where δr is the total error on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r. The required angular coverage corresponds to 2 ≤ ℓ ≤ 00 , where ℓ is the multipole moment. This allows us to test well-motivated cosmic inflation models. Full-sky surveys for 3 years at a Lagrangian point L2 will be carried out for 15 frequency bands between 34 and 448 GHz with two telescopes to achieve the total sensitivity of 2.5 μ K arcmin with a typical angular resolution of 0.5° at 150 GHz. Each telescope is equipped with a half-wave plate system for polarization signal modulation and a focal plane filled with polarization-sensitive TES bolometers. A cryogenic system provides a 100 mK base temperature for the focal planes and 2 K and 5 K stages for optical components.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

TIME DEPENDENCE OF THE e{sup −} FLUX MEASURED BY PAMELA DURING THE 2006 JULY–2009 DECEMBER SOLAR MINIMUM

Precision measurements of the electron component of cosmic radiation provide important information about the origin and propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy not accessible from the study of cosmic-ray nuclear components due to their differing diffusion and energy-loss processes. However, when measured near Earth, the effects of propagation and modulation of Galactic cosmic rays in the heliosphere, particularly significant for energies up to at least 30 GeV, must be properly taken into account. In this paper the electron (e{sup −}) spectra measured by the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics down to 70 MeV from 2006 July to 2009 December over six-month time intervals are presented. Fluxes are compared with a state-of-the-art three-dimensional model of solar modulation that reproduces the observations remarkably well.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Astroparticle Detectors Array—An Educational Project in Cosmic Ray Physics

ADA, short for Astroparticle Detectors Array, is an educational project aiming to detect cosmic radiation and possibly high-energy particles known as ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) or even to spot a supernova event. Its working process is the same as that used in professional cosmic ray observatories: it consists of simple detectors spread over the entire Italian territory and beyond. The detectors are hosted among high schools, associations, and private astronomical observatories. ADA has been operating since 2013 and was brought about with the intention of promoting astroparticle physics to any given level of outreach. Furthermore, ADA is becoming an interesting tool not only for teachers but also for independent and keen scientists. Over the years, we have discovered the importance of having a long series of data for studying the relation between and among cosmic rays, weather, and space weather and to investigate the main cause of oscillations in cosmic ray data. In this paper, we show what we find to be the most compelling results, such as the beautiful symmetry of the behavior between muons and the atmospheric temperature and, likewise, the evident anti-correlation between the intensity of the muons at ground level compared with solar activity.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effects of Six Sequential Charged Particle Beams on Behavioral and Cognitive Performance in B6D2F1 Female and Male Mice

The radiation environment astronauts are exposed to in deep space includes galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) with different proportions of all naturally occurring ions. To assist NASA with assessment of risk to the brain following exposure to a mixture of ions broadly representative of the GCR, we assessed the behavioral and cognitive performance of female and male C57BL/6J × DBA2/J F1 (B6D2F1) mice two months following rapidly delivered, sequential 6 beam irradiation with protons (1 GeV, LET = 0.24 keV, 50%), 4 He ions (250 MeV/n, LET = 1.6 keV/μm, 20%), 16 O ions (250 MeV/n, LET = 25 keV/μm 7.5%), 28 Si ions (263 MeV/n, LET = 78 keV/μm, 7.5%), 48Ti ions (1 GeV/n, LET = 107 keV/μm, 7.5%), and 56 Fe ions (1 GeV/n, LET = 151 keV/μm, 7.5%) at 0, 25, 50, or 200 cGy) at 4–6 months of age. When the activity over 3 days of open field habituation was analyzed in female mice, those irradiated with 50 cGy moved less and spent less time in the center than sham-irradiated mice. Sham-irradiated female mice and those irradiated with 25 cGy showed object recognition. However, female mice exposed to 50 or 200 cGy did not show object recognition. When fear memory was assessed in passive avoidance tests, sham-irradiated mice and mice irradiated with 25 cGy showed memory retention while mice exposed to 50 or 200 cGy did not. The effects of radiation passive avoidance memory retention were not sex-dependent. There was no effect of radiation on depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test. There was a trend toward an effect of radiation on BDNF levels in the cortex of males, but not for females, with higher levels in male mice irradiated with 50 cGy than sham-irradiated. Finally, sequential 6-ion irradiation impacted the composition of the gut microbiome in a sex-dependent fashion. Taxa were uncovered whose relative abundance in the gut was associated with the radiation dose received. Thus, exposure to sequential six-beam irradiation significantly affects behavioral and cognitive performance and the gut microbiome.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

PQ-symmetry for a small Dirac neutrino mass, dark radiation and cosmic neutrinos

We propose a supersymmetric scenario in which the small Yukawa couplings for the Dirac neutrino mass term are generated by the spontaneous-breaking of Pecci-Quinn symmetry. In this scenario, a right amount of dark matter relic density can be obtained by either right-handed sneutrino or axino LSP, and a sizable amount of axion dark radiation can be obtained. Interestingly, the decay of right-handed sneutrino NLSP to axino LSP is delayed to around the present epoch, and can leave an observable cosmological background of neutrinos at the energy scale of O(10−100) GeV.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The Majorana Parts Tracking Database

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an ultra-low background physics experiment searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 76Ge. The MAJORANA Parts Tracking Database is used to record the history of components used in the construction of the DEMONSTRATOR. Transportation, storage, and processes undergone by parts such as machining or cleaning are linked to part records. Tracking parts provides a great logistics benefit and an important quality assurance reference during construction. In addition, the location history of parts provides an estimate of their exposure to cosmic radiation. A web application for data entry and a radiation exposure calculator have been developed as tools for achieving the extreme radiopurity required for this rare decay search.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2015

Cosmic ray propagation and dark matter in light of the latest AMS-02 data

The AMS-02 experiment is measuring the high energy cosmic rays with unprecedented accuracy. We explore the possibility of determining the cosmic-ray propagation models using the AMS-02 data alone. A global Bayesian analysis of the constraints on the cosmic-ray propagation models from the preliminary AMS-02 data on the Boron to Carbon nuclei flux ratio and proton flux is performed, with the assumption that the primary nucleon source is a broken power law in rigidity. The ratio of the diffusion coefficient D{sub 0} to the diffusive halo height Z{sub h} is determined with high accuracy D{sub 0}/Z{sub h}≃2.00±0.07 cm{sup 2}s{sup −1}kpc{sup −1}, and the value of the halo width is found to be Z{sub h}≃3.3 kpc with uncertainty less than 50%. As a consequence, the typical uncertainties in the positron fraction predicted from dark matter (DM) annihilation is reduced to a factor of two, and that in the antiproton flux is about an order of magnitude. Both of them are significantly smaller than that from the analyses prior to AMS-02. Taking into account the uncertainties and correlations in the propagation parameters, we derive conservative upper limits on the cross sections for DM annihilating into various standard model final states from the current PAMELA antiproton data. We also investigate the reconstruction capability of the future high precision AMS-02 antiproton data on the DM properties. The results show that for DM particles lighter than ∼100 GeV and with typical thermal annihilation cross section, the cross section can be well reconstructed with uncertainties about a factor of two for the AMS-02 three-year data taking.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Connecting primordial gravitational waves and dark energy

Cosmic acceleration manifested in the early universe as inflation, generating primordial gravitational waves detectable in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Cosmic acceleration is occurring again at present as dark energy, detectable in cosmic distance and structure surveys. We explore the intriguing idea of connecting the two occurrences through quintessential inflation by an α-attractor potential without a cosmological constant. For this model we demonstrate robustness of the connection 1 + w 0 ≈ 4/(3N 2 r) between the present day dark energy equation of state parameter w 0 and the primordial tensor to scalar ratio r for a wide range of initial conditions. Analytic and numerical solutions produce current thawing behavior, resulting in a tight relation w a ≈ -1.53(1 + w 0 )≈ -0.2 (4 × 10 -3 /r). Upcoming CMB and galaxy redshift surveys can test this consistency condition. In conclusion, within this model, lack of detection of a dark energy deviation from Λ predicts a higher r, and lack of detection of r predicts greater dark energy dynamics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗