United States high-level nuclear waste from nuclear weapons production, naval propulsion programs, and the processing of commercial spent nuclear fuels is scheduled for immobilization in glass waste forms prior to permanent disposal in a mined geologic repository. Considerable attention has been directed to assessments of the subsequent long-term release of radionuclides from a repository under saturated and partially saturated conditions. Credible predictions of dose from a repository rely on insights to radionuclide sequestration in the glass, mechanisms of glass degradation, and radionuclide solubility and transport in the near-field. Underground nuclear test sites offer an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate processes relevant to repository performance in the absence of engineered barriers. Radionuclide migration programs at the Nevada Test Site represent a twenty-five year investment in the systematic investigation of the diverse radiologic source term from weapons testing and the evolution of the hydrologic source term which includes radionuclides dissolved in or otherwise available for transport by groundwater. The geology, hydrology, and geochemistry of the Nevada Test Site which includes the proposed Yucca Mountain repository provides an ideal natural laboratory to assess long-term radionuclide transport in the near and far-field. The Yucca Mountain repository shares with adjacent testing areas the following features: correlative …

The US nuclear waste disposal program is evaluating the Yucca Mountain (YM) site for possible disposal of nuclear waste. Radioactive decay of the waste, particularly spent fuel, generates sufficient heat to significantly raise repository temperatures. Environmental conditions in the repository system evolve in response to this heat. The amount of temperature increase, and thus environmental changes, depends on repository design and operations. Because the evolving environment cannot be directly measured until after waste is emplaced, licensing decisions must be based upon model and analytical projections of the environmental conditions. These analyses have inherent uncertainties. There is concern that elevated temperatures increase uncertainty, because most chemical reaction rates increase with temperature and boiling introduces additional complexity of vapor phase reactions and transport. This concern was expressed by the NWTRB, particularly for above boiling temperatures. They state that ''the cooler the repository, the lower the uncertainty about heat-driven water migration and the better the performance of waste package materials. Above this temperature, technical uncertainties tend to be significantly higher than those associated with below-boiling conditions.'' (Cohon 1999). However, not all uncertainties are reduced by lower temperatures, indeed some may even be increased. This paper addresses impacts of temperatures on uncertainties.

As a result of nuclear weapons testing and accidents, plutonium has been distributed into the environment. The areas close to the sites of these tests and accidental dispersions contain plutonium deposition of such a magnitude that health authorities and responsible officials have mandated that the contaminated areas be protected, generally through isolation or removal of the contaminated areas. In recent years remedial actions have taken place at all these sites. For reasons not entirely clear, the public perceives radiation exposure risk to be much greater than the evidence would suggest [1]. This perception seems to be particularly true for plutonium, which has often been ''demonized'' in various publications as the ''most hazardous substance known to man'' [2]. As the position statement adapted by the Health Physics Society explains, ''Plutonium's demonization is an example of how the public has been misled about radiation's environmental and health threats generally, and in cases like plutonium, how it has developed a warped ''risk perception'' that does not reflect reality'' [3]. As a result of this risk perception and ongoing debate surrounding environmental plutonium contamination, remedial action criteria are difficult to establish. By examining the data available before and after remedial actions taken at the …

Cloud optical depths have been measured using multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers (MFRSRs) at Barrow and Atqasuk, and liquid water paths have been measured at Barrow using a microwave radiometer (MWR) during the warm season (June-September) in 1999. Comparisons have been made between these quantities and the corresponding ones determined from the ECMWF GCM. Hour-by-hour comparisons of cloud optical depths show considerable scatter. The scatter is reduced, but is still substantial, when the averaging period is increased to ''daily'' averages, i.e., the time period each day over which the MFRSR can make measurements. This period varied between 18 hours in June and 6 hours in September. Preliminary results indicate that, for measured cloud optical depths less than approximately 25, the ECMWF has a low bias in its predictions, consistent with a low bias in predicted liquid water path. Based on a more limited set of data, the optical depths at Atqasuk were found to be generally lower than those at Barrow, a trend at least qualitatively captured by the ECMWF model. Analyses to identify the cause of the biases and the considerable scatter in the predictions are continuing.

We advocate a new approach to study models of fermion massesand mixings, namely anarchy proposed in hep-ph/9911341. In this approach,we scan the O(1) coefficients randomly. We argue that this is the correctapproach when the fundamental theory is sufficiently complicated.Assuming there is no physical distinction among three generations ofneutrinos, the probability distributions in MNS mixing angles can bepredicted independent of the choice of the measure. This is because themixing angles are distributed according to the Haar measure of the Liegroups whose elements diagonalize the mass matrices. The near-maximalmixings, as observed in the atmospheric neutrino data and as required inthe LMA solution to the solar neutrino problem, are highly probable. Asmall hierarchy between the Delta m2 for the atmospheric and the solarneutrinos is obtained very easily; the complex seesaw case gives ahierarchy of a factor of 20 as the most probable one, even though thisconclusion is more measure-dependent. U_e3 has to be just below thecurrent limit from the CHOOZ experiment. The CP-violating parameter sindelta is preferred to be maximal. We present a simple SU(5)-likeextension of anarchy to the charged-lepton and quark sectors which workswell phenomenologically.

With the end of the ''Cold War'' thousands of nuclear warheads are being dismantled. The National Academy of Sciences termed this growing stockpile of plutonium and highly enriched uranium ''a clear and present danger'' to international security. DOE/MD selected a duel approach to plutonium disposition--burning MOX fuel in existing reactors and immobilization in a ceramic matrix surrounded by HLW glass. MOX material will be pits and clean metal. The challenges come with materials that will be transferred to Immobilization--these range from engineered materials to residues containing < 30% Pu. Impurity knowledge range from guesses to actual data. During packaging, sites will flag ''out of the ordinary'' containers for characterized. If the process history is lost, characterization cost will escalate rapidly. After two step blending and ceramic precursor addition, cold press and sintering will form 0.5-kg ceramic pucks containing {le}50 g Pu. Pucks will be sealed in cans, placed into magazines, then into HLW canisters; these canisters will be filled with HLW glass prior to being transported to the HLW repository. The Immobilization Program must interface with DP, EM, RW, and NN. Overlaid on top of these interfaces are the negotiations with the Russians.

Accurate seismic event location is integral to the effective monitoring of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), as well as being a fundamental component of earthquake source characterization. To account for the effects of crustal and mantle structure on seismic travel times, and to improve seismic event location in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), we are developing a set of radially heterogeneous and azimuthally invariant travel-time models of the crust and upper mantle for each MENA seismic station. We begin by developing an average one-dimensional velocity model that minimizes the P-phase travel-time residuals from regional through teleseismic distance at each station. To do this we (1) generate a suite of 1-D velocity models of the earth, (2) compute travel times through the 1-D models using a tau-p formulation to produce standard travel-time tables, and (3) minimize the root-mean-square (rms) residuals between the P-phase arrivals predicted by each model and a groomed set of ISC P-phase arrival times (Engdahl et al., 1991). Once we have an average one-dimensional velocity model that minimizes the P-phase travel-time residuals for all distances, we repeat steps 1 through 3, systematically perturbing the travel-time model and using a grid search procedure to optimize models within …

Temperature programmed reaction (TPR) technique was performed on LiOH powders and LiD single crystals previously exposed to different moisture levels. Our results show that the LiOH decomposition process has an activation energy barrier of 30 to 33.1 kcal/mol. The LiOH structure is stable even if kept at 320 K for 100 years. However, LiOH structures formed on the surface of LiD during moisture exposure at low dosages may have multiple activation energy barriers, some of which may be much lower than 30 kcal/mol. We attribute the lowering of the activation energy barrier for the LiOH decomposition to the existence of dangling bonds, cracks, and other long range disorders in the LiOH structures formed at low levels of moisture exposure. These defective LiOH structures may decompose significantly over the next 100 years of storage even at room temperature. At high moisture exposure levels, LiOH.H{sub 2}O formation is observed. The release of H{sub 2}O molecules from LiOH.H{sub 2}O structure has small activation energy barriers in the range of 13.8 kcal/mol to 16.0 kcal/mol. The loosely bonded H{sub 2}O molecules in the LiOH.H{sub 2}O structure can be easily pumped away at room temperature in a reasonable amount of time. Our experiments also suggest …

We made an inventory of krypton spectra over the wavelength range 3700-6000 {angstrom} for the development of fusion plasma diagnostics. The measurements were performed using a Steinheil prism spectrometer on the LLNL low energy electron beam ion trap (EBIT II). With the electron energy from 150 eV to 17000 eV, we recorded low ionization stages together with a number of magnetic dipole transitions from higher charge states. In total, we observed over 80 lines, of which about 70% of the lines have not been listed in the literature. This measurement established a baseline for future extension using spectrometers with very high resolution. As an example, we present the Kr spectra from 3770 {angstrom} to 3900 {angstrom} measured with a transmission grating spectrometer that has a resolving power of about 15000. Among the 41 lines observed, only 6 lines have been listed in the databases.

The Engineering Test Stand (ETS) is an EUV laboratory lithography tool. The purpose of the ETS is to demonstrate EUV full-field imaging and provide data required to support production-tool development. The ETS is configured to separate the imaging system and stages from the illumination system. Environmental conditions can be controlled independently in the two modules to maximize EUV throughput and environmental control. A source of 13.4 nm radiation is provided by a laser plasma source in which a YAG laser beam is focused onto a xenon-cluster target. A condenser system, comprised of multilayer-coated mirrors and grazing-incidence mirrors, collects the EUV radiation and directs it onto a-reflecting reticle. A four-mirror, ring-field optical system, having a numerical aperture of 0.1, projects a 4x-reduction image onto the wafer plane. This design corresponds to a resolution of 70nm at a k{sub 1} of 0.52. The ETS is designed to produce full-field images in step: and-scan mode using vacuum-compatible, one-dimension-long-travel magnetically levitated stages for both reticle and wafer. Reticle protection is incorporated into the ETS design. This paper provides a system overview of the ETS design and specifications.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Ground-Based Nuclear Explosion Monitoring (GNEM) R and D program has made significant progress populating a comprehensive Seismic Research knowledge Base (SRKB) and deriving calibration parameters for the Middle East and North Africa (ME/NA) and Former Soviet Union (FSU) regions. The LLNL SRKB provides not only a coherent framework in which to store and organize very large volumes of collected seismic waveforms, associated event parameter information, and spatial contextual data, but also provides an efficient data processing/research environment for deriving location and discrimination correction surfaces. The SRKB is a flexible and extensible framework consisting of a relational database (RDB), Geographical Information System (GIS), and associated product/data visualization and data management tools. This SRKB framework is designed to accommodate large volumes of data (over 2 million waveforms from 20,000 events) in diverse formats from many sources in addition to maintaining detailed quality control and metadata. Using the SRKB framework, they are combining travel-time observations, event characterization studies, and regional tectonic models to assemble a library of ground truth information and phenomenology correction surfaces required for support of the ME/NA and FSU regionalization program. Corrections and parameters distilled from the LLNL SRKB provide needed contributions to the …

At low redshifts powerful radio sources are uniquely associated with massive galaxies, and are thought to be powered by supermassive black holes. Modern 8m-10m telescopes may be used to find their likely progenitors at very high redshifts to study their formation and evolution.

Modern thermal design practices often rely on a ''predictive'' simulation capability--although predictability is rarely quantified and often difficult to confidently achieve in practice. The computational predictability of natural convection in enclosures is a significant issue for many industrial thermal design problems. One example of this is the design for mitigation of optical distortion due to buoyancy-driven flow in large-scale laser systems. In many instances the sensitivity of buoyancy-driven enclosure flows can be linked to the presence of multiple bifurcation points that yield laminar thermal convective processes that transition from steady to various modes of unsteady flow. This behavior is brought to light by a problem as ''simple'' as a differentially-heated tall rectangular cavity (8:1 height/width aspect ratio) filled with a Boussinesq fluid with Pr = 0.71--which defines, at least partially, the focus of this special session. For our purposes, the differentially-heated cavity provides a virtual fluid dynamics laboratory.

Accurate seismic event location is key to monitoring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and is largely dependent on our understanding of the crust and mantle velocity structure. This is particularly challenging in aseismic regions, devoid of calibration data, which leads us to rely on a priori constraints on the velocities. We investigate our ability to improve seismic event location in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Former Soviet Union (ME/NA/FSU) by using a priori three-dimensional (3-D) velocity models in lieu of more commonly used one dimensional (1-D) models. Event locations based on 1-D models are often biased, as they do not account for significant travel-time variations that result from heterogeneous crust and mantle; it follows that 3-D velocity models have the potential to reduce this bias. Here, we develop a composite 3-D model for the ME/NA/FSU regions. This fully 3-D model is an amalgamation of studies ranging from seismic reflection to geophysical analogy. Our a priori model specifies geographic boundaries and velocity structures based on geology, tectonics, and seismicity and information taken from published literature, namely a global sediment thickness map of 1{sup o} resolution (Laske and Masters, 1997), a regionalized crustal model based on geology and tectonics (Sweeney …

Experimentation, theory and modeling have all played vital roles in defining what is known about microstructural evolution and the effects of microstructure on material properties. Recently, technology has become an enabling factor, allowing significant advances to be made on several fronts. Experimental evidence of crystallographic slip and the basic theory of crystal plasticity were established in the early 20th Century, and the theory and models evolved incrementally over the next 60 years. (Asaro provides a comprehensive review of the mechanisms and basic plasticity models.) During this time modeling was primarily concerned with the average response of polycrystalline aggregates. While some detailed finite element modeling (FEM) with crystal plasticity constitutive relations was done in the early 1980s, such simulations over taxed the capabilities of the available computer hardware. Advances in computer capability led to a flurry of activity in finite element modeling in the next 10 years, increasing understanding of microstructure evolution and pushing the limits of theories and material characterization. Automated Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) has produced a similar revolution in material characterization. The data collected is extensive and many questions about the evolution of microstructure and its role in determining mechanic properties can now be addressed. It is …

Classical plasticity theories generally assume that the stress at a point is a function of strain at that point only. However, when gradients in strain become significant, this localization assumption is no longer valid. A common factor in the failure of these conventional models is that, since they do not account for the strain gradients, they do not display a size effect. This effect is seen experimentally when the scale of the phenomenon of interest is on the order of several microns. At this scale, strain gradients are of a significant magnitude as compared to the overall strain and must be considered for models to accurately capture observed phenomena. The mechanics community has been actively involved in the development of strain gradient theories for many years. Recently, interest in this area has been rekindled and several new approaches have appeared in the literature. Two different approaches are currently being evaluated: one approach considers strain gradients as internal variables which do not introduce work conjugate higher order stresses, and another approach considers the strain gradients as internal degrees of freedom which requires work conjugate higher order stresses. Experiments are being performed to determine which approach models material behavior accurately with the …

The temperature programmed reaction technique was performed on LiOH powders and LiD single crystals previously exposed to different moisture levels. Our results show that the LiOH decomposition process has an activation energy barrier of 30 to 33.1 kcal/mol. The LiOH structure is stable at 320 K for 100 years. However, LiOH structures formed on the surface of LiD during moisture exposure at low dosages may have multiple activation energy barriers, some of which may be much lower than 30 kcal/mol. We attribute the lowering of the activation energy barrier for the LiOH decomposition to the existence of dangling bonds, cracks, and other long range disorders in the LiOH structures formed at low levels of moisture exposure. These defective LiOH structures may decompose significantly over the next 100 years of storage even at room temperature. At high moisture exposure levels, LiOH.H{sub 2}O formation is observed. The release of H{sub 2}O molecules from LiOH.H{sub 2}O structure has small activation energy barriers in the range of 13.8 kcal/mol to 16.0 kcal/mol. The loosely bonded H{sub 2}O molecules in the LiOH.H{sub 2}O structure can be easily pumped away at room temperature in a reasonable amount of time. Our experiments also suggest that handling LiD …

The kinetics of hydroxide film growth on LiD have been studied by the thermogravimetric method in nitrogen saturated with water vapor and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of samples that have been exposed to air with 50% relative humidity. The reaction probability is estimated to be 4 x 10{sup -7} for LiD exposed to ambient air with 50% relative humidity, suggesting that the diffusion through the hydroxide film is not the limiting step on the overall process at high moisture levels. The rate of growth is drastically reduced when the temperature is increased to 60 C.

It is known that filtered cathodic-arc-deposited ta-C films have outstanding properties even within the family of diamondlike materials. However, filtering of macroparticles is usually incomplete or accompanied by significant plasma losses. Ongoing research effort is directed towards the following goals: (1) complete elimination of macro- and nanoparticles from the vacuum arc plasma, (2) increase of plasma utilization in the cathodic-arc and macroparticle-filter system, (3) precise control and reproducibility of film deposition, and (4) synthesis of ultrathin films (< 5 nm) that meet requirements of the magnetic storage industry. The development of new filters, in particular the ''Twist Filter'', enables cathodic arc plasma deposition to synthesize ultrathin ta-C films of 3 nm on heads that pass corrosion and other relevant tests. We describe the Twist Filter system and report about recent ta-C tests results. In light of these results, even thinner films seem to be possible.

Symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) clusters have become the prevalent computing platforms for large-scale scientific computation in recent years mainly due to their good scalability. In fact, many parallel machines being used at supercomputing centers and national laboratories are of this type. It is critical and often very difficult on such large-scale parallel computers to efficiently manage a stream of jobs, whose requirement for resources and computing time greatly varies. Understanding the characteristics of workload imposed on a target environment plays a crucial role in managing system resources and developing an efficient resource management scheme. A parallel workload is analyzed typically by studying the traces from actual production parallel machines. The study of the workload traces not only provides the system designers with insight on how to design good processor allocation and job scheduling policies for efficient resource management, but also helps system administrators monitor and fine-tune the resource management strategies and algorithms. Furthermore, the workload traces are a valuable resource for those who conduct performance studies through either simulation or analytical modeling. The workload traces can be directly fed to a trace-driven simulator in a more realistic and specific simulation experiments. Alternatively, one can obtain certain parameters that characterize the workload …

Magnesium aryloxides were prepared in a variety of solvents through the reaction of dibutyl magnesium with sterically varied aryl alcohols: 2,6-dimethylphenol (H-DMP), 2,6-diisopropylphenol (H-DIP), and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (H-TCP). Upon using a sufficiently strong Lewis-basic solvent, the monomeric species Mg(DMP){sub 2}(py){sub 3} (1, py = pyridine), Mg(DIP){sub 2}(THF){sub 3}, (2a, THF = tetrahydrofuran) Mg(TCP){sub 2}(THF){sub 3} (3) were isolated. Each of these complexes possesses a five-coordinate magnesium that adopts a trigonal bipyramidal geometry. In the absence of a Lewis base, the reaction with H-DIP yields a soluble trinuclear complex, [Mg(DIP){sub 2}]{sub 3} (2b). The Mg metal centers in 2b adopt a linear arrangement with a four-coordinate central metal while the outer metal centers are reduced to just three-coordinate. Solution spectroscopic methods suggest that while 2b remains intact, the monomeric species (1, 2a, and 3) are involved in equilibria, which facilitate intermolecular ligand transfer.

The syntheses, crystal structures and some properties of {alpha}- and {beta}-ZnHPO{sub 3}{center_dot}N{sub 4}C{sub 2}H{sub 4} are reported. These two polymorphs are the first organically-templated hydrogen phosphites. They are built up from vertex-sharing HPO{sub 3} pseudo pyramids and ZnO{sub 3}N tetrahedra, where the Zn-N bond represents a direct link between zinc and the neutral 2-cyanoguanidine template. {alpha}-ZnHPO{sub 3}{center_dot}N{sub 4}C{sub 2}H{sub 4} is built up from infinite layers of vertex-sharing ZnO{sub 3}N and HPO{sub 3} groups forming 4-rings and 8-rings. {beta}-ZnHPO{sub 3}{center_dot}N{sub 4}C{sub 2}H{sub 4} has strong one-dimensional character, with the polyhedral building units forming 4-ring ladders. Similarities and differences to related zinc phosphates are discussed. Crystal data: {alpha}-ZnHPO{sub 3}{center_dot}N{sub 4}C{sub 2}H{sub 4}, M{sub r} = 229.44, monoclinic, P2{sub 1}/c, a = 9.7718 (5) {angstrom}, b = 8.2503 (4) {angstrom}, c = 9.2491 (5) {angstrom}, {beta} = 104.146 (1){sup 0}, V = 723.1 (1) {angstrom}{sup 3}, R(F) = 2.33%, wR(F) = 2.52%. {beta}-ZnHPO{sub 3}{center_dot}N{sub 4}C{sub 2}H{sub 4}, M{sub r} = 229.44, monoclinic, C2/c, a = 14.5092 (9) {angstrom}, b = 10.5464 (6) {angstrom}, c = 10.3342 (6) {angstrom}, {beta} = 114.290 (1){sup 0}, V = 1441.4 (3) {angstrom}{sup 3}, R(F) = 3.01%, wR(F) = 3.40%.

Sensitivity/uncertainty analyses are not commonly performed on complex, finite-element engineering models because the analyses are time consuming, CPU intensive, nontrivial exercises that can lead to deceptive results. To illustrate these ideas, an analytical sensitivity/uncertainty analysis is used to determine the standard deviation and the primary factors affecting the burn velocity of polyurethane foam exposed to firelike radiative boundary conditions. The complex, finite element model has 25 input parameters that include chemistry, polymer structure, and thermophysical properties. The response variable was selected as the steady-state burn velocity calculated as the derivative of the burn front location versus time. The standard deviation of the burn velocity was determined by taking numerical derivatives of the response variable with respect to each of the 25 input parameters. Since the response variable is also a derivative, the standard deviation is essentially determined from a second derivative that is extremely sensitive to numerical noise. To minimize the numerical noise, 50-micron elements and approximately 1-msec time steps were required to obtain stable uncertainty results. The primary effect variable was shown to be the emissivity of the foam.

Titanate ceramics have been selected as the preferred waste form for the immobilization of excess plutonium. Corrosion tests are underway to try to understand the long-term behavior of this material. In this paper, results from PCT-B static dissolution tests are used to provide an explanation of the observed corrosion behavior of a zirconolite-based ceramic. Two important observations are made. First, Ca is released at a constant rate [7 x 10{sup {minus}5} g/(m{sup 2} day)] in PCT-B tests for up to two years. Second, the release rates for Pu and Gd increase with time (up to two years) in PCT-B tests. The first observation suggests that the ceramics continue to corrode at a low rate for at least two years in PCT-B tests. The second observation suggests that the release rates of Pu and Gd are controlled by some process or processes that do not affect the release rate of other elements. Evidence indicates that this is due to the preferential dissolution of brannerite from the ceramic.