Preliminary experiments using a long pulse laser generated X-ray source to back-light a short pulse laser heated thin foil have been performed at the Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI) at Ecole Polytechnique in France. In this experiment, a 2 J, 300 ps, 532 nm laser was used to create the X-ray back-lighter. The primary diagnostic was a von Hamos spectrograph coupled to a 500 fs X-ray streak camera (TREX-VHS) developed at LLNL. This diagnostic combines high collection efficiency ({approx} 10{sup -4} steradians) with fast temporal response ({approx} 500 fs), allowing resolution of extremely transient spectral variations. The TREX-VHS was used to determine the time history, intensity, and spectral content of the back-lighter. The second diagnostic, Fourier Domain Interferometry (FDI), provides information about the position of the critical density of the target and thus the expansion hydrodynamics, laying the ground work for the plasma characterization. The plasmas were determined to be moderately to strongly coupled, resulting in absorption measurements that provide insight into bound states under such conditions.

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The B(E1;1/2{sup +}{yields} 1/2{sup -}) strength for {sup 11}Be has been extracted from intermediate energy Coulomb excitation measurements, over a range of beam energies using a new reaction model, the extended continuum discretized coupled channels (XCDCC) method. In addition, a measurement of the excitation cross section for {sup 11}Be+{sup 208}Pb at 38.6 MeV/nucleon is reported. The B(E1) strength of 0.105(12) e{sup 2}fm{sup 2} derived from this measurement is consistent with those made previously at 60 and 64 MeV/nucleon, in contrast to an anomalously low result obtained at 43 MeV/nucleon. By coupling a multi-configuration description of the projectile structure with realistic reaction theory, the XCDCC model provides for the first time a fully quantum mechanical description of Coulomb excitation. The XCDCC calculations reveal that the excitation process involves significant contributions from nuclear, continuum, and higher-order effects. An analysis of the present and two earlier intermediate energy measurements yields a combined B(E1) strength of 0.105(7) e{sup 2}fm{sup 2}. This value is in good agreement with the value deduced independently from the lifetime of the 1/2{sup -} state in {sup 11}Be, and has a comparable precision.

Electron clouds limit the performance of many major accelerators and storage rings. Significant quantities of electrons result when halo ions are lost to beam tubes, generating gas which can be ionized and ion-induced electrons that can multiply and accumulate, causing degradation or loss of the ion beam. In order to understand the physical mechanisms of ion-induced electron production, experiments studied the impact of 50 to 400 keV K{sup +} ions on stainless steel surfaces near grazing incidence, using the 500 kV Ion Source Test Stand (STS-500) at LLNL. The experimental electron yield scales with the electronic component (dE{sub e}/dx) of the stopping power and its angular dependence does not follow l/cos({theta}). A theoretical model is developed, using TRIM code to evaluate dE{sub e}/dx at several depths in the target, to estimate the electron yield, which is compared with the experimental results. The experiment extends the range of energy from previous works and the model reproduces the angular dependence and magnitude of the electron yield.

Safeguarding hazards associated with machines is a goal common to all health and safety professionals. Whether the individual is new to the safety field or has held associated responsibilities for a period of time, safeguarding personnel who work with or around machine tools and equipment should be considered an important aspect of the job. Although significant progress has been made in terms of safeguarding machines since the era prior to the organized safety movement, companies continue to be cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and workers continue to be injured, even killed by machine tools and equipment. In the early 1900s, it was common practice to operate transmission machinery (gears, belts, pulleys, shafting, etc.) completely unguarded. At that time, the countersunk set screw used on shafting had not been invented and projecting set screws were involved in many horrific accidents. Manufacturers built machines with little regard for worker safety. Workers were killed or seriously injured before definitive actions were taken to improve safety in the workplace. Many states adopted legislation aimed at requiring machine guarding and improved injury reduction. The first patent for a machine safeguard was issued in 1868 for a mechanical interlock. Other patents followed. …

We compare the detector background situation in an e{sup -} e{sup -} interaction region at the NLC with previous studies done of the NLC e{sup +} e{sup -} interaction region. We note from previous studies that the dominant source of detector backgrounds are the beamstrahlung pairs. Since these scale with luminosity, the reduction in luminosity in e{sup -} e{sup -} collisions leads to a reduction in detector backgrounds compared to the e{sup +} e{sup -} situation.

Rare charmless hadronic B decays are a good testing ground for the standard model. The dominant amplitudes contributing to this class of B decays are CKM suppressed tree diagrams and b {yields} s or b {yields} d loop diagrams (''penguins''). These decays can be used to study interfering standard model (SM) amplitudes and CP violation. They are sensitive to the presence of new particles in the loops, and they provide valuable information to constrain theoretical models of B decays. The B factories BABAR at SLAC and Belle at KEK produce B mesons in the reaction e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B}. So far they have collected integrated luminosities of about 406 fb{sup -1} and 600 fb{sup -1}, respectively. The results presented here are based on subsets of about 200-500 fb{sup -1} and are preliminary unless a journal reference is given.

Metallic amorphous alloys or metallic glasses have been studied extensively for the last three decades due to their unique characteristics, including superior mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Iron-based amorphous alloys have in general better corrosion resistance than their polycrystalline cousins such as the austenitic 18-8 stainless steel series (e.g. 316L SS). Fe-based amorphous alloys have even higher localized corrosion resistance than the nickel-based Alloy 22 under many laboratory tested conditions. Electrochemical laboratory tests have shown that when polycrystalline alloys such as Alloy 22 are anodically polarized in hot concentrated chloride brines, they dissolve unevenly following patterns associated with their crystalline character. However, amorphous alloys, when polarized to even higher potentials than the polycrystalline alloys, they dissolve in a desirable uniform manner. This is because the amorphous Fe-based alloys do not offer defects in the metal that can be preferentially attacked. Comparative studies will also be presented on the dissolution modes of Ni-gadolinium and borated stainless steels.

An experimental program to evaluate candidate metals for use in the fabrication of canisters for long-term storage of vitrified radioactive wastes is described. The long-term compatibility of the candidate metal both with the contained vitrified radioactive waste and with the external environments expected in possible final storage locations will be determined. These tests involve heating combinations of waste forms and canister metals in intimate contact for up to 50,000 hr to accelerate any reactions that occur.

This paper describes an experimental program to evaluate candidate metals for use in the fabrication of canisters for long-term storage of vitrified radioactive wastes.

On November 22, 2005, the Manager of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) in Richland, WA issued an Occurrence Report involving a potential Pu-Fe eutectic failure mechanism for the stainless steel (SS) 3013 cans containing plutonium (Pu) metal. Four additional reports addressed nuclear safety concerns about the integrity of stainless steel containers holding plutonium during fire scenarios. The reports expressed a belief that the probability and consequences of container failure due to the formation of a plutonium-iron eutectic alloy had been overlooked. Simplified thermal model to address the Pu-Fe eutectic concerns using axisymmetric model similar to the models used in the 9975 SARP were performed. The model uses Rocky Flats configuration with 2 stacked Pu buttons inside a 3013 assembly. The assembly has an outer can, an inner can, and a convenience can, all stainless steel. The boundary conditions are similar to the regulatory 30 minutes HAC fire analyses. Computer simulations of the HAC fire transients lasting 4 hours of burn time show that the interface between the primary containment vessel and the Pu metal in the 9975 package will not reach Pu-Fe eutectic temperature of 400 C.

A confocal microscopy imaging system was devised to selectively detect Second harmonic signals generated by biological tissues. Several types of biological tissues were examined using this imaging system, including human teeth, bovine blood vessels, and chicken skin. All these tissues generated strong second harmonic signals. There is considerable evidence that the source of these signals in tissue is collagen. Collagen, the predominant component of most tissues, is known to have second order nonlinear susceptibility. This technique may have diagnostic usefulness in pathophysiological conditions characterized by changes in collagen structure including malignant transformation of nevi, progression of diabetic complications, and abnormalities in wound healing.

Conformal symmetry provides a systematic approximation to QCD in both its perturbative and nonperturbative domains. One can use the AdS/CFT correspondence between Anti-de Sitter space and conformal gauge theories to obtain an analytically tractable approximation to QCD in the regime where the QCD coupling is large and constant. For example, there is an exact correspondence between the fifth-dimensional coordinate of AdS space and a specific impact variable which measures the separation of the quark constituents within the hadron in ordinary space-time. This connection allows one to compute the analytic form of the frame-independent light-front wavefunctions of mesons and baryons, the fundamental entities which encode hadron properties and allow the computation of exclusive scattering amplitudes. One can also use conformal symmetry as a template for perturbative QCD predictions where the effects of the nonzero beta function can be systematically included in the scale of the QCD coupling. This leads to fixing of the renormalization scale and commensurate scale relations which relate observables without scale or scheme ambiguity. The results are consistent with the renormalization group and the analytic connection of QCD to Abelian theory at N{sub C} {yields} 0. I also discuss a number of novel phenomenological features of QCD. Initial- …

The bunch train cavity interaction is an accelerator physics problem, for which a system-theoretic model is lacking. Modal analysis has been used to characterize the system dynamics, exploiting the system's symmetry. Correspondingly, control design has been done using classical frequency-domain-based control. Several shortcomings of these methods are highlighted, all of which are remedied by a new time-domain, system-theoretic model presented herein. The new formulation is a periodic, discrete-time system, amenable to state-space control-design methods.

Recent progress in direct-drive cryogenic implosions on the OMEGA Laser Facility [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] is reviewed. Ignition-relevant areal densities of ~200 mg/cm^2 in cryogenic D2 implosions with peak laser-drive intensities of ~5 x 10^14 W/cm^2 were previously reported [T. C. Sangster et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 185006 (2008)]. The laser intensity is increased to ~10^15 W/cm^2 to demonstrate ignition-relevant implosion velocities of 3–4 x 10^7 cm/ s, providing an understanding of the relevant target physics. Planar-target acceleration experiments show the importance of the nonlocal electron-thermal-transport effects for modeling the laser drive. Nonlocal and hot-electron preheat is observed to stabilize the Rayleigh–Taylor growth at a peak drive intensity of ~10^15 W/cm^2. The shell preheat caused by hot electrons generated by two-plasmon-decay instability was reduced by using Si-doped ablators. The measured compressibility of planar plastic targets driven with high-compression shaped pulses agrees well with one-dimensional simulations at these intensities. Shock mistiming has contributed to compression degradation of recent cryogenic implosions driven with continuous pulses. Multiple-picket (shock-wave) target designs make it possible for a more robust tuning of the shock-wave arrival times. Cryogenic implosions driven with double-picket pulses demonstrate somewhat improved compression performance at a …

A commercial database software package has been used to create several databases and tools that assist and enhance the ability of experimental physicists to analyze data from the Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U) experiment. This software runs on a DEC-20 computer in M-Division's User Service Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where data can be analyzed offline from the main TMX-U acquisition computers. When combined with interactive data analysis programs, these tools provide the capability to do batch-style processing or interactive data analysis on the computers in the USC or the supercomputers of the National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center (NMFECC) in addition to the normal processing done by the TMX-U acquisition system. One database tool provides highly reduced data for searching and correlation analysis of several diagnostic signals within a single shot or over many shots. A second database tool provides retrieval and storage of unreduced data for use in detailed analysis of one or more diagnostic signals. We will show how these database tools form the core of an evolving offline data analysis environment on the USC computers.

A commercial database software package has been used to create several databases and tools that assist and enhance the ability of experimental physicists to analyze data from the Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U) experiment. This software runs on a DEC-20 computer in M-Division's User Service Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where data can be analyzed offline from the main TMX-U acquisition computers. When combined with interactive data analysis programs, these tools provide the capability to do batch-style processing or interactive data analysis on the computers in the USC or the supercomputers of the National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center (NMFECC) in addition to the normal processing done by the TMX-U acquisition system. One database tool provides highly reduced data for searching and correlation analysis of several diagnostic signals within a single shot or over many shots. A second database tool provides retrieval and storage of unreduced data for use in detailed analysis of one or more diagnostic signals. We will show how these database tools form the core of an evolving offline data analysis environment on the USC computers.

Article on a decision-making phase-space model for fairness assessment.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model simulations of urban boundary layers have improved so that they are useful in many types of flow and dispersion analyses. The study described here is intended to assist in planning emergency response activities related to releases of chemical or biological agents into the atmosphere in large cities such as New York City. Five CFD models (CFD-Urban, FLACS, FEM3MP, FEFLO-Urban, and Fluent-Urban) have been applied by five independent groups to the same 3-D building data and geographic domain in Manhattan, using approximately the same wind input conditions. Wind flow observations are available from the Madison Square Garden March 2005 (MSG05) field experiment. It is seen from the many side-by-side comparison plots that the CFD models simulations of near-surface wind fields generally agree with each other and with field observations, within typical atmospheric uncertainties of a factor of two. The qualitative results shown here suggest, for example, that transport of a release at street level in a large city could reach a few blocks in the upwind and crosswind directions. There are still key differences seen among the models for certain parts of the domain. Further quantitative examinations of differences among the models and the observations are …

We present the recent results of our research on the high power ultra-fast silicon RF switches. This switch is composed of a group of PIN diodes on a high purity silicon wafer. The wafer is inserted into a cylindrical waveguide under TE{sub 01} mode, performing switching by injecting carriers into the bulk silicon. Our current design uses a CMOS compatible process and the device was fabricated at SNF (Stanford Nanofabrication Facility). 300 ns switching time has been observed, while the switching speed can be improved further with 3-D device structure and faster driving circuit. Power handling capacity of the switch is at the level of 10 MW. The switch was designed for active X-band RF pulse compression systems--especially for NLC, but it is also possible to be modified for other applications and other frequencies.

This short paper summarizes the results we presented at the LEHTSC2007 conference. Recent doping and temperature dependence of angle-resolved photoemission data of underdoped superconducting cuprate Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8} (Bi2212) have revealed the presence of two energy scales exhibiting distinct behaviours. One, which dominates the antinodal region, increases with underdoping and does not show obvious temperature dependence across Tc. This is a behaviour known for more than a decade and considered as the general gap behaviour in the underdoped regime. The other, which dominates the near-nodal regime, does not increase with less doping and opens near Tc via a BCS-like temperature dependence. This is a behaviour not previously observed in the single particle spectra. We propose a momentum space picture of these two energy scales or energy gaps that could resolve the seemingly contradictory gap measurements among different experimental techniques. Our results have also further constrained the theory for high-Tc superconducting cuprates.

We present a novel hardware mechanism for dynamic program phase detection in distributed shared-memory (DSM) multiprocessors. We show that successful hardware mechanisms for phase detection in uniprocessors do not necessarily work well in DSM systems, since they lack the ability to incorporate the parallel application's global execution information and memory access behavior based on data distribution. We then propose a hardware extension to a well-known uniprocessor mechanism that significantly improves phase detection in the context of DSM multiprocessors. The resulting mechanism is modest in size and complexity, and is transparent to the parallel application.

Here we present Spitzer Space Telescope imaging of Cyg A with the Infrared Array Camera at 4.5 {micro}m and 8.0 {micro}m, resulting in the detection of the high-energy tails or cut-offs in the synchrotron spectra for all four hotspots of this archetype radio galaxy. When combined with the other data collected (and re-analyzed) from the literature, our observations allow for detailed modeling of the broad-band (radio-to-X-ray) emission for the brightest spots A and D. We confirm that the X-ray flux detected previously from these features is consistent with the synchrotron self-Compton radiation for the magnetic field intensity B {approx} 170 {micro}G in spot A, and B {approx} 270 {micro}G in spot D. We also find that the energy density of the emitting electrons is most likely larger by a factor of a few than the energy density of the hotspots magnetic field. We construct energy spectra of the radiating ultrarelativistic electrons. We find that for both hotspots A and D these spectra are consistent with a broken power-law extending from at least 100MeV up to {approx} 100GeV, and that the spectral break corresponds almost exactly to the proton rest energy of {approx} 1GeV. We argue that the shape of the …

The paper discusses the goals of a monitoring system for a CTB, its functions, the challenges to verification, discrimination techniques, and some recent developments. It is concluded technical, military and political efforts are required to establish and verify test ban treaties which will contribute to stability in the long term. It currently appears there will be a significant number of unidentified events. (ACR)