Retention of tritium in carbon co-deposits is a serious concern for ITER. Developing a reliable in-situ removal method of the co-deposited tritium would allow the use of carbon plasma-facing components which have proven reliable in high heat flux conditions and compatible with high performance plasmas. Thermal oxidation is a potential solution, capable of reaching even hidden locations. It is necessary to establish the least severe conditions to achieve adequate tritium recovery, minimizing damage and reconditioning time. The first step in this multi-machine project is {sup 13}C-tracer experiments in DIII-D, JET, C-Mod and MAST. In DIII-D and JET, {sup 13}CH{sub 4} has been (and in C-Mod and MAST, will be) injected toroidally symmetrically, facilitating quantification and interpretation of the results. Tiles have been removed, analyzed for {sup 13}C content and will next be evaluated in a thermal oxidation test facility in Toronto with regard to the ability of different severities of oxidation exposure to remove the different types of (known and measured) {sup 13}C co-deposit. Removal of D/T from B on Mo tiles from C-Mod will also be tested. OEDGE interpretive code analysis of the {sup 13}C deposition patterns is used to generate the understanding needed to apply findings to ITER. …

We investigate jet formation in black-hole systems using 3-D General Relativistic Particle-In-Cell (GRPIC) and 3-D GRMHD simulations. GRPIC simulations, which allow charge separations in a collisionless plasma, do not need to invoke the frozen condition as in GRMHD simulations. 3-D GRPIC simulations show that jets are launched from Kerr black holes as in 3-D GRMHD simulations, but jet formation in the two cases may not be identical. Comparative study of black hole systems with GRPIC and GRMHD simulations with the inclusion of radiate transfer will further clarify the mechanisms that drive the evolution of disk-jet systems.

The production of defect-free mask blanks remains a key challenge for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Integral to this effort is the development and characterization of mask inspection tools that are sensitive enough to detect critical defects with high confidence. Using a single programmed-defect mask with a range of buried bump-type defects, we report a comparison of measurements made in four different mask-inspection tools: one commercial tool using 488-nm wavelength illumination, one prototype tool that uses 266-nm illumination, and two non-commercial EUV ''actinic'' inspection tools. The EUV tools include a darkfield imaging microscope and a scanning microscope. Our measurements show improving sensitivity with the shorter wavelength non-EUV tool, down to 33-nm spherical-equivalent-volume diameter, for defects of this type. Measurements conditions were unique to each tool, with the EUV tools operating at a much slower inspection rate. Several defects observed with EUV inspection were below the detection threshold of the non-EUV tools.

Article about books seen in the White House, and various events happening around Austin, Texas in October of 2006.

The known encounter velocity (6.1kms{sup -1}) between the Stardust spacecraft and the dust emanating from the nucleus of comet Wild 2 has allowed realistic simulation of dust collection in laboratory experiments designed to validate analytical methods for the interpretation of dust impacts on the aluminium foil components of the Stardust collector. In this report we present information on crater gross morphology, the pre-existing major and trace element composition of the foil, geometrical issues for energy dispersive X-ray analysis of the impact residues in scanning electron microscopes, and the modification of dust chemical composition during creation of impact craters as revealed by analytical transmission electron microscopy. Together, these observations help to underpin the interpretation of size, density and composition for particles impacted upon the Stardust aluminium foils.

Knowledge of the thermophysical properties of materials at extreme pressure and temperature conditions is essential for improving our understanding of many planetary and detonation processes. Significant gaps in what is known about the behavior of materials at high density and high temperature exist, largely due to the limitations and dangers of performing experiments at the necessary extreme conditions. Modeling these systems through the use of equations of state and particle-based simulation methods significantly extends the range of pressures and temperatures that can be safely studied. The reliability of such calculations depends on the accuracy of the models used. Here we present an assessment of the united-atom version of the TraPPE (Transferable Potentials for Phase Equilibria) force field and single-site exp-6 representations for methane, methanol, oxygen, and ammonia at extreme conditions. As shown by Monte Carlo simulations in the isobaric-isothermal ensemble, the TraPPE models, despite being parameterized to the vapor-liquid coexistence curve (i.e. relatively mild conditions), perform remarkably well in the high pressure/high temperature regime. The single-site exp-6 models can fit experimental data in the high pressure/temperature regime very well, but the parameters are less transferable to ambient conditions.

The attenuation of very high energy gamma rays by pair production on the Galactic interstellar radiation field has long been thought of as negligible. However, a new calculation of the interstellar radiation field consistent with multi-wavelength observations by DIRBE and FIRAS indicates that the energy density of the Galactic interstellar radiation field is higher, particularly in the Galactic center, than previously thought. We have made a calculation of the attenuation of very high energy gamma rays in the Galaxy using this new interstellar radiation field which takes into account its nonuniform spatial and angular distributions. We find that the maximum attenuation occurs around 100 TeV at the level of about 25% for sources located at the Galactic center, and is important for both Galactic and extragalactic sources.

In the quest for precision cosmology, one must ensure that the cosmology is accurate as well. We discuss figures of merit for determining from observations whether the dark energy is a cosmological constant or dynamical, with special attention to the best determined equation of state value, at the ``pivot'' or decorrelation redshift. We show this is not necessarily the best lever on testing consistency with the cosmological constant, and moreover is subject to bias. The standard parametrization of w(a)=w_0+w_a(1-a) by contrast is quite robust, as tested by extensions to higher order parametrizations and modified gravity. Combination of complementary probes gives strong immunization against inaccurate, but precise, cosmology.

We present a combined analysis of the X-ray emission of the Capella corona obtained with XMM-Newton RGS, Chandra HETGS, and LETGS. An improved atomic line database and a new differential emission measure (DEM) deconvolution method are developed for this purpose. Our new atomic database is based on the Astrophysical Plasma Emission Database and incorporates improved calculations of ionization equilibrium and line emissivities for L-shell ions of abundant elements using the Flexible Atomic Code. The new DEM deconvolution method uses a Markov Chain Monte-Carlo (MCMC) technique which differs from existing MCMC or {chi}{sup 2}-fitting based methods. We analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each individual instrument in determining the DEM and elemental abundances. We conclude that results from either RGS or HETGS data alone are not robust enough due to their failure to constrain DEM in some temperature region or the lack of significant continuum emission in the wavelength band of the spectrometers, and that the combination of HETGS and RGS gives more stringent constraints on the DEM and abundance determinations. Using the LETGS data, we show that the recently discovered inconsistencies between the EUV and X-ray lines of Fe XVIII and XIX also exist in more highly charged iron ions, …

We present a novel approach to characterize the colliding-beam phase space at the interaction point of the energy-asymmetric PEP-II B-Factory. The method exploits the fact that the transverse-boost distribution of e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} events reconstructed in the BABAR detector reflects that of the colliding electrons and positrons. The mean boost direction, when combined with the measured orientation of the luminous ellipsoid, determines the e{sup +}-e{sup -} crossing angles. The average angular spread of the transverse boost vector provides an accurate measure of the angular divergence of the incoming high-energy beam, confirming the presence of a sizeable dynamic-{beta} effect. The longitudinal and transverse dependence of the boost angular spread also allow to extract from the continuously-monitored distributions detailed information about the emittances and IP {beta}-functions of both beams during high-luminosity operation.

Charges of 0.5 g PETN were used to disperse 1 g of flake aluminum in a rectangular test chamber of 4 liter inner volume and inner dimensions of approximately 10 cm x 10 cm x 40 cm. The subsequent combustion of the flake aluminum with the ambient air in the chamber gave rise to a highly luminous flame. The evolution of the luminous region was studied by means of high-speed cinematography. The high-speed camera is responsive to a broad spectral range in the visible and near infra-red. For a number of tests this response range was narrowed down by means of a band-pass filter with a center wavelength of 488 nm and a half-width of 23 nm. The corresponding images were expected to have a stronger temperature dependence than images obtained without the filter, thus providing better capability to highlight hot-spots. Emission in the range of the pass-band of the filter can be due to continuous thermal radiation from hot Al and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles or to molecular band emission from gaseous AlO. A time-resolving spectrometer was improvised to inspect this topic. The results suggest that AlO emission occurs, but that the continuous spectrum is the dominating effect in …

The analysis of surface heat fluxes and sounding profiles from SHEBA indicated possible significant effects of subsidence on the structure of stably-stratified ABLs (Mirocha et al. 2005). In this study the influence of the large-scale subsidence rate on the stably stratified atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over the Arctic Ocean during clear sky, winter conditions is investigated using a large-eddy simulation model. Simulations are conducted while varying the subsidence rate between 0, 0.001 and 0.002 ms{sup -1}, and the resulting quasi-equilibrium ABL structure and evolution are examined. Simulations conducted without subsidence yield ABLs that are deeper, more strongly mixed, and cool much more rapidly than were observed. The addition of a small subsidence rate significantly improves agreement between the simulations and observations regarding the ABL height, potential temperature profiles and bulk heating rates. Subsidence likewise alters the shapes of the surface-layer flux, stress and shear profiles, resulting in increased vertical transport of heat while decreasing vertical momentum transport. A brief discussion of the relevance of these results to parameterization of the stable ABL under subsiding conditions in large-scale numerical weather and climate prediction models is presented.

An understanding of the hydrologic interactions among atmosphere, land surface, and subsurface is one of the keys to understanding the water cycling system that supports life on earth. The inherent coupled processes and complex feedback structures among subsystems make such interactions difficult to simulate. In this paper, we present a model that simulates the land surface and subsurface hydrologic response to meteorological forcing. This model combines a state-of-the-art land-surface model, the NCAR Community Land Model version 3 (CLM3), with a variably saturated groundwater model, TOUGH2, through an internal interface that includes flux and state variables shared by the two submodels. Specifically, TOUGH2 uses infiltration, evaporation, and root-uptake rates, calculated by CLM3, as source/sink terms in its simulation; CLM3 uses saturation and capillary pressure profiles, calculated by TOUGH2, as state variables in its simulation. This new model, CLMT2, preserves the best aspects of both submodels: the state-of-the-art modeling capability of surface energy and hydrologic processes (including snow, runoff, freezing/melting, evapotranspiration, radiation, and biophysiological processes) from CLM3 and the more realistic physical-process-based modeling capability of subsurface hydrologic processes (including heterogeneity, three-dimensional flow, seamless combining of unsaturated and saturated zone, and water table) from TOUGH2. The preliminary simulation results show that the coupled …

None

As part of the DEEP2 galaxy redshift survey, we analyze absorption line strengths in stacked Keck/DEIMOS spectra of red field galaxies with weak to no emission lines, at redshifts 0.7 {approx}< z {approx}< 1. Comparison with models of stellar population synthesis shows that red galaxies at z {approx} 0:9 have mean luminosity-weighted ages of the order of only 1 Gyr and at least solar metallicities. These ages cannot be reconciled with a scenario where all stars evolved passively after forming at very high z. Rather, a significant fraction of stars can be no more than 1 Gyr old, which means that some star formation in the stacked populations continued to at least z {approx} 1:2. Furthermore, a comparison of these distant galaxies with a local SDSS sample, using stellar populations synthesis models, shows that the drop in the equivalent width of H{delta} from z {approx} 0:9 to 0.1 is less than predicted by passively evolving models. This admits of two interpretations: either each individual galaxy experiences continuing low-level star formation, or the red-sequence galaxy population from z {approx} 0:9 to 0.1 is continually being added to by new galaxies with younger stars.

File system designers continue to look to new architectures to improve scalability. Object-based storage diverges from server-based (e.g. NFS) and SAN-based storage systems by coupling processors and memory with disk drives, delegating low-level allocation to object storage devices (OSDs) and decoupling I/O (read/write) from metadata (file open/close) operations. Even recent object-based systems inherit decades-old architectural choices going back to early UNIX file systems, however, limiting their ability to effectively scale to hundreds of petabytes. We present Ceph, a distributed file system that provides excellent performance and reliability with unprecedented scalability. Ceph maximizes the separation between data and metadata management by replacing allocation tables with a pseudo-random data distribution function (CRUSH) designed for heterogeneous and dynamic clusters of unreliable OSDs. We leverage OSD intelligence to distribute data replication, failure detection and recovery with semi-autonomous OSDs running a specialized local object storage file system (EBOFS). Finally, Ceph is built around a dynamic distributed metadata management cluster that provides extremely efficient metadata management that seamlessly adapts to a wide range of general purpose and scientific computing file system workloads. We present performance measurements under a variety of workloads that show superior I/O performance and scalable metadata management (more than a quarter million metadata …

The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) on board the NeXT (Japanese future high energy astrophysics mission) is a Compton telescope with narrow field of view (FOV), which utilizes Compton kinematics to enhance its background rejection capabilities. It is realized as a hybrid semiconductor gamma-ray detector which consists of silicon and CdTe (cadmium telluride) detectors. It can detect photons in a wide energy band (0.05-1 MeV) at a background level of 5 x 10{sup -7} counts/s/cm{sup 2}/keV; the silicon layers are required to improve the performance at a lower energy band (<0.3 MeV). Excellent energy resolution is the key feature of the SGD, allowing it to achieve both high angular resolution and good background rejection capability. An additional capability of the SGD, its ability to measure gamma-ray polarization, opens up a new window to study properties of astronomical objects. We will present the development of key technologies to realize the SGD: high quality CdTe, low noise front-end ASIC and bump bonding technology. Energy resolutions of 1.7 keV (FWHM) for CdTe pixel detectors and 1.1 keV for Si strip detectors have been measured. We also present the validation of Monte Carlo simulation used to evaluate the performance of the SGD.

Injection of massive quantities of gas is a promising technique for fast shutdown of ITER for the purpose of avoiding divertor and first wall damage from disruptions. Previous experiments using massive gas injection (MGI) to terminate discharges in the DIII-D tokamak have demonstrated rapid shutdown with reduced wall heating and halo currents (relative to natural disruptions) and with very small runaway electron (RE) generation [1]. Figure 1 shows time traces which give an overview of shutdown time scales. Typically, of order 5 x 10{sup 22} Ar neutrals are fired over a pulse of 25 ms duration into stationary (non-disrupting) discharges. The observed results are consistent with the following scenario: within several ms of the jet trigger, sufficient Ar neutrals are delivered to the plasma to cause the edge temperature to collapse, initiating the inward propagation of a cold front. The exit flow of the jet [Fig. 1(a)] has a {approx} 9 ms rise time; so the quantity of neutrals which initiates the edge collapse is small (<10{sup 20}). When the cold front reaches q {approx} 2 surface, global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes are destabilized [2], mixing hot core plasma with edge impurities. Here, q is the safety factor. Most (>90%) of …

We have developed a .NET assembly, which we call SCA.NET,which we have been using for building EPICS based control roomapplications at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). In this paper we reporton our experiences building a 64-bit version of SCA.NET and theunderlying channel access libraries for Windows XP x64 (using a dual coreAMD Athlon CPU). We also report on our progress in building newaccelerator control applications for this environment.

The importance of microenvironment and context in regulation of tissue-specific genes is finally well established. DNA exposure to, or sequestration from, nucleases can be used to detect differences in higher order chromatin structure in intact cells without disturbing cellular or tissue architecture. To investigate the relationship between chromatin organization and tumor phenotype, we utilized an established 3-D assay where normal and malignant human breast cells can be easily distinguished by the morphology of the structures they make (acinus-like vs tumor-like, respectively). We show that these phenotypes can be distinguished also by sensitivity to AluI digestion where the malignant cells are resistant to digestion relative to non-malignant cells. Reversion of the T4-2 breast cancer cells by either cAMP analogs, or a phospatidylinositol 3-kinase (P13K) inhibitor not only reverted the phenotype, but also the chromatin sensitivity to AluI. By using different cAMP-analogs, we show that the cAMP-induced phenotypic reversion, polarization, and shift in DNA organization act through a cAMP-dependent-protein-kinase A-coupled signaling pathway. Importantly, inhibitory antibody to fibronectin also reverted the malignant phenotype, polarized the acini, and changed chromatin sequestration. These experiments show not only that modifying the tumor microenvironment can alter the organization of tumor cells but also that architecture of the …

The BABAR experiment at SLAC successfully collects physics data since 1999. One of the major parts of its on-line system is the configuration database which provides other parts of the system with the configuration data necessary for data taking. Originally the configuration database was implemented in the Objectivity/DB ODBMS. Recently BABAR performed a successful migration of its event store from Objectivity/DB to ROOT and this prompted a complete phase-out of the Objectivity/DB in all other BABAR databases. It required the complete redesign of the configuration database to hide any implementation details and to support multiple storage technologies. In this paper we describe the process of the migration of the configuration database, its new design, implementation strategy and details.

We have performed experiments investigating detonation corner turning over a range of high-explosives including LX-17, Composition B, LX-04 and Tritonal. The primary diagnostic utilized here was a new high-resolution x-ray system that was capable of recording a time sequence of the detonation process as it negotiated the corner of interest and propagated. For LX-17 our data detail the formation of a significant dead-zone. Although the detonation eventually turned the corner in LX-17, the dead zone persisted to late times and evidence exists that it never was consumed by either detonation or fast combustion processes. In LX-17 the detonations ability to corner-turn increases as the density is reduced. Furthermore, lowering the density decreases the size of the dead-zone and alters its shape. The other high-explosives investigated were able to turn the corner immediately with no indication of any dead-zone formation.

Maps, and more importantly Atlases, are assisting the user community in managing a large land area with complex issues, the most complex of which is the management of nuclear waste. The techniques and experiences discussed herein were gained while developing several atlases for use at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site. The user community requires the ability to locate not only waste sites, but other features as well. Finding a specific waste site on a map and in the field is a difficult task at a site the size of Hanford. To find a specific waste site, the user begins by locating the item or object in an index, then locating the feature on the corresponding map within an atlas. Locating features requires a method for indexing them. The location index and how to place it on a map or atlas is the central theme presented in this article. The user requirements for atlases forced the design team to develop new and innovative solutions for requirements that Product Line Tool Set (PLTS) Map Production System (MPS)-Atlas was not designed to handle. The layout of the most complex atlases includes custom reference grids, multiple data frames, multiple map series, and …

The higher oxidation states of iron (Fe(VI) and Fe(V) in particular) have been shown to be strongly oxidizing in enzymatic systems, where they can carry out aliphatic hydrogen abstraction. In addition, they have been postulated as intermediates in Fenton-type systems. Fe(VI) itself is relatively stable and has been shown to have potential as an oxidant in the so-called ''green'' treatment of polluted waters. By contrast, Fe(V) is a relatively short-lived transient when produced in aqueous solution in the absence of strongly bonding ligands other than hydroxide, a feature that has limited studies of its reactivity. Fe(VI) has been proposed to be useful in battery design and a very interesting study suggested that ferrate may be able to oxidize insoluble chromium to chromate and thus serve to remove chromium contamination in the Hanford radioactive waste tanks.